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Should I Get Another P- Bass ?

I play Blues, classic rock and ect....
Mostly I gravitate to Thunderbirds and Jazz Basses.
I have a number of P- Basses.
A 52 that was built for me, a 57 AVRI, a 62 and a 62 AVRI and a parts bass.
I pick them up and play for awhile but always go back to a Jazz mostly.
I am thinking of trying one more.
Maybe a older Tokai , Edwards or Bacchus.
After this, I don't know.....
Maybe I'm not a P- Bass guy.
 
Try someting like this.
You just might be pleasantly surprised.
I was.
0ca9debb5a455bc47dadbefd8984a29a--guitars.jpg
 
If you are asking then you already know the answer is no if you want to be smart about it. There isn't anything wrong with liking or not liking a certain style or sound of a bass. I started on a precision style bass, and I eventually gravitate back to them because that is the baked in sound that's in my head. I love my jazz basses as well, but the p was my first crush.

Based on that information, I love the look of thunderbirds and the grabbers, but they feel terrible to me and I just can't find the sound I like. Much the same for soapbar pickups, I can make them work but I'm always settling on a sound instead of loving it.

You are probably the same. The jazz is your baby and the p just isn't your thing. I'd say quit trying to change your baked in preference, and instead embrace it.

Get another jazz if you must. At least that is one you will enjoy after the new wears off.
 
Maybe a P/J bass would suit your needs better? Or a P with a J-neck? A bass with a preamp in it? Or a fretless P? A five string? Just to have something different to make it stand out from all your other P's?

I would look into Maruszczyk basses. Their P model is called the Jake. They are hand built in Europe and you can order them to custom spec without breaking the bank. Think of it as a classic P with some modern tweaks.

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Some further thoughts, I see your Ps are historic reissues (plus an actual vintage '62?).

The purpose of those historic reissues (to me) is to get the most pure example of that type of instrument. I have a '57 AVRI Telecaster guitar that I bought specifically for it to not be a generic guitar — I wanted the pure old school twang sound and the same feel, modern improvements be damned, that old school Tele wranglers talk about when they wax rhapsodic about the joys of Teles. Specifically, it’s the opposite of an all 'rounder. It's great for certain things that just scream "Tele!", but for general rock music use, it absolutely wouldn’t be my first choice. Also, I find the vintage fretboard radius to be problematic. It does lend itself to digging into the strings a certain way, but overall it’s a deficit for me. If I wanted an all around guitar in a Tele shape, I d go for an American Standard (yeah, now just out of production) instead, or perhaps a model with one or two humbuckers. Perhaps one with a compound fretboard radius, but anyway, not vintage.

Okay, so P bass. You've gotten yourself a whole little collection of P basses, I believe more than the average Talk Basser has basses in total, of the various versions of the pure historic P basses of the 50s and 60s. And they’re not really doing it for you. Come to think of it, it seems like you could actually "trim the herd" rather than adding - keep a few examples that give something unique so that you have "that tone" when needed, but otherwise sell. Now, with money in hand, think about what you actually want from a P bass and also what’s missing from or bothering you about your P basses. As others have suggested, look at aspects like a PJ pickup config, neck width and I'd add, neck profile and fretboard radius. Look into different pickups to get the sound in your head too. Make a bass that's more of a generalist that you'd like to play all the time. While you're at it, give it a look you love, too — a specific look you don’t already have perhaps, or if you’re really all in, just your straight out favorite look. Beware, however, you just might create your new #1!

Or, just stick with the few historic examples so that you have "that sound" and/or look for the specific occasions that call for such, and otherwise be happy with your Thunderbirds and Jazzes.

Good luck — I’ve been wrestling a bit with kinda the opposite situation: I’m a P man who wants a J I'll really embrace while still having it be an actual J, but...and so on :)
 
I'd say go the other way. Sell two to three of those Precision basses and take the money you get plus the money you were going to spend on a new bass and buy a Lull Thunderbird or some other custom builder Jazz bass.
 
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If you are asking then you already know the answer is no if you want to be smart about it. There isn't anything wrong with liking or not liking a certain style or sound of a bass. I started on a precision style bass, and I eventually gravitate back to them because that is the baked in sound that's in my head. I love my jazz basses as well, but the p was my first crush.

Based on that information, I love the look of thunderbirds and the grabbers, but they feel terrible to me and I just can't find the sound I like. Much the same for soapbar pickups, I can make them work but I'm always settling on a sound instead of loving it.

You are probably the same. The jazz is your baby and the p just isn't your thing. I'd say quit trying to change your baked in preference, and instead embrace it.

Get another jazz if you must. At least that is one you will enjoy after the new wears off.
This spoke directly to me.
I can get a good sound with various T-Birds,a 4001, EB-1, EB-3 and a metal neck Kramer.
I have a parts J-Bass , 65 Jazz, MIJ Fretless J Bass and a Bacchus that is like a 66 with block inlay.
I can always dial in a good sound.
I don't sound bad on a P- Bass but the Jazz is better for me.
So I bought another Bacchus with block inlays and the body is made of Mango.
And it is Orange.
This will scratch my itch and I may thin the herd.
1507536016261-1583936111.jpg
 
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