The joy of the J

[Supernaut]

It's like a P but easier to play. 
 

Also, more EQ options. 😁

[wintoid]

And balance was restored in the universe

[ezbass]

1 minute ago, Supernaut said:

It's like a P but easier to play. 
 

Also, more EQ options. 😁

Although it is quite a bit bigger than a P and, for some, can feel a bit clumsy. The reduced size of the Sadowsky and Lakland variants addresses this potential issue. I prefer the offset styling myself, as they're the same on the knee as on the strap. 

[Lozz196]

I’ve never been able to get a Jazz to work for me in a band setting, probably because when I hear me playing I’m expecting to hear a Precision. I can get pretty near but it’s just not quite enough. That said I love Jazz basses, just bought one recently off of here, a great 2015 and it’s getting a lot of use at the moment.

[acidbass]

Went back to J with flats for most of my live gigs and wow, what a tone!

[ubit]

I have a few of both and I am happy.

[Newfoundfreedom]

I don't think I've ever even picked one up. 

[Reggaebass]

Jazzes and precision’s are pretty much all I play now, when I go into my bass room I will always pick up a jazz first, and then the P, the key for me is finding the sweet spot on a jazz  which suits what you’re playing at the time 

 

26 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

but easier to play

out of interest what makes it easier to play for you 

[nilorius]

When i was younger and had more gigs, i bought Fender MIM jazz and felt it much better to play than with precission. Finally i went up to Fender Jaco model and played it a lot. After i bought Ibanez GWB1005, i only use my Jaco for rock.

Edited May 27, 2022 by nilorius

[ped]

60s jazz basses I just don’t like, I’ve tried so many but feel the top end sounds a bit honky and I can never hear them very well live (my experience anyway, probably down to other factors maybe)

 

70s jazz spacing though totally changes things for me. I love that 3D sound, the growl and bite. Sounds so much more articulate to me than the former. 

[fretmeister]

37 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Although it is quite a bit bigger than a P and, for some, can feel a bit clumsy. The reduced size of the Sadowsky and Lakland variants addresses this potential issue. I prefer the offset styling myself, as they're the same on the knee as on the strap. 

 

This. It's why my J is a Sandberg.

[Grassie]

Love a big fat J.

 

🔥

[Ed_S]

The neck on a 4 string J is just too skinny for my tastes, but the neck on a 5 string P is like a medieval weapon and all the body dimensions just look jarringly wrong; it's like somebody took a picture and stretched it sideways instead of scaling it from the corner. To my eye, the offset J lends itself much better to being a bit wider... even if it doesn't sit properly on a stand. So my particular joy would be a 4 string P and a 5 string J.

 

Of course there's the matter of the Vol/Vol/Tone control layout, which really needs changing to Vol/Blend/Tone to be any use to me live as I like a single volume control. But then that's no major task since taking the bell-plate off a J to make adjustments or see why your bass isn't making any noise is much easier than taking the whole front off a P. Swings and roundabouts. Or should that be rotosounds?

[SurroundedByManatees]

1 hour ago, acidbass said:

Went back to J with flats for most of my live gigs and wow, what a tone!

Totally agree. A Jazz with flats (I use la Bella) has a bit more meat imo than a jazz with rounds. I really enjoy how it sounds and sits in the mix.

[SteveH]

39 minutes ago, SurroundedByManatees said:

Totally agree. A Jazz with flats (I use la Bella) has a bit more meat imo than a jazz with rounds. I really enjoy how it sounds and sits in the mix.

Agree with you on the statement, that a jazz with flats, sits in the mix much better. I've just put Labella 760FL on my Sandberg TT4 passive, and it sounds really beefy, but has great definition, especially if you just blend the bridge pickup in a touch.

[SurroundedByManatees]

I also use the 760fl set. Mostly I play with both pickups full for some nice punch. But with the neck pickup solood, it's steady enough as a P imitation for rock classics.

 

Years ago used to be all about stainless steel rounds on a jazz, now I have 3 jazzes with la bella flats and one with nps rounds... Things have changed.

[Maude]

Too complicated! 😐

[Jonesy]

I prefer the neck of a J, but the sound of a P. J's are a bit too thin sounding for me, but a series/parallel switch sorts that out.

[Boodang]

Get your J and put the pickups in series!

[BreadBin]

7 hours ago, Grassie said:

Love a big fat J.

 

🔥

This was what I was expecting 🤣

[Bassfinger]

Best to cover all bases and have one of each. Or more.

[Greg.Bassman]

I appreciate a jazz 🙂. I have played different brands, mexican mades and american mades etc… always felt good with one. A lot of my influences have played jazzes, like Jaco, Geddy and Marcus etc 🙂.

[Dan Dare]

Me too. The first bass I really wanted was a J. I picked up a '72 in a hock shop many years ago for not a lot and it's been my main instrument since. I have flirted with others, but always come back to it. Sounds wonderful with D'Addario Chromes.

[chris_b]

I'd question that a Jazz is an "easier" bass to play than a Precision.

 

If anyone finds a Precision more difficult, they need to work harder on their technique.

[Lozz196]

I find that on quicker complex material my fingers fall all over themselves on a Jazz. This is probably due to my many years on Precisions so I’m used to the extra space.