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Want a P/J; Which would you pick & why?
- Thread starter CTBassGuy
- Start date
A lot of good suggestions here! You might want to consider a Jericho Alpha if you can find one. I just got this one for about the same kind of money you're thinking and it is amazing bang for the buck. The single-piece maple carbon reinforced neck is narrow like a Jazz, yet a flatter profile; very smooth and fast, and just feels like a bass costing a lot more. It is a 35" scale, so not only is drop tuning not an issue, but it's ready to be strung for BEAD if you want. It's got Hipshot hardware and StewMac Golden Age passive pups that really sound great (who knew?). All of that, and I think it looks fantastic with the satin black finish, binding and MM-style headstock.
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Don't get me wrong, if I could get an MVP (fretted version of the Buzz) within my budget; this discussion would be long over!
@CTBassGuy I voted don’t need one, have enough.
That includes one with PJ configuration as a Fender Aerodyne. It’s relatively light weight, looks gorgeous, and the neck is silky smooth. After I dropped in a set of EMG GEEZERS and strung it with La Bella black Tapewounds it is perfect for its purpose. I actually rarely play it because, it spoils my fingers with how easy it plays and then makes my playing on other bass’s crap until I get used to them again.
That includes one with PJ configuration as a Fender Aerodyne. It’s relatively light weight, looks gorgeous, and the neck is silky smooth. After I dropped in a set of EMG GEEZERS and strung it with La Bella black Tapewounds it is perfect for its purpose. I actually rarely play it because, it spoils my fingers with how easy it plays and then makes my playing on other bass’s crap until I get used to them again.
I had an L2K for about 20 years (deceased summer '19, may it R.I.P.) and I always ran the volume and tone both turned up to 11. Which yeah I know that's not recommended
. The real key to a more vintage type of tone is lowering the pickups. On the neck pickup, I removed the piece of foam under it and screwed it down as far as it would go into the body. It gave a really nice P bass tone that way, set a mile below the strings. The bridge PU I used as a ramp so it was also a little ways down below the strings but not down into the body like the neck PU was. That helped add some chocolate to its tone also.So that's the thing not to do with the MFD's is run them right up against the strings like folks sometimes do with typical pickups. An MFD will quickly start giving a really ratty, muddy sound if its too close to the strings.
I never really noticed much of a change in the tone when I turned the volume down adding resistance to the circuit, but I didn't run it below 11 that much either...
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My BB434 was $429.99 at Sweetwater. Just ask and they will usually drop the price 10 to 20%. I didn't get the maple neck which costs a little more. Worth checking out but hard to find in stores in the US.
That's a good question, I don't know the answer. My guess would be the benefit would be limited by how well the MFD matches the input to the particular preamp. Meaning, I wouldnt' spend the money unless I was prepared to do without the preamp and just run them passive like they normally are.
The MFD's were so hot in my L2K, they overloaded even the built-in G&L preamp on a hard pluck. So I just ran it in permanent passive mode with no battery in the bass for its entire life
. I think this is addressed in newer L2K's though. They also didn't do real well into compressors either, mostly just because the output was so high.The SB-2 MFD's, though may not be as extreme as the ones in the L2K. The L2K humbuckers are just way over the top, but that's what made them so great. You just barely had to touch the bass and notes would just blow out of the thing....
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Or a Fender Duff McKagan sig bass, which is more or less a reissue of this. You might be able find a used one for $500. I can say the one I have played was a very nice bass. MIM.
I voted on something else, as this here is what you want. You forgot that you need a short scale as well as a PJ, so THIS is what you really want, and it's at $499: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I have pre-ordered at Thomann and i am still waiting for mine. I ordered the one in mint, just because.
I have pre-ordered at Thomann and i am still waiting for mine. I ordered the one in mint, just because.
I have a Fender Mustang P/J, which I bought off a great guy here on TB who had dropped some Nordstrands in it. I usually play it with the P pickup blend and tone on full, and then blend in just a little of the J. I think it sounds great! The little J in there gives the P tone a little more roundness, and it sounds very versatile. I think the Fender P/J basses have something going for them - you can get the P bass tone and more! I vote the MIM Fender - however, I would recommend checking out a Jazz Bass Special, or a Duff McKagan as suggested above!
thanks for responding! my question was misleading: i called it a "pre-amp" but it's actually a passive control system. that said, i'm really interested in checking them out --- i was mostly interested in knowing if you thought they'd work without the rest of the G&L electronics in favor of using the passive VBTT (richter harness) i already have. i know that some components work better in a particular 'system'.That's a good question, I don't know the answer. My guess would be the benefit would be limited by how well the MFD matches the input to the particular preamp. Meaning, I wouldnt' spend the money unless I was prepared to do without the preamp and just run them passive like they normally are. The MFD's were so hot in my L2K, they overloaded even the built-in G&L preamp on a hard pluck. So I just ran it in permanent passive mode with no battery in the bass for its entire life
To add to this, the pickups on the now discontinued BB424x actually are well matched in terms of output. It's strangely difficult to find PJ basses in stock form where this is the case. The only other one I know of off the top of my head is fender tony Franklin sig, and that one cost over three times as much.
Fender Players Series MIM bass' have a great feeling neck. Got one for a Christmas present last year. My first Fender. The only reason it took me this long to get one was the necks were to big for my hands, hence why I was always drawn to Ibanez basses.
I've never understood why a P/J layout seems to cause as much discussion (and often, gnashing of teeth and wailing sack-loth like) around here. It's simple: If you like two pickups but wish your Jazz tone had a little more meat on the bone OR you like your PBass but miss two pickups and/or wish you could add some articulation you just haven't gotten out of it no matter what you do, a P/J setup MIGHT be just the ticket (and was an obvious no-brainer for me).
As usual, though, a couple caveats:
Just like picking harmony singers, the blend of the two is REAL important. The two reasons for 'I tried it, but I just don't like it . . . .'
First, you're placing a single-coil (more about this later . . . ) pickup closer to the bridge where the string oscillation is smaller to compete with a humbucker right under a big sweet spot, so the typical Jazz pickup is already having to start at a disadvantage. It ain't gonna keep up. Jack the pickups up all you want. And if the installation is closer to the bridge than it needs to be, it can be worse.
So . . . at the least, you need a hot single coil to keep up, but you can do better. Put a stack or side x side humbucker back there, and now we begin to level the playing field. Now you're humbucking vs. humbucking, you lost the single coil noise, and things are getting good.
Back in the day, we'd just take any old Jazz Bass pickup, rout the P Bass for the addition, add the pots, etc., and you were done. And for some guys this worked. These days we can and do better.
The smart builders (and smart pickup builders) bear this in mind and sell PJ's as matched sets. Even these don't work for everybody, but for a lot they do. Yamaha gets this real right most of the time: Ever notice how you rarely hear PJ complaints about Yamahas ?
I like them, used them for a long time, and probably prefer the tone to soapbars. But that's me. You just need to realize what's at work here, and as always, do a little homework and buy (or mod) smart.
As usual, though, a couple caveats:
Just like picking harmony singers, the blend of the two is REAL important. The two reasons for 'I tried it, but I just don't like it . . . .'
First, you're placing a single-coil (more about this later . . . ) pickup closer to the bridge where the string oscillation is smaller to compete with a humbucker right under a big sweet spot, so the typical Jazz pickup is already having to start at a disadvantage. It ain't gonna keep up. Jack the pickups up all you want. And if the installation is closer to the bridge than it needs to be, it can be worse.
So . . . at the least, you need a hot single coil to keep up, but you can do better. Put a stack or side x side humbucker back there, and now we begin to level the playing field. Now you're humbucking vs. humbucking, you lost the single coil noise, and things are getting good.
Back in the day, we'd just take any old Jazz Bass pickup, rout the P Bass for the addition, add the pots, etc., and you were done. And for some guys this worked. These days we can and do better.
The smart builders (and smart pickup builders) bear this in mind and sell PJ's as matched sets. Even these don't work for everybody, but for a lot they do. Yamaha gets this real right most of the time: Ever notice how you rarely hear PJ complaints about Yamahas ?
I like them, used them for a long time, and probably prefer the tone to soapbars. But that's me. You just need to realize what's at work here, and as always, do a little homework and buy (or mod) smart.
There is a Fender model at GC that is I think a special make for them. Passive , has a maple jazz neck with blocks, comes in white, sea foam (?) , and maybe sunburst ? I think MIM by the Price ? Never played one but.....
I guess worth a look
I guess worth a look
Thanks for pointing this out. My BB415 is actually a generation prior to the BB424X/BB425X, so I can't claim to be an expert in this realm, but IMHO, the rail/blade pickup design sounds quite different from the modern, more-traditional individual pole-piece design. Not saying that one is "better" than the other, but it deserves to be witnessed in person rather than read about on the Innerwebs.
