As I sit and wait for the BB735A I have on order at Sweetwater to come in (maybe) November, my inner bass demon guy is saying “get a J-J 5er, not a P-J 5er”.
I put the order in for the Yamaha to lock in the price before the increase and get in line, but the more I play my 4 string combos, the more I feel like I want a J-J in a 5 string, not a P-J.
This is based purely on a gut feeling with no rhyme or reason to it, other than I think I like the tonal options of a JJ better on a 5.
Going to slog around a bit to try to find some decent strings to try but slimmer than slim pickins.
So, pros/cons of PJ vs. JJ 5 stings in your own opinions?
I have owned a few P/J fivers, including one fretless, but have never owned a Jazz fiver (assuming that’s what you’re referring to). I always liked (still do) the ability to turn a knob and go from precision sounding, to jazz sounding (this applies to my 4 strings as well).
I sure loved my BB735 so I say hold out for it.
On a side note. When you get round to publishing it (hot on the heels of Geddy’s excellent tome). I’d like to put in an advance order for John’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass
My 5-string was a J/J. If I planned to slap much, maybe I would like them better, but really I just love the increased versatility and power of a P/J over a J/J. YMMV.
It depends on what kind of sound you like, what kind of music/style you plan to play and what kind of neck you like if they’re different. It’s a tough one… Of the 2, I would be inclined to take the JJ as I find a PJ to generally be a worse version of both a Jazz or precision bass. My personal preference though for a 5st is something like a TRBX605, but that’s just me
As my 2, 5st basses sit here mostly unplayed right now, supplanted by a lowly pbass. So sad lol
If I were to get another 5 string it would be something like a Spector or a Ibanez hopefully with bartolini pickups and preamp.
Knowing you I’d probably get a half wat decent Spector with nice quilted burst color then put 2 Delano xtender or make it a split p xtender and a big quad at the bridge. That would be a fun bass to kick around.
That said I’d look for a used killer B or growler 5 strings even a renegade. Tobias has one of the best feeling asymmetrical neck especially for 5 strings. Most already have bartolini pickups and they made to last.
I don’t think the tone of the P bass suits a 5 string or anything lower than an E string. It’s like muddy and muddier. A J or PJ will be more suitable because then you’ve got the bridge pickup to lighten it a little when you play lower than E on the B string.
Yeah I’m leaning away from the P pickup at all. It sucks that it’s impossible to try these things before buying.
I’m game for even going high end and waiting a bit, but again, hard to play test.
I’m hoping the yammy doesn’t come in early and I get to the Sweetwater showroom in Nov (work trip out there) first to check as many as I can first. I also have a work road trip across NYS in October and have mapped out shops with a few here and there along the way.
A standalone P might get kind of thick and dark that low, though I am betting lots of metal bands rock BEAD P’s. Some probably in Drop A
You’ve never heard a low B on a P/J, I take it
P/J 5’s sound amazing.
But double-buck would be my choice were I doing it again.
Kind of bummed I don’t still have a recording of my Streamer LX4 in BEAD. It’s a P/J.
Here’s my Streamer LX5 (J/J):
Personally I think that sounds good, but a little thin (my usual problem with J/J vs P/J). Picture that with a richer tone behind it and much more oomph and that’s close to the LX4’s P/J tone.
The Streamer is a naturally very bright bass so kind of perfect to avoid some of the low end mud you might get with low B on a straight P I guess.
lol
