It’s Staring Fender in The Face!

[thebrig]

2 hours ago, Skybone said:

And what about those people who love the Jazz bass, but hate the neck. What about offering the P, the J or the PJ with either the P or J style necks?

 

Gibson did it with the Les Paul, by offering the thicker 50's style neck and the slimmer 60's style neck.

 

A Jazz or PJ with the P style neck would be superb.

I did mention that others love everything about a Jazz bass, but they don’t like the narrow neck, they prefer the chunkier Precision neck

[Doctor J]

Those people just need to find the P-body J-neck people and do some swapsies.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

I'm with you @thebrig. I think I started a topic on this very subject a little while ago.

I do get the argument that you can spec any P model with a J neck through a CS build, but that really jacks the price up.

Frustrated by the lack of choice and being in need of a quality P bass for a project, I ordered a Shuker in early 2021.

Being the impatient so and so I am, when I was also offered a Lakland USA 44-64 Bob Glaub earlier this year and it ticked all my boxes and I bought it.

The Lakland is really top notch and the neck is beautiful, almost a mirror image of the neck on my favourite J.

I'm still waiting for the Shuker, so that's almost certainly going to be 2022, but it will be worth the wait.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it doesn't have to be a Fender. Or maybe it does in your case? I don't know.

I think I would have to look for a significant amount of time to find a Fender P with a J neck that is significantly better than the Lakland I already have.

[Crawford13]

47 minutes ago, thebrig said:

£1,550 for the American Professional II, and yes, it's a lot of money to some, but I'm 70 and retired, I'm not rolling in money but a nice proper Fender Precision with a Jazz neck would be my final purchase in the bass department.

 

But it won't be the American Professional II because of the neck.

It's fairly common for a 2nd hand CS with a Jazz neck to come up for around the £2k mark.

 

As has been mention the deluxe P might be worth trying, I have also heard the Nate Mendel Signature model has quite a slim neck @walshywould be the man to ask about that, I believe he has one for sale just now too.

[walshy]

6 minutes ago, Crawford13 said:

It's fairly common for a 2nd hand CS with a Jazz neck to come up for around the £2k mark.

 

As has been mention the deluxe P might be worth trying, I have also heard the Nate Mendel Signature model has quite a slim neck @walshywould be the man to ask about that, I believe he has one for sale just now too.

Yeah that’s right the Nate has a 40mm nut, modelled on his 71 P bass and it’s much comfier to play. I do have one for sale atm actually mate ta. I’m also putting together a 73P with a Lakland USA Jazz neck as I kinda like that combo.

[Muzz]

Being a fan of slimmer necks, I made several bitsas with P bodies and J-width necks, then when I stepped up to the luthier domain, I found I could ask for anything I wanted, and get it made (by Jon Shuker, as it happens, but other luthiers, as they say, are available) for much less than the Fender CS would charge me for reaching across to the other shelf for a different neck and bolting that on...

 

I've even got a Shuker JJB in the offing with a slimmer-than-Jazz-width* neck...

 

 

* I have all my Shuker basses (including the neck for my Shukerbird) made to the same profile as my favourite neck (which also happens to be a Shuker, but I bought that one secondhand, so it was kind of a happy accident), and that's Geddy Jazz-slim...

[Downunderwonder]

Many of the UK made Fenderesque P repro's come with J necks if you are that way inclined. Only problem is most are also fake road worn and the hardware genuinely rusted to hell.

[Reggaebass]

I’m one of those people who likes a P bass with a jazz neck and I’ve switched a few over myself, I also have a 1998 P bass special which is factory supplied with a jazz neck but it has a jazz pickup at the bridge which I always have rolled off 

[Downunderwonder]

3 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

I’m one of those people who likes a P bass with a jazz neck and I’ve switched a few over myself, I also have a 1998 P bass special which is factory supplied with a jazz neck but it has a jazz pickup at the bridge which I always have rolled off 

Boom, you have a P with a jazz neck, no rocket science involved.

 

Why does this thread even exist?

[tegs07]

1 minute ago, Downunderwonder said:

Boom, you have a P with a jazz neck, no rocket science involved.

 

Why does this thread even exist?

More accurately you have a PJ. The thread exists because people are looking for a Fender P with a Jazz neck and so far the answer seems to be buy a Lakland instead or make a Bitsa. I can confirm the Nate Mendel is pretty close to a J neck and really comfortable to play.

[Grimalkin]

Now's your chance to corner the market, put one together, get it on the market and give it a snappy name. Something like "Pizzazz."

That'll get them going.

[Downunderwonder]

Just now, tegs07 said:

More accurately you have a PJ. The thread exists because people are looking for a Fender P with a Jazz neck and so far the answer seems to be buy a Lakland instead or make a Bitsa. I can confirm the Nate Mendel is pretty close to a J neck and really comfortable to play.

It's only a J when you engage the bridge pickup. Otherwise it's a P. Nobody cares what pickups are on your bass they only care that you sound right, if at all, but that's by the by if you only care what you sound like.

[tegs07]

4 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said:

It's only a J when you engage the bridge pickup. Otherwise it's a P. Nobody cares what pickups are on your bass they only care that you sound right, if at all, but that's by the by if you only care what you sound like.

When you’re potentially looking at spending £1000 on a bass generally you want to get exactly what you are looking for. Even if just for aesthetic reasons. No one cares if your bass is fluorescent pink with a picture of Nigel Farrage on it. But it’s probably a deal breaker.

Edited December 22, 2021 by tegs07

[Skin Lewis]

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/201218365108025--fender-custom-shop-limited-edition-precision-jazz-bass-journeym

[fretmeister]

1 hour ago, Doctor J said:

Those people just need to find the P-body J-neck people and do some swapsies.

I was just about to say that.

 

Should be a Pinned Thread for people wanting that to match up. Plan in advance and even get the fretboard wood you want.

 

[Phil C]

I too had this issue and spent a lot of time looking and have now managed to purchase a couple of Fender CS precisions with Jazz necks (and the decal says Jazz!).  They are both called "Postmodern Precisions" that have a very nice chunky bridge too .  Both picked up second hand (one from this forum) - and exactly what I was looking for.  I call them Jazzisions!  Here's a pic of one  - it's a "relic".

[Downunderwonder]

1 minute ago, tegs07 said:

When you’re potentially looking at spending £1000 on a bass generally you want to get exactly what you are looking for.

P Deluxes cost about that new if you get a Spanish speaking one and tonally give you exactly what you are looking for, plus a whole lot of other tones you didn't ask for but they are free. Market served.

[fretmeister]

Or... just buy a neck

 

https://www.fender.com/en-GB/parts/electric-bass-parts/necks/

 

Lots of official options as well as the Warmoth if you are not worried about the logo.

[Downunderwonder]

8 minutes ago, Skin Lewis said:

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/201218365108025--fender-custom-shop-limited-edition-precision-jazz-bass-journeym

4 thousand pounds!!!!!!!!!!!

[Phil C]

And then I have another one (again purchased on this site) - that has both P and J pickups, and a Jazz neck - but this time the decal is "Precision" - what's that all about!!?? 🤣

 

[Phil C]

2 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said:

4 thousand pounds!!!!!!!!!!!

2nd hand is definitely the way to go!!  Mine were around £2k or less...

 

[Downunderwonder]

2 minutes ago, Phil C said:

what's that all about!!?? 🤣

P body. Turn the pickup selector all the way north. Boom.

[Phil C]

1 minute ago, Downunderwonder said:

P body. Turn the pickup selector all the way north. Boom.

That's exactly as I use it - plus it can be a pain having two volume controls to turn down in a gig situation!  What I thought odd was two very similar basses - one labelled jazz, one labelled precision - both really Precisions!  Marketing I suppose?

 

[Downunderwonder]

2 minutes ago, Phil C said:

That's exactly as I use it - plus it can be a pain having two volume controls to turn down in a gig situation!  What I thought odd was two very similar basses - one labelled jazz, one labelled precision - both really Precisions!  Marketing I suppose?

 

Dunno about the Jazz decal one with P in the bridge, never seen one like that so maybe a 'custom assemblage'?

[Reggaebass]

Doesn’t the duff McKagan P have a jazz neck , nice looking bass