What P bass am I looking for?

[Gervais Cote]

A part bass made with this body and neck as per below.
No risk on the end results, it will meet your criteria.
Worst case, just upgrade the pickups but still there, not necessary most of the time.

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Genuine Fender ROASTED MAPLE Jazz/J-Bass Neck, Medium Jumbo Frets, 9.5", C Shape 885978071869 | eBay

 

[JumboJett35]

I second MIJ. You can get an Aerodyne Precision bass on reverb for $649. They aren't the vintage vibe in terms of looks and the pickups tend to be hot. However the neck is absolutely amazing and the weight is definitely on the lighter side as most average low 8s with some being mid 7s. Then I would swap the pickups for the EMG Geezers and be at one damn good bass for under $800. I have MIJ and MIA and the quality is certainly very similar with the price being 3x less for the MIJ. Whatever you decide, good luck on your journey to find " the one."

 

[nonohmic]

Warmoth, for sure.

 

[Thundar]

Don’t sleep on Lakland 44-64

This! The Lakland 44-64 is a sweet P....or available as a P/J as well and the neck is awesome if you love a slimmer, less chunky profile

 

[Kingofrock43]

I second MIJ. You can get an Aerodyne Precision bass on reverb for $649. They aren't the vintage vibe in terms of looks and the pickups tend to be hot. However the neck is absolutely amazing and the weight is definitely on the lighter side as most average low 8s with some being mid 7s. Then I would swap the pickups for the EMG Geezers and be at one damn good bass for under $800. I have MIJ and MIA and the quality is certainly very similar with the price being 3x less for the MIJ. Whatever you decide, good luck on your journey to find " the one."

I third (?). Have both Aerodyne P and PJ. So much bang for the buck on these.

 

[Mike Sorr]

I’ve been using an old Mike Dirnt P bass that I got used for $350. I’ve used it for my rock band, wedding band, instrumental. I really like the punchiness of it.

Now I’m looking for something somewhat similar. However would love it to be at least a little lighter, slightly smaller neck, and a bit better balanced across all strings.

I’m selling a telecaster, and looking to spend in the $1000-1200 range. What would you go with?

Mine…

 

[rooster]

Road worn p bass....

 

[ProbablyTooLoud]

G&L SB-1 man!
Sleek P bass, can find easily with 1.5" nut, beastly MFD split coil.

 

[Yahboy]

I’ve been using an old Mike Dirnt P bass that I got used for $350. I’ve used it for my rock band, wedding band, instrumental. I really like the punchiness of it.

Now I’m looking for something somewhat similar. However would love it to be at least a little lighter, slightly smaller neck, and a bit better balanced across all strings.

I’m selling a telecaster, and looking to spend in the $1000-1200 range. What would you go with?

Used CIC Squier classic vibe 70s P or Matt freeman Sig P , and Dimazrio Model P .

 

[djaxup]

Just seems like the g string is more present than the low E and A. Mainly just looking for something lighter.

First thing that came to my mind: pickup height. Can you maybe screw down the G side of the split coil down a bit and achieve better balance?

Typical weight counter is a nice fat comfy strap.
My P happens to be my lightest bass besides the Hagstrom, but its a CS one.

 

[andare]

MIJs from the 90s use basswood bodies. Mine only weighs 3.5kg. It uses the smaller GB10 tuners but still, without a suede-backed strap it would dive like crazy.

 

[_Obra_]

You are looking for Nate Mendel Pbass

 

[squeally dan]

G&L SB-1 man!
Sleek P bass, can find easily with 1.5" nut, beastly MFD split coil.

Great video

 

[Brandon Shea]

View attachment 5433906

Have you tried a Sire D5? You'll have enough for a hard case too. And flats. I like it better than any other other P I ever played that didn't cost thousands.

Somehow I had never noticed the D5 before, but that looks sweet! What was the story with the stock pickup?

 

[ebo]

Love my G&L LB100. Used price is top of your range. The tribute series are supposed to be good but possibly heavier than you want. Get outta the house! I smell GAS.

 

[bassdude51]

FWIIW..........I bought a MIM road worn body Dirnt from Stratosphere about 5 years ago. I put an Allparts 1 & 5/8s inch wide Tele Bass neck on it which puts it 1/8" wider than a J neck but 1/8" narrower than a P neck. A happy median.

Has a S. Duncan SPB-1 pickup. And weighs around 8lbs, 10oz.

You can always take your Dirnt and buy some Gotoh Res O Lite tuners which will drop about 5 oz off of the weight. Ditch the guard and drop another 3 oz or so. A half a pound lighter!

As for your G and D tone issue..............STRINGS!!!!!!!! And/or the G & D coil might be too close, drop it down. I use TI Flats and the tone balance is perfect.

Where do you pluck the strings? In between the pickup and the neck might give you better warmth.

Good luck! The Dirnt is a nice bass!

Here's my "Dirnt vs the Cowboy" P Bass.

 

[JRA]

What I meant with that statement was, you can buy a great body and a great neck, but you won't know how they work together till you string it up. Even (especially) if you don't have pickups installed.

agreed! i'm a 'neck guy' so i have to find bodies (and other parts) to fit the necks i like, but i'm never absolutely sure about the necks themselves until i string it up. if the neck is a fail = find a better one (which has been an easy task IME).

 

[musicman556]

Fender Aerodyne Special Precision Bass Guitar - Bright White | Reverb

Thinner, lighter, fast, easy neck. The ONLY thing about this bass is that the pickup is more aggressive than even a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder. I'm actually about to swap out the pickup in mine for an EMG Geezer Butler pickup.

Plus, this bass would look hekkin' CLASSY in a weding band situation!

 

[CallMeAl]

I’m a Jazz neck guy, but I found the Am Pro II P extremely comfortable and well balanced. A bit above budget, but you could look used, and consider the Pro I or Am standard.

If you want a true Jazz neck, I’d probably go parts bass. My main axe is a J neck P bass I made from parts, hasn’t been dethroned in 5 years!

Put G&L SB2 on the list. I thought the neck was a dream, and the pickups are a bit aggressive but pretty tameable with volume knob at about 8/10.

I love the Yamaha BB 40mm necks, but the pickups don’t do it for me. Easy to swap tho.

above all, with all thing neck profile, weight and balance- try as many as you can!

 

[Pep]

Any P will have more presence in the higher strings because the pickup is on the bridge side.

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