I know that I should just get a PJ and call it a day but I have this stupid L1K lust, an immature aversion to P's, I've had a mij geddy J that never truly sounded FULL, and I have an active sorta-J (corvette) sitting around that I've never thoroughly loved. The other side of the 1K fence I'm sitting on is: just get a better preamp for the vette, an audere, sadowsky or something. Will a better-than-the-MEC preamp do the trick better than an L1K with its knobs carefully twiddled?
L1000. It can sound like a hot P-Bass, depending on switching and tone controls. I think it sounds WAY better than a P. Plays better, too. I have a Sadowsky and a Thumb. While I can get in the P bass neighborhood, I don't really think they nail it. Close enough for a live gig, but the preamps (Sadowsky and MEC) don't necessarily get it closer to a P sound, just thicker.