Why so many P vs. J threads? - the Answer

[sammyp]

Tele and strat are pretty similar ....tele being the old goat that doesn't blink an eye when the strat comes around!

 

[VWbug]

For me, there is no debate, the answer is "Both!"

Yup

 

[klejst]

Obviously it is personal preference. Some like P's, some like J's, some like P's and J's and some like neither

 

[lowphatbass]

So this is just another J vs. P thread...

The only sure thing I know is this....everything being equal a Jazz bass costs more than a Precision. The market doesn't lie, if people are willing to pay more for Jazz basses than they must be better. I also own 4 Fenders and none of them are J's.

 

[Bassmunnky]

I would guess Fender loves this debate..as "get both" is usually the answer.

Hell, I have both in 4 string and 5 string models..so I shut myself up

 

[georgestrings]

I have no idea what you just said here.....

He doesn't either - he just likes to slam Fenders, because he doesn't know any better...


- georgestrings

 

[georgestrings]

Yes! Plus a Stingray.

...and a Sterling...


- georgestrings

 

[RattleSnack]

A hammer and a screwdriver. Good repairman need them both, and knows when to use which.

 

[unclejane]

The debate about P vs. J is a popular topic - and always will be because they are the two most popular basses on this planet.

The major reason for this confliction and questioning was started by Mr. Fender himself.

The J bass was supposed to be the "High-End" Fender bass - the one you would graduate to "when you're ready"

The J had 2 pickups instead of 1, the J had a "faster" neck than the P, and the J had the "offset contour body",

The J started out with a "more sophisticated" setup like stacked concentric knobs and a fancier string mute system.

Then, the J started "improving" with stuff like a Blocked and Bound neck - and other cosmetic enhancements.

But, the workhorse P never really blinked when the J came around and continued to be more popular than the J.

To me, the essence of it is 2 things:
- to some, "improvements" in an instrument aren't always necessarily improvements.
- to others, they are.

I'm in the latter camp when it comes to LF's instruments. I could never, and still can't, get a decent sound out of any Fender P or J. Even with the frets off, either a P or J will sound like mud and break my left arm when I try to play it.

Fortunately, LF seemed to be in the latter camp also and he didn't stop at the Jazz bass. He went on to design the music man and finally the G&L L2K.

The L2K is where I finally realized that LF was a genius. The L2K is a true Fender, but also one improved enough that I could play it and actually hear audible notes without tearing up my hands.

So on the P&J controversy I'm always in the "neither! - get a real Fender, an L2K" camp. Makes for good entertainment in the forums and a good solid tone out of my amp .

LS

 

[carlos840]

This is the correct way of settling the P vs J thing!

Two of each, one with flats one with rounds!

 

[georgestrings]

To me, the essence of it is 2 things:
- to some, "improvements" in an instrument aren't always necessarily improvements.
- to others, they are.

I'm in the latter camp when it comes to LF's instruments. I could never, and still can't, get a decent sound out of any Fender P or J. Even with the frets off, either a P or J will sound like mud and break my left arm when I try to play it.

Fortunately, LF seemed to be in the latter camp also and he didn't stop at the Jazz bass. He went on to design the music man and finally the G&L L2K.

The L2K is where I finally realized that LF was a genius. The L2K is a true Fender, but also one improved enough that I could play it and actually hear audible notes without tearing up my hands.

So on the P&J controversy I'm always in the "neither! - get a real Fender, an L2K" camp. Makes for good entertainment in the forums and a good solid tone out of my amp .

LS

I don't know, bud - since the Fender Precision and Fender Jazz have been recorded more than all others combined, and probably graced more stages than all others combined, maybe you should work on your technique more, and troll Fender threads less...


- georgestrings

 

[georgestrings]

For me, there is no debate, the answer is "Both!"

I'm with the Doctor on this one:

- georgestrings

 

[Meddle]

I guess a good analogy would be: You find a good "partner" who is reliable, pays the bills, not fussy, simple to figure out, and lets you stay in the spotlight. That is the P.

Then comes along a "better" option, but this partner has more buttons to fiddle with, costs more, isn't so simple to understand, gets cosmetic enhancement, and likes to hum along while you play. All the while saying "look at me!"


Now the J is amazing because if you spend the time it can make sounds that the old goat P can't make. And a delicate touch might prefer the thin neck of the pretty one. And masters of the J can make it ROAR like a lioness in the throes of ecstasy.

I guess some could subscribe rigorously to the "Church of Leo" and follow strictly the hierarchy he created in his instruments. Want to play guitar? Get a Musicmaster then an Esquire, then a Telecaster, then a Strat. Want to play bass? Begin on a Mustang bass, move up onto a P, then a J. It seems Fender invents these instruments with one set of intentions and musicians go about it totally differently. Some musicians stay on Fender's low budget "student" instruments their full career. Other modify the instruments well beyond stock before they are happy. Off comes the chrome covers, the string mutes, the factory flatwound strings. If Leo was trying to produce an electric double bass rival, and then found musicians hammering away with roundwound strings through grinding Ampeg SVTs, he must have been a little surprised. In a similar vein, how many jazz guitarists picked up the Jazzmaster? Not many I wager but surf guitarists, and later the grungers, loved them! All these 'innovative' Fender instruments are usually kicked into 2nd place by the instruments they supposedly improve upon.


I think you could simplify the debate further. It is purely a debate between "sitting in the mix" and "cutting through the mix". A proportion of the time it doesn't work, but a lot of the time it works if you get the context right. A J bass gives you more options in how you cut through the mix as well, but sometimes sitting in the mix with a P works just as well.


I jammed with guys playing old Zappa, Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan tunes, and my P bass worked in that context where my J-configured bass did not. Your mileage may vary.

 

[s_mcsleazy]

i only really use 2 basses nowadays and both for diffrent things

the jazz is used as the all round bass due to its lower impedence pickups because i find that sound more usefull.

the precision is used because the pickups are a little hotter and really scream when you need them to. plus you cant play high up because it starts to mush up.

 

[Smilodon]

Why can't people just choose what is right for them and stop caring about other peoples opinions?


It's like arguing about what is best; a sports car or a box van. Sure, the sports car is faster, but it's useless for moving stuff.



Personally I prefer P basses in my opinion they look better, but I prefer a PJ pickup setup. I also prefer J necks because I have slightly short fingers.

 

[Godfather]

So you are saying the P is the wife and the J is the mistress (or husband and lover if you are so inclined)?

Sounds like good analogy to me.

Or the P is the pickup truck and the J the sports car.

The P is a Pilsner and the J a Champagne coupe.

The P is apple pie and the J is a soufflé.

The P is a week at the cottage and the J a weekend in Vegas.

The P is a roundhouse to the head and the J is a Bruce Lee one-inch punch.

The P is a Gorilla and the J an Orangutan.

The P is an El Greco and the J a Goya.

I could probably go on but I won't.

Please don't !.....most of those analogies make no sense at all

 

[jamestown94west]

ive got an early 50s style p, a custom p, a vintage fretless p, and a custom j. all fenders or squiers. as soon as i can afford it, ill own a stingray. ill probably also own a fretless j, and am currently working p+j build. i just traded off my g&l l2500 too...kinda wish i hadnt but now i have an excuse to buy a stingray. theyre all good. the only debate should be which one do i buy first?

 

[4001]

I'd like to have both but I have Jazz Basses. I feel that I can get P-Bass like tone from the neck pickup with the Jazz Bass but there's no way I think I'd get any Jazz Bass like tones from a P-Bass unless I was trying to mimic the Jazz Bass neck pickup.

I'd like a P-Bass with a P/J set of pickups. I think that would be the ultimate answer for those that want both but I'd go with the Jazz neck on that bass.

Perhaps someday down the line...

but if I wanted to get another bass I'd also be looking at a Spector Euro series with a P/J set...and that's another thread altogether.

 

[VWbug]

I'm liking "Both"

 

[One Drop]

Please don't !.....most of those analogies make no sense at all

That's because you have no poetry in your soul, and no imagination.

To be serious, though, what does makes sense about the umpteen millionth thread about P vs. J basses? Does anyone really expect to hear something new or learn something?