PJ's do not bring a jazz bass tone. get over it

[SteveCS]

I’m not sure whether I should take a P, smoke a J or just lounge in my PJs during quarantine.

All three, in the order given, seems like a great plan to me...

 

[80jazz]

the clarity of a p is good. dulled by mixing in another pickup, not so much

To my ears, pairing with a MM type pickup at the bridge enhances that clarity even further.

Does anyone here have a fretless that is MM/P by chance?

Also, I already over a PJ not bringing a jazz tone. Truthfully, I am not a fan (but am more likely to entertain a fretless PJ).

 

[DavC]

if you only use the bridge pup on either ... it is the same kinda sound .. ! that is , if they're both in the same spot ..?! like the 70's position ... and they'd need to be the same pup for an equal comparison .. !

 

[FishDub]

My guess is you don't have well matched pickups.
No, it's not going to sound just like a standard J, no surprise there, but a well matched PJ set has a lot of useful tones (including burpy) on tap.

+1..especially if you pop a Dimarzio Jazz in the bridge ala T-Bone...

 

[80jazz]

I think it is high-time for a “a j or a p can’t get that pj sound” thread.

As a guy that likes jazz basses, I agree. If you want the PJ sound though, a JJ won't get it for you.

I am not sure I see the appeal in PJ, but I have also not played a Spector Euro 4LX or SB-2. Plus, there are plenty available so I am probably in the minority in this. To each their own, and if you like PJs I am happy you have plenty of choices to choose from.

Maybe I'll start my own, "P/J's do not sound like P's or J's! GET OVER IT!!" thread. View attachment 3777538



Oh, wait! That would be redundant!



Seriously and for truly…bassists already put P's and J's in their own, respective categories. Wouldn't it be a lot easier on our collective minds, not to mention our bandwidth usage, to simply see P/J's as a whole as it's own, unique category of bass guitar? This way, people can knife-fight over "Which <insert type of bass here> is better?" on their own, unique merits, strengths, flaws and shortcomings without muddying the waters so badly that we end up with thousands of mushed-up and retreaded threads.

[/mini-rant]

That's how I see PJ basses. They are their own thing.

Anything with two pickups and a blend can get close enough that your audience won’t notice.

There are more basses than just a Precision or Jazz.

Amen!

I’m not sure whether I should take a P, smoke a J or just lounge in my PJs during quarantine.

Why choose? Can't you do all of those things?

 

[bobdabilder]

I've found that some of that burp is in the fingers.

If you cannot get a burpy sound out a soloed J pickup on a PJ bass, your bass has issues. I have never had a trouble getting a burpy tone out of a soloed J pickup on a PJ bass.

 

[gln1955]

Whatever. Couldn't care less.

+100 or whatever we up to now.

Is this the week for dumb threads? Must be the COVID cabin fever. Everyone, put on a face mask and get out for a long walk.

 

[jellymax]

the reason i put a model j in the bridge position is
1 they are ballsy sounding
2 its noiseless

by itself it sounds good
mixed with the p pickup....meh

 

[SheeHAMM]

I got over it. Who didn't?

I love PJ because the P pickup alone is very useful for me and I can dial into that J bridge pickup growl when needed. Also, the PJ blended tone is also 'close enough' to the Jazz-Bass-like tone. Not the same, of course.

If you like that JJ tone, go ahead. PJ does work for me and some other people. Cool. JJ is JJ, PJ is PJ.

 

[non]

first a pj is not a j and visa versa.
i love my pj (seymour duncan quarter pounders). my electronics are volume/balance/tone.
i use the balance to dial in more or less j pickup if i need to cut through the mix more. the j pick is perfect for dialing in more upper mids. 75% p pickup/25% j pickup = heaven.

 

[4sight]

I've found that some of that burp is in the fingers.

You sir, are a freak of nature. And I mean that in the nicest possible way. Burping fingers? I've heard it all.

 

[Thundertips]

a good set of jazz pickups delivers a burpy tone. a pj cannot deliver it.
i have 1 pj. when i use it, the bridge pick up is off, even though its a good
one it does not improve the sound or clarity. p only is a killer, usefull tone.
but the two are different. you cannot get a burpy jazz bass tone from a pj.

go ahead and bring the heat. i can take it lol

I agree. I never use the J pickup on my P-Bass. If I want that Jazz sound I just plug in my Jazz Bass.

 

[SteveCS]

the reason i put a model j in the bridge position is
1 they are ballsy sounding
2 its noiseless

by itself it sounds good
mixed with the p pickup....meh

Is it on a switch, or blend. The chances of getting an immediately useful 'blend' from a 3-way switch are close to nil, IME.

 

[Blaze Barlow]

It's easy to get accustomed to something after many years..sometimes a person can even get caught up in a "train" of thought about a particular issue..here we have discussions about pickup sounds and what they can and cannot do..I have played fender jazz basses for all of my life.......as many years passed there was no concern as to whether the pickups sounded this way or that..if someone wanted the "jazz" sound thats what they played..I am not going to get into the other aspects of the sound such as playing technique..strings..bass amp and knob configuration and external boxes..and room arrangement.................back in the day..a jazz was a jazz..and something else was something else..lots of people today are getting sucked into that black hole of minuscule differences......there are plenty of knobs to make something sound like what you want it to sound like.....I am playing my bass through a tech 21 RPM preamp and from there into an ampeg SVT Pro 4..and into multiple cabinets.......if it was behind a curtain and you couldnt see it..you could only guess at what it was by its sound..I can make it sound like anything I want it to sound like..I could switch to a gibson instrument and you couldnt tell............guess its all mind over matter.

 

[brianrost]

whats the sound of a J called?

#$%@

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

If your P-style pickup is wired in parallel or has a series/parallel switch, it can get closer.

^that. My friend has a parts bass (American Fender Jazz neck, Warmoth Jazz body) with reverse P/J routing and some kind of Duncan P/J pickups, not Quarter Pounders, sound pretty close to vintage Fenders, and he has a series/parallel switch for the P pickup. I defy anyone to tell it from a real Jazz bass in parallel mode in even the simplest jazz trio mix, let alone in a big rock one.

 

[Thundertips]

It's easy to get accustomed to something after many years..sometimes a person can even get caught up in a "train" of thought about a particular issue..here we have discussions about pickup sounds and what they can and cannot do..I have played fender jazz basses for all of my life.......as many years passed there was no concern as to whether the pickups sounded this way or that..if someone wanted the "jazz" sound thats what they played..I am not going to get into the other aspects of the sound such as playing technique..strings..bass amp and knob configuration and external boxes..and room arrangement.................back in the day..a jazz was a jazz..and something else was something else..lots of people today are getting sucked into that black hole of minuscule differences......there are plenty of knobs to make something sound like what you want it to sound like.....I am playing my bass through a tech 21 RPM preamp and from there into an ampeg SVT Pro 4..and into multiple cabinets.......if it was behind a curtain and you couldnt see it..you could only guess at what it was by its sound..I can make it sound like anything I want it to sound like..I could switch to a gibson instrument and you couldnt tell............guess its all mind over matter.

I just plug straight into my amp, no effects, clean sound. I use the same tone knob settings on the amp for my P and my Jazz and they definitely sound different. The P has a bigger, fatter sound and the Jazz is thinner sounding.

 

[jellymax]

Is it on a switch, or blend. The chances of getting an immediately useful 'blend' from a 3-way switch are close to nil, IME.

its volume volume tone with an orange drop cap

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

I'm with Jimmy. We can't get over something we don't particularly care about. What gave the OP the idea to start a thread like this? The idea of 'getting over it' would assume the TB collective has a strong opinion on the matter. And I don't see that.

The TB collective certainly seems to have a pervasive opinion that the only bass worth playing is a Precision, and even at that you're doing it wrong without tort and flats, haha! Not everyone, but the majority from what I've seen.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I've found that some of that burp is in the fingers.

That is certainly true. Bad technique will kill good gear every time