P Vs J Fender american

[JonPol]

I like the quote someone once said: "A J is like a karate chop; quick and precise, while a P is like a punch in the face; full and hits you hard." I love my jazz to death, but it's no P. That's for sure.

 

[paul_s]

A Jazz sounds like this and a Precision sounds like this.

 

[DBTOYS]

thakx i think i can make a god decision know, although it was a little ruff at first so thankx again to the later replys again i have only p's and sting rays

 

[coffin blurt]

The P Neck and body and the J pickups in one

 

[pringlw]

They are completely different basses. Chances are you would love one and hate the other. You really need to go to guitar center and try them both out.

 

[LiamR]

A Jazz sounds like this and a Precision sounds like this.

Best answer. +1

 

[PJSShearer]

When I got my Precision in 1973 they were considerably cheaper than Jazz Basses so that's why!.

 

[TRob1293]

I actually couldn't choose because both have their plus's.
So I went the P/J route.
Small hands = Jazz neck for me.
Desire to punch people in the mouth = P pickup for me.
Desire to growl and chew and spit-out the notes = Jazz bridge pickup for me.
Smaller, lighter P body = easier to carry for long stretches = bass body for me.


PS. If EVERYONE used the [SEARCH] function, Talkbass would have about 5 threads with 100,000 and more posts each. Now wouldn't THAT be fun to read through?
(Search Nazi's = people with little else to do or contribute but hop onto threads and tell you to use the [Search] function - WooHoo! What fun?)

 

[80'sRocker]

go for the Flying V

 

[80'sRocker]

A Precision bass with a Jazz neck - that IMO is awesome

 

[baileyboy]

I have both a '73 J and a '75 P, both with amazing tone. I feel fortunate to have come across both of these fine basses. However, I feel much more at home with the chunkier feel of the P, even though the J is easier to move around on. I don't care so much for the J mids as I do for the P bottom. Most important to me, the P just sits in the mix better than the J.

 

[MtManiac]

Come on people, it is not just because the bloke has played for so long that he has to know these things. Maybe he was less worried about equipment and more worried about the music.
The main differences I see are the neck and the pick up and sound.
The neck of the Precision is fatter and wide, while the jazz has a more "girly" neck, smaller.
The jazz has two pick ups, and the precision has one, so you have more tonal options with the jazz. For the differences in the tones, search for some songs that you know that feature these two different instruments.
I hope it helps you.

Thank you for a sane and helpful response. I don't get Search Naziism - one has the choice to not respond, and instead some choose to respond in a very unhelpful and negative manner.

 

[treekiller]

A P-Bass is like an International Harvester, a J-Bass is like a John Deere.

As an old farm boy myself, I woulda never made that connection.......

(Growing up, I spent many miles on the school bus having that "red vs. green" debate......I bleed green & yellow!!!)

 

[seungkoo]

how about a pj

 

[MtManiac]

cant decide on p or j so i would like to hear why you would rather own a jazz bass.
On the other hand why you would rather own a p bass??

They're two different animals - I subscribe to the school of thought that includes having at least one of everything. Even though I do NOT have one of everything - I currently own an American Vintage Reissue 1957 P bass, a Mexican fretless Jazz Standard, and a circa 1986 Peavey Patriot that I bought new when I was a teenager. My P bass is the only one I take out to gigs with my current band; it projects a whole different attitude than a Jazz bass, and I'd have to say the Precision will always from now on be my "number one." I'll always have room for a Jazz though, and if I had unlimited funds, I'd have two of each, maybe three, plus single coil P basses, Stingrays, Gibsons, G&Ls, and more. Some strung with flats, some with rounds, some active, some five string, some four string, etc.

The P bass for me sits in the mix with an attitude. It's rarely there to be polite, it is there to be the "dad" of the mix - the old reliable, the star by which everyone else navigates their part, the foundation of all, not to be bargained with or negotiated with, stern when needed and friendly and caring when needed, the provider, the balls of the mix, the hair and muscle of the arrangement, the glue of the family, the wind beneath their wings. It needs to be approached and played that way too - if you don't like a P bass, you just don't understand a P bass.

The Jazz for me is a different animal altogether. It is really very much more like a "bass guitar" than a bass - there to provide the harmonic fundamental to the mix, for sure, but also meant to and more able to leap and jump around nimbly through the arrangement while doing so. I mostly played a Jazz when I was doing a duo gig with my singer/acoustic guitar player - no drums and no electric guitar, and he can't play lead, so I had to create a lot of energy in the mix that was otherwise lacking - not necessarily by being busy, but by taking control of the arrangement in a way that would have been different had I been playing a P bass. The bridge pickup allows for some variation of tone and can be shifted on the fly in a way that is quite different from a P bass. It is true that a P bass can offer a wide variety of tones by shifting right hand position and technique, but the same is also true of a Jazz bass - plus you also get the variety of tones provided by backing off the neck pickup and bumping up the bridge pickup. This can be very handy when simultaneously filling multiple "roles" or voices in an arrangement. A Jazz seems to be more able to stand out in a mix, at least with typical EQing, technique and strings.

Sometimes you need a bass that helps you stand out, sometimes you need a bass that helps you hold everyone together.

 

[DBTOYS]

I think i will go with the p again but may check out a p j do the make a mia model ??

 

[woodyng]

you are more than welcome to borrow/check out my jazz bass if you are still looking (we're in the same neighborhood). i have owned p's and j's over the years,i personally always come back to...rickenbackers! (lol)

 

[Kwesi]

PS. If EVERYONE used the [SEARCH] function, Talkbass would have about 5 threads with 100,000 and more posts each. Now wouldn't THAT be fun to read through?
(Search Nazi's = people with little else to do or contribute but hop onto threads and tell you to use the [Search] function - WooHoo! What fun?)

Well that's a pretty big and completely unrealistic IF. The Amps and Basses sections here on TB are completely overrun with questions that have been rehashed, revived, beaten and dragged through the dirt literally hundreds of times before so excuse us if we would rather have something remotely interesting on the first page.

 

[The Bass Clef]

I say since you've been playing for 25 years and have only had Ps and Stingrays, it's time for a Jazz. I've always found a new bass that sounds and feels totally different gives you new creativity and inspiration.

 

[39-Bassist]

I had both so I decided to get a PJ bass BOTH Jazz and Precision. I LOVE the tones and playability.....J has fester neck and a little better balance but there is just something about the feel of the precision though...I guess that really doesn't answer your question, but thought to tell you anyway.