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Fender p's vs. j's

G

Goose72

Dec 24, 2006
220
1
NW Indiana
#1
this is a specific question about these two basses, not a thread about which one i should get...

i have been playing my friends dad's old '76 P bass(american) and it is really difficult for me to play compared to my ibanez. The sound qualitly is by far better that of my ibanez, but i cant play it for more than about 30 minutes before my neck, hands, shoulders and other parts of my arm start to hurt.

so i am wondering if a J bass is much easier to play? is the neck faster/thinner(the p's is relatively thick and is uncomfortable to play on.[i have large hands by the way, so thats not the problem, it could be due to the fact that ive only been playing bass for about 2 weeks])? is the overall weight less than that of a p?

have they made the newer p basses more playable? or is it sill the same?

thanks
 
#2
Well, large or small hands aside, the playability comparison between P and J necks is largely based on what you like. Some guys just like more to wrap their hands around. I'm a J neck guy, and it sounds like that's where you're leaning. My best advice is to head down to a music store, play each (newer Ps will be comparable to a '76), and decide what you like. Oh, and they do weigh about the same.
 
#3
LookIt'sSteve17 said:
Well, large or small hands aside, the playability comparison between P and J necks is largely based on what you like. Some guys just like more to wrap their hands around. I'm a J neck guy, and it sounds like that's where you're leaning. My best advice is to head down to a music store, play each (newer Ps will be comparable to a '76), and decide what you like. Oh, and they do weigh about the same.
Click to expand...

one reply thread-ender right here maybe?
 
#5
A Precision Bass has a 1.625” (41.3 mm) nut

A Jazz Bass has a 1.50” (38mm) nut

But that's not the only factor that affects playability, the neck profile has a lot to do with it. If you have a "baseball bat" P, it's going to be a lot tougher to play than a thinner P.
 
#6
jazz basses have thinner necks but (i think) larger and heavier bodies. a P bass is more comfortable standing, but a J bass is more comfortable sitting. they have newer hybrid basses. a P and J pickup combo, jazz neck, precision body those are nice, but as far as i know, they only come with active electronics. so if you're a passive guy like me, it is not what your looking for. anywho, welcome to the bass-playing world, enjoy being in the rythmn section
 
#8
I think you're very much overlooking the impact that setup has on playability. Your friend's dad's old P-bass may just be set up with a high action and heavy strings, which would have nothing at all to do with whether it's a P-bass or a Jazz. If your neck, hands, shoulders and arms hurt after playing it, I think that neck width is the least of your problems with the bass...

Mike
 
#9
Standard models of both are passive. If you do have decent size hands then there's really no reason why the P would be hard to play unless the action is unreasonably high. I have small hands and that makes the jazz almost a prerequisite for me. Having said that though I did have a p-bass at one time and got on with it alright. More experience will conditiion your body to play longer. The j body is somewhat bigger and will potentially weigh more. The '76 you mention could very well have a hard ash body and Fenders from that era are know for their heavy weight.
 
#10
i have large hands by the way, so thats not the problem, it could be due to the fact that ive only been playing bass for about 2 weeks
Click to expand...
I endorse all preceding comments regarding P and J necks, but whoa ----- Many of the impressions your hands (arms, shoulders, etc) are giving you now may not be the saame after you learn the basics about how to hold the bass, how your hand will fit across the board, etc. Nice news that your Ibanez feels pretty good. Jazz necks are slimmer than P necks. Ibanez and J's have the same width (across fingerboard) at the nut but J's are not as "thin" (fingerboard to back). But hey - If your hands are large, as you say, I think as you become more comfortable in the mechanics of playing (stretching, strengthening, effective arm/hand posture) you will have little problem playing a P-sized neck. I have a friend how started off on an Ibanez and now needs a wider width to be comfortable. He says his large fingers "bunch up" on narrow neck. Good luck. It's good you have one bass you feel comfortable on.
 
#11
the sound of the p and j are different

pickups are different

the necks are different on the standard models

I found the p neck to be a bit clumsy to me

the j neck suits me better

my p special has a j neck

and p/j p/ups

I can't make up my mind

there's a hybrid line of Fenders for people like me

play 'em

see which one you like best

they're both good products

also

not all Fender's are built equal

my advice is

play the actual instrument you're going to buy

p or j, either way, you can't lose if you get a good one
 
#12
I prefer a J neck, but I like the sound of a P and Fenders in general.
My main bass is a Aerodyne Jazz which has a P+J pickup configuration. It is made in Japan and the neck is thinner than my MIM Jazz and overall the Bass is lighter.
For me it is the best setup (so far) that I could find. I did replace the stock pickups with a noiseless DiMarzio P+J set since the stock J single coil was noisy. Have been using it for 1.5 years with no troubles and I love the tone and playability.
 

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