P to PJ! What to do?

[Stranger Danger]

I am going to convert my P-bass to a PJ and I want some input into wiring options. Thanks for voting.

If it matters, the bass in question is an '08 MIA Fender P and the pickups are the Rio Grande Vintage P-bass and the DiMarzio Model J.

 

[Stranger Danger]

Im leaning towards the switch option at this point to avoid rerouting the jack and any phase issues.

 

[line6man]

Im leaning towards the switch option at this point to avoid rerouting the jack and any phase issues.

Phase issues?

 

[StuartV]

If you wire it out of phase, it won't matter whether you have a V, a B, or a switch. When they're both on, you'll have a problem.

 

[Tommorichards]

Its a simple enough fix. Just switch 2 wires round if it happens.

 

[Stranger Danger]

Phase issues?

Im totally talking out of my ass but I know I have heard of folks screwing this up and I have heard PJ basses that sound good and some not so good. I'd like mine to be one of the former.

 

[Bijoux]

I am so used to this configuration, it's the one that makes the most sense to me.
also I can get a lot of different tones depending on how I balance the pickups volume. It seems like the most versatile and easy to use for me. keep in mind I like to play with my EQ pretty much the whole time.

 

[Stealth]

A phase issue is easy enough to solve. Simply swapping the hot and ground of the J pickup fixes it.

 

[bassist4dalord]

I'm planning on putting a Nordstrand NP5 and Big Split in my Squier Standard Precision Special 5-String (currently stock single-coils, V/V/T). I'll be getting a new pickguard, and hopefully refinishing it in ReRanch Inca Silver.

All that being said, I plan on wiring it V/T/3-way switch with a front-mounted jack. So, that's how I voted.

 

[Bongolation]

3Switch/V/T is the only arrangement that will permit really decent sound.

V/V/T and blends are doomed with pickups this dissimilar.

 

[4Mal]

3Switch/V/T is the only arrangement that will permit really decent sound.

V/V/T and blends are doomed with pickups this dissimilar.

One man's meat ... I have a pair (well 1.5 or a pair) or PJ's - gotta get Mr Happy Router going soon to get to two! For me, with the right pickups PJ's are great.

I voted VVT as it just works. The switch idea... uh, sucks. Big volume discrepancies between the two pickups are not switch friendly. With a PJ, you don't so much address the rear pickup solo but rather you blend it in to provide some edge to your overall tone. It's a real flexible setup withthe best of P and J tones.

Two approached if you don't want to go side mount.

1. Usually there is enough room in the control cavity for the third pot so you drill the pickguard left and slightly toward you making a nice even curve of the three pots.

2. If there isn't space - or you're too cheap to replace the guard if you screw up, then use a stacked pot on the rear control making the outter ring your tone control. Piece of Pie!

 

[Stranger Danger]

One man's meat ... I have a pair (well 1.5 or a pair) or PJ's - gotta get Mr Happy Router going soon to get to two! For me, with the right pickups PJ's are great.

I voted VVT as it just works. The switch idea... uh, sucks. Big volume discrepancies between the two pickups are not switch friendly. With a PJ, you don't so much address the rear pickup solo but rather you blend it in to provide some edge to your overall tone. It's a real flexible setup withthe best of P and J tones.

Two approached if you don't want to go side mount.

1. Usually there is enough room in the control cavity for the third pot so you drill the pickguard left and slightly toward you making a nice even curve of the three pots.

2. If there isn't space - or you're too cheap to replace the guard if you screw up, then use a stacked pot on the rear control making the outter ring your tone control. Piece of Pie!

Interesting, so you're saying to go with a vol knob and a concentric vol-tone knob vs a 2 vol concentric knob and a tone knob separately?

 

[Kael]

I honestly was surprised at how much I liked the stacked vol/tone vol/tone on the Squier P/J jag. Diming the J vol and tone and then rolling the tone all the way off on the P pickup and setting the P at about half volume yielded a really interesting variation of the standard J ridge burp tone. I'd give serious consideration to a three knob master vol, vol/tone, vol/tone with a side jack..

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

V V T works fine but requires a new hole in the body for the jack;
V B T has critics;
Stacked VV + T seems like a good option.

Oh.. and PJ's RULE.

 

[mrslunk]

I converted my P to a V-B-T PJ but i put in a homemade preamp with an active blend specifically to balance out the problems with blending pickups.
I can't reccomend this enough.
Audre, Glock, East and ACG preamps with active blends.
If you have some electronics skill, it's easy as pi to create a simle yet ultra effective preamp for this.
It still cops that vintage P tone that we know and love, but has so much more flexibility.

PJ's are definately awesome.

 

[onestring]

I kept it simple and did a single volume with a toggle switch on mine, and played it that way for many years... until I finally came around to the idea that a P may really sound best all alone.

I regret putting a big hole in my bass for that silly J pickup!

 

[Bongolation]

I voted VVT as it just works.

V/V/T doesn't work, it's just a matter of how badly they don't work. Here and elsewhere there have been technical explanations by qualified engineers of why dissimilar pickups mixed V/V/T will always cause greater or lesser undesirable artifacts. Usually, the controls are simply unusable, as they are in the archetypal P/J, the Fender HRPB.

The switch idea... uh, sucks. Big volume discrepancies between the two pickups are not switch friendly.

You balance by height. If you can't you have the wrong set for the P/J application.

 

[Daveydude]

I like the classic look of only two knobs.....

 

[Stranger Danger]

I guess I could let Fender take care of it and could just sell my P and buy an Am P Deluxe.

 

[4Mal]

V/V/T doesn't work, it's just a matter of how badly they don't work. Here and elsewhere there have been technical explanations by qualified engineers of why dissimilar pickups mixed V/V/T will always cause greater or lesser undesirable artifacts. Usually, the controls are simply unusable, as they are in the archetypal P/J, the Fender HRPB.


You balance by height. If you can't you have the wrong set for the P/J application.

That's odd. It works for me fine. I really don't need an engineer to tell me if it sounds good or not... Ears do just fine thanks. If there ar quirks or oddities, I prefer the quirks and oddities in my PJ set to those in even a very good J set.