chrisanthony1211 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I have a P bass, I have a J Bass, I don't have a PJ, am I missing out, what's the deal with these, are they worth having? Are they really the best of both? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) I recently breifly owned a Harley Benton PJ4 and it was my first PJ. I've never owned one before for the purely shallow reason that I always thought they didn't really work aesthetically... something just doesn't look quite right about them to my eyes, they look unbalanced. Anyway, sillyness aside, it was a very versatile instrument. If you already have a J and a P and are prepared to change basses then I wouldn't say there is any real need for a PJ as well but as a one bass solution they make sense. The neck pickup of a jazz just doesnt give the same plumby lows that a P pickup does and it's great to be able to solo that bridge pickup for classic jazz bite. I like them ... although I still think they look weird... Edited July 8, 2015 by CamdenRob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krispn Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Spelling error - it's craic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 No you're not missing anything. I don't see any benefit in playing a PJ. I have 2 and don't use the J on either. I understand why people think that a more versitile P bass is a good thing, but then I don't understand why people don't appreciate a P bass for the unique thing that it does. If you think your P bass is missing something, get a better one. A Jazz or any other 2 pickup bass seems to be a much better platform for getting a versatile sound. I added a J to a P bass and it didn't improve the tone half as much as I was expecting/hoping. In the end it was a waste of money and effort. My Lakland gets a much better and more impressive range of tones. Just my 2 p. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I have a PJ and usually solo the P pup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Apple Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 My Spector has a PJ and I think it gives greater versatility. I'm not keen on the B pup solo'd as it's too boxy for me. I like the front with just a bit of back end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I use a PJ bass mainly. The J pickup doesn't add much depend on your purpose of use. Don't expect the tone will be jazz type with thunder p bass low ..... In fact by adding the J pickup on the bridge the overall tone scoop abit in my ears. I usually solo the pickup and dial in the J pickup when I want a scoop tone or slap stuff. It also gives me the option to solo the J for hat bridge snappy tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si600 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I've got an Aria PJ with EMG pups that mostly stays at home and a Fender P that mostly comes to rehearsal. I like the P tone on both, but I also like blending the J to give it a bit of mid/treble clank. I'm considering PJ ing the Fender, but I'm not sure I can bring myself to do it to a bass that cost me nearly £900! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I have a Fender Precision Lyte, which is a P/J. The P isn't quite a vintage P tone, nor the J a vintage J tone - the blend is a bit burpy but not classic J blend. So a bit of everything but mainly its own self. Which is actually very nice. I particularly like the blended tone, has some definite character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 [quote name='krispn' timestamp='1436338367' post='2817118'] Spelling error - it's craic [/quote] It originated as 'crack' in Northern England and Scotland. The Irish borrowed it, and it became 'craic' in the 70s. It then made its way in Gaelic form back to the UK. It's still 'crack' around our way. Just sayin'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 As for the PJ.. I'm a P guy, but I've got a fair bit of work with a function band who do some tunes that cry out for bridge pickup burp. My Maruszczyk PJ has Haussel pickups which are specifically matched - I run it as a P most of the time, but the J comes in handy for those tunes. I rarely run the P & J pups wide open. It's just not my thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 [quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1436354387' post='2817351'] As for the PJ.. I'm a P guy, but I've got a fair bit of work with a function band who do some tunes that cry out for bridge pickup burp. [/quote] Same for me. We had a few songs in our set that the P alone just couldn't pull off convincingly - well, 99% wouldn't notice but it bothered me! A Yamaha BB424 did the job admirably, and still let me use the classic P sound for most of the gig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
40hz Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I must be the only one who loves the sound of both pickups on full on a PJ bass! Fat, crisp, best of both worlds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 If you must add a bridge pickup to a Precision, I recommend a big fat MM-style humbucker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Could you have a P in the Fender sweet spot, a J by the bridge and a MM Style humbucker in the MM sweetspot? or would that all clash... could have a bass that does it all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) - Edited February 22, 2022 by Jus Lukin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlfer Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Love my P/J. P pup on full, J pick up around 70% on, all the rest done on the tone control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul h Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I'm a big PJ fan. Normally everything up full. Tweak the volume knobs to suit the song/room etc. Also the J gives me somewhere to rest my thumb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si600 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Alternatively, has anyone got a Delano Hybrid in a P bass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 If you`ve a function type band or a covers band and you`re trying to get as near as possible to the tones of the original tracks a P/J configuration is worth having. That said, how many people would really notice aside from any other bassists in the room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomBass Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 [quote name='40hz' timestamp='1436358981' post='2817445'] I must be the only one who loves the sound of both pickups on full on a PJ bass! Fat, crisp, best of both worlds! [/quote] I'm with you there. My PJ controls are vol, tone and pup selector switch, so its full on P, full on J or full on both and nothing in between. Wasn't sure about that at first - but that was couple years ago and now I cant do without Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 You need to have a meaty J pickup for the combo to sound it's best. The Yamaha BBs sound great with the switch in the middle position for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el borracho Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I have only had PJ on one bass, an 81 Ibanez that I've had for 30 years. After 20 years of EMGs I have just returned it to standard so the pickup switch is back. I used to use the J pickup as a standby so it will be interesting to try it out again in a band situation and see if I still feel the same way, I suspect it will be the same as after years of using active basses I have come full circle and mainly use Precisions again. Watch this space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil.c60 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 My gigging bass is a Fender Hot Rod Precision bass from the late nineties, the bass that everyone seems to love to hate. Natural ash body, original pick-ups, still Vol Vol Tone. I usually run 95% P, a touch of J and the tone rolled off ( I like that thunpy sound) and with monel flats. Works for me. I've never had anyone say anything negative, but plenty of people (mostly guitarists, to be fair and what do they know) say it sounds great. It's also quite light, especially compared to my '79 Jazz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) It took me over 20 years to join the PJ club. I'm a P Bass player at heart, but I love adding the Jazz pickup for tunes that require it, there is a special tone that comes from two pickups running in parallel. I never use the J on its own on my current PJ, but I'm so glad it's there. On my incoming PJ I may use the bridge in its own from time to time as it sounded great in the demo video. Edited July 9, 2015 by Chiliwailer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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