I'll tell you what I went through.
Hated Fenders for years. Didnt like them. Didn't want anything to do with them. Who needs to even mess with Fender when your playing a pre-gibson Tobias 5.
In the 90s at some point, I was playing in a band with two female singers. They were singing popular stuff for that time (Alanis, etc) and I could not find the tone I was looking for. The Tobias and I would go round and round with me twisting knobs furiously while launching off on a Tourettes episode. An expensive bass is capable to playing every great bass tone known to man, correct?
Finally bought an MIM Jazz just to play for a single set. I refused to spend any more money on a Fender than this. ANd trust me when I say that the MIM's of that time were horrifying at best to play.
The thing was bad that I named it ...........FIREWOOD. But, and this is a big but, when it wasn't shape shifting its neck in to a pretzel, or humming and buzzing furiously in a capela, I managed to coax some surprisingly sweet tones out of it.
About a year ago, I decided to get back in. I had kind of kept an eye on the equipment market. This go-round, I decided that I would play through a bunch of the production basses and keep one or two that I liked.
Bought a Hwy One P on fire sale from Hello. Didn't like the pick ups but loved the feel of the bass. Swapped pick ups out and was shocked at how good it sounded.
During that time I was auditioning for a lot of local bands and just trying to play with anyone and everyone that I could to improve my timing and feel. I was away from the band scene so long that I was really stressed out meeting and playing with new folks, especially those in unfamiliar genres. Interestingly, I noticed that every time I was walking in to an unfamiliar situation, I took a P with me. Every single time.
No matter where you fire it up, if you have respectable amplification, you can very quickly find good tone. Maybe not the best tone that you have ever heard, but satisfactory tone regardless of the genre of music or crappy accoustics.
In the end, I have come to really respect both P's and J's for what they do. They allow me to find a tone, set it, and forget about it, freeing me up to pay attention to the drummer and the pocket.
I think that every bass player should own at least one P and one J. They are remarkable tools that have stood the test of time against all comers. They are comfortable to play, and seem to become part of me, no different than when you are working on a project swinging a hammer all day. You never think about the hammer.
To be clear, Fender IS NOT the only bass to own. If I were you, I would keep those basses currently in your stable that speak to your soul.
Everyone needs a crescent wrench in their tool box. For me, the P (and yes even the J) are cresent wrenches. You will find yourself reaching for them often.
