This may sound dumb, but it's an honest question. Why a P-Bass? Why not just roll the bridge pickup off and use the neck pickup on the Jazz Bass????? I get a great P tone by doing this...
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P-Bass Vs. Jazz Bass
- Thread starter BrandonA119
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Man you have opened up yourself a can of whoop ass now.. 
Listen to someone playing a P-Bass playing live in a band. Perfect in the mix tone.
This has never come up before.
As a dyed in the wool P=Bass player, I have to say the neck pickup on a jazz falls in the "close but no cigar" category. It'll do in a pinch.
As a dyed in the wool P=Bass player, I have to say the neck pickup on a jazz falls in the "close but no cigar" category. It'll do in a pinch.
There is more between them than slightly a slightly different mid positioned pickup.
Different neck and body, different pickups... The P has a very peculiar tone (with a 'bump' in the low mids. You can get close with a J but not dead on. Hence, along with the basses ergonomics, why P's haven't been replaced by J's. Or PJ's or any of the other bass pickup configurations.
P's are here to stay (they are the essential electric bass for a lot of bassists).
Other basses are great too. Whichever does it for you
Different neck and body, different pickups... The P has a very peculiar tone (with a 'bump' in the low mids. You can get close with a J but not dead on. Hence, along with the basses ergonomics, why P's haven't been replaced by J's. Or PJ's or any of the other bass pickup configurations.
P's are here to stay (they are the essential electric bass for a lot of bassists).
Other basses are great too. Whichever does it for you
I have both a p and j. I would say the p has more girth, as weird as that sounds. I have eq my j every which way and no dice. It might be because p is wired in series rather than parallel
Theyre tools.. Sometimes only one will do, sometimes you can fudge it, sometimes you dont care if you have the wrong one.
I used to dislike P's, but everytime I hear one its just magic. And, contrary to what I used to assume, I find that few pickups sound better taking a solo/lead highhhh up on the neck. So much character without too much fillee
I used to dislike P's, but everytime I hear one its just magic. And, contrary to what I used to assume, I find that few pickups sound better taking a solo/lead highhhh up on the neck. So much character without too much fillee
I recently had a J vs P debate with myself when trying to decide on a new bass. I already had a P, like it alot, and at first thought i should get a jazz for the different flavour. Brought one home, and thought it was pretty good, but it sounded somewhat "mellow" no matter what i did. The neck pickup alone sounded more like a P bass, and i thought everything was good.
That is until i played my P bass again the next day. The P bass simply sounded superior to me. it was also more comfortable to play, both because of the neck and because the body is smaller than the offset waist body of the jazz.
Of course this is all personal opinion, but it goes to show that you cant assume the Jazz is superior simply because its a more complex design.
That is until i played my P bass again the next day. The P bass simply sounded superior to me. it was also more comfortable to play, both because of the neck and because the body is smaller than the offset waist body of the jazz.
Of course this is all personal opinion, but it goes to show that you cant assume the Jazz is superior simply because its a more complex design.
Here is the deal: the Jazz was developed because Ps were blowing any kind of speaker you could throw them at. The 2 Jazz pickups canceled frequencies for a built in compression effect. On a P the harder you thump the bigger they thump, with a J you got a point of diminishing returns. Just my take on it.
Sorry but no you don't The middle pickup on my Big Al doesn't sound like a P bass either.
