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Is a split-coil P inherently fatter than a J ?

Sparkdog

Sparkdog

Sep 18, 2006
1,572
970
Burbank, CA
#1
I see there are about a million threads about P and J pickups but still couldn't find a solid answer.

To be a little more precise, my question for you techie guys that know this stuff is:

If you were to put a split coil Precision pickup in a bass, OR a Jazz pickup in the same bass in the same location, would the P be fatter sounding?

For the sake of discussion, I'm talking about passive, standard Fender pickups. Just want to understand if the P design is inherently "bigger" and "thumpier' than the Jazz, all other things being equal.
 
#4
a typical neck J pickup is close enough to being in the same spot for a simple comparison to give you your answer.
(the answer is yes.)
 
#7
Yes, the short fat coil of the P literally translates to fatter (more lows) that the tall thin coil of the J. However, it is not as if it is a design flaw or anything. The J is not meant to sound that deep though.

Leo wanted the J to be more up front and cutting through the mix. You know, for jazz type music. It just happens to sound good in a lot more styles than that.
 
#12
All things being equal, yes. In my JPJ (originally a P bass) the J PUP is between the P PUP and the neck, and has MUCH MORE beef than the P PUP. In a strange role reversal, I now use the neck J PUP for deep, thumpy tone, and the P PUP for the songs requiring more of a Jazz tone (note, there is no tone control on this bass).
 
#13
Thumper said:
All things being equal, yes. In my JPJ (originally a P bass) the J PUP is between the P PUP and the neck, and has MUCH MORE beef than the P PUP. In a strange role reversal, I now use the neck J PUP for deep, thumpy tone, and the P PUP for the songs requiring more of a Jazz tone (note, there is no tone control on this bass).
Click to expand...

LOL, I've heard JPJ's and HPJ's give interesting sounds - some people use stereo etc.... I'd say there's a good argument for keeping a JPJ or other 3 pickup bass Vol/Vol/Vol. Keeps her clean for adjustments on the fly. I've yet to get into active basses but I'd imagine the 6+ pot / toggle / multiway switching would be a bit overkill for some players.

In relation to OP... Split P's bring out the low mids in buckets, but if you allow alternate placement relative to the bridge, and non stock fender pups it's anyones guess...
 
#15
azureblue said:
anyone care to compare a J type front with the original 51 type single bobbin P Bass pick up?
Click to expand...

I will...

To set the stage so to speak:

I have a mix of J's, P's, P/J's, and a '51 Tele style bass. My primary bass for most gigs is a Fender Jazz that has DiMarzio Area J pickups. I play mostly fingerstyle but I love to do pickstyle too and when I do that I use just the front pickup on the Jazz.

With some bass rolled up and treble rolled back on the amp it has a nice fat tone. It's clear and defined with a nice click to it when I palm mute. (I have standard Fender single coil pickups in another bass and the tone is similar)

The '51 P wears the same strings as my Jazz (Roto TruBass tapewounds for those keeping score at home) and it has a Lindy Fralin split pickup so it doesn't hum. That pickup has WAY more low end than the Jazz neck pups, OR a standard split coil P. It's just massive sounding. (The original pup sounded similar, but not as big as the Fralin and it obviously had the hum characteristic of that single coil design)

I have found I can approximate the tone of a split coil P with my Jazz basses using the neck pickup, but really can't get close to the '51 style pickup, it's just a different beast altogether.

Before I bought the Fralin '51 split I called them to get some tech info and Lindy himself answered the phone. I expected him to answer my questions and have me off the phone in 2 minutes flat...you know, the old bum's rush you get from most companies. We must have talked for at least 20 minutes and he covered every detail I could think of about this pickup!

For what it's worth, Lindy told me he believes the '51 style is the best design of the Precision pickup, far superior to the split coil. The reason is that the pole pieces are in a straight line as opposed to the 2 piece design of the split, and the tone is therefore much more consistent across all the strings in a way that is not possible with the 2 piece design.

Lindy is an active musician himself and he said the only bass he keeps in his recording studio is the '51.

Interesting stuff to me.
 
#17
Mr Fralins comments are interesting indeed. Seems like the split J could be the best of both worlds but I have heard that the physical fatness of the P coils also contributes to the fatness of the tone.

A split coil P in the modern size but with a side-by-side (no offset) would be an interesting thing to try. I wonder why Fender went with the offset in the first place. Maybe was easier to make it that way back in the day vs doing two coils right next to one another.
 
#18
countbassiedad said:
Mr Fralins comments are interesting indeed. Seems like the split J could be the best of both worlds but I have heard that the physical fatness of the P coils also contributes to the fatness of the tone.

A split coil P in the modern size but with a side-by-side (no offset) would be an interesting thing to try. I wonder why Fender went with the offset in the first place. Maybe was easier to make it that way back in the day vs doing two coils right next to one another.
Click to expand...

I think that Nordstrands Big Splits are close to what your saying here.

-Todd
 

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