Fender P Bass vs Jazz (neck pickup)

[ics1974]

The weird thing is a P/J with both pickups on full sounds more different then a Jazz with both pickups on full. I can tell them apart easier then just the neck pickup alone comparison.

 

[Jtown690]

This could have been already said but I’ve heard that the J neck PuP sounds closer to a slab style P non split single coil than a Split P pup.

I’m with it. My band covers a police tune and when I play my J I turn my bridge pup off.
It kills.

 

[sxaxsx]

They are close, but I think a P pickup cuts through the mix a bit more and sounds a bit fuller than a J neck. If you have split coil J pickups then it sounds even closer to a P pickup solo'd.
The ultimate J neck pickup solo'd tone is Joe Osborn, it does sound close to a P, but a bit thinner, still a great tone though, but just not quite P.

 

[Pocket Dave]

Pretty close though easy to tell the difference for me, especially when going to the P from the J. The P is just more detailed in its fatness.

Though in a gig context, I never use just the neck pickup on the J. If I use the J, it's usually in the context of music and mix needing a tighter bass signature tone, which for me, means some level of bridge pickup.

I've also noticed for guys who like to slap, having both J bridge and neck pickups up lends itself nicely to scooped EQ settings.

 

[Baker69]

I use a hanging neck type stand too (a Hercules one - nitro safe). No wrestling, works great for all my basses. Except the Steinberger of course.

Yes the hanging type Hercules are great stands, not so good if you use fret wraps though!

 

[PBassAcidJazz]

I have both with the same strings, action and pickup height. I really can’t decide which I like better. They sound so similar but there is a small difference.
I did a recording of both on my looper pedal so I could compare the differences. The next day I listened to it and forgot which one I played first. I honestly couldn’t confidently tell which one was the P Bass or the Jazz. I had to take my Pbass and play it right after the recording to figure it out.
What are your opinions of the P bass vs Jazz with neck pickup only?

I have both a P and J of the same model. The P sounds more muscular while the J set to the neck pickup sounds thinner and brighter. Both are awesome, but have a different character even when the tone settings are matched as close as possible.

 

[ics1974]

I should have also mentioned that both my P and J are wearing flats, so maybe that’s why they sound so similar. Not exactly the same but enough to trick me.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

Using similar settings, no pedal, jazz is cleaner but missing that big bass sound that basses are supposed to have. In other words, it is thin. But you can crank the lows on the amp and get the sound.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

J sounds dull and hollow. Like, there's something missing. But it's not half as noticeable in a live setting. It still does what you want it to by rolling back the bridge. It makes a more mid forward, honky tone. But, it doesn't do it the same as a p bass. It's a little empty.

huh, mine definitely does not sound dull and hollow, honky or empty, at least neck only. I guess those hohner professional j pickups are mojo somehow….

 

[DuluthDank]

It may be unique to my basses, but I hear a big difference. The single coil J neck pickup is less punchy, clearer, more open, brighter and a bit more aggressive in the mids. The P is punchier and a bit more closed off sounding, more heavy on low mids. To me the J neck pickup is a better bedroom tone, but I like the way the P pickup sounds in the mix with my rock band better.

I may look at dimarzio model J's (split coil J pups), as regular singles don't have enough low mid punch in the mix for my tastes.

 

[Alexander]

If you’ve got the scratch, try picking up a 60s Jazz bass - you might hear Jazz basses in a whole new way. I know I did.

 

[Geri O]

Of COURSE the one that suits me best is the one that I have to fist-a-fight with when putting it back on it's stand

Speaking just for myself, based on the music I play, there is something "unruly and out-of-hand" about the E-string range on a P bass. I end up cutting frequencies with a graphic EQ to tame it.

I don't have to do that when using a solo'd neck pickup on a J

….and that is precisely what I love about the P Bass tone as opposed to the neck pup of a Jazz bass.

Give me rude and unruly all day. The treble control is good for taming it a bit. If and when I think I may need it….

 

[Stewie]

We are all wrong. Leo got it right for the 51. My lowly Squier CV 50s has better tone than my P does or my J ever did. The hum is there, yup, but the pickup, or the placement just works.

 

[fhm555]

IMHO a pbass has a bit thicker/grainier tone on the low E string than the jbass. With that said, the 2 are extremely close and are really indistinguishable in a band mix. One big difference however, a standard single coil jazz pup will be noisier than a humbucking pbass pup.

Which is why you drop in a set of Dimarzio Model J or Ultra J humbuckers. They are a side by side split design rather than a stacked design like so many other J bass humbuckers. Both Dimarzios have different sounds so if you need to be a god of thunder it’s the Model J you want, if you want a hot wound single coil sound, the Ultra Js are your huckleberry.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

I definitely sit on the other side of the aisle. P basses barely do unruly even if you positively hammer them. They go to mildly snarky. My L-1000 starts at unruly then moves to (expletives deleted).

now that I’m all peaceful and olde fender traditional type basses are fun to play and I get why they are popular.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

P sounds full and angry

J sounds dull and hollow. Like, there's something missing. But it's not half as noticeable in a live setting. It still does what you want it to by rolling back the bridge. It makes a more mid forward, honky tone. But, it doesn't do it the same as a p bass. It's a little empty.

Good way to explain it. That is why I end up selling my jazz

 

[Smith357]

For my ears it's only when you turn the tone down the P can I perceive a difference, the P seems fuller and thumpier? is that a word? While the J has more bright with a with a bit more snap and pop. But then my hearing is not the greatest, always turning it up to 11 in my youth.

 

[yodedude2]

...
I may look at dimarzio model J's (split coil J pups), as regular singles don't have enough low mid punch in the mix for my tastes.

i love them things. also the schaller licensed clones ~

 

[Geri O]

Good way to explain it. That is why I end up selling my jazz

Or….

That’s why I have one of each.

I learnt a long time ago…..

Have a Precision for what it and its single pickup does.

Have a Jazz for what both pickups up 100% do.

(And a Stingray H for what its single pickup does. But that’s another p

 

[eddododo]

My biggest thing about subtle tonal differences these days is informed entirely by *feel.*

I absolutely agree with everyone that they’re very close, and that in a mix it pretty much just doesn’t matter.

BUT. The *feel* can be different, including and especially in a mix. Now I’m not saying that a P-bass and a J neck DO feel very different, specifically; I have not A-B’d them, and I haven’t had a genuine J bass in a long time. But in cases “like” this, where the audible difference would pass the blind test, I do think that the difference in feel, the proprioceptive feedback and relationship between physical input and sonic response, can be an underrated factor when discussing these kinds of things. Compression and light clipping can be ideal examples of this phenomenon, and I suspect that J neck Vs P is at least a candidate for a feel difference, though I’m confident that I would find both perfectly adequate. But would they pull something different out of me between the two experiences?

I’ll be building a jazz soon, maybe I’ll keep it in mind