Jazz bass tone

[Sid Fang]

Personally I like how Jazz basses sound when other people play them. I don't currently own one, but when I pick one up at a music store it always seems to sound "weak" compared to other basses in the shop. I know this is 100% me, tons of players getting amazing tones out of Jazz basses. Hmmm, maybe I need to get one and spend some serious time with it.

My experience was similar until I figured out that the Jazz is one of those basses where, unlike most passive basses, I can't really just dime the volume and tone controls and have something I find serviceable. But even 10% rolled of one volume control or the other really opens it up for me, and with a little grit it's just killer.

 

[Jackcrow]

Sometimes I prefer the tone of a Jazz.

This is just my opinion, but I find that from bass to bass, Jazz basses seem to vary more in tone than Precisions do. Some Jazz basses, I really like the tone, and some I don’t like at all (even with very similar specs and features). With a p bass, you know what you’re going to get.

That’s just my take on it. Neck profile doesn’t matter that much to me.

 

[micguy]

My issue with a "true" jazz bass is that it has one tone that doesn't hum (yes, with a tone control. It's no more flexible than a P give that. I prefer basses with two pickups that hum cancel - then I can get more than one sound that's usable in the places I play.

 

[Rib 13]

Like them both. Practice with the P for some time, then pick up the J and I like it better. Then I go back to the P and the Mojo is there.

Im like that with Jazz and Stingrays....In the past its always been: Gee, I like that Ray tone: Gotta get it! Then I get one, use it for awhile, get tired of it and start missing my Jazz basses. Because my G&L is close enough for that Ray-thing, I sell the Ray. Ive done this 3 times in 30 years. I am now on my 4th Ray but this time its different: my latest is an EB USA Stingray Special HH. Its the first time I bought a Stingray without slap style in mind - as a matter of fact, its for pick use (yeah, yeah i know: Egad!) and my first Ray with multiple pickups. I think Ill own this one for awhile

 

[Altitude]

Imagine Marcus playing this on a P. It would sound good, but this sounds better than good.

 

[JohnnyChatter]

I prefer the tone of a jazz bass. I got them both. I also like PJ basses a lot. As far as neck, body shape, and knobs go I don’t really care but prefer the p bass body more.

 

[Chickenwheels]

I like everything (including the tone) about a J bass.
I also like a P bass but, not as much as a J.
If I was forced to pick it would be the J.
I probably play my J 80%
of the time.
Sometimes I just want that P bass sound.

This.

 

[marchone]

Get one of each, kids!

In the end Leo Fender made three passive electric bass models: 1951 single coil slab bass, 1957 split coil Precision, 1960 two single coil Jazz Bass. They each have their pros and cons. They are different enough from another to warrant owning one of each. Since the late 60s the yearly issues of minor variants have been nearly endless. In the Jazz Bass volume and tone control changes, and bridge pickup spacing were the biggest early variations that are still offered.

The Precision has long been the top seller, with the Jazz Bass a close second. The discontinued original SC slab, in reissue production runs, sells at a distant third.

Many players say they prefer a Precision for recording and a Jazz for live performances for its mid-range punch. I still have to add a Jazz Bass to my SCPB and P-Bass pair. The slimmer neck will be a major adjustment after playing Precision necks for decades. Aside tones and electronics, the necks are the biggest differences.

 

[Matt R.]

I know this topic has come up, but when comparing precision and jazz basses most people say they prefer the p bass tone. Those who prefer j basses do so for the thin neck and so-called versatility of 2 pickups.

Does anyone prefer the jazz bass tone?

Yes

 

[Robscott]

P sounds ok. J sounds ok. Then there are all the basses not made by Fender. Some of those are also ok. In fact, some are actually very good

 

[Whale]

P Bass or Jazz... you really can't go wrong. They're both very capable of covering a lot of ground.

The thing that astounds me is, there are a gazillion basses in the world with a gazillion different configurations. And yet, Leo Fender somehow got it so right with both the P and J basses. He also did so with the Tele and Strat. They're each iconic and are held as standards when it comes to tone, playability, and reliability.

What are the odds of one man hitting it out of the park four times while thousands upon thousands of others have struck out?

 

[AboutSweetSue]

I like both the P and J equally. I would be distraught if I had to choose just one.

 

[sawzalot]

most people say they prefer the p bass tone

That's like saying most people say they prefer apples instead of oranges, or most people like the Tele over the Strat. If the above statement was actually true, Fender would have stopped making the Jazz about 50 years ago and instead made a thinner P bass neck. And Jaco and Marcus Miller would have been very lost.

I personally have almost no use for the P bass sound, although I do recognize it sits very well in the mix for a lot of styles of music, but I *really* like the sound of a Jazz.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

Does anyone prefer the jazz bass tone?

Who *doesn't* think that Ramble On is best noise a bass guitar ever made?

 

[Killing Floor]

Isn’t a p bass better than soloing the jazz neck pickup?

There is no Better to me. Just options. And I like that not everyone has the same bass. It’s a voice in the mix. Plus extra voices mean GAS and that fuels the world!

 

[butterfingers1]

So far it seems many like certain jazz bass tones but not not others and need to fiddle a lot with the control

Get one of each, kids!

In the end Leo Fender made three passive electric bass models: 1951 single coil slab bass, 1957 split coil Precision, 1960 two single coil Jazz Bass. They each have their pros and cons. They are different enough from another to warrant owning one of each. Since the late 60s the yearly issues of minor variants have been nearly endless. In the Jazz Bass volume and tone control changes, and bridge pickup spacing were the biggest early variations that are still offered.

The Precision has long been the top seller, with the Jazz Bass a close second. The discontinued original SC slab, in reissue production runs, sells at a distant third.

Many players say they prefer a Precision for recording and a Jazz for live performances for its mid-range punch. I still have to add a Jazz Bass to my SCPB and P-Bass pair. The slimmer neck will be a major adjustment after playing Precision necks for decades. Aside tones and electronics, the necks are the biggest differences.

Like you, I have the 50s single coil p bass and the later split coil, and think maybe I should finally add the jazz.

 

[Killing Floor]

Who *doesn't* think that Ramble On is best noise a bass guitar ever made?

Not me. JPJ makes everything OK

 

[socialleper]

I don't know if it is a preference, but I like a good jazz tone. Whether it is both pickups on full, or the bridge pickup soloed.
I like any good tone when it works with the composition. No tone is inherently superior to any other.

 

[Pings Bass]

Aren't chocolate chip cookies better than oatmeal?

Chocolate chip oatmeal is the P/J of cookies

 

[soundsupport1]

Loooove the tone of a jazz bass!
But I do find it varies from instrument to instrument. Sometimes they sound desperately thin, other times they have a great deep presence to them. If you find one like that, buy it and leave it alone - name on the headstock doesn´t matter, just get that one.
Most pbasses sound better than most j basses.
BUT! A good, strong j bass punches any pbass into the middle of next week: strong, punchy tone with the addition of a real depth underneath and a nice top end sheen giving more detail.

I´d put my Lakland DJ4 up against any pbass. But I emphasise; I´d put my specific DJ4 up against any Pbass.

Peace,
SoundSupport