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Jazz or Precision?
- Thread starter AlexTaylor2000
- Start date
Just sayin'.......................
Ahh punk music; where the so-called non-conformists go to conform! As such, a white Fender P bass with black pickguard it should be!
Try them both, ideally through your amp, and go with the one that YOU prefer. If you really cant decide, try them both with your eyes closed to amplify your senses. You can use either one to play any type of music, so you cant go wrong there, at least in my opinion.
Ultimately, what is going to make you a great bassist is doing what feels & sounds the best to you while still keeping your mind open to the suggestions/criticism of other players that you respect. That way you are not a clone or some robotic one trick pony. Your influences are the foundation, so starting there you can build your own unique sound & style over time. Just go with your gut and the rest will be rock n roll history..
Ultimately, what is going to make you a great bassist is doing what feels & sounds the best to you while still keeping your mind open to the suggestions/criticism of other players that you respect. That way you are not a clone or some robotic one trick pony. Your influences are the foundation, so starting there you can build your own unique sound & style over time. Just go with your gut and the rest will be rock n roll history..
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My only advice to you would be, don't look for THE sound for a certain genre. There shouldn't be such a thing. Play what you like and what you think sounds the best. Try and put your stamp on the music, not what everyone else thinks it should be.
That being said, get a jazz!
That being said, get a jazz!
I bet you'll end up with at least one of each in the end anyway
Either that or it will be sold/traded in roughly 3-6 months, to the bands new bass player, while other interests that are unrelated to music are pursued. I've seen it many times. That's how I got my Ibanez..
Alex, since you're new to Talkbass one thing you should understand is that there is an ongoing Precision vs Jazz debate here. The thing is, it really doesn't matter what bass you choose as long as it does what you want it to do. Go to a shop and try out some different basses - even basses that you might not have considered options before and see how each one feels and sounds to you. Some things to consider: overall tone and tonal flexibility (is the bass active or passive? What do all of the knobs do?); feel of the neck (is it comfortable in your hands as you play); how the bass feels on a strap when you are standing (this is an important one that can easily be overlooked. Is the bass too heavy? Does the neck dive?) and comfort of your plucking hand (different basses can have different string spacings). Don't be afraid to take your time or to ask questions when trying out basses. Best of luck!
G&L are what Fender should have become. It's Leo Fender's last project, after Music Man.
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With an L-2000, M-2000, or ASAT bass you have serial/parallel switching, active/passive/treble boost switching, and those pickups are pretty high output.
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With an L-2000, M-2000, or ASAT bass you have serial/parallel switching, active/passive/treble boost switching, and those pickups are pretty high output.
Alex, whatever you do, don't get one one of those ugly, 80s, pointy headstock basses. In fact, it's kinda like what my Mom used to say, "It's all fun and games until someone down in the mosh pit gets poked in the eye by one of those ugly, 80s, pointy headstock basses....."
I've been GASing for a Jag, and this didn't help.. thanks!
This.
Also, what are your currently playing? I saw it asked but I didn't see it answered. "Most" new players I would assume start off with something like a P bass copy or a lower quality Ibanez. Both basses would probably suffice as is. With punk/pop punk you're probably just going to be cranking the tone knob anyway, so I'd suggest looking into replacing pickups and strings first. Both are immensely cheaper options that will change your tone.
One thing I cannot stress enough.. when you go to the store to play basses. Spend more than 10 minutes playing one bass. Try them all. Try them with different amps. Look for a bass that fits you, not the genre of music you're currently playing.
I'm a Precision man myself, but you can't go wrong with either. For sure, try one of the SUB Music Man Rays. They're way more quality for the price than you'd expect. Same with Squier. A lot of those "low-end" basses are a lot nicer than their price reflects once you set them up and all that jazz.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
What you really need is something like this:
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Because punk is all about the high end style. Plus, the headstock is squared off, so you won't hurt anybody when you jab it into the writhing mass in the mosh pit.
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Because punk is all about the high end style. Plus, the headstock is squared off, so you won't hurt anybody when you jab it into the writhing mass in the mosh pit.
Either one?
A P-bass with a traditional pickup sits in the mix the easiest with a softer/rounder bass tone. Dirnt uses this kind of pickup.
A P-bass with a Quarter Pounder in it will be more aggressive sounding, and work best probably in a band with only one guitar player. Hoppus uses this kind of pickup.
A Jazz bass will give you some extra tone options. The trick is to learn how to use the pickup volumes to change the tone. With both pickups on it scoops out your mids and produces a good tone for power trios, or slap lines. However if you roll off the bridge volume 1/8-1/4 turn suddenly your low-mids come back and you sit in the mix pretty nicely. You can also roll off the neck pickup 1/8-1/4 turn instead and get something sort of grindy and punchy.
It looks like the bassist from All Time Low uses a Jazz. The bassist from Neck Deep seems to use a Blacktop Jazz or Blacktop Precision (forget what it's called, but it has two dual Jazz pickup humbuckers). The bassist from State Champs appears to use a Precision.
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I agree with some of the comments on the first page, get a P/J. IMO, it nails a great P tone a pretty decent if not good J tone. If not that, I vote get a P. Especially in the genre you mentioned youre playing in. You can accomplish a great punk/rock/pop tone with a P bass. A J too, but I always seem to associate a really good P tone with that type of music. Add an SVT to that, well, it doesnt get more classic than that 
@AlexTaylor2000, are you a pick or finger player? Or both? Or do you use one or the other more often than the other? I say this because playing with a pick can drastically change your presence in the mix with either a P ot a J bass. But especially with a P bass. You will also get better mid presence with a P. A J tends to be a tad more scooped at times but sounds great none the less and can be adjusted nicely with the onboard electronics.
@AlexTaylor2000, are you a pick or finger player? Or both? Or do you use one or the other more often than the other? I say this because playing with a pick can drastically change your presence in the mix with either a P ot a J bass. But especially with a P bass. You will also get better mid presence with a P. A J tends to be a tad more scooped at times but sounds great none the less and can be adjusted nicely with the onboard electronics.
Some people are recommending PJ basses. This is a reasonable compromise between the two, but PJ basses really don't do a Jazz tone exactly. They do do the P-sound.
If you want a PJ might I suggest a G&L? G&L is Leo Fender's third company, so he had a hand designing this bass just like he did with the Jazz and Precision bass.
It's like halfway inbetween a Precision and a PJ bass. It retains most of the minimalist nature of a P-bass, but adds in a bit of extra versatility because of the extra pickup. You use your Jazz pickup volume as a tone control. It has really amazing high-output pickups, almost meant to be used at reduced volume for tone shaping (for example you cut some highs, relatively, without much volume loss by rolling off the P pickup volume 10-20%).
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I admit I'm certainly not unique in this, why choose? Many guys have one of each. The one you favor at the time means the other is your "backup"
A "backup" is..
1- In case your bass needs immediate replacement in event of failure. (Never had a well maintained bass fail but it could I suppose.)
2- If you'd like to have upgrades made to your primary bass by a Luthier or your Luthier is a one man shop and there's considerable wait. (My situation.)
3- It's nice to have the option of adding a different "flavor" down the road for a project or to change things up. ( try not to go too far with that though, too much experimenting with "other" can distract BIG TIME from getting proficient on your instrument and funnel off your energy better used at basics.)
It's nice to have several basses but can come at a cost.
IMHO.
It's all very personal, which is why you should play both. I love the feel of the neck on my Jazz (narrow nut and thin profile) and hate the feel of the P-bass. It just feels like a telephone pole to me by comparison. Of course my first "good" bass was a 1965 Fender Jazz that I bought used in 1966 and that had the best neck ever on it. Before I bought the '65, I tried out the '66 CBS version Jazz and the neck on that felt twice as thick (still narrow nut but thick profile) so I bought the '65. In '76 that was stolen and it took me another 9 years to find a neck that felt the same (my current Jazz) and I checked out hundreds of Jazz and P-basses looking for it. So you really do need to play these guys to see what you think and don't presume that every Jazz or Precision will be like the others you've tried. Good news is that after Fender disappeared and came back, they are much more consistent with neck profile, but you really need to try the basses out. If you buy one without trying it, be sure you have at least a 3 or 4 day right of return so you don't get stuck with something that didn't live up to expectation.
Also, If you get a Jazz and want to make it sound more like a P-bass, turn off the bridge pickup. If that doesn't quite do it, boost the 450Hz range of your amp a couple of notches. If you still need more, then boost the 250 Hz range a couple of notches too. I usually just turn off my bridge pickup and play with my right hand a little closer to the neck and that does the trick for me.
Two pages in before this came up? The old punkers' reflexes are slowing down, I guess...
Oh but the technique horror! HIS THUMB IS WRAPPED AROUND THE NECK! Novice...
