Jazz Bass vs PJ Bass

[zortation]

A PJ pretty much sounds like you'd think it would sound, just by looking at the pickup type and location. It can sound like a P with a J bridge pickup blended in, or out. Or it can sound like a J with the bridge pickup soloed with a P pickup blended in, or out

 

[StumblinBlues]

Good info here.

I'm getting back into music after a long absence, Jazz basses were my mainstay. With the slimmer neck they seemed to fit my hands better (I have smallish hands for a guy).

I do like a p tone, so now I'm leaning toward a p/j configuration. I gigged a Hamer Blitz (p/j) in the 80's and really enjoyed the tonal flexability. Stripped the paint off and tung oiled the mahogany body, man what a beautiful bass it ended up being! I used it to play country, blues, and rock.

I think I've narrowed my search to what is referred to as a Fender "cowpoke," and a Schecter Model T. I believe they both have a little slimmer neck than a p bass? With a sunburst finish and black pickguard, I think visually I'll be quite happy with my choice and also have some flexability with tone. Probably drop some SD quarter pounders in and I'll be set.

So now to make sure no unexpected expenses come along in the next week or two while I watch for the right bass. They always seemed to find me at the right time.

Anyway, thanks for sharing, carry on, I'll stop blabbering now.

 

[SpruceGoose54]

I think the way they're wired can effect the sound you get from the pickups blended together when it comes to passive pickups. I have a Fender Hot Rodded Precision Bass and the Tony Franklin signature model. Both are PJ but the Hot Rodded is wired V/V/T and the Tony Franklin is a 3 way switch. Here's my take:

They both sound like precision basses when the J is removed from both.

The jazz bass pickups on their own is lacking in my opinion. But I'm not the best judge of this because I don't find the Jazz bass sound to be my thing and the music I play doesn't call for it. Also the jazz pickup on the Hot Rodded is closer to the middle whereas the jazz on the TF is closer to the bridge. I don't know if that has an effect on it either.

The Tony Franklin blended together sounds like a great mixture of the two pickups. You can hear the Precision tone with the "burp" of the Jazz. You do lose a little of the pure low end but it stands out more in a band. Switching from the P pickup to both pickups in the middle of a song isn't a "night and day" experience. Different tone but subtle and familiar.

The Hot Rodded is another story. Its a whole different animal when the pickups are blended. It has it's own unique sound. I've been using the TF more and I tried the Hot Rodded recently to compare. I just remember thinking "Wow, that's different" when I had both pickups fully on. It loses it's distinction completely as if the pickups have truly blended. Don't know if that makes sense, just my take on it. Switching from the precision pickup to the blended pickups is a "night and day" kind of change. Very noticeable as the tones are different.

I discovered that I can make the Hot Rodded sound like the TF blended if I put about 25% of the jazz pickup in with the precision running at 100%. It has a P bass tone and that added "burp" of the jazz. But you can hear the distinction go away if you blend too much of the jazz and you end up with that unique sound. There's definitely a barrier you cross where the fundamentals of both disappear.

Anyways, I love them both but I use the TF more as it's just less hassle to flip the switch versus trying to blend the pickups perfectly every time.

 

[gunlak]

it does sound like a more thumpier J.

check my cover out

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[bass71]

I like my Squire P/J specially the J PU soloed but the P PU soloed has no where near the mid range heft that my vintage P has with its original PU...it sounds way too scooped to my ears which is not really good enough.

In fact Im wondering if it's possible to fit a three way switch to the standard PJ wiring diagram so each PU can be truly isolated?

 

[Eminor3rd]

I'm going to be contrarian, so please don't be upset, but:

I've owned and heavily gigged/recorded a few different P/J basses over the years (Spector, Fender, Ibanez). I was always looking for a "best of both worlds" tone. In my experience, they can do P-Bass really well, and they can do "bridge-soloed J Bass" really well, but the blended tone was always just a little weird. Maybe out of phase, maybe unequal output, maybe something entirely different -- I don't know. But I was always disappointed (regardless of brand) with that "ultimate tone" pursuit, and I've found that when I'm blending pickups, I VASTLY prefer a matched set, whether it be soapbars, J-pickups, or MM-style humbuckers.

So IME/IMO, a P/J is a great option for versatility if you're a guy who wants to used a P-Bass most of the time but has the need to switch to Jaco-jazzy for a few songs (or gigs), but I'm willing to be that if you're totally honest with your ears, you'll find a bigger and better overall tone by simply committing to a particular style of pickup config instead of splitting the difference.

 

[Malak the Mad]

I like my Squire P/J specially the J PU soloed but the P PU soloed has no where near the mid range heft that my vintage P has with its original PU...it sounds way too scooped to my ears which is not really good enough.

In fact Im wondering if it's possible to fit a three way switch to the standard PJ wiring diagram so each PU can be truly isolated?

I've considered having this done as an experiment. If you have a Precision body, then all you'd need is a three-way, ON/ON/ON switch, a hole drilled into the pickguard for it and maybe some new pots. In my case, since I prefer Jazz bass bodies, I'd need to get a replacement, Reggie Hamilton-sig control plate with the extra hole for the switch.

 

[avvie]

To paraphrase a Björk quote, choosing between a P/J and a Jazz is like haing to choose between cake and ice cream...tbey are both excellent in their own way.
My MTD jazz is my #1. It is lightweight and the maple neck is easy to see on a darker stage. Active aftermarket preamp, so it has a thick growl that I love.
My Squier P/J is my #2. It has a....heavier....tone which is like a thick bubble of rumble enclosing my side of the stage but with a roundness and clarity that doesn't come from a bonky straight P. The only complaint I have with this bass is that the fret markers on the top edge of the neck are so tiny as to be useless in even mildly dim lighting. I've been meaning to improve that issue, and when I do these instruments are going to constantly be in a no-holds-barred steel cage grudge match for the #1 spot at every gig.

 

[bobyoung53]

i was just wondering if a pj bass sounds more like a thumpy j or if its more of a p bass tone or something in its self if anyone has answers i would appreciate them

I have both and a PJ sounds more like a P bass than a J to me. It has a thicker tome than a jazz, more growly mids. You can also get the classic P bass sound soling the P pickup or get a classic J tone, that burping tone with the J pickup soloed. I tend to back off the J pickup when I play mine, sound like a P bass but brighter. I don't know why they're not more common. I got a brand new American hot rod P bass for a lot of money off I think because they weren't selling fast. They're great at cutting through in a loud rock band.

 

[andruca]

They're their own thing, just a question of preference. IME a PJ is the best of both worlds as long as you want to use one pickup. When engaging both the Jazz wins IMHO, I clearly prefer that (pickups a little further apart) kinda' growl. With both pickups fully on I don't find the PJ any thumpier but more mid/hi-mid forward in comparison, while the Jazz is less screaming and has a more detailed/delicate high end.