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I have a J, wanting P tone
- Thread starter CallMeAl
- Start date
I have one bass with area J’s. They are split coils and fat and deep. Great flavour of J but not a P.
I have one jazz i modified to be a PJ with the dimarzio set. Doesn’t sound like a J anymore. Not quite a P though.
If money is so tight for you that a couple hundred for a used P is too much of an outlay then don’t waste your money modifying the J. Just trade it for a P or buy a P and sell the J.
If it’s not then keep the J and buy a P.
I have one jazz i modified to be a PJ with the dimarzio set. Doesn’t sound like a J anymore. Not quite a P though.
If money is so tight for you that a couple hundred for a used P is too much of an outlay then don’t waste your money modifying the J. Just trade it for a P or buy a P and sell the J.
If it’s not then keep the J and buy a P.
In my experience, the precision bass sound, as ubiquitous as it is, is really hard to duplicate without a real precision bass. It has this weird mix of low-mid and upper-mid emphasis that is strange on its own and yet so appealing in the mix. Precision players call it the 'gank'. It's the guttural clank you hear from bassists like Dave Allen from Gang of Four.
While different pickups can help, I agree with those recommending a series/parallel switch first. The parts are cheap, and any good tech should be able to install it easily. Wiring J pickups in series doesn't replicate P-bass tone, but the additional low mids fatness give it a P-like presence in the mix, sort of like the Lace Man O' War pickups I recommended earlier. It's a useful tone, as I learned with my 2003 Fender, which has the S-1 switch.
I wouldn't recommend wiring the pickups in series exclusively, because then you lose the ability to use different pickup blends.
I wouldn't recommend wiring the pickups in series exclusively, because then you lose the ability to use different pickup blends.
Just work with your EQ on your bass and pre-amp, amp. If you can't seem to find the tone that you want, you can try an external EQ processor but, the latter is the way to go.
I good "engineer" can dial in the tone with the instruments EQ and amp.
I good "engineer" can dial in the tone with the instruments EQ and amp.
- Jun 29, 2006
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I have the Nordy J blades (warm and wooly) in one of my J's and those pickups retain a lot of the great midrange punch you'd get from a P, even with both pickups on full. Highly recommended.
Honestly just buy a cheap P and fix it up a bit if needed, you'll get a decent bass no matter what you get. They all sound like a P bass.
It depends how attached you are to the J in question.
If you love it or it has sentimental attachment, start by working with the existing electronics.
When you say Series wiring, you can either be talking about connecting the PICKUPS in series, or connecting the COILS in series.
Coils in series is standard for a split-coil P-bass.
A jazz bass is stock with parallel pickups.
Pickups in series is more rare -- Dingwall offers it on all of their basses and the G&L L-2000 has switches for that option.
Regardless of your stock pickups, you can install a switch to wire the pickups in series, and if you end up installing a set of Model J, you can wire their coils in series AND wire the pickups in series.
That'd be a fat sound...possibly borderline muddy.
If you love it or it has sentimental attachment, start by working with the existing electronics.
When you say Series wiring, you can either be talking about connecting the PICKUPS in series, or connecting the COILS in series.
Coils in series is standard for a split-coil P-bass.
A jazz bass is stock with parallel pickups.
Pickups in series is more rare -- Dingwall offers it on all of their basses and the G&L L-2000 has switches for that option.
Regardless of your stock pickups, you can install a switch to wire the pickups in series, and if you end up installing a set of Model J, you can wire their coils in series AND wire the pickups in series.
That'd be a fat sound...possibly borderline muddy.
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From my own experience I can tell you that series wiring of J pickups is similar to a P-bass, but is also its own thing. You may even like it *better*, I know I do. But I also still have a P-bass on hand, because sometimes that's the right sound.
Edit: I'll add that wiring J pickups in series is very easy to do and involves no permanent changes to the bass. Installing a switch to alternate between series/parallel is not that hard, either.
Edit: I'll add that wiring J pickups in series is very easy to do and involves no permanent changes to the bass. Installing a switch to alternate between series/parallel is not that hard, either.
I have P with added J bridge pickup. I wanted the P sound, but also I wanted to have more options. I can do a P sound alright, but it doesn't really have the real P vibe. I feel that the P vibe is not so much matter of the sound, it's more about the feeling 'nothing can be done, I need to do it with my fingers only'.
I'd focus on fingers before you buy a new bass. If you want to sound like James Jamerson or Rocco Prestia, you'll be disapointed that the new bass doesn't help that much.
I'd focus on fingers before you buy a new bass. If you want to sound like James Jamerson or Rocco Prestia, you'll be disapointed that the new bass doesn't help that much.
OP, I've been down this road before and tried just about every option out there. My experience is that you just can't duplicate a P sound with a typical Jazz configuration. There's just something about that split coil in that specific pickup location that puts the tone in its own category.
I think it also has a lot to do with the differences in the pole piece dimensions between P and J.
I played a jazz for ten years, making all the mods mentioned here and it still sounded too thin and bright to me. (Go figure.)
I started playing a Precision and finally found the fatter tone I was looking for.
I finally realized it was the pickup configuration. That split offset coil setup is what makes it sound fatter. (Some say muddier, but it’s the sound I prefer.)
I started playing a Precision and finally found the fatter tone I was looking for.
I finally realized it was the pickup configuration. That split offset coil setup is what makes it sound fatter. (Some say muddier, but it’s the sound I prefer.)
Another vote for an S-1 switch. I have a Jazzer with that series/parallel switch, it works quite well for what OP describes.
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I am thinking about getting a Model P or a SD SBP 3 in the neck position, and a SBJ 3 in the bridge position in the bass in my avitar
I would recommend getting the Duncan SPB-1 instead of the quarter pounder (the SPB-3).
They sound very different, and the SPB-1 is a much more vintage P bass tone.
There are a few folks out there with a quad setup,4 independent coils under a soap bar cover. Bart has one, I saw a Delano the other day when I was looking up something. It’s a pretty slick deal, providing you like the fundamental tone made by the given mfg. if you want super fancy there’s a company called Simms that makes one that has lights on it so you can have indication for what mode you are in.
Alas, all would require some woodworking to fit into a jazz route.
You could also audition series/parallel wiring. Spoiler alert, if you do like series, getting it to where you can blend the two pickups with a pot will be a PITA.
Hope this helps- captain obvious at the ready!!!
Alas, all would require some woodworking to fit into a jazz route.
You could also audition series/parallel wiring. Spoiler alert, if you do like series, getting it to where you can blend the two pickups with a pot will be a PITA.
Hope this helps- captain obvious at the ready!!!
