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Interested in a PJ Bass Sparked

SplinteredSkull

SplinteredSkull

Guest
Jul 20, 2013
937
487
Roanoke, VA
#1
A little while back I got to try out a Fender Deluxe PJ bass, and I instantly fell in love. Everything about that bass was smooth and sexy, and the tone had so much range and pliability. It was warm and comfortable and basically I want one now haha. But first I'd like to see what might be some other things to check out? The price for the Fender is a little steep but it's well worth it. However, if I can find something that does the same thing for me but is cheaper, even better. Also, I've had no experience with PJ basses before so I'd like to see some things that would be good to test drive in general. And being able to cop jazz and precision tones makes these quite versatile, why do they seem to not be as popular as just Jazz and Precisions?
 
#4
I had a Schecter Raiden p/j 5er that I sold recently. It was their bottom tier 5 and I got it for learning purposes. The bass had bad neck dive but the tone was quite nice. Schecter makes another p/j much further up the food chain called the Model T. Robert Deleo from STP plays one. Might be worth checking out
 
#7
I picked up an '87 Fender Jazz Bass Special here on TB. Think I paid $450 for it, maybe a bit more. Love the thang! Get some really wicked, jazzy tones out of it.

Duff1.jpg
 
#9
Splintered Skul said:
However, if I can find something that does the same thing for me but is cheaper, even better. Also, I've had no experience with PJ basses before so I'd like to see some things that would be good to test drive in general.
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Do yourself a favor and check out the Yamaha BB2000. Probably my favorite PJ style bass. Very reasonably priced on the used market.
 
#12
Bongolation said:
Because they don't. Generally, they do a blah job of being a P or a J, especially if they're passives.

Reasons discussed here many times. :rolleyes:
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Really? I've never actually looked into it. I feel like they're a P bass + because they have the precision pickup.. and then the jazz as well. Couldn't you just roll off the jazz pickup and basically have a P bass? But even so, there was no denying that Fender PJ sounded incredible. Perhaps it did not sound like either a P or a Jazz, and it simply sounded like an individual PJ. A category of tone to its own
 
#15
Herrick said:
I really liked the sound of the Yamaha BB1025X I had.

Isn't Squier putting out a PJ bass?
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Currently they have new Precision PJ's from their Vintage Modified and Affinity lines, both of which are passive. They used to produce a "P-Bass Special" which was a P-body, P/J pickups configuration and a Jazz neck, but it was discontinued a few years ago along with the rest of the Squier Standard line. They're still some floating around the used market. If it interested you, one could be acquired, but they too are passive.

One P/J that's had my interest for a while is the Reggie Hamilton Jazz. It has a bunch of features that I either really dig, or would like to try out someday; Jazz body and neck, P/J pickups, active/passive switchable and a Drop-D tuner. I've said it before, if I had to grab ONE BASS off the shelf that had everything I wanted already included (i.e.: no mods allowed), I'd have to grab the Reggie, despite my deep affection for my Fender Aerodyne.

Bongolation said:
Because they don't. Generally, they do a blah job of being a P or a J, especially if they're passives.

Reasons discussed here many times. :rolleyes:
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And yet, there's still so much love for them 'round these parts! :D
 
#16
Splintered Skul said:
Really? I've never actually looked into it. I feel like they're a P bass + because they have the precision pickup.. and then the jazz as well. Couldn't you just roll off the jazz pickup and basically have a P bass? But even so, there was no denying that Fender PJ sounded incredible. Perhaps it did not sound like either a P or a Jazz, and it simply sounded like an individual PJ. A category of tone to its own
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it's still just a P with an added J pup, a great combination. ignore the negative bs that this forum spews, it's worthless information.
try it for yourself to decide if you like it or not.
 
#17
Also, for a very sleek version of that bass check out a Fender Aerodyne. MIJ, great quality, and really good looking if you ask me. They can be had as low as $500 in great shape, even a little lower with a few dings.
 
#18
Bongolation said:
Because they don't. Generally, they do a blah job of being a P or a J, especially if they're passives.

Reasons discussed here many times. :rolleyes:
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This may or may not be true. I have a Squire Special P 5er (which actually had two jazz pickups on a P-bass body and neck...go figure) That I modded with an actual Fender P-bass 5 string pickup and a Dimarzio Jazz bridge pickup. It doesn't do J perfectly, but does sound like a p-bass when you roll off the J. The reason is that P/J basses generally have the P-bass pickup underwound so the two pickups balance when the volumes are up full (passive bass). That changes the P-bass tone so it doesn't sound like a real P. And the J really never sounds like a real J so there you go. But in my case I don't care they don't balance. So "full up" on mine is J pickup at max and P pickup at 80%. Works and sounds great even if the imperfect balance is a slight pain in the butt.

I'd love to see Fender making a nice P/J 5er especially one like mine where the P-pickup really sounds like a P-bass.
 
#19
i have an early 2000s fender zone pj (successor to the mij p bass lyte). they had 3 band eq stock, but i wired it passive. didnt really like the stock pickups, so i found some active peavey foundation s pickups on ebay and dropped them in, now that bass is a tone monster, with an amazing neck to boot! i would recommend it to anyone, especially if its in the beautiful reddish sunburst i got :D
 
#20
wild4oldcars said:
i have an early 2000s fender zone pj (successor to the mij p bass lyte). they had 3 band eq stock, but i wired it passive. didnt really like the stock pickups, so i found some active peavey foundation s pickups on ebay and dropped them in, now that bass is a tone monster, with an amazing neck to boot! i would recommend it to anyone, especially if its in the beautiful reddish sunburst i got :D
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Pics? I really dug the Lyte when I was in my teens, since it was more modern-looking. I was a fan of the Soundgear and some pointier basses back then--the Lyte eased me into appreciating the old-style basses (as did the "alternative" movement's love of vintage stuff); now I'm all old-school, all the time.

On topic, yeah, those Squier VM PJs look pretty good to me. When I can find a used sunburst VM on the market, I'll probably grab it.

I wonder, since there's so much "It's not really a P because the PUP is 3mm closer to the neck blah blah blah" if taking a "real" P and routing in a J pickup* would make it truly the best of both worlds?

*then we can argue: 60s or 70s spacing?
 

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