P+J pup config. explanation?

DeadEnder · 02-09-2010, 08:27 PM

I've played jazz and precision basses by themselves but I've never had the chance to play a bass with a p+j configuration. I've read that you get more sound variation, but is that it? Is is also possible to turn down the volume on the j pickup and have just a p-bass sound and vice-versa? I'm looking to buy a new bass this year and I'm leaning towards a jazz bass for the neck radius and pickup blending but I'm completely open to suggestions and hearing what owners have to say.

Roxy · 02-09-2010, 09:28 PM

I think they have a really cool tone . In fact I'm on the fence between buying either a P-Bass Deluxe or an Aerodyne right now .

DeadEnder · 02-10-2010, 12:51 AM

Those Aerodynes have caught my eye too. I always forget about them when I'm in GC though so I haven't played one yet. I wonder if there's a sound difference since the body is lighter or if it's neck heavy?

I know a P-bass can handle anything. I played a '78 for 4 years in HS and had a 5 string J-bass for a couple of years. If I had the $$$ I would walk in and buy an American Deluxe P-Bass right now.

Phoenix59 · 02-10-2010, 11:12 AM

I played a 5-string Jazz Bass in a band I was in about 10 years ago. Very sweet instrument.

66musicmaster · 02-10-2010, 01:11 PM

My Ibanez GSR 200 is wired so that you can turn either one one up or down independently. ONe tone knob, two volume knobs. Lots of variation. The P pup has a really fat sound. The Jazz has the "jazz" tone, for lack of a better term.

Randy

DeadEnder · 02-11-2010, 03:37 AM

I really wish Squier had more of a variety of basses. That, or they could have added another tone knob to the P bass Special. That's not a deal-breaker though...I just noticed that those have a j bass neck on a p bass body which is pretty nice. That might just be what I need to tide me over for a while.

YeahDoIt · 02-11-2010, 06:42 AM

DeadEnder, you might check out Peavey Basses. I have a Peavey Fury bass that resembles a Fender Precision bass with a Fender Jazz bass neck on it. The tone controls are passive, the pickup is the staggered Precision bass kind but it seems to have a wide range of tones and sounds to me like both Precision and Jazz basses.

I remember owning a Fender Precision bass, sold it when I moved. I'm pleased with the Peavey Fury bass though.

DeadEnder · 02-11-2010, 07:03 AM

Looks like the only thing Peavy has now that's close to your Fury is the Zodiac. It kind of has a 50's p-bass/metal hell look to it. I just really can't get over the body on those Peavy basses though. That upper horn on most of their models is so thin!

DeadEnder · 02-12-2010, 08:47 AM

So no comments on how the p+j combo sounds in comparison to just a p-bass or just a j-bass?

DeadEnder · 02-13-2010, 01:46 PM

Wow. I'm determined to either keep this thread alive or kill it by beating it to death with multiple posts lol!

Anyway, in case any of you were curious, I tried out Fender's Aerodyne and P Bass Deluxe Special today at GC. I can't say I care for the Aerodyne. It looks GREAT and doesn't sound bad, but the body didn't "feel right"...too small for me I guess. I don't get why they bound it though. I think it would have looked cooler w/o it.

The P-Bass Deluxe Special was leagues above the Aerodyne. They only had the MIM (which still played great). I actually wanted to try the American Deluxe but they didn't have it. Having never messed around with a bass with active pups I was a bit confused, but I still got a lot of tone out of that thing in the 10 minutes I played it. I really with I had $600 to spend right now, I would have went home with it.

YeahDoIt · 02-14-2010, 06:51 AM

Did you play the Ibanez GSR200?

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ibanez-G...76-i1150632.gc

Yamaha RBX170 Bass might be nice too.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha-R...60-i1146650.gc

Ibanez Gio GSR200FM Bass

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ibanez-G...11-i1442101.gc

Jackson C20 Concert Bass

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Jackson-...16-i1447500.gc

66musicmaster · 02-15-2010, 12:26 PM

I can attest that the Ibanez GSR 200 is a nice piece for the price. I am constantly experimenting with the tones available from the P + J combo on ours. I do like the more traditional shape of the Squiers/ Fenders though.

Randy

howlin · 04-28-2010, 08:26 PM

To me the true advantage of the P/J p/up combo is the bigger bass sound from the P p/up. Jazz basses are great and I've owned more of them than Ps but you can't beat the sound from a P p/up IMHO.

The P-Bass Deluxe is a great bass with its active options and the P/J p/up combo. The Jazz neck is a winner too. There's very little not to like about it. But, all things considered, after playing the 60's CV P-bass I'm a believer.

BillStickers · 04-29-2010, 01:39 PM

My friend uses a beautiful old '93 Fender [or was it '83... crap] P Bass that he modded with new wiring, shielding and some really cool DiMarzio rail PUPs. I believe they resemble the split soil design but are actually a kind of split humbucker... at first sight the look like two tiny humbuckers that span only two strings each

Tis a gorgeous thing as well with a cream body, tangerine scratchplate and his own arty B/W/B competition stripes on the scratchplate. He actually kept the little harness his new pots came with and used it as a contrast "control plate" similar to the motif on a jazz bass. Oddly it sounds like exactly that... looks like a P Bass' and a J bass' illicit child, gets played for Rock, Grunge AND Jazz. Low end boom with a clear note definition and when coupled with distortion it grunts like an bull that can sing opera

LOL.
Ducking sublime.

Buslady7803 · 04-29-2010, 04:20 PM

Ok I have a GSR200FM and to me it's sound is maybe fuller, i dont know how to describe it.
I've been told it has a modern sounds while my Squier has a classic sound. but hey im still learning...when my teacher gets a hold of either bass, they sound incredible to me.

gurf · 06-04-2010, 10:55 AM

I hope I'm not digger, anyway. I've got PJ precision unit. 2xVol - it's more than I need, cause I don't need this single coil pickup. Alone it sounds a bit muddy (dimarzio), not jazz-a-like and togheter they may sound interesting, but for someone else, as I love pbass thump. ANyway - I can record something for you

bass_slinger · 07-03-2010, 12:51 PM

Really - a P/J isn't gonna be quite the same to a bassist who knows the true P-tone.

I have both a P and two Js - one J is passive and one J is active and the Ps cannot truly cross into the Js territories as well as some people think they do. Mostly they are deluded into thinking they are getting P-tones out of a hybrid - but they are not.

Here's where the wheels fall off such logic.

The P really sings well when you work the LOWs stronger than the upper-end HIGHS. Think Motown and Surf-Rock. You never really hear the bass so much as you feel it. It's the lows that do it, although a P has a lot of MIDs to create an aura of sound.

The Js, on the other hand, are more of a MIDDLE-to-HIGH sounds. This can cause all sorts of arguments, but really a J with some bright Chromes or round wounds can cut through the mix with sounds the P cannot- and should not- try to create.

My opinion, for what it's worth - is to own two dedicated basses - a P and a J.

With ROTOS on a J, you just make it muddy. Put Chromes on a P and you take it into areas that are usable, but are not the classic sound of the P - which sound engineers can specifically demand when they will NOT accept an Ibanez P-clone or like my SR500 - not aurally acceptable to an engineer at all.

There's nothing wrong with the SR500 or a P-clone, but they ain't penguin, if you follow me here. It's an image-thing mostly.

I played a jam last night, and the last time I played with these guys, I brought both a P and a J. They requested just the P last night.

They could actually say they hear the difference, and these are all only guitar-guys who wouldn't know a MII verses a MIA. So - it's that obvious.

DeadEnder · 07-04-2010, 01:29 AM

Just updating this thread since I started it. I've been a proud owner of a new Fender J bass for about a month now. This is after buying (then returning) a brand new SR500 w/ barts. Nothing against the Ibanez, it's an awesome bass! It looks cool with the unique wood choices and it has these great active bart soapbars. You can get *almost* any sound. The neck is really comfortable to play on too being thinner than a J. The biggest con for me was that the neck tends to "gunk up" when your hands sweat while you're playing. I couldn't imagine playing it outside in July. That's the only reason I returned it though.

So, I guess I took your advice Slinger before you even wrote the post. I wanted to get both sounds (the thump of a P and the growl of a J) and I realized I'm going to have to have both basses to do so. I think Squier is coming out with some new VM or CV basses soon and I plan to get one of the P basses then.

h2otorched · 07-04-2010, 03:40 AM

Congrats on the new bass. I have a 78 MusicMan Sabre Bass ( with the 2 HB). I had a guy who does these things turn the maple neck fretless, then he was on a roll and suggested we pull the HBs and put in a white EMG active P/J set, which he did.
I had taken a thin plastic video card and worked the entire smoke gagging yellowed finish off. With just that video card! Sanded the body and did a MinWax white ghost finish. Changed the black pickguard to a Stingray shaped white one, and put smaller Gotoh tuners on it.
The EMGs sound great, more classic than the original MM pups ( which sounded really good). The growl of the Jazz with the
deep punch of the Precision very nice.
Stripping the finish opened up the sound of the bass, I kinda miss the frets.
I was never going to go full Jaco...

I've had MaximaGold strings on it since 91, they still sound good. One for Joe Osborne!

Art is a dog laying underneath Neil Youngs' porch. Glenn Frey

DeadEnder · 07-05-2010, 01:32 AM

I love modding guitars. I'm in the process of turning my Squier VM Custom II into a completely different guitar. I've reliced the body and neck already and I plan getting rid of the p90s all together. I'm putting in a traditional tele bridge with a GFS neovin bridge pu and a Firebird style mini in the neck position. Then I'm going to route the body to accept a Jazzmaster floating trem.

I'm already thinking about routing the J and putting a jazz bass humbucker (or passive MM) in there.