GD89 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 cool man, cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willyf87 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 [quote name='wateroftyne' post='1090018' date='Jan 14 2011, 11:52 PM']But then I pick up the P, and... BOOM! J's just don't have that wallop.[/quote] I completely agree with this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 [quote name='wateroftyne' post='1090018' date='Jan 14 2011, 11:52 PM']I always think my J sounds like a P when I solo the neck pickup. It's a great sound. But then I pick up the P, and... BOOM! J's just don't have that wallop.[/quote] J neck pickups never have the balls of a P in my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Low End Bee Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Jazzes go plinky-plunk and Precisions go thumpity thump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MythSte Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 P's kinda go VVVvvvvvv J's kinda go Dnggggggg IMO etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 These days, if I hit a bum note at rehearsal, I tell the others: "That's why it's called a Precision". There was a (short) period when, if I hit a bum note at rehearsal, I used to tell the others: "Now [b][i]that's [/i][/b]Jazz". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 [quote name='GD89' post='1091272' date='Jan 16 2011, 12:32 PM']I play in a punk/ska band, i've been playing a musicman sterling for a couple of years. Im in the process of selling it and purchasing either an american standard jazz or p-bass. I've tried them both out and im thinking about going for the P-bass, I've got a decent rig so it'll sound awesome and all the records I've heard with a p-bass bass on it sounds in my mind exactly how a bass should sound. so, for the type of music I play, what you reckon, P-bass or Jazz??[/quote] I play in a punk band, with just one guitarist, I've had a mim jazz, a stingray, now I've got a MIA P, I don't bother looking at other basses anymore, says it all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 (edited) Remarkable consensus so far: [b]Precision[/b] [list] [*]slightly clankier and less focussed sound but with a bit more bottom end [*]big traditional boots [*]a full rich tone with great presence [*]a 'fruity' richness [*]rough, dirty, solid [*]very 'direct' and 'mellow' [*]thick, heavy on the fundamental [*]Precisions explode [*]that (Precision) wallop. [*]Guinness - rich and full bodied [*]Precisions go thumpity thump [*]P's kinda go VVVvvvvvv [*]A P goes 'Womp!" [/list] [b]Jazz[/b] [list] [*]slightly more refined particularly in the mids [*]big traditional shoes [*]far more middy [*]an edgy rasp [*]Neck pup jazz = smooth, clean, hollow [*]the J has the ability to 'spread' it's tone. [*]Jazz's sparkle [*]lager & lime - cuts through nicely [*]Jazzes go plinky-plunk [*]J's kinda go Dnggggggg [*]A Jazz goes 'Wooomp" [/list] Edited January 17, 2011 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Precisions go [i]FLOOBADOOBAPOPPITYSHAZUMP[/i] Jazzes go [i]PEWPEWPEWTAPPAMAPPAGAGGLEMOP[/i] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 My take is a P sound slike a MW radio station, middy, not really sparkling although enough highs to do the job, and a Jazz (with neck soloed) more FM. deeper lows and brighter highs, but less mid range, like having the contour or loudness button on. FWIW, i have both CV P and Jazz, made out of the same wood, and both sound the same unplugged to my ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Low End Bee Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Also Jazz basses have the word 'Jazz' written on them. Just like a Honda Jazz. They should therefore be avoided as they probably smell of wee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 For me Precisions are a bit [attachment=69131:P.mp3] while Jazzes are more [attachment=69129:J.mp3] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 [quote name='skankdelvar' post='1092466' date='Jan 17 2011, 01:38 PM']Remarkable consensus so far: [b]Precision[/b] [list] [*]slightly clankier and less focussed sound but with a bit more bottom end [*]big traditional boots [*]a full rich tone with great presence [*]a 'fruity' richness [*]rough, dirty, solid [*]very 'direct' and 'mellow' [*]thick, heavy on the fundamental [*]Precisions explode [*]that (Precision) wallop. [*]Guinness - rich and full bodied [*]Precisions go thumpity thump [*]P's kinda go VVVvvvvvv [*]A P goes 'Womp!" [/list] [b]Jazz[/b] [list] [*]slightly more refined particularly in the mids [*]big traditional shoes [*]far more middy [*]an edgy rasp [*]Neck pup jazz = smooth, clean, hollow [*]the J has the ability to 'spread' it's tone. [*]Jazz's sparkle [*]lager & lime - cuts through nicely [*]Jazzes go plinky-plunk [*]J's kinda go Dnggggggg [*]A Jazz goes 'Wooomp" [/list][/quote] It's hilarious isn't it. The techie chat that goes on on this site about various properties of wood, pups, electronics, hardware, amplification, onboard and outboard toneshaping, compression (hello 51m0n ), cable type and length, not forgetting the bloody money we spend on all this sh*t! And this is the best we can come up with Then, Musicman20 posts a link to the incredible MusicMan Game Changer and it gets mostly slagged off by people who think it's complicated and has too many options and it will piss sound engineers off! HAHAHA! It just goes to show what crap is spoken about bass timbre. [i]"Dear Mr Shuker, I have £2.5k to spend on a bass. Would you kindly make me one please, it must have many stripes of wood, one of them swirly daftwood tops, and it must sound like Guinness, NOT the lager and lime sound because it won't suit my band whose style of music I can't describe because we are unique but we are told we sound just like the Chili Peppers."[/i] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mart Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 [quote name='Ou7shined' post='1092573' date='Jan 17 2011, 02:56 PM']For me Precisions are a bit [attachment=69131:P.mp3] while Jazzes are more [attachment=69129:J.mp3][/quote] Were those recorded with the bass going straight into your PC? Otherwise you're going to have to tell us what amp and settings you used! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 [quote name='silddx' post='1092590' date='Jan 17 2011, 03:11 PM']The techie chat that goes on on this site about various properties of wood, pups, electronics, hardware, amplification, onboard and outboard toneshaping, compression (hello 51m0n ), cable type and length, not forgetting the bloody money we spend on all this sh*t! And this is the best we can come up with [/quote] I dont know whether to laugh or cry Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 [quote name='skankdelvar' post='1092466' date='Jan 17 2011, 01:38 PM']Remarkable consensus so far: [b]Precision[/b] [list] [*]slightly clankier and less focussed sound but with a bit more bottom end [*]big traditional boots [*]a full rich tone with great presence [*]a 'fruity' richness [*]rough, dirty, solid [*]very 'direct' and 'mellow' [*]thick, heavy on the fundamental [*]Precisions explode [*]that (Precision) wallop. [*]Guinness - rich and full bodied [*]Precisions go thumpity thump [*]P's kinda go VVVvvvvvv [*]A P goes 'Womp!" [/list] [b]Jazz[/b] [list] [*]slightly more refined particularly in the mids [*]big traditional shoes [*]far more middy [*]an edgy rasp [*]Neck pup jazz = smooth, clean, hollow [*]the J has the ability to 'spread' it's tone. [*]Jazz's sparkle [*]lager & lime - cuts through nicely [*]Jazzes go plinky-plunk [*]J's kinda go Dnggggggg [*]A Jazz goes 'Wooomp" [/list][/quote] So if we where to then break each instrument down into MIM, M/CIJ, MIA etc, we would be producing a large document (unless all the words apply across the board, in which case im glad ive only MIM and MIJ) To add another thought to the original question .. I have a nice jazz bass here which I never take to gig as I feel so comfortable on a P bass, and love the sound, but I decided to play out with my jazz this weekend just to do it cause I never do I shocked myself, at home, and through phones, my P basses sound so much righter than the J, but in a band situation the Jazz was very impressive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 To stick my oar in for the OP I think its all about the pickups, their positions and the electronics (yes even on these passive ones). Take a pair of body blanks for a J and pair for a P, all the same wood, plus assorted guff to make bassesd from them. Build one of each with the right pups and electrics in (ie P pup in {P body, J pup in J body). With the second of each blank put the 'wrong' electrics & pup in ( in the righ tplaces for the pups in question). I havent done this, because I'm not that bothered, but I would bet that the J body with the P pup would sound like a P, and vice versa.... The sound you hear is what the pups detect, amplified, which is hugely influenced by their design, and what the amp recieves, which is the sum of the pups and the electronics. They recieve a signal from a vibrating string. How that string vibrates (ie how much energy is retained within the string) is influencd by the design and construction of the bass. But, nowhere near as much as the electronics and pups IMO (assuming any two comparisons are with well put together basses) IMO. Anyone suggesting the wood has a bigger part to play in the amplified sound has been eating the funny mushrooms IMO.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 [quote name='51m0n' post='1092668' date='Jan 17 2011, 04:06 PM']Anyone suggesting the wood has a bigger part to play in the amplified sound has been eating the funny mushrooms IMO....[/quote] Obviously woods have specific acoustic tone, which can be deep and beautiful or hollow and dead, but I have often wondered how, if at all, this can find its way into the string vibrations and therefore into the picked up signal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Here`s the easy answer to the question. They do sound different but the main point is what one do YOU prefer. Go to the guitar shop, play a Jazz, a P, a MM etc and buy the one that suits you best regarding sound, weight, cost, look........ Easy peasy! Jez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShergoldSnickers Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 [quote name='lojo' post='1092684' date='Jan 17 2011, 04:22 PM']Obviously woods have specific acoustic tone, which can be deep and beautiful or hollow and dead, but I have often wondered how, if at all, this can find its way into the string vibrations and therefore into the picked up signal[/quote] The key is the relationship between the pickup(s) and the strings and their being fixed* to a flexing mechanical structure. The body vibrates, imparting movement on the pickup. The string vibrates, in relation to the pickup, which is also moving because the body is vibrating. The neck vibrates and flexes, affecting both the strings and the body. And so it goes round in circles, each part affect the other. It's complex stuff. The internal structure of the woods used will affect the modes of vibration, and how each part affects the whole structure. Whether this is distinctly audible enough to impart enough of an instantly recognisable character will depend on the design of the bass and the woods used. *Fixed may be the wrong word, as in some designs they are loosely fixed, in others more rigidly so. This will affect the microphonic nature of the pickup, and again how much body vibration is transferred to the output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceH Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 [quote name='51m0n' post='1092668' date='Jan 17 2011, 04:06 PM']Anyone suggesting the wood has a bigger part to play in the amplified sound has been eating the funny mushrooms IMO....[/quote] But your test wouldn't address this issue because a P and a J are made of the same woods so of course it's going to sound really similar! And the pickups aren't really all that different either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 [quote name='LawrenceH' post='1093221' date='Jan 17 2011, 10:24 PM']And the pickups aren't really all that different either...[/quote] Really? Are you sure about that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 [quote name='LawrenceH' post='1093221' date='Jan 17 2011, 10:24 PM']But your test wouldn't address this issue because a P and a J are made of the same woods so of course it's going to sound really similar! And the pickups aren't really all that different either...[/quote] But the pickups are different enough - one humcancelling split-coil versus a pair of single-coils - to make the difference in sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 The main thing you have all missed is a P Bass is played with a plectrum and a Jazz is played finger style obviously MM for slap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 [quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1093233' date='Jan 17 2011, 10:34 PM']The main thing you have all missed is a P Bass is played with a plectrum ....[/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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