I love the Fender bass tone: that burpy, growly sound is perfect most of the time. But I could never understand why people would like the thinner Jazz tone over the thicker, fuller P tone. It just seemed like J basses were weaker P basses, and while I had heard good J bass tones, P basses just seemed to be where it was at.
But recently I've really been listening to and revisiting Jazz basses in various videos, and now that my ear has gotten better I think it makes sense to me: it isn't so much about the tone, it is more about how you want the bass to sit in the mix, particularly with the drums.
The P can really carry the groove, and almost competes with the kick in the mix. It sits down beneath things like guitars and keys, and still performs well and can be heard if you have a lot going on up top.
J basses sit right above the drums, and their tighter low end allows the drums space to be heard clearly. Their definition also allows each note to be heard. They also participate a little more with the things in the middle and upper registers like guitars and whatnot.
This is at least what it seems like to my ears, but let me know if you have a different perspective.
EDIT: Also, I have wondered why J basses sounded good in a couple 3 piece bands I had heard. Logically to me, the fuller P would fill out the sound better, but now I am thinking that with a J each piece gets it's own range to operate in and blend with the others instead of the P and drums competing and the guitar sitting on top. This is just a thought, I would need to listen to a lot more to try and figure it out.
But recently I've really been listening to and revisiting Jazz basses in various videos, and now that my ear has gotten better I think it makes sense to me: it isn't so much about the tone, it is more about how you want the bass to sit in the mix, particularly with the drums.
The P can really carry the groove, and almost competes with the kick in the mix. It sits down beneath things like guitars and keys, and still performs well and can be heard if you have a lot going on up top.
J basses sit right above the drums, and their tighter low end allows the drums space to be heard clearly. Their definition also allows each note to be heard. They also participate a little more with the things in the middle and upper registers like guitars and whatnot.
This is at least what it seems like to my ears, but let me know if you have a different perspective.
EDIT: Also, I have wondered why J basses sounded good in a couple 3 piece bands I had heard. Logically to me, the fuller P would fill out the sound better, but now I am thinking that with a J each piece gets it's own range to operate in and blend with the others instead of the P and drums competing and the guitar sitting on top. This is just a thought, I would need to listen to a lot more to try and figure it out.
