Why PJ pickups are the best!

In my opinion, of course...

[@jw112mail]

Timestamps: 0:56 P p/u Series (stock) -tone 100% 2:45 P p/u Series (stock) -tone rolled off 4:10 P p/u Parallel (mod) -tone 100% 5:41 P&J p/u Parallel (mod) -tone 100% 7:05 P&J p/u Series (stock) -tone 100% 7:48 J p/u solo'd -tone 100% 8:21 J p/u solo'd -tone rolled off

[@hiurysantos2377]

god bless you

[@2357y1113]

Bro, I just wanted to say, your red and green bass fits perfectly with the christmas vibe :D

[@davetenney5800]

Thanks! I have never lost my fondness for Ocean Turquoise!

[@beardedbehr4105]

Honestly, my first thought on the looks was very Boba Fett-esque. Gnarly.

[@DrFaust-pr8vw]

​@@davetenney5800so that IS ocean turquoise! I have a P in that finish, it doesn't look as green in person as it does here

[@zoohn]

"slapping went out of style 20 years ago" *Davie504 wants to know your location*

[@davetenney5800]

I bet! That guy is in another league...My comment was directed at popular music...

[@njarnjas]

=):

[@roger_001]

I just paused the video and came down the comments and this was the first one lol, wtf with that statement.

[@Poelie]

Maybe he was referring to HIS slapping being out of date 👍😎🎸🔥

[@killermurderer2208]

Slapping is a circus act

[@kennedyjones4039]

Really useful info. Bought my first bass weeks ago and it's a P/J. So cool and so versatile. Thanks for the vid.

[@davetenney5800]

Nice!

[@johnriccio3058]

Always come back to this video. Love your vibe and how you explain things

[@ladyjulia4038]

Damn you're a hell of a bassist. Awesome video thankyou.

[@franksandbeanies]

Dave, this has to be the best comparison of PJ sounds Ive heard on the internet. Thanks! very educational!

[@davetenney5800]

Thank you!!

[@abk868s]

This is still one of the best bass videos I've ever seen. Well done. My next bass will be similar to what you've got going on here.

[@gregbrown844]

Dave, this was the most useful video. Clearly you are professional-grade and you offer advice based on true experience. Well-done!

[@davetenney5800]

Thank you for your compliment! Of course, "old curmudgeon" describes me a lot better than professional ;)

[@charlesowen777]

Lots of wisdom,here!----especially 4 beginners .excellent!

[@templejester]

Really glad I found this! I've been desiring to try this configuration and figured that an active solution was best. I only have passive pickups on hand and also thought I would need to purchase a humbucking bridge J. Thanks for explaining and demonstrating the series/parallel setup as well.

[@davetenney5800]

I have a Dimarzio model P and J in this bass. I have also used Seymour Duncan quarter pounders which sound similar. I like having the j pickup a humbucker...

[@BassPlayerNcl]

Really enjoyed this video! I wouldn't have thought about a series/ parallel switch for the P pick up; it's a great concept! Thank you for sharing 😀👍

[@Dartania]

Slapping only went out of style if you think of it only as early Red Hot Chili Peppers. Tasteful, soulful slapping is perennial in soul and funk. No need to discard or use techniques to follow trends-just make the sound work for you.

[@a.j.garrett9639]

WOW, I saw this for the first time 2 years ago. It changed my mind big time back then. Looking forward to watching it again now!

[@wjamyers]

Excellent presentation, especially the part about the stingray sound... now THAT is versatility!

[@bondsongmusic]

That was a really helpful video Dave. Thanks

[@MN-de]

Your right hand technique is incredible

[@DoutorTurbo]

Amazing video! Very well explained, thanks Bro!

[@DiegoGarcia-cr3kv]

Thank you Dave. Great video. I have a Fender Jazz bass and I am thinking about replacing the neck pic whith a P.

[@BrianPellerin]

Thank you for posting this. It makes sense how this is a very flexible way to set up a PJ

[@davetenney5800]

No problem!

[@joshuamorris3951]

I really enjoyed the run down on the wiring on your bass. I think I might do the same thing with on of my PJ basses. Thanks for the great video!

[@davetenney5800]

Thanks!

[@rodrigodepierola]

Great video, man. I like it when instead of explaining of name-dropping you played it and showed the sounds.

[@davetenney5800]

Its hard for me to name drop, because I don't know anyone famous!

[@francoispayen]

Thanks for this video: I think it is the most thorough walkthrough of the P/J pickup config I've seen so far. I'm currently considering getting a custom bass built, but I'm still undecided on the pickup config to go with: I already have an active with dual humbuckers, and a p-bass. The p-bass sound is my favourite (plus I love its simplicity and prefer a passive bass, too) but I'm against getting two copies of the same thing. I think P/J with a series/parallel switch just might be the ticket!

[@davetenney5800]

It is absolutely my favorite pickup config. For years I didn't have a tone control on this bass. The reason, is that if you back the volume off a little bit it is like having the tone control rolled back about 50 percent. But you can never get that super muddy sound that works with certain types of music. Thanks for the compliment and I hope you have good luck with your new bass!

[@michaelpayne767]

Awesome. I love the pj set up. Wishing fender would bring back their 5 string. Or I may have to pop in a single j or mm in my fender American standard 5. I love the passive pups.

[@gutbucket260]

I'm building a P/J bass now. I'm going to use the 62 Jazz bass concentric volume/tone controls. I like the fact that you can dial in volume and individual tone to each separate pickup. Leo had it right to begin with back in the day.

[@peterb1543]

Great explanation of the PJ Bass.

[@richardnolet250]

Love the set up

[@mitchfindergeneral]

i think, aside from weird custom setups, you're right. This is the most versatile setup you'll get normally.

[@studioberlin1076]

great job of explaining....thanks

[@vince8081]

Your electronic configuration is absolutely perfect, most versatile diagram, great. For the Jaco sound put the tone on the j pickup between 50% and 100% depending on your attack.

[@davetenney5800]

Thanks!

[@bryanl.taylor6249]

Great demo

[@richsackett3423]

The DiMarzio Split-P rail pickups are an excellent on a PJ. I wired it in parallel so the output better matches the Fender Noiseless Jazz. Each half is self-humbucking so your series/parallel switch might get you a different variety. FWIW, mine's a fretless Jazz with added P bass routing.

[@coherence-beat]

Great job!!! Thanks!!!

[@cruller23]

I agree with you on having a series/parallel option on the P pickup is a really great and flexible option. I use parallel P with the J often and love that tone. Series P is also iconic. Never really thought about series P blended with J sounding Stingrayesqe, but I see where that comes from. My P/J (which is also green) is a go to for cover gigs. It has most any tone I would need.

[@discobassgroove]

That series/parallel is such a good idea holy shit gonna do this to my Sire P5

[@jason3000tt]

Some good tips here man...I feel yah!

[@esa4141]

Soo true. Just got my custom shop PJ and its versatile 🤟

[@chris_c_leon]

great review Dave, thanks!!

[@timbuk1126]

Gotta love Dimarzio's. Those are the original aftermarket pickups for Precision and Jazz bass. They have adjustable hex pole pieces and they always cut through the mix!

[@DavidJones-hd7jj]

Great review.Very useful information without the usual slap acrobatics display.I think it’s the best pick up set up for bass.

[@TenFalconsMusic]

Brilliant video Dave. Cheers from London (UK).

[@nenad100janovic]

Really good video in all aspects! Keep playing!

[@jonasmelinx]

Very informative video. Thanks!!

[@scorpioscots9692]

That was really informative 👌 thinking about a Semore Duncan Humbucker in my PJ swapping out the single coil

[@boris5448]

great video! there isnt a lot of this topic on youtube but you explain it very well

[@clementealfredoobrador4822]

Hey man, thank you for this video. I am in the process of building a bass, and I was thinking of getting either a Jazz type, or a PJ, but hearing the Series/Parallel switch option you have on your machine really made me decide for a PJ. I gotta ask the luthier about that switch option

[@davetenney5800]

It's a simple thing to wire in - I have a video that explains the wiring diagram of his bass.

[@bobbydiaz7205]

wow great tone! i have same Pbass and plan to put a J pup like yours mate

[@gurjantm]

Most informative video on Affinity PJ, well done!

[@davetenney5800]

Thanks! Although this bass is not an Affinity...

[@charliewesley94]

How do you feel about just getting a jazz bass (I like the thinner neck) and rolling off the bridge pickup and tone a bit? That can approximate the p bass sound fairly well.

[@davetenney5800]

There is an old mod that can be done to a jazz bass that can really help it sound like a p-bass. It is called a series parallel switch. Similar idea with what i did to my p bass. Otherwise, a jazz still sounds pretty thin in the lower mids....

[@wawaw1867SW]

Have you got a wiring diagram for this set up? Love how this sounds

[@looniethemoonie5353]

I love my parts p/j bass! Its my number 1 go to bass. Its modded with Emg pjax pickups and a hipshot kickass and its strung with 45-105 elixir stainless nanowebs.

[@philcollinshill2951]

It's been 5 years and I still think about this video every time I see a PJ bass. I still haven't installed a series/parallel switch on my bass though🤣

[@AdamZMusic-mr7yz]

Dude, same. I was just revisiting the tones I'm using with my PJ when I play live, and this video popped into my head. Had to go back and rewatch it. I want that series/parallel switch now, too. Had it on a J Bass once and enjoyed it.

[@irussb]

Thank you for a great video, and you have a solid basis in multiple styles that I can only aspire to. I rewired my squier affinity pj exactly the way you have your setup. Wow! I am frankly surprised that a parallel switch on the p pickup is not more common. With the p in parallel paired with the j, it comes alive!

[@davetenney5800]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked the wiring mod....

[@justincrazycrafter3581]

so the pots are a master volume, a 3 way switch and a series/parallel switch right?

[@davetenney5800]

@@justincrazycrafter3581 Yep...and a tone.

[@agnosturaelwsr]

Hi, nice video! I have an old Aria Pro II Wildcat Bass with PJ pickups. I play a lot of different styles, main instrument is guitar but likes to play bass as well. Gives a wider view to music. Well enough of that, I dont have had any other basses so my knowledge of different types of bass is next to nothing. But as you say, I can get a very versatile sound of my bass with this PJ setup. The only issue I have with my old bass is a lot of hum, any suggestions to good silent pickup to buy? Plays Blues, Jazz, Prog so really the J-bass deep end sound and the prog-p bass sound is preferred but withouth that hum and noise. I've meassured, its grounded but still..well, its old. I guess EMG pickups are great and may cure my hum.problem..well I hum a little bit myself sometimes.

[@sebastianrobledo4324]

I love your tone!

[@hdsg8361]

keep up the awsome work mate love your content

[@OldPeepaw]

great solve for the traditional p/j circuit

[@a.j.garrett9639]

That was so good! You really ran a clinic on that bass. Should be required listening. I learned a lot . Thank you sir.

[@samsonlopez6947]

That was an awesome, thank you. That gives me a solid reason to upgrade to a PJ configuration. I know before that I will not get really close to the J sound, except if the P pickups are in series as you demo'd in your video. So, you're 2 switches are for 1.turning of/off the J pickup and for 2.switching the P pickups into series or humbuckers? You're only knob is the volume control which sets the J and the Ps to always same volume level?

[@davetenney5800]

Here is a video explaining the wiring m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/opy2aGWii55mb9U&pp=sAQA

[@noonejc]

That was a great video, thanks!

[@robertterry2838]

Great video.

[@JerseyMiller]

Agree with you about the active preamp being an inconvenience. I had an 80s super strat with EMG a and the battery would run out and drive me nuts when I forgot to unplug the wire.

[@tenitabrown9086]

Thanks for sharing your experience and expertise! I'm looking at a Fender Aerodyne Jazz bass, which , I think, has the same pickup setup you're demoing. It's a bit more than I was planing to spend, but if it's really that versatile, then it's worth it. Am I on track?

[@davetenney5800]

That looks like a very nice bass...I'm sure you would be very happy with it! There are probably some used options out there as well...

[@SisterRose]

that's such a cool looking Bass

[@surfrby8876]

As a guitar player just starting to get serious with bass this video was very helpful, I’ve been looking at this style bass, what about basses that can be active and passive ? Again thanks

[@davetenney5800]

I think a bass that you could switch between active and passive would be just fine...I like passive basses mostly because they are simpler and have one less thing that can go wrong. You also have to always remember to unplug an active bass when you are not playing it, otherwise the battery will drain.

[@johnniecameron8829]

NICE SETUP ,COOL BASS WAY MORE USEFUL

[@REMBRANTTUBE]

GREAT JOB DAVE!! ...I'M BUILDING A "PJ" NOW.... I NEED MORE INFO ON HOW TO WIRE IT AND WHAT POTS AND CAPS I'LL NEED..... THANKS AGAIN!!

[@matthewd6306]

You are dead on with your points in this video. 1 Thing I will say is I like Active Basses that have the option to go passive and bypass the on board PreAmp such as the new Fender Elite and Ultra basses.

[@556musicman]

Thanks for the great explanation of your configuration! I just got my first PJ and am planning the updates to pickups/controls, and this gave me a lot to think about! Great playing, too.

[@davetenney5800]

I really like having a 3-way switch on a P-bass...That is my favorite modification.

[@anibalsoares8818]

Hey Dave, awesome video! I have a few questions for you. How you did your bass pick up configuration (wired)? Do you think I can do something similar in a Spector bass? I really agree with about passive and active bass and I'm really trying to change the original configuration of my bass to a passive style. Thanks!

[@davetenney5800]

The wiring I used can be found on the dimarzio website...a 3-way switch for the pickups is done the same way as a Les Paul. The series parallel switch is easy to find with a Google search. There is certainly no trickery with the wiring.

[@54321AnibalGarcia]

Thanks@@davetenney5800

[@NamooNara]

excellent information!

[@rmccain99]

I hear more harmonics in the Parallel setting and I like it!

[@theloniouslinford283]

Hey Dave, do you think you could draw out a wiring diagram for this bass? I’d be interested to look at it!

[@davetenney5800]

If you go on Dimarzio' s website you can figure out what I did pretty easy. The series/parallel switch is an ancient p-bass mod...I originally got the diagram out of a book I had in the late 80's, but it is readily available on google. Other than that, it is a stock p-bass wiring diagram with a 3-way selector switch. You can find lots of diagrams online for the selector switch.

[@SBry94]

Awesome video!

[@markslesarev5024]

Dave, it was very informative video, i really enjoy how many sounds you can get from it! My question is whether there is a bass on a market that go like this adjusted without manual adjustments? Thank you!

[@davetenney5800]

I'm not sure...If you know a good repair shop they could probably rewire a bass any way you wanted. I used to run this bass with just a 3 way switch and a volume knob. You can roll the volume back a little bit and it will roll the top end off... Of course, changing your right hand technique can have a huge impact on tone without touching a switch at all!

[@markslesarev5024]

Dave Tenney thank you

[@carlosmacmartin4205]

Thanks for all the info! Extremely detailed. Now I want to put it to use. I recently bought an Affinity PJ bass that I plan to upgrade with a Fender Jazz bass bridge and 62 P bass pickups. Now I'm looking for a wire harness and see that there are people who are selling custom wired harnesses. Question is, to get the most sounds out of the PJ configuration, what would be the best way to wire the pots?

[@davetenney5800]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/opy2aGWii55mb9U I think this is the best way to wire a PJ. You don't need to buy a harness...bass wiring is simple.

[@carlosmacmartin4205]

@@davetenney5800 Thanks, brother. I'll check it out. 😊

[@chickentwisties2298]

Wow that's a beautiful looking Bass

[@davetenney5800]

Thanks!

[@paulm7732]

thanx man

[@simons.2948]

Good vid, love my PJUltra bass👍

[@andyscott1718]

Great bass and playing. What make of pickups are they?

[@drew-shourd]

Great video, cool bass brah. I'd agree with you about 'slappin' going out of style, but only in rock, like RHCP, RATM and others similar. But in funk, certain R&B tracks and some jazz, slappin' will never go out of style, imo. Rock on buddy!!!

[@zedzero77]

cool bass man!

[@Inkawgneegrow]

That thing sounds nice.

[@LimboJimbo]

What you're saying about tone playing solo vs in a band is also true for other instruments. I play guitar and what works best in a band does not always sound that impressive in its own. Take many classic Marshall amps. They are legendary and still widely used for a reason. The well defined, mid-heavy sound works great in a mix. However, if you play on your own, especially on beginner to intermediate levels, it can sound somewhat thin, metallic/harsh and much less pleasant than, say, a full blown Mesa Boogie sound. The latter however is trickier to find a goid spot for in a band, especially for rock styles. It seems to be similar with the P bass...

[@grantkoeller8911]

super nice bass you have!!!!!!!

[@blop-a-blop9419]

I've always been a fan of the P bass, and recently discovered how wonderful a double pickup bass can sound... So I wondered if I'd like the JJ or the PJ better, or would end up switching between J and P all the time... You definitely sold me on this ! Especially the "pseudo-MM" sound you get with that fuller mid-range !! 🤩 Because I like how the MM sounds, sometimes, but to me it doesn't feel versatile enough for me to own one... Some thing we might wanna try out : playing aroun with EQ settings, when in a particular pickup position, so that we can reduce the frequency range of that full P, hen it sounds too much. I don't plan on getting a series-parallel switch. Yet... So I'm interested in trying to EQ that to make it sound thinner, when needed :) Also, in the configuration with both pickups on, scooping the mids out for slapping HAS to be tried.

[@davetenney5800]

It's a pretty versatile setup...One secret to great cutting bass sounds I learned years ago is to run your amp flat with no EQ. I made a video about that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5jTg3yin8hnoq8&ab_channel=DaveTenney

[@johnniecameron8829]

I've started adding mids on my amp and it works

[@davetenney5800]

It does! Try starting with your amp set flat...crank it up, and eq it while you're playing in the context of your band.

[@PhilosophicalCat]

I've played my share of PJ's where the J pickup sounded thin/weak compared to the P pickup. Took me a while to find a PJ with a well balanced set, but now I'm in bass heaven.

[@EpictheEpicest]

Unless you're playing a bass designed to be that way (G&L SB-2, etc) it's usually easy to balance the pickups by adjusting the height of the screws.

[@PhilosophicalCat]

@@EpictheEpicest thanks, I hadn't thought of that before

[@Music.is.my.Fuel.]

Cool video! Subscribed!

[@brandonwitcher5212]

If you said it in the video, I didn’t catch it. But what position would you say the jazz pickup is in? 60’s or 70’s

[@farisfuad1150]

Your bass sound real good

[@rban123]

I actually really like the sound of the j pick up by itself with the tone all the way down

[@Patbanger]

I want this Bass!

[@avielp]

Great playing and a beautiful looking and sounding bass! I own a PJ bass myself. What brands are these pickups?

[@davetenney5800]

Thanks!! The pickups are dimarzio model p and j. I put them in in the mid 90's

[@secretjourney4815]

@@davetenney5800 You should advertise this as a Dimarzio Model P and J video. there are very few videos out there showcasing those pickups you have. I was watching, and thought, hmmm are those model PJ's? Sure enough. I just finished a PJ build. I went with Bartolinis, But I think I may switch to the model pj pickups. Thanks!

[@soliderfromtf2]

Yea the pj configuration is the best. I play everything from jazz to death metal and the pj configuration works great for everything Oh and at 8:03 it was Dan Lilker and I love his work in brutal truth

[@ThrashRebel]

I am getting ready to mod my J-Bass; put a pick-guard routed for a P-pass pickup & P-bass pickups. I am considering installing Ghost piezo pickups on it, also, just to increase versatility.

[@davetenney5800]

I've never heard piezo's on an electric bass. I'll have to check that out....

[@killermurderer2208]

Great video! Does the series/parallel wiring work with 5 string pbass pickups?

[@davetenney5800]

Yes. It will work with any humbucking pickup.

[@killermurderer2208]

@@davetenney5800 thanks!

[@Terry3Gs]

Thanks for the video ... I just got a PJ bass cause I heard it is versatile as you where saying here accept the 1 I just got is only a vol vol tone control setup.

[@davetenney5800]

That is a good set up too. Anything can work once you get used to it. If it were me I would put a push pull pot on the p volume and have it wired to a coil split...

[@Terry3Gs]

@@davetenney5800 thanks & yes i seen you mention that .. will keep that in mind in the future.

[@discobassgroove]

The P/J with series/parallel switch is the answer to to P vs J

[@Mr29andMrs29]

I never log in anymore, but I had to just to ask a question! That Rush riff you played right after N.I.B., what is that from?

[@davetenney5800]

"Working man"