Jazz neck pickup vs. Precision

[bass555]

Not sure which forum this should go in, (and this is probably a stupid question) but....would running the neck pickup only on my jazz give me a Precision tone?

I'd like to hear your opinions

 

[Michael Jewels]

Not sure which forum this should go in, (and this is probably a stupid question) but....would running the neck pickup only on my jazz give me a Precision tone?

I'd like to hear your opinions

No.

They're two completely different designs.

The Precision pickup has much more bottom and is much more percussive.

Mike

 

[bos_mindwarp]

neck pickup on J-bass gives you more mellow, upright-ish tone.

 

[pickles]

Not sure which forum this should go in, (and this is probably a stupid question) but....would running the neck pickup only on my jazz give me a Precision tone?

I'd like to hear your opinions

Definately not! I just posted a thread asking about comparisons in the blended sound between JJ and PJ, but I'll tell you for sure, nothing sounds quite like a P pickup by itself!

The one "problem" with a PJ setup is that you need to make sure to use a hum cancelling bridge pickup, since a regular J bass counts on the two pickups cancelling noise on each other. Likewise, if you just run the neck pickup on a normal single-coil J bass, its going to hum.

 

[dougjwray]

If this helps, and if my memory is correct, both "Family Man" Barrett and Noel Redding used Jazz Basses with the neck pickup soloed (and flatwound strings), and achieved pretty fat tone.
When I've done it myself, it's sounded to me like an anemic, tinny P-Bass, so there you go.

 

[Marcus]

Eh...

They're very different tonalities, both very usable... but if you want a Precision tone, go for a Precision.

 

[metron]

the neck pup on a jazz soloed doesnt sound like a p but it does sound much more like a p than with having both j pups on.

 

[Audiophage]

Don't forget that a lone P pickup has more power than a lone J.

 

[mgmadian]

I agree that the P-pickup is more 'full', has more presence, balls, etc... but they're not night and day different, IMO. They have a similar timbre, and although the Jazz neck pickup will sound 'thin' compared side-by-side to a P-pickup, it's still a very useful sound in its own right, and would allow you to emulate a P-bass just fine if you only bring a Jazz to a gig.

That said... I aplay 'em both, and prefer using the P-bass for P-bass... of course...

 

[macahan]

but if you use a J with the s1 activated you sure get close to a P.

 

[A9X]

Generally agree with what's written above, providing that you're using pickups similar to the originals. However there are a large number of aftermarket pickups that can sound very different to the original Fenders even though they fit into the same footprint.

luknfur makes that comment on a few of the J's he tests in this thread can have a very P-ish tone even if they're not P shaped.