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Why aren't PJ basses more popular and more available?

#122
Joebone said:
IF those are 3-say coil taps on that white/black bass, than it looks like much of what made Fender's Roscoe Beck basses so special, is back in play. Interesting!
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It's actually wired just like the Roscoe. They're both tapped 3 way, series, single, and parallel. The person I bought from a few months ago had the work done and wanted it like his Roscoe I believe as a backup. It also had a stellartone tone pot but I didn't like it and had the tone put back to stock. It's seriously a badass bass. The pickups are so hot it could pass as an active bass in parallel.
 
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#124
electracoyote said:
Most passive P/J's I play, the bridge PU just isn't doing enough to make an appreciable difference, especially in the mix. Split P is usually too dominant, so it makes more sense to me to just play a standard Precision instaed since it's essentially the same tone.
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The tone of both the PJ pickups full on is very different from that of only the P.
 
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#126
I 2nd that, it's widely known as Duff's bass but it's just a mij model. If you think about it how could Duff have his own model in 84 when they brok big in '88? Anyway, when I was a teen I bought one because of Duff. Since then over 25 years I've owned a lot of quality basses. I came back to this one a decade ago and I'm at home when on this bass. The Powerjazz version of this is a mild active witg 22 frets. I love them! I have 2 and had one autographed by the man himself back in 2011.


two fingers said:
No, it isn't. Duff happened to play a white one in GnR. But it wasn't his signature model. A white one similar to it only became his signature model years later. When that silver one in the ad was made back in the 80s, it was a Fender Jazz Special and nobody's signature bass. And they came in half a dozen colors. It was an off-the-shelf model not tied to any artist.
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20150612_142002.jpg
 
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#128
drumrtommy said:
In my opinion, I think those Squier PJ basses are some of the best around, and I really like that Indian laurel board.
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Agreed. I preferred the sound of the cheap Squier PJ to the MIM Fenders I played. Didn't have rough fret edges either like the Fenders did. I can't believe it's a $199 Affinity model, it's MIM Fender quality IMO. Let's put it this way, I returned the MIM Fender P that I had to get the new Fender PJ but I'm keeping the Squier.
 
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#132
mmbass21 said:
It's actually wired just like the Roscoe. They're both tapped 3 way, series, single, and parallel. The person I bought from a few months ago had the work done and wanted it like his Roscoe I believe as a backup. It also had a stellartone tone pot but I didn't like it and had the tone put back to stock. It's seriously a badass bass. The pickups are so hot it could pass as an active bass in parallel.
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Very cool. Conceptually, the Rosoce Beck basses were superb. I could not get comfortable with the ergonomics on the 5, and I don't play 4, but these were truly great basses. Congrats on having an axe that taps into the essential mojo of this excellent design.
 
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#133
mmbass21 said:
It's actually wired just like the Roscoe. They're both tapped 3 way, series, single, and parallel. The person I bought from a few months ago had the work done and wanted it like his Roscoe I believe as a backup. It also had a stellartone tone pot but I didn't like it and had the tone put back to stock. It's seriously a badass bass. The pickups are so hot it could pass as an active bass in parallel.
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I've just saved your photo of of it as the wallpaper on my phone
 
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#135
mbell75 said:
The G&L SB-2 looks interesting and it's a Fender design. Anyone know if these are any good?
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Very nice bass - cool looking, plays great, very well built. But VERY HOT - like all G&L's except for their LB and JB lines.

I sold a beautiful SB-2 because for the sound I like - round and mellow - the bridge pup was entirely useless, and I couldn't take the neck pup above 5.
 
#136
I know this is vain, but i think slapping a J pup into a P bass or Mustang bass is disruptive to the aesthetics. i think the p bass is a really attractive design and that big ugly bar slapped on uglies it up.

if anything I think there are too many pjs in fenders line and not enough standard Ps
 
#138
mbell75 said:
PJ bass, the sound I never knew I wanted! I prefer P basses to Jazz basses and when I have used Jazz basses, Ive never liked the bridge pickup, even with the neck pickup. Been going thru lots of P basses lately and rosewood/Pau Ferro boards always seemed a bit too dark and the maple board P I bought a month ago is just sounding too bright to me lately, especially with the new strings. The local GC got in some 2019 Squiers and they had a 3 tone burst PJ with an Indian Laurel board sitting there for cheap, picked it up and couldn't put it down. Was finally able to get the P tone I loved but could brighten it up a bit when I needed with some of the J pickup and with both pickups wide open, I could get another useable tone I liked and that was all without touching the tone knob or EQ on the amp!

So now Ive been looking for a Fender PJ bass with a rosewood or PF board, but the options are few IMO. Don't want an active bass and don't want a signature bass, so that leaves the American Performer as the cheapest option at $1200. At this point, I think I may just hold on to the Squier and even if I upgraded the pickups, electronics, bridge and tuners, Id still come in well under $1200. Why are there no MIM options for PJ basses? Anything used I should look for? Really surprised at how limited it is and how few I see being played by popular bands, I can only think of one. Extremely versatile bass with lots of tonal options, pretty perfect bass IMO.
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mbell75 said:
PJ bass, the sound I never knew I wanted! I prefer P basses to Jazz basses and when I have used Jazz basses, Ive never liked the bridge pickup, even with the neck pickup. Been going thru lots of P basses lately and rosewood/Pau Ferro boards always seemed a bit too dark and the maple board P I bought a month ago is just sounding too bright to me lately, especially with the new strings. The local GC got in some 2019 Squiers and they had a 3 tone burst PJ with an Indian Laurel board sitting there for cheap, picked it up and couldn't put it down. Was finally able to get the P tone I loved but could brighten it up a bit when I needed with some of the J pickup and with both pickups wide open, I could get another useable tone I liked and that was all without touching the tone knob or EQ on the amp!

So now Ive been looking for a Fender PJ bass with a rosewood or PF board, but the options are few IMO. Don't want an active bass and don't want a signature bass, so that leaves the American Performer as the cheapest option at $1200. At this point, I think I may just hold on to the Squier and even if I upgraded the pickups, electronics, bridge and tuners, Id still come in well under $1200. Why are there no MIM options for PJ basses? Anything used I should look for? Really surprised at how limited it is and how few I see being played by popular bands, I can only think of one. Extremely versatile bass with lots of tonal options, pretty perfect bass IMO.
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