P-Bass tone from a J-Bass?

[Ddbltrbl]

I would really appreciate the opinions from some of our Bass experts in the community -- If I mount a P-style pickup in a J-Bass do I get about the same tonal qualities as the P-Bass, or would the difference in the body and neck change the tone significantly?  :dontknow:

 

[AndyG]

I would really appreciate the opinions from some of our Bass experts in the community -- If I mount a P-style pickup in a J-Bass do I get about the same tonal qualities as the P-Bass, or would the difference in the body and neck change the tone significantly?  :dontknow:

The P bass tone really does come from the design of the P pickup IMHO.
The biggest difference between the Fender P and J basses, all other things being equal, is the width and circumference of the neck.
If you're planing a build, obviously neck and body woods, string thru or not will also make a difference.  But the. P pickup will certainly give you that midrange growl.

 

[line6man]

There is no difference between P basses and J basses, in terms of neck and body. Just a little more or less wood, and that's not significant to anything. Especially considering how much variation exists in the woods used to make either bass.

You would likely find a greater difference between the way either is constructed by one company, versus another. Fender has all sorts of neck constructions, while Warmoth has their own construction.

 

[Ddbltrbl]

Thanks for the responses! It seems it is much as I expected, but nice to get some confirmation.

AndyG, I hadn't thought of the difference string thru might make, but it makes sense now that you mention it. I can't say I noticed any substantial difference in tone with string thru versus non-string thru on my guitars, but I've always had a sense that there is a little more tone with the string thru, though I couldn't really prove it. I was actually thinking of trying a 2TEK, but just can't decided if the purported sustain, isolation and definition are worth the $100+ additional price.

Line6man, that is exactly why I was asking; I find the J-bass a little more comfortable to play than the P-Bass, but love that P-Bass drive. I found it hard to believe that there was enough difference between the 2 from a neck & body wood perspective to really change the tone given the disparities between manufacturers, but I've been wrong before.  :laughing7:

I'm an old blues rock kinda guy, but also just as likely to play a little country or metal. So, my concept of a the perfect bass (or guitar) is one that's really comfortable to play, along with getting the widest possible range of sounds from it and then learning to control it to get the exact sound I want. I have a friend that is a 30+ year pro bass player that recently had some pickups custom made to do exactly the opposite of that tonally, so perhaps I am looking at it wrong, but that is the way I see it.

So, I've been thinking to go for a 32" scale P+J 4 string. As best I can tell the body wood doesn't really seem to make a huge difference, so I thought I would stick with Alder. But, neck does seem (at least to me) to have some significance to the sound, so I'm really struggling to decide what the right combination really is. I'm guessing that a bass would benefit from a little warmer neck wood, but not sure I'm right. Am I completely off track? :dontknow:

 

[MortenB]

I think you're both on and off the track... The off the track part is because of over thinking everything.

If you build the same bass based on Warmoth part in two configurations:
1. Jazz body in alder, Jazz neck with a certain fretboard, steel rods etc).
2. P bass body in alder, and P neck of the same woods, same fretboard, same steel rods etc)

You would then have two identical platforms except for the shape of the body and the string spacing on the neck. I can think of no reason what so ever, why the shape of a body and/or the string spacing would make ANY difference in tone. So if you install P bass pick up's in both platforms ... they will sound identical - like P basses.

What will make a big difference though is, if you choose the 2TEK bridge. That bridge makes A LOT of difference to the sound and personally I would not choose that bridge in a P bass if you are looking for the typical P bass sound and the ''thump''. The 2TEK is more about sustain, clarity, definition etc.  (I know because I have one)  :icon_smile:

 

[AndyG]

Thanks for the responses! It seems it is much as I expected, but nice to get some confirmation.

AndyG, I hadn't thought of the difference string thru might make, but it makes sense now that you mention it. I can't say I noticed any substantial difference in tone with string thru versus non-string thru on my guitars, but I've always had a sense that there is a little more tone with the string thru, though I couldn't really prove it. I was actually thinking of trying a 2TEK, but just can't decided if the purported sustain, isolation and definition are worth the $100+ additional price.

While I have never used the 2TEK bridge, I do have two 5 string jazz basses .... one with the Takeuchi bridge, and it is string thru, the other with a Schaller bridge, which is not.  String thru will give you a warmer, rounder sound with slightly more sustain.  Non thru I find slightly brighter, with a bit more punch.
Now my 2 basses differ in other ways, so this isn't exactly a perfect comparison, but those are my impressions of the difference between the 2 for you to consider.

 

[Ddbltrbl]

Well, it all seems a lot simpler and yet a lot harder than I thought!  :icon_scratch:
Given the kind of music I will most likely be playing, sticking pretty close to stock P-Bass sound is probably my best bet. Which as best I can tell means P-bass pickup and no 2TEK. Beyond that... well :dontknow:

 

[MortenB]

OK... I know this is not going to make things any easier, but I say it anyway...

If your way into the world of P basses is anything like mine, then there are lot's of those small dudes sitting on your shoulder whispering in your ear, that you better put a J pick up in there also to make it more versatile, and you better do all kinds of things, except just building a straight up P bass. I'm sure your friends also tell you that a P bass is junk, just has one tone (the one that sucks), the J bass is much more modern, more versatile etc etc etc...

Well, after I build my Warmoth P bass my -otherwise wonderful- Warmoth J is collecting dust. AND I'm so happy that I made it a basic P with just the one old school split coil pick up. This is the bass I'm talking about.

Yes, it's much more limited in the range of tones I can get out of it, but who cares, when what it does sounds so damn good? And good in the sense, that no matter how I tweak the knobs on my other basses I can't get a sound that is even in the same ballpark.

Before I build it, I also thought J basses was much better looking than a P bass. Today it's the other way around. I just LOVE the simplicity of the P bass. Love it..!

If you need ONE bass that can do a bit of everything then the P bass might not be the right thing. But if you have other basses, then I suggest that you go ALL IN and build an old school P monster bass  ccasion14:  And remember to string it with some nice flats..!

 

[Ddbltrbl]

I feel pretty much the same way as you about the P-Bass sound! Honestly, I don't have too many friends telling me anything these days; I just really like the feel of the J-Bass neck and the sound of the P-Bass. So, I was thinking of how to get the best of both. Honestly, I'm thinking seriously about trying to put it all in Jazzmaster body! :dontknow:

 

[MortenB]

If you like the J neck better, then do as I did: P bass body and the split coil pick up AND a J neck... Easy...  I actually slightly prefer the P necks over J necks, but this quatersawn pau ferro was in the showcases, and cheap, so I decided to use it.

Doing a P bass on a Jazzmaster body -somehow- seems more natural, than to use a J body for a P bass.

 

[swarfrat]

I'm surprised that an offset P isn't a more popular build. J did a lot of things right in terms of ergos, but a wider neck and a P-pickup in the right spot sounds like a winning combination to me.