Fender Jazz/Precision - tonal differences?

[bassboogie]

Hi Martyn,

Both the basses I use regularly are Squier Affinity P basses (1997ish). They have been resprayed, a few tweeks, but that's about all. To be honest I agree with you that the difference between the Squier and a more expensive Fender P bass, in my view, does not add up to £500 or £1000. Moreso with a bass guitar where the sound is not as critical as playing a Strat or lead the difference is even less.

As I said in a previous thread the new Squier Classic Vibe P bass in fiesta red/tortoiseshell combo at about £279 is all you can probably wish for, good looking and well priced. I would try that as a starter. Machineheads, pots and maybe pickups are cheaper versions on the Squiers, but my two go back to 1997 and there have so far been no problems with either, if you want to upgrade these bits you can do so.

Also if you buy a Squier you can easily upgrade it to what you want, but buying an more expensive Fender you would be spending a lot more to upgrade that. The Squiers also have the truss rod adjustment at the headstock which I prefer, rather than the bottom end so you don't need to remove the neck every time you adjust the fretboard, which is quite useful, as I think a bass neck bends quicker than for eg a Strat.

I must sound like a real old scrooge, "try before you buy and as cheap as possible, already!".

Anyway welcome to the world of bass and let us know how you get on, we are all dying to know what the new Fiesta red Squier is like so if you go for one we all expect a full and thorough report.

Now what did Roger Allcock say about bass playing ?

Regards, Luigi

[Iain Purdon]

Can anyone clarify the differences in tonal qualities of these two designs - is one better than the other for specific musical style or is is just a matter of personal taste? Are their titles significant in playability and if, like me, you had small hands, would that have a serious bearing on your choice?

Tonal qualities? The P thrums and the J honks!

You could say that a small guy with a long necked bass looks odd - but the young Jet was exactly that! Whatever size his hands are, his Fender was a P-bass.

The Jazz necks are thinner and I know one club bass player who uses a J-bass for that reason. You also get more tonal variation because of the extra pickup but it's a matter of taste really. I reckon once the bass is blended with the rest of the band, nobody listening is going to know the difference.

The Precision has stood the test of time. I love it.

Iain

[des mcneill]

Hi Guys,
I have a 63 P bass,wide neck and a P bass with a Jazz neck and despite also having small hands have no problem with either,if anything I probably prefer the wider neck because that is what I played during my formative years. When it comes to sound it has to be the Precision for me,I just can not get the sound I want from the Jazz. I understand what Ian says about the sound difference fading behind the rest of the band,but I know it is there and can not be happy with it,pity really,it is a nice quitar.
Cheers,
Des.