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Why would you choose a P over a J?

#141
The guitarist in my band likes the Precision.
The drummer thinks the Precision “sounds awesome for those old-school songs”.
The BL/singer likes the StingRay, but his favourite is the Yamaha BB fretless.
My Fender RBV is actually the best for that gig. Mid-60s Jazz Bass tone with an extra string.
It’s all good.
 
#142
There’s a lot to say on this subject, and I love both instruments for their own merits and for qualities that cross over between the two.. I’ll leave my comment to something I find unique: i almost always prefer a p-bass when there are a guitars involved in more than a backseat role.
 
#143
Chickenwheels said:
The guitarist in my band likes the Precision.
The drummer thinks the Precision “sounds awesome for those old-school songs”.
The BL/singer likes the StingRay, but his favourite is the Yamaha BB fretless.
My Fender RBV is actually the best for that gig. Mid-60s Jazz Bass tone with an extra string.
It’s all good.
Click to expand...

What’s funny is that a guitarist of mine nagged me for years, saying ‘just get/play a p bass.’ But the tone that always turns his head and gets comments/questions are setups with growly mids a-la jaco or my own take on the stingray sound.
 
#145
When I was a skinny 16 year old, I had a basic lesson from my hero, a local killer bass player. He showed me how to use my hands better, but made me put my Univox bass back in it's case. He told me to get a Jazz Bass, so I did. Skip ahead forty years, there's a sunburst tort rosewood P Bass onGC's online store. So I buy it. DAMN! This is the sound I've been trying to get out of my Jazz since I was a goofy kid. I even had a couple Ps and a Tele when I was in High School, but I kept going back to my first lesson.

Right now I'm having fun with a Squier Tele style bass that seems like the one.
 
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#146
Depending on how you play it, a Precision can be warm, punchy, gritty, fat and can bite hard when you dig in. I don’t care so much for the sound of the Jazz bridge pickup and never have. I prefer the look of a P as well. The slanted rear of the Jazz is not pleasing to my eye.
I like no fuss, passive basses that just work. The P has a track record that illustrates it’s simple straightforward effectiveness.
 
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#148
Who needs to choose?
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#149
vindibona1 said:
I know a lot of guys have a P bass as their weapon of choice. What is it about that model that would make you choose it over a J bass? I own both 4 and 5 string J basses and every time I pick up a P it just doesn't speak to me. Perhaps it's because I'm used to the neck on a J? I dunno. Sound is so nuanced anyway.

So what is it about P basses that grab you?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't. I like J's better myself.
 
#150
I have owned several great J basses (including multiple Fenders, Lakland and Sadowsky) and ended up selling every one of them. They always sound thin to me. I finally accepted the fact that I just prefer the tone and feel of a P bass. I do have a P/J but that's as close as I need to get.
 
#152
pappabass said:
Bigger sound? I had a jazz just could not get that big bass sound I wanted. But a p bass is generally muddy.
Click to expand...

RE: PB Mud

I’m going to have to disagree with PBs being inherently muddy. In this case, please listen to Entwistle on Live at Leeds, or Ray Schulman from Gentle Giant. I’ve seen both in concert. In addition, I’ve been playing PBs for over 40 years, both live and in the studio. With the proper EQ, as well as fresh strings, they can be as sharp sounding as it gets.

Now, if you have 40 year old flat wound strings on it (not that anyone here would do that), the tail piece cover with the foam strip sitting on the strings, and jack up the bass on the EQ, yup, ya got mud.

As for the size of the sound, with the right EQ, I can get either as big sounding as needed. As far as playability goes, I prefer a PB’s neck vs a Jazz. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent a lot more time playing Ps than Js so it’s a default of sorts. That said, I’ve spent enough time playing a JB to realize I can get the job done with either without any consternation.
 
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#159
I just can't ever get a jazz to sound just the way I want it. I'm constantly fiddling with it trying to get it to where it sounds right to me. I can get it to where it sounds pretty good, but just not quite where I want it.
I don't have that problem with a pbass. With most pbasses, I can find my sound within a few seconds.
 
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