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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
#82
:cool:

I love the bridge pickup Jazz tone.
But I also go crazy for that P-Bass with flats tone.(Rosewood neck)
New to the mix is a 1955-P-Bass Ash body, maple fingerboard.
With the tele-style pickup, and rounds, it's a third tone that I quickly am liking.
So for me it now three basses I'm liking.
I just use whatever bass I'm looking for tone wise.
 
#86
Just fell to the P Bass again. Tried a black American Standard the other day and fell in love with its tone. I've always been a fan of bright sounds so the Jazz used to feel better in my hands, but the tone of the Precision is something different. It's a bit darker, with great sounding lows, but always maintaining a bright sound, building the perfect sound for me: bright, but it's a different kind of bright. And of course, it's the classic rock bass, so it's way more useful, as I play in a punk rock band. And if you think about it, there are so many different bassists that use Precision Basses and have so different sounds from each others; it's really versatile. I can go for really bright Mike Dirnt-like kind of sound, perfect for rock, fat chunky blues, slapping, harmonics, funk, reggae, jazz, and even chords! Of course, not as versatile as a Jazz Bass, but it's more than enough for me. It's strong, agressive, versatile, classic, beautiful, feels great, perfect! Saving money to buy an American Standard.
 
#89
I don't know how to vote.. I have a Squier Standard Precision Bass Special 5-string with a P body, a huge (not-Jazz at all) neck, and Jazz electronics.

I'm planning on installing a set of DiMarzio Area J pickups in it. I guess I'll vote Jazz, because that's technically what it is.
 
#90
This thread makes me wonder - is there such a thing as a true P/J hybrid - a body just inbetween p and j, a neck wich is also a 50/50 mixture in shape and nut width and string spacing, and of course p/j pickups..
Most P/J's I see are either a P with an added J pup, or a J with a P-Pup..

Wouldn't such a bass be the perfect bass ? Or would it be a whole diffrent thing alltogether?

If I were a luthier, I'd try to build one.
 
#92
makkE said:
This thread makes me wonder - is there such a thing as a true P/J hybrid - a body just inbetween p and j, a neck wich is also a 50/50 mixture in shape and nut width and string spacing, and of course p/j pickups..
Most P/J's I see are either a P with an added J pup, or a J with a P-Pup..

Wouldn't such a bass be the perfect bass ? Or would it be a whole diffrent thing alltogether?

If I were a luthier, I'd try to build one.
Click to expand...

Well, have you tried a Jaguar?
 
#93
I voted for Jazz bass because they sound, feel, and look much nicer than Precisions. I've got my Precision at my apartment and I have grown to dislike how it sounds. I have to play with headphones and it's got really fuzzy low end and almost no definition. It sounds a lot better now that it has roundwound strings on it. It did not sound good at all with flats. I don't get how the combination has ever become as popular as it has. It seems pretty overrated to me. At least in my situation, it was next to useless. I like my bass tone to have some life.
 
#97
I'll go with the Precision for two reasons:
1. The wider neck. I like substantial necks, wide and thick if possible.
2. Simplicity. One pickup, volume and tone controls. Enough. If you don't have all the bells and whistles you can focus on playing. I consider the tone knob slightly overkill...
 
#98
theory028 said:
I voted for Jazz bass because they sound, feel, and look much nicer than Precisions. I've got my Precision at my apartment and I have grown to dislike how it sounds. I have to play with headphones and it's got really fuzzy low end and almost no definition. It sounds a lot better now that it has roundwound strings on it. It did not sound good at all with flats. I don't get how the combination has ever become as popular as it has. It seems pretty overrated to me. At least in my situation, it was next to useless. I like my bass tone to have some life.
Click to expand...

The p bass get more fuzzy with less definition than the jazz through headphones, but the p bass will shine through a big cab. You can always use a tube screamer to get more definition from a p bass as the tube screamer removes some of the low mids and lows.
 
#100
P-Bass is THE Bass. My 82 Westone Thunder I P-bass has done and will go anywhere I need to go . I have diffferent basses but the p goes to gigs, my backup is an 86 Westone Pantera X750pw which is a P-J and I love it also but I do play it mainly on the P pickup.
 

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