Precision vs Jazz at a gig

[Bass4LifeRS]

Fire the drummer and bring the P next time.

 

[Kevin Colt]

my next build is going to be a j body with a p neck.

 

[brainiac]

Did a two-set show on Friday evening. I'd been rehearsing with my Jazz (with tapewounds) leading up to the gig, but on a whim decided to bring my Precision (with flats) to the gig also. I decided to play the first set with the P and the second with the J, just to see what the difference was.

The P was superior for the gig. Stood out in the mix really well, with plenty of punch. J got a little lost in the second set. I couldn't hear it as well.

It was an interesting adjustment, too, having rehearsed on the more narrow neck of the J and then playing the gig with the wider neck of the P. Took me a few songs to adjust.

Thinking now my P should be the go-to for full band gigs, and maybe the J for more acoustic sets.

Everybody talking about the tonal options between a P and J. I love 'em both! But I'd like opinions on playability. My Precisions have always had a much nicer "feel" with a slight "looseness" to the strings. The Jazz basses seem to possess more tension on the strings. This requires more attack and can actually be somewhat painful on the fingertips. The strings just feel "tight". Both the Ps and the Js sound great, with their inherent sounds spot on. What say you?

 

[brainiac]

my next build is going to be a j body with a p neck.

The only way to fly! I've got two Jazz basses with Precision necks (one is fretless). I don't like the skinny assed little 1.5 nutwidth J necks. My preference has always been a 1.75 nutwidth. That's what was on my 1968 Telecaster when I bought it new in 1969, and it became my only neck of choice. On the sunburst fretless I had a P neck laying around and got my local "guy" to remove the frets. It's a lot of fun!

 

[Luckydog]

For me, a P with stainless rounds is the perfect versatile bass. Works everywhere. I grew up with the sound of flats and it is probably my favorite bass tone, but in many situations, a P with flats is just slightly overpowering when the volume of the band goes up. P with stainless rounds has a very nice initial attack component to the note, and is plenty articulate in a busy mix. I gave up on jazz basses quite some time ago. They never really worked for me. Or maybe the truth is, I never really worked for them.

 

[mikew31]

Everybody talking about the tonal options between a P and J. I love 'em both! But I'd like opinions on playability. My Precisions have always had a much nicer "feel" with a slight "looseness" to the strings. The Jazz basses seem to possess more tension on the strings. This requires more attack and can actually be somewhat painful on the fingertips. The strings just feel "tight". Both the Ps and the Js sound great, with their inherent sounds spot on. What say you?

So having the strings slightly closer to each other makes them more "tight"? All other variables are, for all practical purposes, exactly the same on same models. Same bridge, tuners, nut material, woods, scale length, and strings used. Not sure why there would be more tension on a J than a P. I have never noticed this on any that I have played.

 

[RodRy]

Everybody talking about the tonal options between a P and J. I love 'em both! But I'd like opinions on playability. My Precisions have always had a much nicer "feel" with a slight "looseness" to the strings. The Jazz basses seem to possess more tension on the strings. This requires more attack and can actually be somewhat painful on the fingertips. The strings just feel "tight". Both the Ps and the Js sound great, with their inherent sounds spot on. What say you?

Odd, I've both types of basses (well, and several others) and have never found that the neck or bass had anything to do with the tension I feel in the strings. String construction, gauge, core type and outer wrap type all seem to have quite a bit to do with the tension in the strings.

Of course, it may also be how the action in each bass is set up. If one has the strings higher off of the neck, it could feel more tight.

If you feel like being scientific about it, get two identical sets of strings, change them on both basses, and check the action on them both. That should let you dial in where the difference is coming from.

Of course, bottom line is just enjoy your basses however you like them to be.

 

[Chris Wilke]

With all the folks I play with and/or work for, they don’t seem to care if I show up with a Stingray, a Precision, or a Jazz (or More to the point, my Mike Lull M5V Jazz-style Bass).
They just care that I sound like me.

So I quit asking what they thought of the particular bass I was playing that day.

LOL sounds familiar my last band almost never acknowledged when I switched basses, or that I played fretless. The Guitar players always acted surprised when I mentioned it, even though I played it 98% of the time.

Closest they ever came was once the Guitar player told after a gig that his girlfriend said she really dug the bass tone. That was a Stingray 5 fretless.

 

[Geri O]

Closest they ever came was once the Guitar player told after a gig that his girlfriend said she really dug the bass tone. That was a Stingray 5 fretless.

I can certainly see why!

I'm pondering which direction to go with a new fretless. I have an ESP LTD 5 fretless that I replaced all the electronics for Nordstrand gear. Sounds really good And now that I've done my first session with a fretless, I want to look at a better fretless bass. I'm considering either a custom-build Mike Lull PJ with a hum bucker-style in the bridge position or a used Stingray 5 that I can have defretted locally (love, love love Pino's fretless Stingray tone!).

For now, the ESP is doing fine (and the response from the client was quite positive, if I say so myself!....). Hopefully, Lord Willing, I can tackle a new fretless in the first of next year.

 

[ThingsAbove]

I absolutely agree with what everyone has said here

 

[chris_b]

IMO any bass can sound good in any song, as long as you play an interesting bass line.