who invented the P/J configuration?

[Steveaux]

Pfft ... silly people.

Al Gore invented Everything .

 

[gonzilla]

Pfft ... silly people.

Al Gore invented Everything .

He actually did create the modern internet:

Link Removed


Anyway, back to the topic- Why doesn't Fender just drop a J pickup into all their non-"Vintage" P basses? It's not like it'll cannibalize Jazz bass sales.

 

[JTE]

Anyway, back to the topic- Why doesn't Fender just drop a J pickup into all their non-"Vintage" P basses? It's not like it'll cannibalize Jazz bass sales.

First, it'll add about $100 or so to the retail price. Figure the cost of routing, adding the PUP, extra pot, finding space in the control cavity, etc.

Second, people will say it's changing the sound. If you have a tree-way toggle switch which totally removes the J coil from the circuit, it won't affect the sound any, but a typical V/V/T circuit will have some added loading from the extra PUP and pot.

Third, many folks will say it's not a P bass any longer.

Fourth, FMIC will say that everytime they make a P/J it doesn't sell very well. Which is true.

jte

 

[Bassgrinder77]

P.J. O'Rourke did.

 

[The Lurker]

What I recall from Sadowsky's comments are that he used to tell people to go buy a good used Jazz (when they were going for very little money to get a mid '60s) and he'd work on it. But when the old ones became "vintage" and worth too much money he started getting into building his own basses.

BTW, he went with active electronics because Tony Levin was tired of engineers telling him they couldn't get a good sound out of his StingRay, and blaming the preamp. So, Tony had Roger put a StingRay pre-amp into one of his Precisions. They could then get a "good sound" out of the pre-amp.

jte

This amused me

 

[winterburn69]

I like the P/J configuration, but don't like Fender style basses. I've never tried a Sadowsky though. But I'd like to put P/J pickups in a Thunderbird. The only immediate problem is that Thunderbird pickups are wayy bigger than P/Js. So there'd be open space...

 

[PJSShearer]

I had my 1973 P modded in 1978 by adding a J pup then later replacing both with DiMarzios (you had to buy the Jazz bass pair at the time and bin the spare!!). I don't recall where I first came across this setup - it was "in the air" at the time - and I was looking for something different.

Interesting that Buzzbass should mention Joe Jackson's Bass Player - Graham Mabey. My first Professional Job was at the Playboy Club in Portsmouth, UK in 1976 and Joe Jackson was the piano player. I met Graham a few times (though never saw him play) so maybe (sorry) he gave me the idea to go PJ?.

 

[funkytoe]

I've tried and tried to search my own memories in this regard and, as best I can remember, the first person I ever saw playing a modified P bass with Jazz pickup at the bridge was Harvey Brooks from Bob Dylan's band (later with Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield on Super Session -- and even later with Miles Davis on Bitches Brew.)

Can't say for sure if he invented it, but Harvey was the first person I ever saw do it. - 1965 or so.

 

[basslinejam]

In 1968 t the PBass pickup on a Jazz Bass was available as a special option directly from Fender. A year later the option was discontinued out of fear it would effect sales of the Pbass.

Yo, now that would be a sweet vintage score - 68 Jazz with special option factory P mod. Get crackin' Talkbass! I know one of us has one!

As for on topic.. Seems to me like it could be one of those viral mods that has no specific origin, like everyone thought of it at the same time...

 

[depalm]

As for on topic.. Seems to me like it could be one of those viral mods that has no specific origin, like everyone thought of it at the same time...

That's probably the right answer.