P with J neck ? Fender/Squier vs Warwick vs G&L vs ???

[Looper]

Why don't fender make more specials? Wouldn't be hard to offer jazz necks on P's, P necks on jazzes and P/J pick ups on either. All they'd have to do is swap bits in the factory and whack £50 on. Most of their specials are artist series which seem pricey and it's off putting if you're not a fan.

[Monckyman]

I use as my main gigging bass an 1982 Hohner P with a 2007 Fender min neck.
Fits perfectly and plays well.

[cocco]

Definately G&L SB-2 for me. What a sound! I don't know what to compare it to but it's incredible, maybe not a true representation of a P but still well worth a look.

[6v6]

Bit of an unusual suggestion for you, but when I went looking for a playable bass with a p-ish tone on a budget, I ended up with an Ibanez SR500 - the neck is thin and very comfortable, action is set low from the factory, and on the neck pickup with a bit of bass-boost on the active eq, IMO it does a pretty passable impression of the P-bass tone.

That said, I'm still hankering for a "real" P, so I think it's worth deciding if you care about the look and feel of a Fender or just the tone (I figured out too late that I really want both, although I still think the SR is great for the money)

Also FYI I noticed there is an American Deluxe P with a retrofit Jazz neck on a well known auction site atm (no affiliation with the seller, I just spotted it while browsing)

[hamfist]

Thanks. Good suggestions from all. Just FYI, I have a G&L SB2 and a Blacktop Jazz on their way to me. Hopefully, one of those should fit the bill. For some reason I seem to want to buy new on this one. That may be because I suspect that I may well go through a few basses before I find what I'm looking for. Thank God for the distance selling regulations, and return policies !

[Muzz]

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1358357016' post='1937746']
INteresting. Do you know if the Warwick "P" pickup is the same exact size and shape as the Fender ones ? ie. are they interchangeable with std aftermarket P pickups ?
[/quote]

I've got a pair of Wizard (Big) P/J pickups (a Thumper and a 84, IIRC) in my 93 Fortress, they fit just fine, and really bring the P/J tone: they're ballsy pickups, and I've mentioned in a few 'tonewood' discussions how close a Maple-bodied, Wenge-necked bass can sound to an Ash-bodied, Maple-necked one. The all-wenge neck's the fastest and slimmest I've played on a bass, too. That Just-a-nut thingy's a fantastic idea - I can get the action down to 3/4 of bugger all.

Edited January 18, 2013 by Muzz

[hamfist]

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1358500997' post='1940207']
I've got a pair of Wizard (Big) P/J pickups (a Thumper and a 84, IIRC) in my 93 Fortress, they fit just fine, and really bring the P/J tone: they're ballsy pickups, and I've mentioned in a few 'tonewood' discussions how close a Maple-bodied, Wenge-necked bass can sound to an Ash-bodied, Maple-necked one. The all-wenge neck's the fastest and slimmest I've played on a bass, too. That Just-a-nut thingy's a fantastic idea - I can get the action down to 3/4 of bugger all.
[/quote]

Cool. that's good information to know. The Warwick P/J basses have definitely been on my radar, but I was concerned about how "precision-like" they would be with the MEC pickups. To know that a swifty pickup change to a quarter pounder or something like that is a possibility with the Warwick is re-assuring

[Muzz]

Yeah, I never liked the MECs much. . I think that the 'bigger' sounding the pickups which go into the bass (and the Wizard Bigs are, well, Big...), the more the bass will sound like those pickups. Makes sense, really. It's certainly what I've found - it's been a while since I A-B'd the two basses (I don't play the Warwick much these days), but at the time I think I said they (the Fortress and a Precision with P/J pickups) sounded 90% the same when soloed, and as soon as the band kicks in, they sound the same.

[danhkr]

I've got an early 90's MIJ Fender P-Bass Lyte which is active with P/J pickups and a J-style neck. Lovely basses these and as the name suggests, very very lightweight as well.