Bassists, Which Do You Prefer: P, J, P/J, Other, and SS or LS?

72 precision with a humbucker

True. I'm about to head up to the music store and was just looking for some additional viewpoints.

Is the p/j truly the best of both worlds, or is it more a case of losing a little of the p value and a little of the j value in the combination?

I'm especially cautious about a j short scale sounding too "tinny," if that makes sense.

While you can get most of the sound of a Precision by tweaking the bridge pickup on the Jazz, one of the reasons I like the Stingray is because you can get a lot of both P and J out of it, and more.

Pretty decent comparison here, note the Bongo which is basically a 2 soapbar Stingray has a great Jazz sound or a strong combination of Jazz and P, he doesn't really show you how completely versatile it is. To me the Bongo is a best of both worlds type axe, if you like Fenders at all, it should be something that kicks you in the azz and begs to be played.

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72 precision with a humbucker

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well the classic precision is split, not humbucking, however it's a truly awesome and amazing sound, I love the classic Precision for rock but just as a stand alone solo bass sound it get's a little one dimensional and boring.

I've got a 77 Jazz(no it's not pre-cbs, so it's not a classic) but every player I know who's tried it has loved it. Also have an 86 Musicman, just waiting for the Bongo of my dreams to come along and fall in love with.

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I've owned jazz, P, music man sting ray, peavey t-40, and finally a rickenbacker.

Looking to make a bass in the next few months.

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yea I love the bright Rick bass sound that Chris Squire, Geddy Lee and Entwhistle pioneered in rock, it's a great sound, nobody says you have to play a Fender sound to be good. 25 years ago the Alembic was the bass to have, there are so many good ones out there of various sounds, hell Yamaha makes a really nice bass. It's interesting to note that Geddy has gone largely from playing Ricks to Fenders though I know he does play both. The thing is to find something YOU like so you will stay with it.

As the OP asked, "what do you prefer"? With me it's kinda the classic old "Fender for basses Gibson for guitars" line, but there are a ton of great sounds from all sorts of brand instruments out there, find something that makes you feel good and go with it.

Tried out a Fender j-bass at a local store today. Think the sound will fit my liking perfectly, so I'll probably go with some variation of a j-bass this time around.

Also tried out a short scale bass. Didn't hear anything that would make me hesitate to buy one. Just might feel a little sillier holding the shortened version instead of a full size one, but I doubt most anyone else would even notice.

After some research, I went ahead and ordered a Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass Special HB. I knew I wanted something more of a j-style and was sold when I saw the humbucking pickup instead of the regular single-coil pickups. Ultimately decided against a p/j style because I wanted to keep the tone simple and clean. Just getting back into playing after over a decade, I also wanted something inexpensive to start back with for now.





Also ordered an Ampeg BA108 25-Watt 1x8 Bass Combo Amplifier practice amp. Figured 25 watts would be enough to jam with a band in my living room. The Ampeg also has a line out for a PA system for gigging as well as a headphone and cd/mp3 input with separate volume adjustment.





Gear should be here Wednesday and I already may have a first jam session with a couple of guys set up for Thursday.

Anyone have any experience with either of these items?

Cool to hear. Sounds like I made a good choice on the amp, at least.

I think I'll be able to deal with the Squier since I've gigged with one in the past.

had one exactly like that one (music man) ... got tired of it after about 8 months and sold it.

sometime later this year, i'm looking to build one like this, but in a different color:



tele bass, '72