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Recommend me a passive P/J

#21
The Fender JP 90 was MIA, has a 1.5" nut, and as the name implies, a Jazz (bridge) and P pickups. I gather they're tough to find in unmodified condition, however. Because they were relatively cheap (less than $400 in the mid-90s), most people seem to have used them for custom projects. The reason I got mine (pictured in my avatar with an aftermarket high mass bridge), was because it was so much lighter than my P-bass.
 
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#22
Jamvan said:
I honestly can't say enough good things about my mid 80's MIJ Fender Jazz Bass Special. I play classic rock, rock, modern country and alternative with it in a trio format and it has a nice, thick, tone that cuts through in live situations. Precision body with Jazz width neck (It's fairly chunky depth wise...which I like) Easy on the shoulder too and has a nice, strong output.

You can usually find them on eBay for between $300-$500. I picked mine up here in the TB classifieds for slightly less than that in a local purchase and modded it to my liking (bridge, pickguard, straplocks, etc)

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Yeah, these '80s / '90s MIJ Fenders are indeed pretty cool.

I also bought a "California Special" for my stepson last year - Cost me ~$700, played great, sounded great. Really could use new tuners and a bridge (they were cheap) but the core bits were quite nice - and the pickups were amazingly good for stock.
 
#23
Turns out there's a JP90 on eBay right now. I can tell you that the plain neck plate without the Fender logo came standard, mine has it too. The Schaller-licensed tuners are also standard.
 
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#24
SanDiegoHarry said:
True - but if you are just a bit careful about your source (Say, like buying here on TB classifieds) you're likely to get what you expect.
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Even TB isn't perfect. I once dealt with a complete jerk who (after some hassle with payment - he only accepted checks - and a LEISURELY shipping pace - took him almost a week to ship after receiving the check because he felt like it) shipped me a noisy bass with a broken tuning head. He refused to do anything about the tuning head, even down to paying a couple of bucks to replace it. He got a negative feedback, obviously, and once the tuner was replaced, this noisy "greatest 5-string ever made that I only wished I could understand" was sold on eBay because I couldn't stand the sight of it.

While I agree that nearly all of my experiences on TB Classifieds have been good, there's always a chance that one won't be. When it comes to used - buyer beware, no matter where you buy from.
 
#25
ggvicviper said:
Even TB isn't perfect. I once dealt with a complete jerk who (after some hassle with payment - he only accepted checks - and a LEISURELY shipping pace - took him almost a week to ship after receiving the check because he felt like it) shipped me a noisy bass with a broken tuning head. He refused to do anything about the tuning head, even down to paying a couple of bucks to replace it. He got a negative feedback, obviously, and once the tuner was replaced, this noisy "greatest 5-string ever made that I only wished I could understand" was sold on eBay because I couldn't stand the sight of it.

While I agree that nearly all of my experiences on TB Classifieds have been good, there's always a chance that one won't be. When it comes to used - buyer beware, no matter where you buy from.
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Of course, one could actually find one in a store like we did back in the olde days....
 
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#26
SanDiegoHarry said:
Of course, one could actually find one in a store like we did back in the olde days....
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I like those days. I still remember finding my first L5000 in the wild. What a treat that was!

The Yamaha BB415 in my avatar was from a local store in Staten Island. Another great find, and it brings us back full circle to my recommendation in this thread.
 
#27
I would suggest ' mine ' ....

For Sale/Trade - Fender 2000 MIA Hot Rod Precision P/J w/OHSC | TalkBass.com

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#28
I got a Fender Classic Series 50's Precision Bass and it is the best thing since sliced bread. it has the solid maple neck 1.75 at nut. flat and fat neck, i think it is what makes the sound so phat. 750 new or used for about 400. Nothing better for the money!!!!! IMO
 
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#29
I had a MIJ jazz special that was my number one for 10 years. Great bass, but I became fond of a thick neck.

The MIA Hot Rod precisions are great basses and can be had in the sub 1000 dollar range used as seen in the classifieds.

Another option is to find a P you like and have a jazz pickup added. I have yet to do this but have thought about it on my road worn P. It just sounds so freaking good already that I don't want to mess with it.
 
#30
bassfreakah said:
I got a Fender Classic Series 50's Precision Bass and it is the best thing since sliced bread. it has the solid maple neck 1.75 at nut. flat and fat neck, i think it is what makes the sound so phat. 750 new or used for about 400. Nothing better for the money!!!!! IMO
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I also think that the thick necks have much to do with the tone. I don't have a classic 50's but I have thought about pulling the trigger for a while. I haven't played any other basses since I got my road worn. Sick tone and unbelievable playability.
 
#34
Yamaha BB1100S, the Japanese ones. Last week I got one ('87 or therebouts) in a horrible condition (but hey, only cost me $100,-). Amazingly, after thoroughly cleaning with Krud Cutter and fixing a few things, everything works on it and the neck is excellent. I am blown away how good that bass is! Real P/J punch and gnarliness, passive or active (active, you can go more towards a Stingray type of vibe). I think they usually do $400 in good condition, they have been discussed here on TB. Seriously great bass.
 
#35
Last one I bought was a P/J - MIJ non-export Fender Aerodyne. Neither "high-end" nor American I know, but a great bass nonetheless. Of the 10 I own it gets the most playtime. Falls into the sub $800 category new - for me it did anyway, and I'm pretty sure you can find one too in that price range if you look.
 
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#36
I have bought and sold lots of basses on TB and have been happy with all even one that was damaged in shipping or by not loosing strings. I think it was DR 105's on a paper thin vette neck but whatever the case the seller made it right. Just check out whoever you are buying from. I would buy from here before e bay any day. IMO This is a great place for BASS!!!!! I got many amps too. happy with all.
 
#37
Ender_rpm said:
SB2 isn't really a PJ in the sense that both pickups are soloable, I find i Play with my P WFO and the J sometimes mixed in to tame the roar.
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That's EXACTLY what I want from a P/J configuration. I'd never be solo'ing the J anyway.

The MIM Special is nice, P body, Jazz neck, PJ pups. But only the older models are passive, unless they changed them around again?
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I'm aware of that one. I had a bad experience with the active version and have had a bad taste in my mouth for MIM Fenders since. Probably completely unjust, but you know how that goes.

Thanks to all for the recommendations, keep 'em coming. I'm not crazy for the big bodies on the BB's but that Godin looks interesting and sounds good in that demo. I've found MIJ Fenders to be a good bet in general so I'll be checking those out as well.

I've played an SB-1 in the past and liked it a lot so the SB-2 will probably still be at the top of my hit-list.
 

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