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P/J Body Preference
- Thread starter Smallmouth_Bass
- Start date
I am GAS'ing for a Jazz body with a p/j configuration. I will probably wind up ordering one from Warmoth and doing it myself.
P body with J neck. Mainly because, for the same wood, the P body would normally be lighter. Plus, you can still use standard P pickguards.
I voted no preference. I've got one on a J bass body, but I wouldn't mind if it was a P bass either.
scottbass
Bass lines like a big, funky giant
P body because it is "even" across the bottom (roughly parallel to the butt end of the neck) and fits in ANY style of guitar stand without any drama. Certain styles of guitar stands don't work well with J bodies.
Oh yeah, the P is lighter, too!
Oh yeah, the P is lighter, too!
For that reason, my shed bass is a '64 P-bass (sit a lot while practicing)...I do gig with a Jazz, however.
Both PJ basses are semi-retired.
I prefer the look on J bodies. There's just something about a P-Bass with the one (split) pickup and two knobs.
I've preferred the Jazz body all my life.
It's offset body has a more stylish look to it IMHO
and gives the bass a sexy look onstage. It even looks
like it's in motion.
I've always thought the Precision Bass was Leo's first
attempt at an electric bass and once he saw that it worked
he created the Jazz bass as the ultimate refinement of the P.
He made it prettier, gave it way more tonal possibilities, and
slenderized the neck. In short the Jazz was the completion of
his dream bass. And mine.
It's offset body has a more stylish look to it IMHO
and gives the bass a sexy look onstage. It even looks
like it's in motion.
I've always thought the Precision Bass was Leo's first
attempt at an electric bass and once he saw that it worked
he created the Jazz bass as the ultimate refinement of the P.
He made it prettier, gave it way more tonal possibilities, and
slenderized the neck. In short the Jazz was the completion of
his dream bass. And mine.
Then he refined it some more and made the Stingray as the ultimate-er P.
Then he refined it even more and made the SB-2 as the ultimate-est P.
How, then, do you explain the relative "P" style of his self-proclaimed "best I ever made" G&L basses, or even the Stingray? Both of those are more P-like in shape than J-like.
No, if Leo thought of the offset body as the ultimate, dream, bass shape, his G&L basses would have shared similar features. FWIW, I play P, J, and G&L basses, among others...
As to the original question, it depends on what you're doing with it. I find upper-fret access much easier on a Jazz. I also find the tone of 2 pickups more appropriate for upper fret soloing and chording and the like. Will Lee and Roscoe Beck both do a lot of chording and their signature basses have 22 frets on J-style bodies... The P-style body is more difficult to reach up there, and the pure P tone doesn't lend itself to that quite so much. So, if you know that you'll be using the upper frets, then go with a J-style body. If you have no use for them, I say P-style. I prefer the symmetry of the P, myself, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying my 3 J-shaped basses.
scottbass
Bass lines like a big, funky giant
Then he refined it some more and made the Stingray as the ultimate-er P.
Then he refined it even more and made the SB-2 as the ultimate-est P.
Haha!
This is of course true - at least from Leo's perspective!
And every time it was "refined" there was a group of people who thought the "refinements" made it worse; a group who much preferred the earlier model.
Over on the 6-string side, there is a lot of love for the Telecaster. One guy told me: "It is just the most raw, most unrefined slab of wood with a pickup or two screwed onto the middle of the large surface and a neck screwed onto the end. And that's why I love it."
Then he refined it some more and made the Stingray as the ultimate-er P.
Then he refined it even more and made the SB-2 as the ultimate-est P.
Well played!
Really tough one. I love the look of a P body but in this case the J body might look better. It's got that flow.
True. If somebody wants to argue that the first electric bass (the original non-split coil P), or even the first split-coil, was the best, I'll give 'em a nod. But, picking one out of the middle of the evolutionary track and proclaiming it as Leo's ultimate achievement seems a bit, ummm, biased...
