Why Do You Prefer a Jazz Over a Precision?

[warwickhunt]

I much prefer a Precision! Mine is dead lightweight, has the skinniest neck and is never dull and thuddy... Oh and did I mention it was a thru-neck and is active!





OK I'm extracting the urine but it begs the question 'What defines something as a 'Precision' bass'? Does it have to be by Fender? Is it compulsory to be passive? Have the name Precision written on it? Is it the outline shape that makes it a Precision or the pup mounted on that body? Is it still a Precision if someone makes it in the classic P bass shape with the appropriate pup but makes it neck-thru?

Answers on the back of a postage stamp.

[HMX]

Love the articulate and more versatile tone from the jazz. Found the Precision neck to be too chunky for my womanly hands too.

[son of frog]

[quote name='mcnach' post='1035514' date='Nov 24 2010, 07:42 PM']But... you're just talking about the set-up of the bass
Good that you found one that straight away was set up how *you* like it, but you could get another one set up similarly... could you not?[/quote]

Well... I believe i also mentioned that the neck was a completely different thickness... ...which really puts Fender in the frame, seems they cant make the same bass twice perfect, They were both nice to play, but despite this everything about my own was better... haha

[Count Bassie]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='1035728' date='Nov 24 2010, 05:50 PM']I much prefer a Precision! Mine is dead lightweight, has the skinniest neck and is never dull and thuddy... Oh and did I mention it was a thru-neck and is active!





OK I'm extracting the urine but it begs the question 'What defines something as a 'Precision' bass'? Does it have to be by Fender? Is it compulsory to be passive? Have the name Precision written on it? Is it the outline shape that makes it a Precision or the pup mounted on that body? Is it still a Precision if someone makes it in the classic P bass shape with the appropriate pup but makes it neck-thru?

Answers on the back of a postage stamp. [/quote]

Well, the original post was out to compare the Fender Precision and Fender Jazz.

Beautiful bass though!

Edited November 25, 2010 by Count Bassie

[icastle]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='1035728' date='Nov 24 2010, 10:50 PM']OK I'm extracting the urine[/quote]

You little tinkler you...

Edited November 25, 2010 by icastle

[simon1964]

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1035544' date='Nov 24 2010, 08:10 PM']Strange, because in my experience the P isn't dull, doesn't fart and cuts through much more effectively than a J.[/quote]

+1.

JJ Burnell's tone could hardly be described as dull and farty!

[jjojjas]

I have hands like shovels and I just can't get on with the wide neck of the P. Thats about it really for me. I accept they both have their own unique sound, and visually I love the look of the J, but playability means a lot to me and I guess I'm just not as adaptable as some....the J it is for me. I had a lush P, looked and sounded great....but I couldn't get on with the neck so it went.

Edited November 27, 2010 by jjojjas

[LemonCello]

Interesting thread this. Having just read it in it's entirety (yeah I know I should get out more), it seems just to boil down to how the thing feels in your hands and the sound you prefer. I'm hardly qualified to comment owning a VMJ and a Squier P, but I have just ordered a Roger Waters P so it will be interesting to compare and contrast. I do think that the way a guitar is set up makes all the difference. I can get my P just the way I want it but for some reason I can't quite manage it with the VMJ.

Off topic, I was browsing in my local music shop today and saw a '73 Jazz all original, in fact it looked like it had never been played. Price, a cool £3,300!!! You'd hope it was one of the better made ones for that!

Beautiful bound fingerboard. One day...

LC

[mcnach]

[quote name='jjojjas' post='1038511' date='Nov 27 2010, 05:44 AM']I have hands like shovels and I just can't get on with the wide neck of the P. Thats about it really for me. I accept they both have their own unique sound, and visually I love the look of the J, but playability means a lot to me and I guess I'm just not as adaptable as some....the J it is for me. I had a lush P, looked and sounded great....but I couldn't get on with the neck so it went.
[/quote]


as a selfconfessed P-bass hater... I must admit that the looks of that bass make me want to reassess my position. what a beauty!

[Cat Burrito]

Being a Jazz fan who has always struggled with the neck profile, I'm loving my new (to me - 1976) Jazz with the Precision neck. I'll be interested to see if it gives my usual arsenal of Precisions a run for their money in 2011

[machinehead]

I love both and find that I can play either equally easily.

The neck on my 51 reissue P is actually quite slim feeling and a pleasure to play. My 60s style has a very chunky neck, but I can adapt to it in a few minutes.

My US 75 reissue jazz has a slim neck but, to me, is equally easy to play.

My MIM classic 75 jazz has a neck that is slightly deeper than the 75 but is very comfortable to play for hours on end.

If forced to chose it would be jazz over P bass because of the variety of sounds from the two pick ups rather than the necks or other ergonomic features of either.

Frank.

[BT!]

the neck mainly. if i had one on my p-bass though it would rule so much harder

[Fullmetal]

I played a Precision before I got my Jazz (I was recommended it) and I wasn't especially keen on the sound. It didn't have the same growl that you get from a Jazz bass, and I wasn't entirely happy with the feel of it. I opted for a Jazz and I can safely say I won't be swapping to a Precision anytime soon.

[Busterrabbit]

[quote name='Count Bassie' post='1032611' date='Nov 22 2010, 01:52 PM']Just interested in hearing what might be chimed in, if it lines up with Why I've swapped my Precision for a Jazz. I'm happy with my decision as the Jazz feels smoother to play, sounds more effectual with my present context, and just has that more articulate, complex quality I like to hear. I love a good thud, but I am more a detail-oriented person when it comes to sound, so the Jazz makes that happen.

But if you're a Fender player and prefer the Jazz Bass, why?[/quote]

I've had a few Precisions and Jazzes over the years, including some really appalling '70's basses which although new at the time, were crap (build, tone, weight) but are apparently now vintage and desirable??

I personally prefer the J neck to the P necks I've tried, but actually feel that the original J neck is too narrow up near the headstock. Most J bass copies, including my Blade have a neck width somewhere between a P and J and that's my ideal.

I prefer the slightly more complex tone of J type basses over the P bass which I think sits better with rockier music, but there are exceptions of course. Both of my basses have Sadowsky pickups and preamp so, in my view, sound better than Fender Js anyway.

It's always horses for courses, but with so many quality basses from other builders available I wouldn't touch a Fender anything now, you can get far better elsewhere.

Basically Fender lived off their name for years building basses (and guitars) of dubious quality, now they've seen Lakland, Sadowsky, Sandberg, Yamaha, and many others selling top quality lookalike instruments for £000's they have jumped on the bandwagon with Customshop. For me it's too late I can't imagine buying a Fender again.

[Busterrabbit]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1032791' date='Nov 22 2010, 04:03 PM']I prefer the look and feel of a Jazz, but i also like the tone from a P.

Both my Jazz and P have Jazz necks so playability is pretty even. i find i get more varied tones out of the Jazz, but fill out our sound more with a P.

I'll just take whatever im in to on the day to gigs. Its only me that notices any difference.[/quote]

You've hit the nail on the head there Dave, 99% of the audience won't notice the difference, and probably 99% of the band won't either!! lol Just play what you're happy with.

[TheRockinRoadie]

I own both a Precision and a Jazz, and i feel i get on equally well with both basses. I learnt on a P-bass copy, so thats where I'm most at home.

During my band's set, i start off on the MM Jazz, then go to the Precision for the second set, and don't notice much. However - when i then go back to the Jazz for the third set, the neck feels wierd!

I find the neck on my Lakland 44-02 seems to be a good half-way point between both necks

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='Busterrabbit' post='1052529' date='Dec 9 2010, 10:53 AM']You've hit the nail on the head there Dave, 99% of the audience won't notice the difference, and probably 99% of the band won't either!! lol Just play what you're happy with.[/quote]

Yep. These days i alternate between my HW-one with XL's and my CV P with Chromes and it makes no real difference.
As both have Jazz necks on them im happy using either although i do find i tend to take the CV P more to the Social clubs. These have boomy stages and i find the P, especially with flats, tends to sound a bit clearer.

[Musicman20]

P - Feels great, sounds great, looks great.

J - Looks great, quite versatile, not as keen on the neck but Id still like to find one I get on with.

[Count Bassie]

[quote name='Busterrabbit' post='1052529' date='Dec 9 2010, 05:53 AM']You've hit the nail on the head there Dave, 99% of the audience won't notice the difference, and probably 99% of the band won't either!! lol Just play what you're happy with.[/quote]

Here's the logical end to most of these discussions!

No surprise this thread's gone on for 5 pages, it's one of those classic, eternal 'arguments'; but it's fun to get one started! Good to get a new look though at the scope of players and points of view... for me, after several weeks of having come back to a J with LaBella flats, I'm totally at home. If I have another Precision, it'll be after I get settled in with my regular 'quiver'. I'm still refinishing a Hamer mod, and found an old Yamaha BB400- a "P-Bass" really, which is very much a P-Bass... so shut my mouth, I guess! It's actually a really nice plank, a low-priced Japanese entry-level bass from around '81 or so. Doesn't sound like your standard Precision though. But I found it for $80 US, so it's in rotation as a BEAD bass while I finish up the nitro on the Hamer (another thread)...

Edited December 9, 2010 by Count Bassie

[fatback]

[quote name='Count Bassie' post='1052568' date='Dec 9 2010, 11:28 AM']Here's the logical end to most of these discussions!

No surprise this thread's gone on for 5 pages, it's one of those classic, eternal 'arguments'; but it's fun to get one started! Good to get a new look though at the scope of players and points of view... for me, after several weeks of having come back to a J with LaBella flats, I'm totally at home. If I have another Precision, it'll be after I get settled in with my regular 'quiver'. I'm still refinishing a Hamer mod, and found an old Yamaha BB400- a "P-Bass" really, which is very much a P-Bass... so shut my mouth, I guess! It's actually a really nice plank, a low-priced Japanese entry-level bass from around '81 or so. Doesn't sound like your standard Precision though. But I found it for $80 US, so it's in rotation as a BEAD bass while I finish up the nitro on the Hamer (another thread)...[/quote]


Can't let this pass, being a big fan of the old BBs. Relevant to this thread, too, as I think it may prove that it's not the neck width that makes some people unhappy with the P, but the radius. I find my BB400 flatter than the P's I've played, and that may account for how comfortable it is. And you get the benefit of wide-ish string spacing.

The impression I get about Fender Ps is that they vary a lot in profile, rather than width, and that may account for people's differing feelings about them.

You will love that BB

[Count Bassie]

[quote name='fatback' post='1052740' date='Dec 9 2010, 08:47 AM']Can't let this pass, being a big fan of the old BBs. Relevant to this thread, too, as I think it may prove that it's not the neck width that makes some people unhappy with the P, but the radius. I find my BB400 flatter than the P's I've played, and that may account for how comfortable it is. And you get the benefit of wide-ish string spacing.

The impression I get about Fender Ps is that they vary a lot in profile, rather than width, and that may account for people's differing feelings about them.

You will love that BB [/quote]

I hadn't thought of that, but yeah I really do like the BB. Better (way) than the Fender Precision I swapped the Jazz for. I had a 5-string I hated for the string spacing, and have gone through a couple basses here to get that and the neck profile right. I am in fact almost torn as to which I now like better for the neck, the Jazz or the Yamaha...

Thanks for the good word there.

Edited December 9, 2010 by Count Bassie

[danhkr]

I like both but I have a slight preference for the playability and sounds of a jazz and the styling and controls of a precision. Having said that, my Roadworn 50's P has a very big neck which I love, but for lengthy gigs I prefer a jazz neck for it's ease of use.

I recently picked up a MIM deluxe p-bass which has a jazz neck, and p and j pickups. It's also active, so although it's a precision in looks, it's a million miles away from the road worn, and cuts through and plays just like a jazz. Despite having two pickups, it's also got a single 'master' volume (another feature I prefer from a precision).

[Clarky]

[quote name='fatback' post='1052740' date='Dec 9 2010, 01:47 PM']The impression I get about Fender Ps is that they vary a lot in profile, rather than width[/quote]

Agreed, I have a Fender Pino - based on a 62RI - and an Am Vintage 62RI Precision. Yet the neck of the Pino is more comfortable to play and sits better in the hand. I think its shallower, even though the width appears identical. Which is odd, given they should be based on the same template?

[bh2]

they are two different things.

[mgibson]

Love both basses but play a Fender Jaguar, which could start a whole new thread. Personally for me the more expensive Squire Ps or like the Duelux Ps are my favourite P-basses and my favourite Jazzes are either the Marcus Miller or MiMs (although 50th anniversary was a really beutiful) and again what ever vintage basses you stumble across range from shocking to like in your pants.

Um for me, if I'm doing somthing where I'll be wandering around, really interacting with the band and the audience or just the audience if I'm on my lonesome its gotta be a Jazz type neck, pickups and tone, whereas if I'm sitting down and reading it's gonna be a P-bass. Just my opinion.