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Jazz vs precision?
- Thread starter LuckySeven77
- Start date
Just for the record a PJ isn't going to sound like either a Jazz or a Precision. It has its own voice. Ideally you would own both a J and a P, but either are good choices.
One could say that one could also play a hollow gourd as a bass if one were to want one too - couldn't one?
One could also state that one knew their gourd sounds just like one's own P-bass too if one were to say such a thing.
But we all know it's really in the fingers anyway.
I agreee. I also agree that a soloed neck pup on a J does not sound like a P.
HOWEVER, for my ears, when I set the pup heights on my J's so that the volume outputs are equal (listened to seperately) and play them in series mode (I gave all of my passive J's a series/parallel mod for just this reason) it gives me a REASONABLE P vibe. Can you tell the difference, yes, but it's close enough for me to not need to change basses if I don't want to.
Of course, YMMV, depending on your ears and equipment.
I agreee. I also agree that a soloed neck pup on a J does not sound like a P.
HOWEVER, for my ears, when I set the pup heights on my J's so that the volume outputs are equal (listened to seperately) and play them in series mode (I gave all of my passive J's a series/parallel mod for just this reason) it gives me a REASONABLE P vibe. Can you tell the difference, yes, but it's close enough for me to not need to change basses if I don't want to.
Of course, YMMV, depending on your ears and equipment.
This one sterling reason is why I always bring both a P and a J to a jam/gig:: If one goes down - and so far none have but that's why I also wear underwear - then I've got that extra security.
I know I can get away with it - playing a different bass, not the underwear part - and the listeners can't really tell much if any difference anyway - but other bass players will know and secretly snicker at me I feel.
So - yes I agree that we can put a round peg into a square hole - but we know!
We know, ya know?
Both are fantastic basses and really you just need to go out and play both to decide which one to get, people are going to be a bit biased if they're giving their opinion. I have both styles and use one just as much as the other, but if I want simplicity I'd go for the P bass. It's really such a simple "plug and play" design that I can dial in "my tone" without even plugging it in first.
Yeah maybe your right `but` dont forget that rolling the p/u blend to one side will give you all the neck p/u or in the op direction all the bridge p/u depending on where you have it set. So i think you can get a Jazz or a P sound easy !!
Of course in the middle posi its got its voice but can easily sound like a J or P when rolled to one side.
Get one of each in your hands and you'll immediately feel the diff.l P bass has extra big and to me a clumsy neck. Jazz bass neck is much slimmer. Plug each in and listen. You'll hear the diff plus notice jazz has two pups giving much more sound options.
Jazz Bass neck
Jazz Bass body
Precision Bass pickup in neck position
Jazz Bass pickup in bridge position
Jazz Bass body
Precision Bass pickup in neck position
Jazz Bass pickup in bridge position
When i roll the blend knob to full on one side getting only the P i get a big fat tone.When i do the op & flick the knob over to the other side i get a nice Growling tone out of the J p/u.When i did little tests between combo basses with both p/u`s & a few Precision basses i noticed that i could get the same tone out of the combos with the blend to one side.I couldnt test a Jazz Bass.But with combo basses you can easily get a P sound.Im not to sure about a Jazz though ?
If you push the P - it will do a lot more than you can imagine.
Crank 'em both up and get it to the same level as the J in the 'P-mode" and you'll see the J goes flat and the P just keeps it's tone unadulterated.
Gently noodling in a practice won't let the P get up on it's hind legs. You'll be amazed.
This is where a lot of the J v P threads go wrong.
They use bedroom power at midnight in a nunnery and they say they can't hear a difference. And that'd be 100% right.
But who plays in a nunnery?
Crank 'em both up and get it to the same level as the J in the 'P-mode" and you'll see the J goes flat and the P just keeps it's tone unadulterated.
Gently noodling in a practice won't let the P get up on it's hind legs. You'll be amazed.
This is where a lot of the J v P threads go wrong.
They use bedroom power at midnight in a nunnery and they say they can't hear a difference. And that'd be 100% right.
But who plays in a nunnery?
get both... Both basses have their place. All genres of music have used both basses. I prefer a p bass just for the simplicity of it, and the tone is great, Just crank the volume all the way up on the bass set the tone knob to about 3/4s of the way up and its perfect. J basses sound nice too. But a tube ampeg and a p bass is just tonal bliss for me atleast.
It really depends on what you need. If you need a P sound, get a P. If you need a J sound, get a J. If you can't tell the difference, then make your decision based on other factors. Personally, I can appreciate the sound of both P and J, but I needed to get the most versatile instrument, so I chose to get a J. I'm more than pleased with the results.
I seem to see about 50/50 with the Ps and Js in metal (when ever I see them) I personally would go with a PJ style pickup configuration for metal. I get a nice attack with the J pickup at the bridge and nice thick bass with the P pickup at the neck. Good luck with your choice. Hopefully I helped a little.
I completely agree the differences are more apparent as you push these basses, but disagree the J goes flat at high volumes. That's when the "medicine ball" bottom and growl come to the fore, and the growl really starts ripping if you're running through tens or twelves. Depending on settings and technique, the P can start to "clank," which isn't always a good thing.
IMO, for rock, country, and other genres where a "Fenderish" tone is appropriate, I think the differences between P and J basses are often exaggerated by tone geeks like us. Fact is, for the rock I've always played, they're both great. I have my preferences for one or the other on some tracks, but most of the time it doesn't matter -- they're just different flavors of awesome. My current "P-bass" is a G&L SB-2, which changes the equation somewhat due to its thick low end and high output, but even then I still use it almost interchangably with my Jazz basses.
I have found that, the denser the mix, especially with keys, the more I like the Jazz. The "medicine ball" bottom slides under everything, and the highs cut through.
Are you sure it's just Vicadin you're on right now?
Well - it might've been Tramadol.
Honestly, if you're really a "noob" I'd seriously suggest trying to find each in a store and play them both for a while. Then buy the one that feels best in your hands. Both work very, VERY well in all kinds of genres and they do have their own distinctive tones. However, I'd say that once you're in the mix and EQ and effects have been applied there are a lot fewer people who can consistently correctly identify a P or a J than there are people who *claim* they can consistently identify each.
Simply put, buy the one which feels the best to you . Then after you've been playing for a while, expand your palette and buy the other.
