What is the best Fender PJ?

[dave84]

What do you think is the best Fender with PJ pickups among all those produced by Fender from the 1980s to today?

My vote goes to the Fender Jazz Bass Special (which was also the first ever Fender PJ!)

 

[bobba66]

Tony Franklin sig.

 

[TrevorG]

I've got an Ash body Ultra that is everything I've always wanted from a bass.

 

[dave84]

Mine: Fender Precision Boxer

 

[Nebadon2000]

I've got an Ash body Ultra that is everything I've always wanted from a bass.

 

[Nunovsky]

The Japanese Fender Jazz Bass Special and Fender Aerodyne.

 

[mmbongo]

Fender American Performer. I was completely shocked by how good this bass is. I still can't believe it's a Fender

 

[Sharko]

Squier Jag SS

 

[Nedmundo]

Tony Franklin sig.

Agree 100%. I've played a couple of the fretted version, and the first was probably the best Fender bass I've ever tried, and that's really saying something because my 2003 MIA Jazz is fantastic. Around the same time, I tried a couple of Custom Shop P-basses, and neither impressed me as much as the TF.

 

[iiipopes]

Any American Standard P, with a split-coil or stack humbucking J-bridge pickup added, Wired VVT, with the additional control routed into the top and the controls repositioned along the arc accordingly instead of using a side jack.

 

[creaturegods]

Gotta go with the Duff McKagan Signature, which I'm pretty sure was just modeled after the Boxer bass, with a pickguard added.

 

[Quitter]

I love my Duff McKagan Deluxe. I'm not into 1.5" nut width, which most PJ's seem to have. The Duff deluxe has a Precision neck, TBX tone, Hipshot Extender, and Duncan Jazz pickup. Sounds grindy and looks awesome with the blocked board.

 

[jamzcl]

The American Standard Jaguar is a special unicorn to try - if you can find one.

 

[Altitude]

I had one of the original Jazz Bass Specials. It was an '85 or an '86, actually white with a black neck so essentially a pre-Duff Duff.

If I'm honest it didn't sound great. Bad piece of wood or something, but I could never get a lively tone out of it. Tried several pickup combinations. But it could have been mine only.

Here I am with it at the 1986 Austin Aqua Fest. I was 15.

If I were buying one now it would be an American Performer, I like passive.

 

[drumvsbass]

What do you think is the best Fender with PJ pickups among all those produced by Fender from the 1980s to today?

My vote goes to the Fender Jazz Bass Special (which was also the first ever Fender PJ!)

I've got the POWER...

 

[Leonid Nidis]

The one that had the j pickup removed and a full humbucker installed instead
Or the american deluxe p bass that came with the humbucker stock.

 

[nickpc]

Special Edition Deluxe PJ (in Sea Foam):

Fender Special Edition Deluxe PJ Bass

The feel playing it is so nice, it sounds great, and the looks - yeah, it has all 3.

 

[Bass]

I like my Aerodyne.

 

[BobKos]

I have a Custom Shop Reggie Hamilton that I like alot.

 

[bassist4dalord]

I'll throw in another vote for the Tony Franklin. I played one recently and could *almost* be tempted to get back to a fretless bass. *Almost*. Of course, it's also available as a Fretted. Hmm...