P or J for me?

[rawchuck]

Hi friends,

I’m buying a bass!

I’m mainly a guitar player, but have decided a bass will be a worthwhile addition to my studio. I want to buy something nice, and my budget maxes out at $3K

I’m only considering 4 string P and J basses, but am looking for a little direction.

I will be using this for recording, di without an amp.

I want something with strong fundamentals, that sits well in a mix.

I want it to stay clean, and I don’t slap or get crazy with bass. I mainly play roots music, Americana, country, and singer songwriter stuff. I just mainly focus on solid strong grooves that serve the song. Nothing flashy.

I honestly love the idea of a p or j. I’m leaning towards a p bass, but was hoping for some direction. I want a bit, thick, strong tone that sits well in a mix. I don’t want anything thin sounding, but also don’t want the bass to have a farty low end.

Looking forward to some ideas!

 

[buldog5151bass]

The one thing you can always say about a P is that it sits great in the mix because of the strong mids.

The other issue to consider is that Ps have wider necks. Some people (including myself) love this, some bassists prefer thinner necks.

 

[Callused Finger]

IMO a J is a little more versatile and can work in a wider variety of situations.
With that said a good sounding p will hold its own no problem.

If you ever want a modern tone a J can do it better (more so with an active setup).

I’ve played P basses for over 30 years and there are times I want that J sound I can’t get with my P.

 

[elgranluis]

With that budget, you can get one of each.

However , whenever I have recorded , the audio guy always prefers the sound of my precision vs whatever else I bring (ric or jazz or other )

 

[TrevorG]

If you're just going to just pick up and play I suggest the Jazz but if you're going to take the time to explore what a P can do I'd recommend the Precision.

 

[buldog5151bass]

And I would look in the classified here - for about a grand you can get an MIA, and less for a MIM.

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

P

 

[ClassicJazz]

Get a PJ! The best of both worlds!

 

[CallMeAl]

I’d say you can do great recordings with either, but your description pretty much nails what a P bass does. PJ is a good suggestion to- it doesn’t cover Jazz bass, more like a P bass plus. But it’ll give a little more versatility.

Id highly recommended trying out a bunch of basses. Both to see what tones you like in person, and especially to see what neck profiles work for you. I play some guitar, and even though I like wider guitar necks, I prefer thinner bass necks. The string spacing is more similar that way. I even put a Jazz neck on my p bass. Check out some short scales too, I know a lot of guitar players they prefer a SS when they pickup a bass.

happy hunting!

 

[bobyoung53]

Hi friends,

I’m buying a bass!

I’m mainly a guitar player, but have decided a bass will be a worthwhile addition to my studio. I want to buy something nice, and my budget maxes out at $3K

I’m only considering 4 string P and J basses, but am looking for a little direction.

I will be using this for recording, di without an amp.

I want something with strong fundamentals, that sits well in a mix.

I want it to stay clean, and I don’t slap or get crazy with bass. I mainly play roots music, Americana, country, and singer songwriter stuff. I just mainly focus on solid strong grooves that serve the song. Nothing flashy.

I honestly love the idea of a p or j. I’m leaning towards a p bass, but was hoping for some direction. I want a bit, thick, strong tone that sits well in a mix. I don’t want anything thin sounding, but also don’t want the bass to have a farty low end.

Looking forward to some ideas!

P bass, I like both but P's usually sound more present. Edit: Fender P/J.

 

[Fynn]

Hi friends,

I’m buying a bass!

I’m mainly a guitar player, but have decided a bass will be a worthwhile addition to my studio. I want to buy something nice, and my budget maxes out at $3K

I’m only considering 4 string P and J basses, but am looking for a little direction.

I will be using this for recording, di without an amp.

I want something with strong fundamentals, that sits well in a mix.

I want it to stay clean, and I don’t slap or get crazy with bass. I mainly play roots music, Americana, country, and singer songwriter stuff. I just mainly focus on solid strong grooves that serve the song. Nothing flashy.

I honestly love the idea of a p or j. I’m leaning towards a p bass, but was hoping for some direction. I want a bit, thick, strong tone that sits well in a mix. I don’t want anything thin sounding, but also don’t want the bass to have a farty low end.

Looking forward to some ideas!

What about a PJ? You can get one of those and if you need that little extra clarity that the bridge single coil gives you, you can just turn that up. But if you don't want to go that route, I would suggest P. A p bass gives you an amazing tone and I think especially as a guitar player, if you feel more comfortable playing with a pick, a P played with a pick sounds amazing.

You will definitely be able to get a great fit with a nice P bass in the kinds of music you want to play

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

$3k? Avri 64 jazz and avri 63 P. Some of the best stuff made by fender.

 

[NewKid1011]

Fender JMJ Road Worn Mustang Bass $1300

 

[lokikallas]

For your situation either is fine so I’d try a few and buy what you like.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Hi friends,

I’m buying a bass!

I’m mainly a guitar player, but have decided a bass will be a worthwhile addition to my studio. I want to buy something nice, and my budget maxes out at $3K

I’m only considering 4 string P and J basses, but am looking for a little direction.

I will be using this for recording, di without an amp.

I want something with strong fundamentals, that sits well in a mix.

I want it to stay clean, and I don’t slap or get crazy with bass. I mainly play roots music, Americana, country, and singer songwriter stuff. I just mainly focus on solid strong grooves that serve the song. Nothing flashy.

I honestly love the idea of a p or j. I’m leaning towards a p bass, but was hoping for some direction. I want a bit, thick, strong tone that sits well in a mix. I don’t want anything thin sounding, but also don’t want the bass to have a farty low end.

Looking forward to some ideas!

Get an Aerodyne

 

[gln1955]

With that budget, you could get a nice used P and then something else with a bit different vibe, like J or Stingray or maybe a fretless.

 

[bherman]

Two thoughts. Well, maybe 3. 1) you don't need to spend anywhere near that much to get a really nice bass of either type. 2) I'm not a fan of a PJ - I prefer either a P or a J, I don't think that the bridge pickup on a PJ adds much (except for maybe a Pat Wilkins PJ, but they start at about $3.5K). 3) there is no "better" between a P or J, in my opinion it primarily comes down to what feels better to you. The neck profile and width are significantly different between them, as is the body shape. I would choose based on which felt best in my hands. I happen to prefer wider necks because I play alot of upright bass, but many people prefer the thinner neck of a J bass (1.5 vs 1.75 width).
As far as what bass to buy? If I were buying new I'd look hard at Modern Vintage Basses (they make both a P and J style). Really fantastic instruments for under $2K. there are lots and lots of other choices out there. Take your time!

Modern Vintage MVP4-62 Bass Guitar – Modern Vintage Guitars

 

[jd56hawk]

Hi friends,

I’m buying a bass!

I’m mainly a guitar player, but have decided a bass will be a worthwhile addition to my studio. I want to buy something nice, and my budget maxes out at $3K

I’m only considering 4 string P and J basses, but am looking for a little direction.

I will be using this for recording, di without an amp.

I want something with strong fundamentals, that sits well in a mix.

I want it to stay clean, and I don’t slap or get crazy with bass. I mainly play roots music, Americana, country, and singer songwriter stuff. I just mainly focus on solid strong grooves that serve the song. Nothing flashy.

I honestly love the idea of a p or j. I’m leaning towards a p bass, but was hoping for some direction. I want a bit, thick, strong tone that sits well in a mix. I don’t want anything thin sounding, but also don’t want the bass to have a farty low end.

Looking forward to some ideas!

You might want to consider some of the amazing Japanese Jazz basses.

 

[REV]

You don't need fancy, you need utilitarian. IMHO in your situation either type bass will work. Both types record well. I guess the most important aspect of your search should be how the bass plays. Something else to consider: when I have studio gigs I always bring along my Danelectro Longhorn bass. They are easy to play and they record really well. Also they are not expensive.

 

[jdjk7]

Hi friends,

I’m buying a bass!

I’m mainly a guitar player, but have decided a bass will be a worthwhile addition to my studio. I want to buy something nice, and my budget maxes out at $3K

I’m only considering 4 string P and J basses, but am looking for a little direction.

I will be using this for recording, di without an amp.

I want something with strong fundamentals, that sits well in a mix.

I want it to stay clean, and I don’t slap or get crazy with bass. I mainly play roots music, Americana, country, and singer songwriter stuff. I just mainly focus on solid strong grooves that serve the song. Nothing flashy.

I honestly love the idea of a p or j. I’m leaning towards a p bass, but was hoping for some direction. I want a bit, thick, strong tone that sits well in a mix. I don’t want anything thin sounding, but also don’t want the bass to have a farty low end.

Looking forward to some ideas!

Listen to a comparison video. It'll tell you more than text on a forum page. Also, if you're particular about the sound, your choice of amp will be equally important.
(Edit: I just read the part about DI without an amp, but my point stands with regard to considering the rest of your signal path-- unless you're planning on using bone dry DI bass in your recording, which is old school but not what I would necessarily do.)

That said, the tendency between the P and J is that the P will be more full-frequency with more of a mid emphasis while the J, with both pickups full on, will tend to have more focus on the fundamental, high mids, and treble. Neck pickup alone on the J will get a woodier sound than a P, which is not everybody's favorite but I quite like.

This also being said-- this is something I probably harp on more than I need to, but "strong fundamental", in reality, is often "too much fundamental" unless you're playing something like dub music. The body of bass guitar tone is often in the 80Hz range, the 2nd harmonic. It's a good place for it to be-- 40Hz can clash with kick drums, and in the wrong acoustic space it can ruin your tone. Guitars work on the same principle, and thus the body of guitar tone is in the 150-160Hz range. A strong tone in the 80Hz range sits nicely below that. Of course, different mixes demand different tones. Plus subjective taste.

Obviously having not enough fundamental is also a bad situation, but it's good to be realistic about what it is you might want. Sitting appropriately in your mix is more important than fitting any preconceived notions about the relationship between "bass" and "fundamental".