Quatschmacher Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Hi all, just wondering if anyone has ever played a Fender Japan JB75-PJ. It's a 75 reissue Jazz Bass with a Precision pickup in the neck position, like [url="http://kenji-cij.blogspot.com/2008/11/jb75-pj-car-jazz-bass.html"]this one here[/url]. Just wondering if anyone could tell me whether this actually sounds like a Precision when this neck pickup is solo'd. The reason I ask is that I love the Precision sound but am much more comfortable on a Jazz neck and when I play a Jazz I mostly use the bridge pickup on its own. This would give me all of these things in one bass! I'd love to here from anyone who has one or has played one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatEric Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 [quote name='Quatschmacher' post='1157310' date='Mar 10 2011, 09:54 PM']Hi all, just wondering if anyone has ever played a Fender Japan JB75-PJ. It's a 75 reissue Jazz Bass with a Precision pickup in the neck position, like [url="http://kenji-cij.blogspot.com/2008/11/jb75-pj-car-jazz-bass.html"]this one here[/url]. Just wondering if anyone could tell me whether this actually sounds like a Precision when this neck pickup is solo'd. The reason I ask is that I love the Precision sound but am much more comfortable on a Jazz neck and when I play a Jazz I mostly use the bridge pickup on its own. This would give me all of these things in one bass! I'd love to here from anyone who has one or has played one.[/quote] Hi. Don't know about the Jazz in question but I have several basses with a P & J set-up. If you back off the J it sounds like a P. If you only use the bridge on your Jazz, then the sound would be the same if you backed off the P. The only think that is missing, is that slightly sweeter tone when you have a J and a J on together. With a P & J set-up, the P delivers a much fatter sound when both pick-ups are on together. Does this all make sense?? Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Having had an Aerodyne Jazz, which had P/J pickups, yes, if the P pickup is solo-ed, it will sound like a P-Bass . With both pickups together, think Duff McKagan from Guns & Roses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_B Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 The J pickup helps to thin out the thudiness of the P pickup also, even when you roll off the former. That said, the J pup can sound a bit thin when soloed and played with a plectrum. Luckily the P pickup can be rolled in slightly to fatten it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quatschmacher Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 Thanks for the replies, guys, this is all helpful stuff. I just noticed that the P pickup on this Fender PJ is not really in the same place as it would be on a P bass; it looks slightly closer to the neck. Contrast this with e.g. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=32906"]this Sadowsky PJ[/url], you can see that the P pickup is further back, i.e. where it would be on a proper P bass. Just wondering how this might impact the tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_B Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Well, if it did it would probably just make the P sound a bit boomier, but in full P/J mode that wouldn't hurt all that much I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 (edited) [quote name='Quatschmacher' post='1157882' date='Mar 11 2011, 11:55 AM']Thanks for the replies, guys, this is all helpful stuff. I just noticed that the P pickup on this Fender PJ is not really in the same place as it would be on a P bass; it looks slightly closer to the neck. Contrast this with e.g. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=32906"]this Sadowsky PJ[/url], you can see that the P pickup is further back, i.e. where it would be on a proper P bass. Just wondering how this might impact the tone.[/quote] There are many factors that affect the sound here. Pickup placement, obviously but then again a few millimeters here and there won't make [i]that[/i] much difference and to explain there is an article by Alex Claber in Bass Guitar Magazine about harmonic nodes and how pickup placement affects tone (I think it was BGM). There is also the pickup construction differences to think of (ceramic, alnico, number of windings etc) , the string types and the body and neck woods. Equally some P/J set ups have a pretty weak J that is no more than a "placebo" like in the Aerodyne I had where the J just sweetened the P and gave it some breath whereas other J pickups are well balanced with the P like in my Yamaha BBs and have huge output. When you're getting into minutia of P sounds, you need to ask yourself, what or whose P am I aiming for? Is it Paul Simonon's, James Jamerson's, Mike Mills', Roger Waters' or Steve Harris'? Most of the Jazz basses with P pickups will sound like P basses but whether they sound like the one in your head depends on a lot more than a few mm here and there in the placement on the body. Once you stick a variable EQ preamp in the equation your variables increase exponentially! Edited March 12, 2011 by Sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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