Pickup Configuration: Is a PJJ possible?

[WTXBass]

Loooong time lurker, first time poster.

I have read almost every post on this forum regarding P vs. JJ vs. PJ vs. PP and I feel that I have read so much that I am scraping the bottom of the “Paralysis by Analysis” barrel.

My intention is to build a P & J combo. One bass capable of hitting both sounds. I want the P to sound like a P and the J to sound like a J. I thought the PJ would be the obvious way to go, but after reading this forum it sounds as if the PJ will hit the P part of the equation but will be unable to replicate the sound of the JJ.

So, my question is if it’s possible to install a Split Coil J (SCJ) neck pickup wound like a P in the P location and bump the original J neck pickup over?The J bridge would stay in its original position. Would adding the SCJ change the tone of the neck J pickup since the magnets are right next to each other?

I’m not against adding an additional jack or switch and I imagine the pickups would have to be custom.

Or, is there a better way to accomplish my goal? Is there a pickup, configuration, or wiring that is available that I don’t know about?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[Slater]

A split coil in a J housing just doesn’t sound like a P pickup. Some will say a Dimarzio Model J is “close”. I believe the best way to get a P+J pickup bass to sound close to a J+J pickup bass is to install a series/parallel switch for the P pickup, then run the P pickup in parallel to imitate J+J tones.

Here’s a thread that discusses the topic:
PJ bass with the split coil wired with series/parallel switch?

 

[Killed_by_Death]

There are basses with split-coil pickups inside soapbar covers. I think this would give you the best of both worlds.
A split-coil is what a Precision pickup is.

If you want J brightness, you just dial in more of the bridge pickup:

 

[sikamikanico]

I like the idea, but the problem is that to nail the classic 57 P, you need the large offset split coil pickups. The EA half overlaps with the J pickup. You will need to compromise on something...

Option 1: Make the P a 51 P... you can use a split coil version of it, some say it will sound more like the 57 P. You can probably get someone to house it together with a J pickup (eg, Nordstrand?). You can position the 51 P more in its 51 position (towards the neck from J), or more towards the center of the 57 P (towards he bridge from J). Or both, lol, maybe three thin coils would fit in a MM sized cover

Option 2: move the J slightly towards the neck and the 57P towards the bridge, to make space for both. Kinda like the Urge bass, I guess...

Option 3: Like option 2, but use a soapbar split coil like Nord Big Split... and maybe keep the J in its original position too...

Option 4: like KBD suggested, just use soapbar-sized split coils and call it a day. They will nail neither sound, but arguably will sound somewhere in between...