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PJ v JJ

#21
BigOldHarry said:
The only downside to a PJ setup is that if you have the pickups mismatched, the P will be much stronger than the J, so if you want to pan to your J p'up, you'll have a drop off in output (which is why it's important to remember this when you're buying p'ups...
Click to expand...

The opposite is true as well....if you solo the P pickup, you may get a big volume increase....which is cool, until you turn the J pickup back again and your sound disappears.

When I had a P/J in the past, I used the P pickup only for the majority of the time, only using the J pickup when I wanted slap or have some more bite on my fingerstyle tone. However, I was actually harder to hear during those parts where I most wanted/needed to be heard, so I had to compensate by increasing the volume at the amp. Plus, the J pickup always had hum since there was no RWRP neck pickup to cancel it.

The answer IMO, if you want to stay passive, is to find a vintage-type P-bass pickup (Fender Vintage, Duncan SPB-1, etc.) and pair it with a hotter Jazz pickup. The P/J never really sounds like a true Jazz anyways, so there is no reason not to get an overwound, hum-cancelling Jazz pickup that will not be drowned out by the P pickup.
 
#22
Hello everybody,

I'm looking for assembly a new "franken-bass" (going to have a MIM Jazz neck and some spare parts, bridge, tuners etc...) and I have to chose if starting with JJ or PJ configuration with their relative body

my BIG concern is the tone of BOTH pickup at full (VVT config)
in your opinion, which of the 2 will have less volume drop / phase cancellation?

my pickup whish list is the following:
PJ set EMG Geezer Butler or Nordstrand NPJ4SE
JJ set Dimarzio Area J or Nordy NJ4SE

please note I have no chance to compare similar configs in the shops nearby, I'll have to buy everything online...

thanks for your help!
Fabio
 
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#23
Dimarzio Area PJ set is also a good PJ pickup pair to consider.

Vintage P and bridge J tones (hum cancel J), and a well balanced pair IMO.

Consider that the location of the J pickup will have impact on the tones of a PJ or JJ bass.

A J pickup closer to bridge will sound a little tighter and thinner than if the J pickup is closer to neck pickup.

I also like the Dimarzio Area J set, I'm currently using it with (2) 500k volume pots and a Fender TBX tone control.
 
#24
I know the JJ is universally loved sound but I never cared for it. once I tried a PJ I knew I found the sound I wanted. I have 3 of them and swapped out the J's for more powerful ones to get rid of that annoying twang when the pickup is soloed. when is the P is soloed the sound is great. when the pickups are in series holy s***.
 
#25
acebase62 if I'll go with PJ, the J should be placed closer to the bridge (I think around '70s J style or slightly more...) unfortunately I don't like the Area P

considering the sound by each pickup I'm sure I love the P at the neck and the J at the bridge, but I'm not 100% on the 50/50 "blend" of them... as I don't want a big mid scoop or volume drop when both are ON

another note: if I have to chose a JJ configuration, it has to be hum cancelling - no single coils for me
 

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