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I really didn't know... (pbass content from a jazzer at heart)

lanceropolis

lanceropolis

Mar 10, 2009
247
2
So. Cal
#1
So I was and am a huge fender j fan (I had a 79, and now have the fmt V) and I never really cared for p's. I know, I know... but wait. I just never really got why everyone ever cared for these tones. I chalk that up now to a S**tty amp. Well a couple of months ago, I just started thinking, and my thoughts were "I should get a p bass, now that I have a decent amp, and just see..." (I now play a mesa carbine 6, through a bergie nv412). I found one on ebay, an olympic white 75, and I thought... Why not. Well it turned out that I got it, and I really liked it when I first got it. I live in a condo that has three floors (very poor design) and I didn't want to lug my berg up a flight of stairs, so knowing that I would be playing in a week, I just contently played au natural. Well finally the gig came, and I plugged in and fired up the amp. From note number one, I was in love. I get it now. I really get it. There is something so warm and huge about a good p bass. I got so many compliments that day about the bass, and it just fit. I had an mtd 535 that I sold (thanks halftooth), and honestly, I never looked back. That bass was amazing, and if financially I could have kept it I would have, but honestly, I don't feel bad not having it.

I guess I am writing this because I know that I was and am a huge jazz fan, and just never really got it. But for those guys like me, trust me. Find a good one, plug it in, and you will see the light. They are the best tone for most genres. They just fit right in. Not obtrusive, just right in the pocket where it belongs... I already gigged once with it this weekend, and am just overjoyed I get to play it tonight again.

Thanks for letting me vent at my joy :D
 
#2
I, too, have been a strict jazz fan for a while. I never understood why someone would want a P when they could get a J. I just felt like the J was a more versatile and "fancier" version of a P. Like the P was a hard working farmer and the J a noble aristocrat (maybe a slightly over-the-top analogy). But very recently, I have been playing a lot of Ps at many different stores, and I am starting to get it. In fact, I am trying to crunch some numbers and see if there is a way I could pick one up ASAP. I think one just has to let the natural course of his/her bass playing guide them, and eventually I think everyone will crave a P or a J bass no matter what there notions about either are.

P.S. Nice choice on the Berg. ;)
 
#7
Agree nothing seems to compete with the fat sonic 'width' of a P. I've always been a hard-core Jazz type, but I recently bought my first P in 30+ years of playing. It has a great sound, but I have to say I'm still addicted to having the tight sound the Jazz bridge pickup brings out.
 
#8
lanceropolis said:
... There is something so warm and huge about a good p bass. ...

Find a good one, plug it in, and you will see the light. ...
Click to expand...

Those are the two key points that stick out in my mind. I played five in three different stores through five different amps (although three were Ampeg models in TWO of the stores) before settling on "the one," my first Fender P-bass I got before Christmas.
 
#10
Same story here. I've played my Squire VM Jazz for over a year. Found an old Peavey Fury on eBay. I spent 6 weeks restorng it, with the intent to sell it for a little profit. Then I played it. And played it. And played it some more. In fact, my jazz has dust on it. I've not played it in over a month. Everybody needs a good P.
 
#11
So I played my bass at Saddleback Church on Sunday night, and in between rehearsal songs, this guy came running out. He said "Dude, what bass is that?" I showed him, and he said "My name is XXXX (I forgot his name) and I am recording this tonight. This is the best bass I have heard yet here." That to me was a pretty big deal, considering MTD's, Sadowsky's, and just about every other high end bass you can think of. So I was flattered to say the least.
 
#14
There is something so warm and huge about a good p bass.
Click to expand...

Exactly.

I've always been a jazz guy, you know, Jaco, Marcus - but lately I've gotten rid of my Js and tried a couple of Ps. I feel at home with the fatter necks and the thunder of a P..a P is simple, basic, yet powerful. All you need in a bass. And so classic.

Here's my latest, btw:
L1060709.jpg
 
#15
This thread left me with a question. I thought the main diff was the skinnier neck. I'm looking to get an SX 5 string fretless. I don't care about the neck width so much but as this is a 5 string a tighter spacing couldn't hurt. The main reason I like the jazz is it just looks 4 times cooler. I'll probably run it gaurdless as I love wood grain. Aside from that whats this difference?
And does the difference even apply to copies like the sx or a peavy or even my kawai 4 string thats a great basic bass. The looks are secondary to the function or tone but if thats similar I want the look I like.
Thanks for any clarification, Nomah
 
#16
nomadh said:
This thread left me with a question. I thought the main diff was the skinnier neck. I'm looking to get an SX 5 string fretless. I don't care about the neck width so much but as this is a 5 string a tighter spacing couldn't hurt. The main reason I like the jazz is it just looks 4 times cooler. I'll probably run it gaurdless as I love wood grain. Aside from that whats this difference?
And does the difference even apply to copies like the sx or a peavy or even my kawai 4 string thats a great basic bass. The looks are secondary to the function or tone but if thats similar I want the look I like.
Thanks for any clarification, Nomah
Click to expand...

The tonal difference is all in the pickup(s). The jazz has 2 single coil pups and the precision has 1 split coil. You tend to get more lows out of single coils. There are plenty of side by side comparisons on youtube but (IMO) the jazzes sound nicer by themselves and the precisions tend to work better in a band context as they sit very nicely in the mix. Personally I play a P.

The main reason I chose precision was because I felt more comfortable on the fatter neck in the shop but now I have the P I love the tones that come out of it when playing in a band.
 
#17
lanceropolis said:
So I was and am a huge fender j fan (I had a 79, and now have the fmt V) and I never really cared for p's. I know, I know... but wait. I just never really got why everyone ever cared for these tones. I chalk that up now to a S**tty amp. Well a couple of months ago, I just started thinking, and my thoughts were "I should get a p bass, now that I have a decent amp, and just see..." (I now play a mesa carbine 6, through a bergie nv412). I found one on ebay, an olympic white 75, and I thought... Why not. Well it turned out that I got it, and I really liked it when I first got it. I live in a condo that has three floors (very poor design) and I didn't want to lug my berg up a flight of stairs, so knowing that I would be playing in a week, I just contently played au natural. Well finally the gig came, and I plugged in and fired up the amp. From note number one, I was in love. I get it now. I really get it. There is something so warm and huge about a good p bass. I got so many compliments that day about the bass, and it just fit. I had an mtd 535 that I sold (thanks halftooth), and honestly, I never looked back. That bass was amazing, and if financially I could have kept it I would have, but honestly, I don't feel bad not having it.

I guess I am writing this because I know that I was and am a huge jazz fan, and just never really got it. But for those guys like me, trust me. Find a good one, plug it in, and you will see the light. They are the best tone for most genres. They just fit right in. Not obtrusive, just right in the pocket where it belongs... I already gigged once with it this weekend, and am just overjoyed I get to play it tonight again.

Thanks for letting me vent at my joy :D
Click to expand...

If that's decent for you I wanna know your thoughts on a really good amp set up!
 
#19
a really good amp setup is a good thing.

always played p's or pj's, except for this totally badass 98 jazz i used to use until it killed my shoulder. even my customs were pj's. i like the bridge pickup sound sometimes, so i tend to stick to pj's live. but the p sound by itself is about 80% of what i do these days.
 
#20
I recently sold my Squier Affinity Jazz V and now own a Squier Affinity Precision and an SX SPB-62 LPB fretless P-Bass. Good stuff man: Someone here posted a thread that the P-Bass is making a huge comeback after the last 20 years being dominated by Jazz Basses and the like.

Let's see pics of this 1975 Precision!!! :hyper:

P.S. What strings are on the Precision?
 

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