A P has too much "fluh fluh" going on in the sound for me, especially flats...theres this floppines to the sound that I cant stand. I cut my teeth on my dads 64 jazz and have stayed mostly consistent there.
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P or J - Have we all chosen correctly?
- Thread starter tnscot60
- Start date
Out of my entire post, the only thing you found worth commenting on was my poor choice of words?
ok. (shrugs)
Cheers to all of the folks who understand the spirit of the thread, and have contributed thusly!!
I agree that J's actually have more low end. Mine has noiseless pickups, so I can roll off the bridge pickup a little without hum, and the low end just gets huge. Too huge sometimes, as I've found with some recent recording, on which I'll need to dial out some of the boom with EQ.
I also agree the J can't duplicate the tone of a Precision, and that some material is better suited to a P. But my J does the "P thing" much better than my P does the "J thing," so if I could have only one, I'd keep the J. In the rock I play, I can use them interchangeably, and I sometimes think the functional differences between the two are exaggerated. It's not exactly like the difference between a Strat and a Les Paul, for example.
I chose J. I play mostly reggae, and that is what Family and also Robbie started out with. Since i have heard some people suggest I switch to a P. I like the flexibility of the J, but have been thinking i might soon add a P to the arsenal. I also have a maple neck, but would have gone rosewood if I knew what I know now. That being said I've seen Family with a maple neck too.
No - your poor grasp of History!!
Yep...there's one in every crowd that has to turn a nice thread into a forum to build himself up by tearing someone else down. Conratulations. You're much smarter than me.
As promised..I'm out.
I love both. J is probably my first choice, but having both never hurts. Funny thing is, people often say that P basses aren't good slap basses. I totally disagree, they have a wonderful boomy midrangey slap sound. I don't have a real P, only a yamaha BB with a PJ combination, but still I I don't really ever use the bridge J pickup on it.
If I had the luxury of owning both, I'd definately have a heavy ash body 70's J and an alder bodied 60's P. A warm P and a snappy J.
But I guess P is always warm.. unless you're dead.
If I had the luxury of owning both, I'd definately have a heavy ash body 70's J and an alder bodied 60's P. A warm P and a snappy J.
But I guess P is always warm.. unless you're dead.
I have an active 5 string "J" type bass - Bart pups, Bart 3-band, etc., etc. I like it a lot. I can make it fit any situation. I am not a big timer by any means so I don't need the "P" for the studio and all that.
I am tempted by a MIM "P" at the store I don't know why. I always end up selling my 4 string basses - P, J, or other. Sometimes I try to be an "old school" simple kind of guy and try the passive 4 string route, but I can never make it stick.
I have a fretless I don't use so I may trade it on a P and see. MAybe this time...
I am tempted by a MIM "P" at the store I don't know why. I always end up selling my 4 string basses - P, J, or other. Sometimes I try to be an "old school" simple kind of guy and try the passive 4 string route, but I can never make it stick.
I have a fretless I don't use so I may trade it on a P and see. MAybe this time...
Well I think you need to be accurate about history - there are many good books about this and it doesn't require you to be clever - just do a bit of research and don't make assumptions.
You can't expect blatantly wrong assertions about the history of the instrument to go unchallenged, on a bass site.
It would be like saying that Al Gore invented the internet on a nerd site!!
I tried to love the p sound, I tried to love the p/j sound, I only love the j sound.
The playability on a Jazz is the other plus. I love the neck, and I can say this after trying to own several basses.
Jazz, you are my best friend.
The playability on a Jazz is the other plus. I love the neck, and I can say this after trying to own several basses.
Jazz, you are my best friend.
I started outon a P and if it was not for that bass, I would not be half the bass player I am.
But after a long ( and expensive) quest for my sound, I found I am a J man. I love the versitility, and I live on the bridge pick up on full, with the neck dialed in at 10%, that'smy sound.
I'mall about mids, my amp's eq is mids up, treble and bass eveny backed off. I love the growl of a good j. I play punk rock, gospel, and ska. (I blend all of these styles into contemporary gospel)
But after a long ( and expensive) quest for my sound, I found I am a J man. I love the versitility, and I live on the bridge pick up on full, with the neck dialed in at 10%, that'smy sound.
I'mall about mids, my amp's eq is mids up, treble and bass eveny backed off. I love the growl of a good j. I play punk rock, gospel, and ska. (I blend all of these styles into contemporary gospel)
This. My J bass (a Skyline DJ) has a ton of booty. P basses are all about the low mids, to my ears, and it's why I usually prefer them.
Ha! This is exactly what I was going to type.
i got a pj and realized im not as big of fan of jazz pickups as i thought. (i have an active pj and a passive pj, the passive is more my style)
i love the sound of the p pups way more.
played some jazzes to make sure there is no bias.
i like both.
look of a jazz but the sound of a precision.
i love the sound of the p pups way more.
played some jazzes to make sure there is no bias.
i like both.
look of a jazz but the sound of a precision.
I've been playing my Jazz basses for almost 30 years, and I've had my Sterling for about 7 years. But I always wanted a Precision - mostly for the simplicity of 1 pup, 1 volume and 1 tone control.
I recently got involved with a project playing Motown and dance-rock. The jazz basses and then the MM were great for the edgier hard-rock music I was playing a few years ago, but I'm looking for that punch and thump that (I'm hoping) a P-bass delivers.
So I'm building one with a MIM jazz neck (short fingers), MIM body, Hipshots, quarter-pounder and CTS pots. It's going to actually cost more than a new MIM Fender from MF, but it will have the neck and pups (I think) I want.
I'm finally going to have a Precision, after all this time.
Wish me luck.
I recently got involved with a project playing Motown and dance-rock. The jazz basses and then the MM were great for the edgier hard-rock music I was playing a few years ago, but I'm looking for that punch and thump that (I'm hoping) a P-bass delivers.
So I'm building one with a MIM jazz neck (short fingers), MIM body, Hipshots, quarter-pounder and CTS pots. It's going to actually cost more than a new MIM Fender from MF, but it will have the neck and pups (I think) I want.
I'm finally going to have a Precision, after all this time.
Wish me luck.
I've gone full circle on the basses I have owned, from a P type Yamaha back in in about '84 to my 2 Fender Ps now. In between I have had P/J, MM, Bill Lawrence Humbuckers, J/J, etc. I'm back with the P because I love the sound of the P p/up and prefer the slightly wider neck. But I have to admit that sometimes I want a little extra "bridgeness". This can be achieved to a large degree with on board active EQ (the Aggie 3 band is brilliant), but I do prefer the sound of a passive bass. My solution? Add another P p/up. Stick a fork in me, I'm done
This thread is more interesting than I thought it would be at first.
I've played on both. And don't own either. BUT, that's mostly because I'm too much of a reluctant individualist (there are already too many Fenders out there), and not because I don't like them. Gotta say from my trials that the P always speaks to me in an accent that I prefer. The J sound always seems "thin" to me. Two of my axes (Warmoth 4 string builds) have P/J configuration with Villex pups. One's FL and the other, regular. Flats on both. The range of tones is breath-taking.
The closest I have to a Fender is a SX P clone (flats, also). I became dissatisfied with the mid emphasis that came through the Dimarzio P pup. Modded the bass with a Dimarzio Model One all the way up by the neck. Holy Crap! Smooths out the mid with broad-shouldered bass.
Hhmmm - makes me wonder about a p/j with Model One configuration.....
Either axe (Fender P or J) makes a wonderful jazz instrument IMO.
I've played on both. And don't own either. BUT, that's mostly because I'm too much of a reluctant individualist (there are already too many Fenders out there), and not because I don't like them. Gotta say from my trials that the P always speaks to me in an accent that I prefer. The J sound always seems "thin" to me. Two of my axes (Warmoth 4 string builds) have P/J configuration with Villex pups. One's FL and the other, regular. Flats on both. The range of tones is breath-taking.
The closest I have to a Fender is a SX P clone (flats, also). I became dissatisfied with the mid emphasis that came through the Dimarzio P pup. Modded the bass with a Dimarzio Model One all the way up by the neck. Holy Crap! Smooths out the mid with broad-shouldered bass.
Hhmmm - makes me wonder about a p/j with Model One configuration.....
Either axe (Fender P or J) makes a wonderful jazz instrument IMO.
I love and have both. I play in a soul band and tend to favour the P for ballads/softer songs and the J on the uptempo/punchier songs.
