bassjamm Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Oi oi people, I'm thinking about getting my Highway One Precision made into a P/J. It's something I've been throwing around in my head for years. This isn't something i'm 100% sure about doing yet. I simply love my P bass just the way it is. But I've hankered after some Jazz honk for yonks. So, in an effort to appease that, I finally bought a Jazz bass last week (which is a beauty). However...one week on, and oodles of bass lines later...I still find myself smiling more when I'm playing my P bass. Don't get me wrong, the Jazz is AWESOME - it does things the P never could - but, it seems I'm a P bass fanboy at heart. ...cutting a long-winded story a little bit short... I'm thinking about biting the bullet and having the Precision P/J'd. Couple of questions/concerns...[list=1] [*]Will I lose any of my basses current tone if I simply add J pup at the bridge? I'm guessing not, because I could always dial roll the Jazz pickup off and go with the P pup solo'd, right? [*]What pickup would be a good pair with the Kent Armstrong Hot Vintage P pup? Or, would I be best off installing a pair of new pickups that are more suited together, rather than trying to marry something to the Kent Armstrong pup? [/list] On the "which pickup" front...I'm definitely after traditional tones. And I'm not sure why, but I'm quite taken with the thought of Aguilar or Nordstrand pickups. In fact, I see both do P/J sets ready made. Anyway, I guess I'm kind of just looking for some input from you kind folks. And I thank you in advance for any thoughts you might have. Thanks for reading, and have a good one. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 You certainly won't lose what you have got as you point out, the J pickup can be dialed out. If it were me I'd ask Aaron Armstrong, ( of Kent Armstrong fame), to make a J pickup to your requirements. He will obviously know all about the Hot Vintage and can suggest a suitable partner or you tell him what you want and he'll make it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassjamm Posted July 30, 2016 Author Share Posted July 30, 2016 That sounds like a cracking idea. Hadn't thought of doing that. Thanks pal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 (edited) It's cheaper and easier to do this in steps. I'd find the best P bass pickup (I chose Bartolini) and put that in, maybe also change the pots and the cap. Play the bass like that for a few months to see what you think. I changed the P pickup on my bass and loved it. I then put the J in and got about 10% improvement. Not what I was expecting and certainly not worth the money. My experience was I got 90% of the improvement with about 30% of the cost. IME in terms of the tone the other 70% was wasted money. For me the bottom line is, if you want a Jazz bass sound I'd recommend getting a Jazz bass. Edited July 30, 2016 by chris_b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassjamm Posted July 31, 2016 Author Share Posted July 31, 2016 I see where you're coming from there chris_b. As I said in my original post, I've bought a jazz, but I keep coming back to my P bass. And I love my P bass as it is. I'd just like the option to have some of that Jazz bass honk I suppose. That's what's got me thinking about the pickup addition. Adding the extra pickup must give me that honk. Surely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 (edited) I agree with Chris ; it just didn't work for me, it sounded a bit weedy I'm selling a p plate with an extra hole if you do try it? Edited July 31, 2016 by Geek99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 ..."[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Will I lose any of my basses current tone if I simply add J pup at the bridge?"[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Adding a vol pot and J pickup to the circuit will change the impedance/loading on the P pickup and the soloed P will sound slightly different. Quite subtle but it won;t be exactly the same.[/font][/color] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 [quote name='ikay' timestamp='1469953256' post='3102179'] ..."[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Will I lose any of my basses current tone if I simply add J pup at the bridge?"[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Adding a vol pot and J pickup to the circuit will change the impedance/loading on the P pickup and the soloed P will sound slightly different. Quite subtle but it won;t be exactly the same.[/font][/color] [/quote] Clearly this is the case with a blend pot. Any idea if the same applies with a three-way switch? I've never been quite sure... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schnozzalee Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 I think the problem with a P/J Bass is the same as a HSS Stratocaster - The pickups don't balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 [quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1469953652' post='3102184'] Clearly this is the case with a blend pot. Any idea if the same applies with a three-way switch? I've never been quite sure... [/quote] Adding a 3-way DPDT switch to select P - PJ - J before the existing vol/tone controls would work. In the P position the J would be entirely out of circuit and there'd be no additional pot to affect the pickup loading. Yamaha do this with a lot of their P/Js (BB series etc). With a well matched set of pickups this can work really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 [quote name='bassjamm' timestamp='1469923658' post='3102092'] As I said in my original post, I've bought a jazz, but I keep coming back to my P bass. And I love my P bass as it is. I'd just like the option to have some of that Jazz bass honk I suppose. That's what's got me thinking about the pickup addition. Adding the extra pickup must give me that honk. Surely. [/quote] Sorry. . . reread your post. My only suggestion is that the sound of a Jazz bass is the sum of both pickups and a PJ will sound like a P with a little extra, rather than sounding anything like J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 I'd take both basses out.... If you feel you want both basses covered. I don't hear I want anything the jazz doesn't give me and I do have a nice thump from it, but if I didn't have that on the bass and wanted it in a track... I'd have a p configuration. It is always a question of pot luck with these things so maybe you just have to go for it. But you should chat with arron Armstrong about pickup options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1469963623' post='3102285'] Sorry. . . reread your post. My only suggestion is that the sound of a Jazz bass is the sum of both pickups and a PJ will sound like a P with a little extra, rather than sounding anything like J. [/quote] Have to agree here. I've got a P, a PJ and jazz. They're all different. The PJ is nearer to a P than a jazz. With a PJ the bridge jazz pup seems feeble compared to the P pup and the sound has a distinct P-bass thump. The addition of the bridge pup could very easily be a disappointment. I've found this on Warwick and G&L basses, so it's not only a cheap thrown-together bass either. The Jazz tone is a more relaxed, more laid-back tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 I used to have a Fender Aerodyne Jazz bass - P/J config. The J pickup was a tad weak so I swapped it out for a Seymour Duncan Hot Stack, same as Duf McKagan uses. Instant change, much better depth of sound, plus hum-cancelling too. I think this is the way forward, have a more powerful J pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero9 Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 Buy a PJ. It'll be cheaper in the long run and doesn't devalue your current P. If then you think the PJ sound is a bit meh for you, you can alway move it on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 Make sure you have a blend control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nash Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 I'll be aquiring a Mexican Pbass this week and I'll be Pjing it. My personal view is the the P pickup if for the main body of the tone and the J sits there slightly in the background picking up what the P misses and gives a rounder more solid sound. It's only for live. On record it's a straight P bass every time. Pickups wise I'm thinking Aguilar with a 60's P and a 70's J. Reason behind it is that I think it'll sound more accurate to what the 60's P's sounded like when they were modded In the 70's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nash Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 Also the controls will be Volume and pickup blend. No need for side jack drilling. Just the J routing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1469920838' post='3102078'] ...if you want a Jazz bass sound I'd recommend getting a Jazz bass. [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebenezer Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 I have heard the dimarzio dp 123 is a good full sounding pickup in the bridge position and also humcancelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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