The ULTIMATE P vs PJ vs J, pickup sound comparison.

This is my Fender precision, converted to a PJ. In this video, I'm trying to give you as good sound comparison as possible! Hope you like it!

[@tvpsarchive2958]

What i heard was the p was more low and mid heavy with some growl, the p/j had a scooped mids, full sound of lows and highs and the j was very clear, punchy, well defined and focused with good, present lows but mainly heavy on the mids and highs with attack and bark. I enjoyed this comparison video.

[@bassharmonics]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@deaddoomed2380]

the look of that bass guitar is so elegant!

[@tamarazawada]

Thank you, I think so too! I only added the gold pickup cover (and jazz pickup ofc.), everything else is factory.

[@tamarazawada]

@Rubens Radulenco It's not so expensive for the quality too!

[@derekuhm]

just what I was looking for. Thanks.

[@alrangel1289]

Awesome video!👍🙃

[@langtyme76]

Great video! Thank you for this :)

[@bassharmonics]

Thank you so much, I'm glad you liked it.

[@jazzybeeff]

Thank you. Also nice Cintiq!

[@bassharmonics]

Thanks

[@gaspasser]

Very nice 👍

[@Duderino1978]

Awesome video. I’ve got three jazz basses and was thinking I’d like a p bass too but wasn’t sure if I wanted one with a pj set up. I think might go with one with the j pickup as well as it seems more versatile.

[@bassharmonics]

Thank you, glad you liked the video. I do think it's much more versatile, and at the same time you are not losing the actual P sound when you need it!

[@StewartBrand85]

Great video thanks. I'm surprised how much the PJ sounds like a Jazz; not 100% but more than I expected.

[@bassharmonics]

Thank you for the comment. I also think it sounds very similar. After all they don't differ THAT much.

[@FernandoBusko]

Great comparison! Great sound also! Do you put the connections of both pickups normal or inverted?

[@tamarazawada]

Thank you! I used a soldering scheme I found online, I believe it was this one: www.talkbass.com/attachments/pj-wiring-jpg.628810/

[@travisreed5965]

Four Years Ago !!! Way Cool , Cheers

[@bassharmonics]

Thank you 😎

[@bradferguson9840]

Thanks so much for this really clear demo of the versatility of a PJ. I love the sound of your bass! I see in a comment below that you use Nordstrom hum-cancelling PJs, so I check out their website. There are several hum-c sets there - would you mind telling me the model of your set? I'd really like to buy some after hearing this.

[@tamarazawada]

The set I got is "Nordstrand PJ4 Bass NPJ4SE ". I'm going to make a video soon, showing a new position of the jazz pickup. I did some experimenting, and found a spot for it that makes the bass sound a bit more meaty/thicker. Love the sound.

[@bradferguson9840]

Tamara Zawada Thanks very much for that info. Looking forward to the new vid.

[@extantia]

Great playing and sound on all counts!! Thinking about modding my 1985 Gibson Explorer bass from the two stock soap bar single coils to P/J in soap bar chassis_

[@bassharmonics]

That sounds like a very interesting idea. I wonder how much difference in sound would there be, considering that the placement of that pickup would be the same.

[@extantia]

@@bassharmonics Ultimately going with a pair of MJS Custom Pickups custom wound “Big Singles” P90 style pickups tailored for bass. There just wasn’t enough space for an effective split coil in the neck position without extensive routing of the pickup cavity- a thing I wanted to avoid. With Alnico 5 magnets, the new pickups should give a Jazz tone with some Gibson oomph- mind you the bass originally came with two Grabber coveted single coil pickups-

[@pedrolarenas]

i did the same i add j pickup but i will add another knob next to p pickup in order to have tone knob

[@sarondiesel588]

I've got a Squier Jaguar shortscale Vintage Modded with the PJ configuration. I want to get a Jazz bass though. Is there any advantage of the J bass over the PJ? I can't afford Fender so I go with Squier. Lol

[@tamarazawada]

I personally prefer the P neck. Not sure what neck is on Squier Jaguar. As far as the sound goes, I think PJ and J sound is very similar.

[@yetigoosecreature8682]

I also have a hybrid P-J bass. I had a Fender Precision before, but I couldn't get on with it. I only bought the (cheaper) Aria P-J bass because it was super user-friendly, much easier to play and looked modern with a cool red/black sunburst. I also merge the two pickups - it's the best of both worlds - great sound - 20 years on and still playing it. :)

[@bassharmonics]

Awesome. Cheap not always means bad.

[@gardenofnightmare]

is it an aria stb pj?

[@yangarreola9382]

pj sound very cool. even in my affinity, it gets a decent sound :D

[@tamarazawada]

I love the sound too, thank you for the comment!

[@streamerlx4927]

Well, if you add a J make sure to have at least a 3- way- switch for P only/ P&J parallel/ P&J series! I have a P-HB with HB/P-HB parallel/ P- HB series/ P/ P-HB(Single coil mode) parallel/ P-HB(single coil mode) series.

[@bassharmonics]

I haven't thought of that. Does it add a lot to the versatility?

[@streamerlx4927]

@@bassharmonics Trust me, it does!

[@BlommaBaumbart]

Christ, I never was interested in a Fender PJ because I thought it was too vintage and conservative for me, but this thing has a crystal clear sound, amazing.

[@bassharmonics]

Oh yeah, I love bright, hi fi sound. The pickups I got are very bright and also I just always tune the sound so that it is nice and clear. Thats why I love SWR amps and cabinets too.

[@BlommaBaumbart]

​@@bassharmonics Wait, so these aren't the stock Fender pickups? So what did you get? (And I'll keep SWR in mind, our tastes seem similar enough.)

[@bassharmonics]

@@BlommaBaumbart I got this set: nordstrandaudio.com/products/npj4se-hum-cancelling-set

[@BlommaBaumbart]

@@bassharmonics Hah. I've been listening to various pickup types on KZbin (That's how I found your video), and so far the Nordstrand Big Singles and NPJ Blade set are strong contenders for first place, next to Bartolini's Quad Coil and the general Delano lineup. Seems Nordstrand's more traditional options also have a great tone to offer, but anyway I'll take this revelation as a sign that I'm on the right track for my one-day-when-I'm-rich custom bass. Cheers.

[@AleArzMusic]

Hey! Great video! I somehow inherited a very old Ibanez sr800 from the 90's. I cleaned it very deeply and changed strings, any thoughts opinion about it? Where could I find the electric diagrams for it?

[@tamarazawada]

Hi, thank you! Sorry, I dont know that bass. All I did with mine was look for some PJ diagrams online and used one I liked.

[@AleArzMusic]

@@tamarazawada aight thanks anyway! I managed to make it work, still!

[@hernanferrey]

Great video! Question: Do you have a tone knob or just volume for p and volume for j. Thanks!

[@bassharmonics]

In this bass I only have volume per pickup. I removed the tone knob, which maybe wasn't the smartest idea ever, but well it's done. I may add it at some point.

[@karinaantonio6579]

helpful demo with great playing! i'm glad i found out about PJ basses on a whim, they sound great! also, you're cute af!!

[@tamarazawada]

Thank you

[@ravelitschimo]

with the jay it sounds a little like a rickenbacker. like it.

[@bassharmonics]

I love the tone too!

[@charlieburns1385]

Great sounding bass Lots of bottom and sustane My taste is a little pj combined

[@bassharmonics]

Thanks! I love them combined too.

[@youtert]

Is the J in a standard location? It looks closer to the bridge than normal.

[@bassharmonics]

Honestly I completely improvised and eyeballed it. Then later I adjusted the position because I didn't like the way it sounded.

[@debbiescott6349]

Love the sound of the pj. What pickups are you using?

[@tamarazawada]

Thank you. The pickups are a set of Nordstrand humm-cancelling PJ pickups.

[@rippertrain]

My ear is tuned for guitar. I just bought a bass and i just cant pick out the tones on a bass. It all sounds the same to me.

[@bassharmonics]

I know what you mean. Sometimes when I'm playing low notes I can't tell the difference clearly, and I have to play them an octave higher to be able to clearly tell. It will improve in time if you keep at it though!

[@tonsilcrafted]

how you did it? no phase out. Cool man!

[@rafawojtis2911]

hi. Weher is tone knob?

[@bassharmonics]

I got rid of it...

[@leftundersun]

The j pickup is too weak, when you play the pj combination, the p overlaps the j, maybe you should put a stronger j

[@bassharmonics]

Hmm maybe it's just too far.

[@leftundersun]

When the video started I thought "what a cute girl" but then you started to talk

[@nairamdiam]

Hahah me too

[@nuldorvamoysenor2091]

Any thoughts about the video?

[@bassharmonics]

Yeah I know... my voice is very manly... sorry...

[@Tx_6969]

Is this a girl or a boy? I thought this was a girl XD

[@bassharmonics]

It's whatever you prefer.

[@gp85hkg]

Why is it that a bloke will have long hair and then spend all day flicking it out of the way like a sheila..?

[@TheMausymaus]

Who gives a shit?

[@treesmasher823]

It is a sheila..

[@StewartBrand85]

Yeah that's the thing to take from this video, never mind that it's one of the most useful tone comparison videos on KZbin