sell it or modify it

If you really like the bass, that is 95% of the equation. Try some new pickups and see if you can find the tone you want (or maybe a tone that you like without being a P), if not, then think about selling it.

 

Nothing but a precision pickup will make it sound like a precision bass. Modding it will change and possibly improve the sound, but it'll always sound like a jazz bass.

 

Also, I'm sorry, but a P-Bass doesn't work for everything (and don't you dare tell my wife it does ) and our tastes change over time, you might just miss it when you need a Jazz in the future.

 

Never thought the Warwick Corvette sounded much like a jazz bass..dual single coils for sure, IME, YMMV.

...idk i think the same about the Spector JJ basses, def not a jazz bass vibe, again IME, YMMV.

What don't you like about the Warwick, OP. Change strings maybe?

 

The answer to that is always YES!

But seriously, I understood from the first post that you already had the P Bass.

 

Haha totally my experience with the Corvette (and NS2JAR) thin tone to simplify my thoughts...
Well a true jazz profile bass will get you that nice jazz round sound

 

Have you tried rolling off your bridge pickup a little bit? Just a hair. Rolling off a little shouldn't make the hum come back too much if at all. It also will make the low-mids come out a bit more.

With both pickups full on you get the comb filtering that scoops out some frequencies. It's great for certain styles to have both pickups at full volume (such as slap), but not as good for sitting in the mix.

Otherwise, I'd try swapping your neck pickup with a split humbucking J pickup and wire it in series. Then get something of your choice for the bridge, probably hum-cancelling and wired in series for consistency and to match volume levels between pickups a bit better.

One other idea is to add a Series/Parallel switch for your existing J pickups. Series mode should fatten that up.

Another idea is to change your preamp. You can get something that has a stacked treble/bass and stacked mid/mid-frequency. The mid control should help you fatten up your sound.

 

Since you like so much about the instrument and the pickups are J type, if it were me I would look into swapping pickups after doing a lot of research. However, it might be faster to sell and find exactly what you want.

You also might consider holding onto it and just not playing it for a while. You may find you desire the tone after using the P bass for a while. This has happened to me in the past.

 

What about the stacked J humbucker pickups? I don't have any personal experience with them, but the idea is really cool.

 

If you already ahve a P bass, then you have that sound covered as well as it will ever get.
While it may or may not sound like a J, it should have it's own voice.
Listen to what it is saying to you and try to improve on whatever it does best.

 

If you love your corvette, then trying a new set of pups is a fine idea. You can always go back to stock and the cost of a set of Model J's is small compared to the cost of a new bass. Further, neither of the basses you list is going to feel at all like your Warwick.

I have the Model J's in my Jazz. I really like them. They do not sound exactly like a P, but there are some definite tonal similarities due to the side-by-side split nature of the pickup coils. It's a warmer thicker sound than most Jazz pickups and I prefer it.

One other option I'd suggest. I don't know if it's possible with your active electronics, but a series parallel switch on jazz pickups will link them up and give you a tone that cops a bit of the P-sound. I'm sure a competent luthier could find a way to make it work with your stock pre, possibly with a push/pull pot so there would be no modification necessary to the body.

Good luck!

 

Some people like to mod their basses. Some people like to buy new basses. I like to buy new basses. What do you like to do?

Since it seems you're new at this and might not yet know... I'll share my experience and thoughts.

I had a Warwick Corvette and felt much the same as you regarding it. Loved the feel, the looks, the whole vibe of it... but I wanted a Musicman sound. I sold the Warwick and bought a Sterling. Not sure if it was in that order, but bottom line is I was a very happy camper, and never regretted it. I eventually bought another Warwick (a Fortress One) and it was everything I had wished the Corvette was. I'm became an even happier camper.

I once had a MIM P deluxe bass. I liked the feel and the vibe and the looks, hated the sound, and I tried going the "modding" route. I dropped a couple of hundred bucks on pickups and swapped them out. I sold the bass about 2 months later. It didn't give me the sound I was hoping for. Many years later, and many Fender basses later I found a P bass I love. And a Jazz bass. I'm holding onto them both.

If there's a moral to this story I'd say it's this. If you buy another bass, you may wind up like many of us talkbassers... buying lots and lots of basses as the years go on. That's not a bad thing IMO. I currently own lots of basses, and I've weeded out lots. I can honestly say I love every bass I own right now. If you're the kind of person who likes futsin around with things, and feel like you only need 2 (or 3 basses), then start throwing money around. Just know that you are NOT going to get the sound you're looking for in your head. You will simply get, at least from my experience, a different sounding Warwick.

Good luck, and I hope that helped some.

 

Try playing a P first.

 

you could go with a more versatile bass like a k modded L2000

 

We're comparing apples and oranges here. They are different for a reason, why would you want them to sound the same? If you must, I've always been a modify it yourself kind of player. Good luck.

 

No matter what pickups you put on it, it's not going to sound like a Precision. They're just plain different basses. However, if you're willing to accept it with that condition, it might actually turn into something you dig.