oh no.... not this ultimatum...

[Wesley R]

P body, J neck, be happy

 

[Matty Koff]

You install yourself a set of Sims SuperQuads. And then you have a choice of dual coils, split coils (P), or single coils (J) for each pickup. Flip a switch it's like a different bass.

 

[obieito]

Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landside,
No escape from reality…

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

you’ve heard it a million times. P OR J!!!! my dad is gonna enlist his guitar making abilities to finish and wire up a bass of my own choice, gonna put some dupont type 60s fender finish over it and pretend i was a teenager in the 60s as i thump away on whatever comes out of it. but he only operates on ebay when there’s a promotion going on, and right now i’m in the midsts of an internal p vs j struggle. i like the p sound. i want the p sound. i want that legendary thump in the mix. but... i think j’s look so much cooler. since they were rarer in the 60s there’s almost something special about their 60s variants. they just seem like deluxe basses. what would you guys say? should i take a leap of faith regardless of the regret and go for a p, or stick with a jazz bass that may look awesome but not exactly match up perfectly with ‘that sound’?

If he's going to make you a bass, have him cut you a j body with a split pickup in the sweet spot.

 

[40Hz]

i like the p sound. i want the p sound. i want that legendary thump in the mix. but... i think j’s look so much cooler.

If you're the sort who puts looks above sound (and you're not in a tribute band where "the look" is essential) I think you may need to reassess your priorities as a bass player just a little bit.

since they were rarer in the 60s there’s almost something special about their 60s variants.

They actually weren't rare at all in the 60s.

most songs that use the jazz, with the exception of led zeppelin, sound almost a bit thin and quiet in the bass section

Disagree strongly. But whatever.

Based on the rest of your post I'd suggest just getting the PB. You'll be happier.

Besides, what are looks in the larger scheme of things anyway? The singer and the guitarist will get all the girls most times anyway.

 

[Juststanley]

I do it like this...

 

[EatS1stBassist]

you’ve heard it a million times. P OR J!!!! my dad is gonna enlist his guitar making abilities to finish and wire up a bass of my own choice, gonna put some dupont type 60s fender finish over it and pretend i was a teenager in the 60s as i thump away on whatever comes out of it. but he only operates on ebay when there’s a promotion going on, and right now i’m in the midsts of an internal p vs j struggle. i like the p sound. i want the p sound. i want that legendary thump in the mix. but... i think j’s look so much cooler. since they were rarer in the 60s there’s almost something special about their 60s variants. they just seem like deluxe basses. what would you guys say? should i take a leap of faith regardless of the regret and go for a p, or stick with a jazz bass that may look awesome but not exactly match up perfectly with ‘that sound’?

“P” all the way!

 

[buldog5151bass]

This is a custom build, so go custom. Jazz body, P pups. People in the 60s were modding.

 

[Hounddog409]

I did not vote since "neither" was not an option.

 

[bon viesta]

If you're the sort who puts looks above sound (and you're not in a tribute band where "the look" is essential) I think you may need to reassess your priorities as a bass player just a little bit.



They actually weren't rare at all in the 60s.



Disagree strongly. But whatever.

Based on the rest of your post I'd suggest just getting the PB. You'll be happier.

Besides, what are looks in the larger scheme of things anyway? The singer and the guitarist will get all the girls most times anyway.

not rare but... less common, i guess. for every jazz bass there were probably about 10+ p basses. they were totally dominating in those days.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Since you have the opportunity, build a Jazz and install Precision pickups.
Screw “purism”. When has that ever advanced anything?

Pure Vanilla Extract and Everclear?

 

[alaskaleftybass]

I've been playing for 50 plus years. I started out on a Jazz and switched to a P. Later I moved permanently to Ibanez. But for me, all these years I've come to recognize that the P bass is truly an amazing rare jewel. It has the magic ability to sound thumpy yet sound distinct in recording mixes. If I went back to Fender it would be a P bass. The J bass will sound similar but never cop the true sound of a P. And I don't feel a P/J is a solution. The magic is in that one perfectly placed pickup--nothing more, nothing less. Adding the J pickup takes way from the P pickup. Get the P. You can always find a good Jazz bass down the road. But really cut your teeth on the P until you wear it out. It will be kind to you. Good luck.

 

[packhowitzer]

I prefer the J neck but a P sound so I went with DiMarzio Model J pickups in a J and found I could get a more P bass sound with just the neck pickup.

On another J I went with EMG pickups but that required more EQ to get closer to a P tone and it needs batteries.

After all that I got an ash/rosewood '75 P bass with an A neck (like a J) and lived happily ever after...almost. I stayed with that configuration for many years.

This was my experience. I play my J with the neck pickup on full and the bridge pickup dialed back a bit, and with the Model Js, it's very much reminiscent of a P bass, but while still being unmistakably a J.

 

[40Hz]

not rare but... less common, i guess. for every jazz bass there were probably about 10+ p basses. they were totally dominating in those days.

The PBs were also cheaper.

That had more than a little to do with it. My bass experiences date back to the later half of the 60s. The JB was an object of desire for most of the Fender players I knew back then. The PB had yet to acquire the mystique it holds today. And the Jazz was most definitely considered a step up from the Precision.

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

P

 

[John Webb]

No question here.....the answer is PJ with the body and neck of your choice.

 

[bon viesta]

update, p bass has been decided!!! you’ve all helped, so thank you. i think it’s the best choice, i already have a jazz bass and i want to have a cool workhorse bass of my own. jazz basses may be the old deluxe version but man are they on a fraction of the records i like to listen to. i love that thump! anyways, the alder p bass body has been ordered as well as a 62 white pickguard (gonna put to use some fender ‘custom colors’) so this thing is in motion as of now. i’ll keep you all posted... maybe. lol.

 

[bon viesta]

by the way i’ve played a p bass before, i used it for like 9 months while i was learning and getting good at bass. it’s actually the bass i’ve used for the majority for my bass journey! it’s an old beat up 80s bass that’s now out of commission. it’s a bit grimey.

 

[asparaguspee]

This is such an easy problem to solve.

Your dad builds 1 of each.

 

[Bill Murray]

If you have a sound your chasing in your head that will win in the end. I’ve tried to convince myself so many times I wanted a J, I’ve gone through so many trying to find “the one”, turns out “the one” was a p bass the entire time