78 Fender P Bass with additional Jazz Pick Up

[Papabull]

Hi bass chatters

Can anyone shed any light on late seventies Precisions with and additional jazz pickup near the bridge? What are these basses like? Can I get a good fat precision sound with this setup and can i switch the jazz pup out?

Any help or info would be very gratefully received.

Cheers to all
from the papabull !!

[Musky]

Fender didn't produce any Precisions with Jazz pickups in the 70s - you just got the one bog standard model. Any 70s P with Jazz pup has had one added at a later date, and so it would be up to the person who installed it what the switching arrangements were. Simply adding another volume pot was what most people seem to have opted for, a la the Jazz bass.

Assuming the Precision pup is still original, it'll still sound the same as it did when it left the factory when soloed.

Edit: Oh, another thing to consider is where the Jazz pickup has been placed, as this will affect the sound from that pickup.

Edited April 15, 2013 by Musky

[iiipopes]

Short answer: if it has been wired like a Jazz bass, i.e., V-V-T, yes. Just turn down the bridge pickup all the way.

[Lynottfan]

This is one of the all time hotrod mods to a Precision, Norman Watt-roy had it, Phil Lynott later on had it, Trevor Bolder the list goes on, you says its on a 78 P? Bottom line you will get a normal P bass sound, as Musky said the "standard" was to just add another volume pot, when used together you do get a nice mellow sound, worth ago.

[Papabull]

thanks to all for your responses. would the fact that this has been modified either detract from the bass or devalue it?. Maybe I'm turning into some kind of a purist!!

[Musky]

Mods like this usually devalue Fenders in cash terms, even when they increase the utility of the bass. Go figure.

[Fat Rich]

Adding a Jazz pickup is a useful mod but it will definitely knock a lot off the value of the bass, even if it's been done well. On the plus side there are quite a few around and you should be able to pick one up at least £500 less than a clean vintage unmodified bass.

Another thing to beware with late seventies Fenders, some are fearsomely heavy and have a scooped tone that doesn't (in my opinion) work so well in a band situation as a lighter, more middy sounding one..... although you can make them work with some careful EQing.

In my experience the lighter the Fender, the more resonant it sounds and the better it fits in the mix.

[iiipopes]

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1366100362' post='2048197']In my experience the lighter the Fender, the more resonant it sounds and the better it fits in the mix.
[/quote]
+1!
Caveat: if the body is too light, you might have to change out the traditional tuners for ultralights in order to cure neck dive. But if the bass has already been "devalued" with the addition of a bridge pickup, then it's already a "player" bass and will benefit.

[Fat Rich]

[quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1366131201' post='2048774']
+1!
Caveat: if the body is too light, you might have to change out the traditional tuners for ultralights in order to cure neck dive. But if the bass has already been "devalued" with the addition of a bridge pickup, then it's already a "player" bass and will benefit.
[/quote]

True, mine are all neck heavy. A grippy strap cures that for me.