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P/J Question

DblG

DblG

Apr 27, 2005
899
152
Buffalo, NY
#1
Hi All,

I just picked up a Fender 2001 MIA P-bass and it has the J pup near the bridge. (I'll post pics as soon as my DSL is up and running...as of now it's the 22nd, but it's been pushed back two weeks twice now...) It is passive, trans orange w/ tort pg, and is in near mint condition.
My question: if I turn down the J pup all the way, am I getting a true P bass sound? I was looking for a trans orange P, but this fell in my lap so I took it thinking that this would be the case. The strings are old on it (prob orig) and I haven't played it through my T-Funk/El Whappo yet, so I really can't tell. It sounds OK for what I'm playing it through now (35W practice amp), but I can't wait to put a set of flats on it & plug it into my main rig.
So, is a P/J a glorified P, or is it a different monster altogether? :confused:

Thanks,
Greg
 
#3
Well.......yea! If you're cutting off the J PU, that is a true P-Bass. I have a P-Bass Special with the same PU config, but since mine it active, I am sure it sounds a bit different. On my bass I mainly use the J PU and add in a touch of the P-Bass PU to give me some fatness to the sound.
 
#5
So one for a true P-Bass sound w/ the J pup all the way down
& one for an 80-85% of a true P-Bass sound.

Thanks guys. Any other opinions?

I'll post after a gig this weekend as to how it sounds through my rig. I'll be comparing it to my Fender Jazz V with the S-1 switch. I'm interested in knowing how close the S-1 switch makes it sound like a true P, which is why I want to know if my new P/J sounds like a true P w/ the J pup all the way down.

gg
 
#9
tplyons said:
I've found that even with the jazz volume all the way down, there is a bit of crosstalk between the Jazz and Precision pickup. Not 100% P-bass, but darn close.
Click to expand...

Right. . . also the amount of wire that you are using in a P/J is larger than in a single P, potentially lowering the resistance of the entire circuit by 0.003 Omhs, as explained by the following formula:

R = WL x WT
_______
3.2025 x 3 [rw]

In other words, the theory says if you are trying to get real P sound out of a P/J, you are really cheating your bandmates, your audience, the bass community, and ultimately, yourself.

I personally can't hear the difference between a single P pickup, and a P/J with the J all the way down, and 99.999% of the world population probably can't either, so. :o

Single P-pickup basses look so cool, though. P/Js? Not so hot.
 
#10
lefty007 said:
Single P-pickup basses look so cool, though. P/Js? Not so hot.
Click to expand...


I know. But I probably don't mind the look as much as you may. But, yes, I was after the regular, plain ol' P when this thing fell in my lap. the ONLY thing I wasn't looking for was the extra J pup! Oh well, I'll get used to it (for now...);)

Thanks for everybodys input!
 
#12
GlennW said:
You could disconnect the J pickup, rewire the P pickup with shorter wire, and get back the missing 0.001% of P sound if you're that worried about it.
Click to expand...

Or figure out some kind of switch to kill the J pickup.

Or you could just figure that no one's going to tell the difference in the mix unless they're A/B-ing it vs a regular P, and then only maybe =\.
 
#13
Lets get this straight: I'm happy knowing I'm very close to the classic P tone by turning the J all the way down! I'm not disconnecting anything. 99% is fine with me!:D

I just wanted to ask because I've never AB'd with a true P, and didn't know if anything silly was going on like the maybe the J pup not being 'totally' off when the knob is turned all the way down. Or maybe the P pup being wired or wrapped differently because of it being part of P/J configuration. It sounds like my thinking was correct in thinking that I can use this bass as a P... And I have a little more to play with!

Thanks again,

gg
 

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