which classic look do you like best?

[Nephilymbass]

something i always see on this site is the thump potential of either a precision bass or a jazz bass, but where are the petty people talking mainly about looks!!!!??! while the p bass is a classic paddle-body of rock thumpy goodness, i think my opinion seems to change when you actually put the thing on your body. of course it looks nice but... it doesn’t look very ergonomic. i play bass with my bass all the way on the strap so my forearms are resting against the upper body contour, so on a precision bass it looks a little funny. but on a jazz bass, it almost looks perfect. jazz basses were certainly made with looks in mind. and they excel in my opinion!!! you can rest that forearm there all day and it looks perfect right there. (look up pictures of ric grech, perfect example of the design in action) the offset body to me just seems cool looking. so in a perfect world, i would say jazz basses look better but at the same time i can’t get that p bass look out of my head... i think one conclusion that’s obvious is that leo fender was a genius!!!

I like the jazz shape with sunburst finish and darker board more. For p bass I prefer black or white with maple

 

[Ric5]

something i always see on this site is the thump potential of either a precision bass or a jazz bass, but where are the petty people talking mainly about looks!!!!??! while the p bass is a classic paddle-body of rock thumpy goodness, i think my opinion seems to change when you actually put the thing on your body. of course it looks nice but... it doesn’t look very ergonomic. i play bass with my bass all the way on the strap so my forearms are resting against the upper body contour, so on a precision bass it looks a little funny. but on a jazz bass, it almost looks perfect. jazz basses were certainly made with looks in mind. and they excel in my opinion!!! you can rest that forearm there all day and it looks perfect right there. (look up pictures of ric grech, perfect example of the design in action) the offset body to me just seems cool looking. so in a perfect world, i would say jazz basses look better but at the same time i can’t get that p bass look out of my head... i think one conclusion that’s obvious is that leo fender was a genius!!!

I don't like either

Tort looks better with white or natural and no pickup / bridge covers

 

[MichelD]

The original 1952 bass design like the one Waylon Jennings played.

 

[Volker Kirstein]

Plain ol' sunburst vs plain ol' sunburst?

Boring vs boring.

Neither.

 

[micguy]

I’m not a fan of instruments with pick guards or sunburst finishes. I know a lot of them have been made, but that doesn’t make them “classic” to me.

 

[Deleted member 365158]

im a fan of the bursts and when they sport a black pickgaurd i like em a bit more.. body shapes.. im good with both..

Im with a black pick guard with burst, otherwise...MEH.

 

[Son of Wobble]

Bad day for burst

 

[roycroft_88]

How can I pick between them? They're a little like the kids, Love them the same.

 

[Doug4321]

I remember in the 80s, thinking the offset body Jazz looked odd, and preferred the look of the P. (However I owned a medium scale Aria and couldn’t get into the big fretboard P. Should’ve tried a Jazz after all).

Now I prefer the Jazz look.

Also, I think the best finish is transparent so you can see the wood grain but also colored so it doesn’t just look like furniture. With Fender that works out to be the sunburst. Their translucent crimson, etc. are rare and not that great usually.

So, I’ve got a sunburst Jazz.

 

[OnTheDownLow]

I really don't like sunburst, it's a very generic color scheme and has been overdone by most big name guitar manufacturers. I voted for the P because it does exactly what I want it to do with no frills and it's easy to dial in the sound I'm looking for and the neck is nice and wide. I have fairly large hands so jazz necks really don't do it for me. I'm also not a fan of offset bodies at all.

 

[HardNHeavy]

was never really a fan of sunburst until i ended up with a SBJ winning a bid at 4am and a few too many drinks and other party favors, but i threw a tort guard on it, and the color scheme grew on me. I regard the shape of a P bass being a housewife's shape and a J being the sexy mistress shape....ironically i play the J a little more..but i couldn't do without my trusty p bass either.

 

[Doug4321]

....and now, for something completely different, The Larch

 

[kodiakblair]

....and now, for something completely different, The Larch

Looks great don't it Have a pile of it stacked an stickered, can't wait to start building

 

[ELG60]

1969:

 

[satjhmo]

Black pickguard, for me; not so keen on whites and tort but ETHO.

Anyway, Precision body for me. The Jazz's "droop" down the bottom is just too pronounced. An offset body can look good, but I think Fender overdoes it.

 

[Robscott]

He wasn't that much of a genius. When you put a Jazz bass on certain types of guitar stand it falls over. How ergonomic is that? OTOH a Precision bass is a bit meh. But the good news is ........... other people also make basses!
(runs for cover)

 

[Mannyinnewyork]

Although I gravitated to the Pbass for the 55 years I have been playing, I always thought the Jbass had more attractive cosmetics. I find the lines more “sexy” for lack of a better word , much like the mosrite guitars and basses which I feel are the best looking basses of all.

 

[Alivefor5]

I think every shape and contour on the J bass is a design marvel. All colors and configurations are nice, sunburst, tort and rosewood is iconic.
P basses are more function than design art. I own and play both in 4 and 5 strings.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

something i always see on this site is the thump potential of either a precision bass or a jazz bass, but where are the petty people talking mainly about looks!!!!??! while the p bass is a classic paddle-body of rock thumpy goodness, i think my opinion seems to change when you actually put the thing on your body. of course it looks nice but... it doesn’t look very ergonomic. i play bass with my bass all the way on the strap so my forearms are resting against the upper body contour, so on a precision bass it looks a little funny. but on a jazz bass, it almost looks perfect. jazz basses were certainly made with looks in mind. and they excel in my opinion!!! you can rest that forearm there all day and it looks perfect right there. (look up pictures of ric grech, perfect example of the design in action) the offset body to me just seems cool looking. so in a perfect world, i would say jazz basses look better but at the same time i can’t get that p bass look out of my head... i think one conclusion that’s obvious is that leo fender was a genius!!!

That was easy. I bought a sunburst 1965 Jazz Bass in 1966 and played it for 10-years before it was stolen. I have some pics of it from late-1971or early '72 but they are in black and white, so you can't see the colors. It was a gorgeous bass. Here's that black and white pic from '71 or '72 while I was playing with a touring night club group (5-nights a week, 50-weeks a year, for 3-years). Wish it was in color. Was just a sweet bass!

 

[Smooth_bass88]

That's like comparing macintosh apples to empire apples.