Difference between Fender jazz and PJ

[DaveMustaine12]

I have had a Fender Deluxe P bass for a while now (Precision pickup in mid position and jazz pickup at the bridge). I am deciding whether to upgrade to a jazz bass (american made). I was wondering, do you guys think that there is a huge difference between a JJ configutarion and a PJ configuration? On a jazz bass, the neck pickup can still sound warm, right? I've never owned a jazz bass so I was wondering, will I still be able to get P bass tones out of it (or something similar)? How does the tone compare between PJ and JJ when slapping? I am a huge fan of growly tone but I would still like to be able to get a boomy bass tone out of the bass.

[muthafunkabass]

1 yes
2 yes
3 no
4 j>p

[DaveMustaine12]

1 yes
2 yes
3 no
4 j>p

Ok cool. I think I will go for a Jazz bass and sell my PJ. I like to slap and I think I am going to sacrifice the warm P tone for a growlier jazz pickup tone.
BTW, who is that chick in your avatar? She reminds of Julia Louis-Dreyfus from Seinfeld.

[FunkMetalBass]

1. yes
2. no
3. no
4. PJ > J > P

Audrina Patridge from The Hills

[DaveMustaine12]

4. PJ > J > P



You really think PJ sounds better than jazz bass for slap?
When you say PJ>J, I assume you mean PJ>JJ.

[FunkMetalBass]

You really think PJ sounds better than jazz bass for slap?
When you say PJ>J, I assume you mean PJ>JJ.

Yes, it was sort of understood. I did debate typing "JJ" though.

And yes, I think that is the case. Granted, I would blend it with about a 70/30 split between the P and J pickups (respectively), but I think the P-style pickup has a lot more low-end thump to it than any Jazz.

[IPolkaLikeThis!]

PM > PJ > JJ

M stands for MusicMan, baby. And MusicMan was made for slap.

[DaveMustaine12]

Granted, I would blend it with about a 70/30 split between the P and J pickups (respectively), but I think the P-style pickup has a lot more low-end thump to it than any Jazz.

I've just tried the 70/30 split and it sounds pretty good for slap -- I actually really like it. I've been playing slap with either 50/50 or 30/70, but 70/30 sounds awesome. I wish I could do something about the gold pickguard though. I contacted Fender and they don't make don't make just the pickguards in their custom shop. pickguards.com offers pickguards for American Deluxe P bass, but not for the mexican made deluxe p basses. Bummer.....

[DaveMustaine12]

PM > PJ > JJ

M stands for MusicMan, baby. And MusicMan was made for slap.

Ok, that's already 2 people who think PJ sounds better for slap than JJ. Interesting....
What do you think about slapping on Fender American Deluxe P bass?
http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-American-Deluxe-Precision-Bass-Guitar?sku=511390

It has a Fender double jazz pickup (humbucker) in the same position as the MusicMan has its MM humbucker.

[IPolkaLikeThis!]

J neck pups always feel "weak" to me. They just don't do it for me. I like the J bridge pups though.

I haven't played the double J humbucker recently, so I can't really remember how it sounds compared to an MM or a regular J, but I'm sure it is comparable to it.

[DaveMustaine12]

I just emailed pickguards.com; hopefully they could make me a Fender Deluxe P bass pickguard in white pearloid. I have the bass in candy apple red with maple neck and the gold pickguard is not the prettiest thing in the world. I already installed a Gotoh bridge on it. The only other things are vintage P pickups and white pearloid pickguard. It would be like a dream come true. lol.

[IPolkaLikeThis!]

yeah, that gold isn't the best looking thing out there

not sure what fender was thinking at that decission

[Sablate McNuff]

Ok, that's already 2 people who think PJ sounds better for slap than JJ. Interesting....
What do you think about slapping on Fender American Deluxe P bass?
http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-American-Deluxe-Precision-Bass-Guitar?sku=511390

It has a Fender double jazz pickup (humbucker) in the same position as the MusicMan has its MM humbucker.

I imagine it would sound about the same. Possibly a little bit more defined in the low end and a bit more crisp and punchy. Probably not noticeable with the P blended also.

J neck pups always feel "weak" to me. They just don't do it for me. I like the J bridge pups though.

I haven't played the double J humbucker recently, so I can't really remember how it sounds compared to an MM or a regular J, but I'm sure it is comparable to it.

This.

[BenJammin]

I like the P/J combo, personally.

[DaveMustaine12]

And yes, I think that is the case. Granted, I would blend it with about a 70/30 split between the P and J pickups (respectively), but I think the P-style pickup has a lot more low-end thump to it than any Jazz.

The main reason I was disappointed at times with my bass is perhaps because I didn't know how to set it/EQ it. This one little tip on 70/30 blending helped a lot. My bass has a 3-band EQ and my Fender amp has a 4-band EQ. Any pointers you could give me for getting the most out of my setup? As in what EQ settings are good for slap? What EQ settings would be good for glowly tones? Metal? Any suggestions at all? I know it's mostly about personal preference, but what would you set the EQ for different styles of music? I am willing to try anything out.

[FunkMetalBass]

The "typical" slap tone comes from scooping the mids and boosting bass and treble.

I play in a rock band and I'm really liking the sound of boosting bass and low mids, and sort of rolling down the high mids and treble. (Like so: Bass: 8, Low Mid: 8, High Mid: 6 Treble: 4). The benefit from this is that it helps you cut through the mix in a band situation. Of course, that's my tone given the pickups and strings I use and the overall sound of the band.

As a musician, you will probably never find the tone you want. It's a constant struggle.

[Gopherbassist]

As a musician, you will probably never find the tone you want. It's a constant struggle.
This just sparked a thought. Have you played around with low power SS amps? I always find the ones between 10 and 35 watts sound better than anything higher than that. What do you think?

[FunkMetalBass]

This just sparked a thought. Have you played around with low power SS amps? I always find the ones between 10 and 35 watts sound better than anything higher than that. What do you think?

Due to the overall quality and lack of volume of practice amps, I generally don't play through them. I do notice a difference in lower powered SS (usually 100-400W) amps as opposed to the tone of higher powered SS amps (800W +), but I can't say it's enough of a difference on stage to warrant the power loss.

My thought on this matter is that it's the aim of the company to sacrifice tone for power and vice versa. For example, the Eden WTX-500 produces about 500W @ 4 ohms whereas my Carvin BX1200 is about the same price but produces 1200W @ 4 ohms. Not to say that I dont love tho tone on my Carvin, but Eden takes the extra time with their electronic designs to make sure you get the perfect tone and really utilize each and every watt.

[DaveMustaine12]

So if I have a 3 band EQ on my bass and a 3 or 4 band EQ on my amp, should the settings be somewhat similar on the bass and the amp? So Bass at 8, Treble at 8, and Mids at like 3 should get a pretty good slap tone?

[FunkMetalBass]

I'm not sure. On my bass, I have the bass and mids at 10, the treble at 0. On my amp, I scoop the mids a bit (bass at 9, treble at 8, mids at 5/6).

It's a tone I like. The subtle nuances are up to you. I'd suggest leaving the bass EQ flat and scooping the mids on the amp, then leaving the amp EQ flat and scooping the mids on the bass and deciding which you like more. From there you should listen to your tone and use the other to make the tiny adjustments.

[Jaded]

This just sparked a thought. Have you played around with low power SS amps? I always find the ones between 10 and 35 watts sound better than anything higher than that. What do you think?
What kind of decent ss amps have you played through? Practice amps blow donkey ****, unless you like the sound of ss clipping.


TS, the only thing that will sound like a p is a p. That is why p+j configurations rock.

[bryce_the_cat]

try as many fenders as possible. they are all different, some are terrible, some amazing. a good p/j/pj had endless possibilities

[Gopherbassist]

What kind of decent ss amps have you played through? Practice amps blow donkey ****, unless you like the sound of ss clipping.


TS, the only thing that will sound like a p is a p. That is why p+j configurations rock.
I don't get many chances to play around with amps, seeing as I live in a small town. I have and old Sunn that sounds pretty good, but I've played through Peaveys, Crates, Fenders. The practice amps always sounded better.

[Valzaan]

I want to get a 5 string jazz bass w/ humbucking pickups to replace my boring old p-bass... (ps I mostly play metal)

[tomtom]

The "typical" slap tone comes from scooping the mids and boosting bass and treble.

I play in a rock band and I'm really liking the sound of boosting bass and low mids, and sort of rolling down the high mids and treble. (Like so: Bass: 8, Low Mid: 8, High Mid: 6 Treble: 4). The benefit from this is that it helps you cut through the mix in a band situation. Of course, that's my tone given the pickups and strings I use and the overall sound of the band.

As a musician, you will probably never find the tone you want. It's a constant struggle.

this is about it

i also like this type of setup for my amp, in a rock setting, although, i generally tend to put the low mid higher than the bass, and really cut the high mid out.

i will generally have bass set at 0, have the low mid at maybe 2 or 3, low mid at perhaps - 4 or -5, then treble at -2 or -1. it usually gives quite a warm tone, but also very full, and the low mid makes sure it cuts through the mix, without sacrificing the body of the tone.

generally if i'm playing on a bass other than mine with a on-board eq, i'll set the amp how i want it, and then use the basses eq to make subtle changes on the fly as i may or may not need to.

[tomtom]

What kind of decent ss amps have you played through? Practice amps blow donkey ****, unless you like the sound of ss clipping.

i agree. i've never played a practice amp with enough power to get a decent tone from. and when they clip it sounds like ****.

i've been doing some listening lately, and really really REALLY want to use tube amps for the rest of my life.

[Sablate McNuff]

this is about it

i also like this type of setup for my amp, in a rock setting, although, i generally tend to put the low mid higher than the bass, and really cut the high mid out.

i will generally have bass set at 0, have the low mid at maybe 2 or 3, low mid at perhaps - 4 or -5, then treble at -2 or -1. it usually gives quite a warm tone, but also very full, and the low mid makes sure it cuts through the mix, without sacrificing the body of the tone.

generally if i'm playing on a bass other than mine with a on-board eq, i'll set the amp how i want it, and then use the basses eq to make subtle changes on the fly as i may or may not need to.

I don't really care for that warm, smooth tone. I like mine to have plenty of beefy low end but with a nice high mid punch.

[tomtom]

I don't really care for that warm, smooth tone. I like mine to have plenty of beefy low end but with a nice high mid punch.

i see.

well, on sunday i used a different setting, which i like better. bass on 0, high low mids on like 5 or 6, and high mids and treble on about -2 each.

[DaveMustaine12]

I want to get a 5 string jazz bass w/ humbucking pickups to replace my boring old p-bass... (ps I mostly play metal)

Sorry, but I thought that jazz bass pickups are not humbucking?!
If you equate the volume of each pickup, then there is a kind of a humbucking effect.