Nickthebass

You’re right - Jazz basses do look cool. Ok - *long winded answer alert* *apply the in my opinion filter* The short answer to your final question is - no. It’ll need a visit to a good guitar tech (there’s a thread here somewhere with a list of recommended techs all over the country). They’ll need to rout out a new hole for the split coil pickup. The more typical (I think) modification would be to buy a P and get it routed for a J pick up at the bridge. Again this is major (and non-reversible) surgery. Personally - I wouldn’t even consider it. If I wanted a PJ I would buy one. Personally I don’t buy the “best of both worlds” argument about PJs. For me the best sounds on a Jazz are both pickups on full or backing off the bridge pick (anywhere from a smidge to all the way). Both pickups on full on a J has “a thing” (a bit hollow, nice lows, a bit of cut or bounce up high) that you can’t get from a P. To me - a PJ is neither one thing nor the other. It’s a J with the wrong neck pickup or it’s a P with some a load of business at the bridge to that shouldn’t be there. @Richard R is right on the money. The sound and feel of the instrument in your hands is the most important thing. If it doesn’t feel good to play then you’ll not likely to want to play it and won’t develop a relationship with the instrument. @Bridgehouse is right that the split coil P pick has “a thing” that is great and works in loads of contexts. The counter to that is that a J will do a better impression P than a P will of a J. Anyway - that’s all a matter of opinion. Having looked for Ps with a 38mm nut myself, my conclusion is that they are pretty few and far between unless you want to custom build. In terms of sounds - which players do you like and what do they play?

There’s a great interview with Rachel Loy (Nashville bass player, songwriter, producer etc.) I read yesterday where she compares stunning an acoustic guitar to playing the bass.. ”It’s like an endless windshield wiper that has zero impact on the song. Then you pick up a bass and you hit a big old note, like, “What now, motherf***ers?” [Laughs.] https://bassmagazine.com/artists/rachel-loy-nashvilles-finest

Am I the only one who read that as … my name is Paul “WAAA AAAH and I am funky”!!!

The American necks felt pretty similar to me - don’t recall if the measurables were identical though.

+1 to this. My hands aren’t the biggest and I play 5 pretty much all the time. The 4 extra notes are cool (sometimes) - but being able to play a low E whilst still having 2 octaves pretty much under your hands is great. I learnt on J’s - and have pretty much only ever played them. Don’t be spooked by the P’s wider nut. The modern ones (pretty much anything that isn’t a 50s reissue) I found to be totally playable. I had the “my hands are small therefore I can’t play a regular P” thing in my head for a long time though. The modern ones are also pretty reasonable in terms of depth front to back compared to some of the older style baseball bat necks which again helps if you don’t have tentacle fingers.

Ok … zombie thread … but - tell me more about this box set!

@dodge_bass - anything you can help with?

Thanks very much. 😊 At heart though it’s just a Jazz bass albeit with some bells and whistles.

Congratulations. I was about to chip in with some advice but it’s moot now! I waited 14 months for my Sei - I picked her up in January 2012 and ever since the wait has been a dim and distant memory.

Not enough Sei love around here so I thought I fire in a couple of pictures. Ordered 1 Dec 2010, collected 12 Jan 2012 and my main squeeze ever since.

This! IMO better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. It’s the same reason I take at least 3 jack cables, 3 speaker cables (for two cabs) and a spare DI box / preamp.

That’s exactly where I was going. I bought the first album on the strength of the ad! To this day it’s still a great “4 people in a room giving it heaps” album.