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J Bass vs. P Bass

Do you prefer the J Bass or the P Bass?

  • Jazz Bass

    Votes: 475 56.5%
  • Precision Bass

    Votes: 366 43.5%

  • Total voters
    841
I may need to change my vote. As much as I love my P, there are nights and/or venues where it just doesn't happen. That was the case this afternoon. Luckily I had a J style bass along as a spare. The tone was smooth and didn't require any tweaking to get there. Its probably a good idea to travel with both.
 
I see a black Aerodyne Jazz in my future.

As much as I :thumbsup: this idea (my first-ever was a 'Dyne), if you're chasing that deep, split-coil, Precision-y sound, you might want to try a Reggie Hamilton-sig Jazz first.

Certainly, the 'Dyne, as well as my Blacktop Jazz (dual split-coil pups in the Jazz positions), can get pretty damn close, but I discovered something quite illuminating while working on a parts-bass project. Originally, I used a Blacktop pickguard for a routing template, but later switched to a Reggie-sig guard. The change was profound! The BT-spot is fine if I want a "grindy" edge to my P-pup, but the Reggie-spot gained that fundamental, "thumpy" Precision sound. Now I can see what Reggie meant when he told us how much work went into finding the "sweet spot" on a Jazz bass. :)

Anywho…if you're interested, there are pics and more details on my projekt thread.
 
As much as I :thumbsup: this idea (my first-ever was a 'Dyne), if you're chasing that deep, split-coil, Precision-y sound, you might want to try a Reggie Hamilton-sig Jazz first.

Certainly, the 'Dyne, as well as my Blacktop Jazz (dual split-coil pups in the Jazz positions), can get pretty damn close, but I discovered something quite illuminating while working on a parts-bass project. Originally, I used a Blacktop pickguard for a routing template, but later switched to a Reggie-sig guard. The change was profound! The BT-spot is fine if I want a "grindy" edge to my P-pup, but the Reggie-spot gained that fundamental, "thumpy" Precision sound. Now I can see what Reggie meant when he told us how much work went into finding the "sweet spot" on a Jazz bass. :)

Anywho…if you're interested, there are pics and more details on my projekt thread.
That's a very cool thread.
I already have two nice Fender Precisions, so I'm not really chasing the sound.
The reason I want a Jazz Aerodyne is for the Aerodyne's specific take on the Jazz body style and contours (a la Iphone 3g compared to all subsequent models), and the split coil/jazz configuration.
I'll have a gander at the Reggie Hamilton.
 
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Never actually decided to check the poll results of one of these before, I'm honestly surprised the majority have gone with a J, given the hardcore P crowd (not the naughty kind). I'm a J fan, but fairly sure one of the next I get will be a P/J, just not a fan of a P as I've stated in other threads. But you know if anyone has a spare they want to just give away to help sway me I'd take it and play the brakes off of it.
 
Love both, but I give the edge to the P-bass, for more or less the same reasons others have given already. I prefer having both if I can, though, so I can use whichever one hits my fancy at any particular moment, Thinking of getting a Squier PJ, and doing some light modding for a cheapish third option.
 
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I voted J, but was surprised. I thought there were way more p bass fans here.

I have and love my p bass, but my j bass just feels like home.

My next bass will be a j body, p neck, P/j pickups.
That's because the "TB loves P basses with tort and flats" joke/claim has been made so many times--by people who don't like that--that others have started to believe it.
 
I own four Precisions and one Jazz bass. (I also own two Rickenbackers, a Jaguar, a Dimension, a vintage Tele and a Stingray.)

I really like the Jazz bass that I currently own, certainly a lot more than a previous one that I traded away. In my world though I always seem to reach for a Precision or a Rickenbacker or even my Stingray. My Jazz is a beautiful and great playing bass, but there is something about the sound of a P-bass that does it for me. When I do want a different sound, that sound is usually that of a Rickenbacker.

I'm not anti Jazz, as a drummer I've worked with several great players who favor the Jazz bass and make it sound wonderful. For some reason in my hands it is "meh".
 
Over my playing lifetime, the first Precision I got turned out to be a really great bass that has always felt like an extension of my body. I've had several other really great P-basses over the years. Meanwhile, my first Jazz Bass was a dog with fleas---didn't feel good; didn't sound good, even after various upgrades and swaps. I have since then had several other J-basses, and I have a couple right now that are quite nice, but I think the die was cast by my initial experiences with those two styles. Although I like J-basses and recognize the things they can do that a P-bass can't, I still find myself gravitating to Precisions most of the time.