Credit to Huey Lewis. OK, I’m a newbie here. Bought my first Bass back in the '60 's & I still have it, along with my 2 Pc Paul Amp., MK-II (Pine Electronics, Montreal). Bass is '61-62 Kent (by Teico Co. Japan) I think EB-2 model. I’m starting to play again & have always wanted the Fender P Bass, that mine is a copy of. I’m thinking seriously of a Fender P Bass Lyte Deluxe that I’ve seen, Serial # starts with a B. My question on that is…would I like it?? What about Active pickups, this is new to me.
The more I read here tho, I see, that that is not the only way to go??? Ibenez, Yamaha, Gretsch, etc., seem to be right up there in desireability with the Fenders. I will be playing mostly Blues, by the way. I need some guidance on whether to change my focus on Brand, or stay Fender??? Also, your thoughts on the P Bass Lyte. Thanks
A P Bass sounds like a P bass. That split coil pickup arrangement gives it that distinctive sound. A P bass also feels like a P bass. I like a jazz neck over the P, but that’s me. Some people love the feel of a P bass neck in their hand.
Active vs passive pickups are a personal tone choice. Some people swear by actives, some greatly prefer passives. Some basses labeled “active” have a powered preamp with passive pickups. What this means is the bass has a built-in equalizer right on the instrument that goes far beyond the high-end rolloff of a passive tone control.
One of my basses has active pickups and it’s very sensitive. It picks up the clank of the strings on the frets super easy, especially when played hard. I like it for certain things. Other basses of mine have passive pickups. Every pickup sounds different, but can also get into the same sort of ballpark, so to speak.
It can be a lot to process.
Tbh the best way to know the things you like would be to go to a store if you’re able to and try things out. Or go around YouTube looking for videos of various pickups, basses, preamps, etc is a pretty viable alternative on the sound side.
But it won’t tell you if you like how a neck feels in your hand. I lucked out, I love how my Schecter 5s feel and I’ve never played one before ordering them online. I could have also not liked them and had to return them 
@lnz if you want a p bass, Lyte may not be the answer because it has a jazz neck. Unless you just like the pickup configuration then the aerodyne is another good choice and it’s passive. In the US of A we only get one choice of color but in Japan there’s a lot more choices @John_E owns mostly all of the colors offered.
I love the opposite when it comes to neck width. 2 of my jazz basses have precision necks on them. Jazz pickups configuration offer more tonal options. Jazz neck feels fast and nimble but sometimes I just need that beefier wider neck of Precision or stingray, and those times much much closer and closer in the interval.
Welcome to Bassbuzz and enjoy the journey.
Where are you in Ontario? I am in the Barrie area.
I have a new Yamaha Mist Green TRBX304 for sale.
Only played 10 times over a 2 week period.
Still in original shipping packaging.
If you are interested PM me.
Thanks for the input. I have to go out & try some other basses for neck feel . It’s no good sitting at the laptop & reading reviews. To me it doesn’t matter whether pickups are single, split or double. … L Z
Thanks Al for the advice. I’m still in the learning mode, trying hard Not to try remembering stuff I did when I was young. I have to try other basses. I saw a P Bass Lyte, MIJ, & it was eye candy. Natural finish, beauty. I’m leary about the active pickups tho, that’s new to me so makes me nervous. Got my eye on an Amer. P-Bass too, has some slight damage. L Z
Hi, thanks for the welcome. Is this a PM ?? So I saw the pic of Yamaha. Nice. Why don’t you like it?? I presume that’s why you’re selling?? I’m way sown South in the Clinton area… L Z
Always a great idea to personally touch, hold, feel and play any bass guitar that you are interested in. There is so much discussion, and so many brands of instruments out there!
Fender is my particular favorite, and is the ONLY brand that I can buy without doing this, based upon my own previous experience . . . 
. . . ymmv, though.
Cheers and good luck in your search
Joe
Well depends of your price range, I just recently got myself Fender Player Series Precision Bass after falling in love with P pickup on my Mustang. Its everything I expected and it doesnt have crazy pricepoint as American ones.
While you might get something that sounds like P bass, yoy wont get that feeling under hands. At first I wanted to get Yamaha BB734A, but in the end if you want a P Bass then only way to go is Fender P. If you asked me this few months ago Id give you different opinion.
No this is not a PM (Private Message). To send a PM click on your avatar in the upper right hand corner of the main screen and click twice on the the messages tab then select new message. I will send you a PM that you can just answer if you wish to continue. A green message notification will show up on your avatar when you receive a PM just click on it.
Right after I received the TRBX304 I discovered that it was in a fixed passive mode. I decided to purchase a TRBX504 which has an active/passive mode switch on it plus different electronics for an additional $200. I thought about just installing an active/passive switch and upgrading the electronics myself but after discussions on the BassBuzz forum decided it would be too much of a hassle. I received the 504 two weeks later from a different music store and have used it ever since.
Everything else between the 304 and 504 is identical and they both feel and play the same.
Here is a link to the specifications for the Yamaha TRBX line of Basses:
This 304 Bass was purchased from Long and McQuade in Pickering but they were not able to just swap it out for a 504 because the 504 was going to take 8 months to get in stock. The closest L&M to you would be in Stratford or Kitchener. I just checked and the Kitchener store claim they have stock on the 504 in this colour.
Anyways, if you’re interested just answer the PM I will send you right away.
Great idea. I only purchase from large music stores such as Long & McQuade. You have several of their stores in your area. Just sayin. 