How to get this sound? (P v J etc)

[Rich44]

I play a quite a mixture of styles (funk, new wave, disco), but mainly punk/post-punk/pop-punk etc. I really like the sounds acheived by bands like Elastica, Wire, Talking Heads etc.

I love this sound of the bass in these tracks (Annie holland is great):
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul6XBsLLAFY
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djjw3BKUV28

Very punchy, grungey sounding. I'm wondering how to get a similar sound in terms of instrument, effects and playing technique.

I play a P/J style bass pretty much exclusively with the split-coil/P neck pickups, I was wondering the advantages of P v J or even P/J style basses for punkish sounds. From what I can gather J basses sound brighter, but maybe a bit too bright with a pick?

Anyway, any thoughts, recommendations etc would be greatly appreciated.

[Musky]

She used a Jazz Bass with a pick (a very popular combo at the time). Smiley faces on the EQ were pretty popular at the time too, so it wouldn't surprise me if she follow suit.

Having said that, replicating someone else's gear isn't always the best way to emulate their tone. It might not all be in the fingers but a fair bit of it is.