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Try to find an "underwound" P pickup. Around 8K to 9K ohm. I found a Gotoh MIJ P pickup with 9k and it has clarity, definition and a nice high end. I think I paid around $20 it used on eBay. Has AlNiCo 5 magnets and it sounds great!
Another bright and excellent definition is the Rio Grande Vintage P pickup.
As for the "grind" sound..............isn't that achieved with hot pickups? Like the Duncan 1/4 pounder or their SPB-2? Seem like DiMarzio made makes a P pickup with that "grind" sound.
IMO, I've never thought of a Jazz Bass as having a grind sound. (try a pedal or over driving a tube amp)
Have you tried Roto Sound Stainless Steel Swing Bass 66 strings? They'll give to you clarity, clank, sparkle, high end and maybe the "grind" that you are looking for. You can probably stay with your current pickup.
The Jazz Bass pickups are about 7k ohm each but are wired in parallel which = about 3.5k ohm. Clarity/definition/high end are in lower ohm pickups.
Good luck.
NEW - Wilkinson Premium WPB AlNiCo V Pickup Set for Precision Bass P-Bass | eBay
Another bright and excellent definition is the Rio Grande Vintage P pickup.
As for the "grind" sound..............isn't that achieved with hot pickups? Like the Duncan 1/4 pounder or their SPB-2? Seem like DiMarzio made makes a P pickup with that "grind" sound.
IMO, I've never thought of a Jazz Bass as having a grind sound. (try a pedal or over driving a tube amp)
Have you tried Roto Sound Stainless Steel Swing Bass 66 strings? They'll give to you clarity, clank, sparkle, high end and maybe the "grind" that you are looking for. You can probably stay with your current pickup.
The Jazz Bass pickups are about 7k ohm each but are wired in parallel which = about 3.5k ohm. Clarity/definition/high end are in lower ohm pickups.
Good luck.
NEW - Wilkinson Premium WPB AlNiCo V Pickup Set for Precision Bass P-Bass | eBay
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An SVT for clank? Really?
Disagree. Too much sizzle on that circuit for clank, IMO.
It's either a P or a Jazz. Like everything in life comes down to a decision between two well known choices. In that case I don't think it matters at all. Then Ric is added as a crazy alternative.
For me...Fender has been pretty much irrelevant. I played noname hollowbody, Gibson EB3, SD Curley, Guild SB203 (I had no idea how great that one was, but it had 3 pu's each with a phase switch), fretless Ric, and wound up on a 81' Carvin B40 for about 20 years, mahogany body ebony fretboard, heavy, infinite sustain. Unlike any Fender I ever played, it enabled me to play with chords and be heard...
Nowadays I mostly play a Sterling Stingray 5 or modified Lakland 1501 or Schecter CV5. (happen to be American designs, I have nothing against certain Asian countries products) All have TONS of midrange because that's where bass tone is. Jazz because of phase just has a scoop and a different midrange, a bit higher. I can only guess what grind vs clank means.
If I had to align in the upcoming Jazz or P war, I would say I've always been on Jazz's side but I've recently met a genuine P I love owned by a recording studio, Ivory and rosewood, jazz scale neck...what are you gonna do in those circumstances? The forbidden love.
My old Carvin is actually even better now and will sustain a note 4 times longer than a Fender.
For me...Fender has been pretty much irrelevant. I played noname hollowbody, Gibson EB3, SD Curley, Guild SB203 (I had no idea how great that one was, but it had 3 pu's each with a phase switch), fretless Ric, and wound up on a 81' Carvin B40 for about 20 years, mahogany body ebony fretboard, heavy, infinite sustain. Unlike any Fender I ever played, it enabled me to play with chords and be heard...
Nowadays I mostly play a Sterling Stingray 5 or modified Lakland 1501 or Schecter CV5. (happen to be American designs, I have nothing against certain Asian countries products) All have TONS of midrange because that's where bass tone is. Jazz because of phase just has a scoop and a different midrange, a bit higher. I can only guess what grind vs clank means.
If I had to align in the upcoming Jazz or P war, I would say I've always been on Jazz's side but I've recently met a genuine P I love owned by a recording studio, Ivory and rosewood, jazz scale neck...what are you gonna do in those circumstances? The forbidden love.
My old Carvin is actually even better now and will sustain a note 4 times longer than a Fender.
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Listen to The Who "Live at Leeds." Is that enough grind & clank? That's a P!
Cranked British tube amps help. Crosstown Traffic has all kinda grind. That's a J with Rotos through Marshalls.
Stay with the P.
Beck Ola! Grind City. That's a Tele single coil but Ron was seen in those days with a well worn P.
May I suggest Rotosounds?
There's a lot of this that's technique. Close to the bridge playing.
Cranked British tube amps help. Crosstown Traffic has all kinda grind. That's a J with Rotos through Marshalls.
Stay with the P.
Beck Ola! Grind City. That's a Tele single coil but Ron was seen in those days with a well worn P.
May I suggest Rotosounds?
There's a lot of this that's technique. Close to the bridge playing.
If you only have two basses, many on TB will tell you they should be a P and a J. I have three. A P, J, and G&L L-2500. These three give me LOTS of tone variety. As others have pointed out, not all Js or Ps are the same though. So if you can, sample a few different Js and play with the pickup volumes. Adjusting the pu height will also make a big difference (as will strings as others have mentioned). In short, variety is the spice of life.
Has anyone considered lowering the bridge pu on a jazz to achieve an in-between P-J sound? This would still offer the noise cancellation with both pu full-on, but maybe bring up some of those low-mids and raise/de-emphasize the mid-dip frequency, while still retaining some clarity in the high-mids. I've been experimenting with this.
Since this is TB, a new bass will always be the most enticing answer. However, if you look at the Who from Live at Leeds or Isle of Wight, John used a P with rounds, exceptional attack/playing ability and some tube amps of the day to get a pretty grinding tone. Here's an example.
that j bass tone....yep nothing like it..My 83' p was fitted with new SD pups, and i strung it with 66 rotosounds strings and it completely changed the tone to that "grind" you mention....Still the j has it's own tone that's unique....So i built a P/J and get yet another variation of both.....strings, pickups, amp, player style, all have their influence....I'd go ahead and get the j anyways..It's a sexy beast.
Um, lol what? Have you never dimed the gain on an SVT?
Rotosound Swing Bass 66 ( steel) will do it regardless of bass choice in my opinion ; downside magic tone doesn't last long
Gosh, this is a long thread, but oddly I don't see:
The answer you're looking for is "yes". A J will get you that tone. You described J tone. Buy one. Do it. DO IT!
Or tappable j-position humbuckers, preferably splittable/noiseless, with the ability to solo the south pole on the neck pickup to cop a bit of P tone. Most of P tone come from the position, it doesn't matter what shape it is. Hey, if you're just going to own one non-P bass, might as well get as many tones as possible..but complexity isn't always good, and maybe just a nice J is the answer. So we're back to, "yeah buy a J".
The truth is, I hated J basses until I tried overwound pickups; I was a PJ guy before that. I do love the PJ setup, possibly with a reverse P or actually any shape you like as long as the wind and placement deliver a P-like tone. It is versatile and leaves little to be desired and it's my first choice for most situations. But if you really want a multi-pickup aggressive tone, you need neck/bridge pickups that match well, which implies a J, tapped humbuckers, or some sort of soapbar setup with extended frequency response. Which leads me to alternate suggestion: Find/try a double-reverse-P setup.
The answer you're looking for is "yes". A J will get you that tone. You described J tone. Buy one. Do it. DO IT!
Or tappable j-position humbuckers, preferably splittable/noiseless, with the ability to solo the south pole on the neck pickup to cop a bit of P tone. Most of P tone come from the position, it doesn't matter what shape it is. Hey, if you're just going to own one non-P bass, might as well get as many tones as possible..but complexity isn't always good, and maybe just a nice J is the answer. So we're back to, "yeah buy a J".
The truth is, I hated J basses until I tried overwound pickups; I was a PJ guy before that. I do love the PJ setup, possibly with a reverse P or actually any shape you like as long as the wind and placement deliver a P-like tone. It is versatile and leaves little to be desired and it's my first choice for most situations. But if you really want a multi-pickup aggressive tone, you need neck/bridge pickups that match well, which implies a J, tapped humbuckers, or some sort of soapbar setup with extended frequency response. Which leads me to alternate suggestion: Find/try a double-reverse-P setup.
I've heard some Fender Ps sound pretty piano-esque in tone. New roundwounds and the right EQ. It's possible.
Perhaps it's the rig you are playing through too. I have a Fender P with flats, Fender J 5 string and a Lakland 55-94 Deluxe 5(active electronics). All 3 sound amazing but a big part of your tone also comes from your amp/cab combo. Have you tried other rigs? My P came with rounds that had plenty of clank, I replaced with flats which toned it down a lot but that was my intent. If I roll up the tone knob I get some of it back. Strings make a big difference in your sound. I also like my action very low. A lot goes into your sound, strings, PUs, action, fingerboard material, amp, cab, playing style, etc. Tone is subjective so try various combos until you find "your tone".
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In my mind, grind and clank come from a low action, you get the strings to snap against the frets. Quack, is what I usually call it. It's also a matter of the pickup position. Neck pickups sound like neck pickups in general, and bridge pickups sound like bridge pickups in general.
Yep! I concur. I use Ampeg amps/cabs and my tone is orgasmic. lol
I get a growl from my PBass because I really dig in hard with my plucking hand. When I restring the P with D'Addario or Rotosound Rounds it definitely has a "piano string" sound.
