While the P can be used for many styles and genres, I don’t find it more tonally versatile than a J.
4 Likes
You have different tones on a J but, in my opinion, a very few tones are really useable. So the effective tonal range is not that huge in a J (but still larger than a P obviously). And, as @howard say about the P :
(the J being a more modern design than the P)
3 Likes
I think this depends on the type(s) of music a J is used for. The tonal range is very varied and useful to play many genres.
4 Likes
I’ve identified three broad categories of J tones: Balanced, Scooped/Hollow, and Thin/Quacky/Nasal :rofl
The first one is pretty vanilla whitebread IMO but definitely sounds good. The second one sounds awesome, especially through an Ampeg. Not a huge fan of the third.
The first one you often hear in a lot of rock. Yep, it’s a bass, and it sits well in the mix. But not much else special about the tone.
The second one you hear a lot in metal/post-metal and punk (when J’s are used, though honestly usually that’s gonna be a P). And it’s the J tone from funk and slap.
The third one you usually hear in genres that play up the neck a lot. Jazz, etc.
Personally I prefer the simple, honest punch of the P. If I want versatile I’ll choose an active EQ double-buck instead.
But really none of this matters much because you can alter the tone so much in production anyway.
3 Likes
totally agree. but @MikeC is also right for sure, it depends of the style … of course if the nasal bridge tone is required, a P won’t do that. (even if I can’t really see where this kind of tone would sound good, but that’s personnal)
3 Likes
Not if you overdo it, no. And, yes, it doesn’t sound very good on its own. But, in the mix… awesome - cuts through and lets you really hear the bass (IMHO) 
2 Likes
at least the trebly side of the bass 
4 Likes
True (or not without a lot of EQ though!)
But this is another case where I personally would go for a bridge humbucker instead and get a richer tone there up at the bridge. But YMMV.
Yeah, lots of nice treble harmonics there, though you can get surprisingly bright P pickups too that more punch through the mix than cut.
But with a single P you won’t get that bridge region twang, yeah.
2 Likes
I think we all agree to… have different preferences
5 Likes
Yep!
A couple of my favorite bands in post-metal (pg.lost and Syberia) use J’s to really surprisingly good effect for such a genre. I can definitely appreciate them.
1 Like
Oh noooooo 
Try and talk to Axel Roks in Breda (you were from NL, Paul, weren’t you!?!) - he might have some ideas for you 
2 Likes
Haha I’m all good right now tyvm 
Pretty happy with my current collection but I have no clue how I ended up with more guitars instead of basses.
Most of my guitars are used or very good deals. The only one I paid the full price for was my Taylor acoustic travel guitar.
2 Likes
Thanks for all your answers. Its safe to say that it all boils down to personal preference.
To be honest I usually set my J on one setting that I like and fiddle with the tone knob just like my P. My external preamps define my tone the most.
4 Likes
This seems to be a spreading disease in here and we need to be on the watch lest it become an epidemic 
3 Likes
Just apropos - and in order to re-enforce all clichés and deepen the divides further 
3 Likes
The Orange Gregor BTW Sandberg would be an excellent BassBuzz Badass theme bass 
1 Like
Absolutely… (even though it’s a jazz bass )
1 Like
I’m happy to bow to popular demand there
Also, Gregor is under 40???!!?!?!?
3 Likes
what ?
3 Likes
I know! Like wow, mind blown
2 Likes