Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Jazz Bass or Precision Bass?
- Thread starter joroboro
- Start date
My ideal bass would be a hybrid, Jazz body and neck, with P/J pups, I prefer the shape of the Jazz body over the P.
Anyway have a play at a music shop and see/hear what you think, it's all done to personal preference.
I have 4 electric basses and I like the tones I get out of all of them, all have different pick-ups.
I have a Dean Z bass with P/J pups, Fender MIM Standard Jazz with SJD-3 Quarter Pound pick-ups, LTD B-405 with active EMG pups, Vigier Excess Indus with active pups, all have a great tone.
It's not just the pups, but the body, neck and fingerboard wood that make the tone, and the strings too.
I suggest you try all sorts of bass, not just a P and a J.
Just my two pennies.
Anyway have a play at a music shop and see/hear what you think, it's all done to personal preference.
I have 4 electric basses and I like the tones I get out of all of them, all have different pick-ups.
I have a Dean Z bass with P/J pups, Fender MIM Standard Jazz with SJD-3 Quarter Pound pick-ups, LTD B-405 with active EMG pups, Vigier Excess Indus with active pups, all have a great tone.
It's not just the pups, but the body, neck and fingerboard wood that make the tone, and the strings too.
I suggest you try all sorts of bass, not just a P and a J.
Just my two pennies.
I'm definitely a P guy, even though it's no longer my go to bass, I believe every player should have one in the stable.
You really should have both. They are both classics for a reason. Even if you play one over the other, it's good to have both to get accustomed to both types. Plus, your tonal pallette opens up more (I like P-Basses more for live but always seem to enjoy recording with J-Basses more because they have a more mellow tone which seems to sit better in a recorded mix).
In my opinion, not necessarily. A P is a P and a Jazz is a Jazz, a P/J is another different critter.
For me, I prefer the modern P neck and the Precision is my first choice. The Jazz also has it's advantages, but I hate the skinny neck which is why my Jazzes have P necks.
What is the difference between p and p/j? i mean if you turn off the j on p/j then its just a p but in p/j you can still have your j bridge, so, isn't better to get p/j instead?
im confused >,<
Really up to you man, Jazz basses have more natural mids and treble, and the neck much thinner (and superior IMO). While P basses have a distinct tone and have a nice natural low end and growl, they have a much chunkier, and solid neck, but hey. you could go and splash out on an Aerodyne? (mix of both essentially).
I like and have both, but if I had to chose one or the other, it would be a Jazz - because I could always install a series/parallel switch for $10, and cover way more sonic territory that way... IMO, a Jazz in series just about gets P Bass thump and mids, with a little more clarity in the mix - whereas, a P bass can't do the Jazz thing regardless of what you do to it...
- georgestrings
- georgestrings
Welcome to TalkBass
You might want to learn to use the search function this is a well worn topic.Now to your question. Since your profile doesn't state what area you live in about all I can say is that in my 4+ decades of playing bass, mostly in blues and rock based music I've observed something quite different. That is to say NO clear preference for any specific make or model bass. Play what feels and sounds best to your. I own both P and J basses and some that are neither or both. I pretty much use my basses interchangeably depending on my mood and where I'm playing. Venues with noisy poorly grounded power the J and 51 P stay home and I use a "standard" split coil P or something with active or hum canceling pups (like G&L or Ibanez). Also don't be so quick to dismiss your Squire. A close friend and well respected player uses his Mid 90's Squier jazz or '09 Squier CV 60 P much more often than his Lakeland. Remember it is the musician
who makes the music not the tool. Best of luck. MHO and YMMV
You can go with the Precision Bass and lock in a tight groove with the drummer at every gig, and never pick up a groupie.
Or, you can go with the Jazz Bass and play a Jaco-ish jam solo with the drummer at every gig, and never pick up a groupie.
It's up to you.
Or, you can go with the Jazz Bass and play a Jaco-ish jam solo with the drummer at every gig, and never pick up a groupie.
It's up to you.
Make your choice depending on your music style, band mix and personal preference.
IMO, latino rhythms, ballads, jazz and fusion sound better with Jazz, but pop, rock, soul and funk go with Precision. Of course, this is only (my personal) general guideline - with proper EQ (and some compression for Jazz) you can use any of them for any kind of music.
As for band mix, in trios or bands without guitars you have enough space in upper-mid frequencies to use Jazz, but playing in a band with two guitars it gets crowdy there, so it should be easier to fit with Precision. Nevertheless, with smart EQ - Jazz could also fit, although you need to know how to make it work.
Bottom line - if you have good equipment and know how to setup your sound according to musical style, you could use Jazz for anything. Precision is simpler to setup, but could come short in some styles of music because its sound is less rich (specialy on upper frets), ie when playing ballads.
Having said that, I have both of them (well, decent clones at least), and my SX (Precision copy) is my personal preference.
IMO, latino rhythms, ballads, jazz and fusion sound better with Jazz, but pop, rock, soul and funk go with Precision. Of course, this is only (my personal) general guideline - with proper EQ (and some compression for Jazz) you can use any of them for any kind of music.
As for band mix, in trios or bands without guitars you have enough space in upper-mid frequencies to use Jazz, but playing in a band with two guitars it gets crowdy there, so it should be easier to fit with Precision. Nevertheless, with smart EQ - Jazz could also fit, although you need to know how to make it work.
Bottom line - if you have good equipment and know how to setup your sound according to musical style, you could use Jazz for anything. Precision is simpler to setup, but could come short in some styles of music because its sound is less rich (specialy on upper frets), ie when playing ballads.
Having said that, I have both of them (well, decent clones at least), and my SX (Precision copy) is my personal preference.
Just to add - I am not a fan of PJ pickups combination, but it does improve sound "texture" and richness of a simple P, and also slap sound.
On the other hand, I have read here that passive PJ pickups blending has some technical issues, although I can't say anything about it - the only PJ bass I have owned had active pickups. If you get a chance, try PJ, you could like it.
On the other hand, I have read here that passive PJ pickups blending has some technical issues, although I can't say anything about it - the only PJ bass I have owned had active pickups. If you get a chance, try PJ, you could like it.
This, in honor of Duck Dunn:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lakland-Sky...s-/190680285783?pt=Guitar&hash=item2c656e4257
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lakland-Sky...s-/190680285783?pt=Guitar&hash=item2c656e4257
As an eBay Associate, TalkBass may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
