How to get P-bass sounds from a J-bass?

[Sentinel]

I'm a proud owner of an Am Fender J-bass. Playability is great, I love it, etc.

But I ALSO want to get some growling P-bass sounds from it. What can I do, apart from changing pu's or other "drastic" measures like buying a P-bass (can't afford that !).

Are there perhaps any kind of special stomp boxes I could buy?

[burningyen]

You could experiment with an EQ pedal or a SansAmp Bass Driver.

[hamertek98]

Roll back the bridge pup.

[tbonesullivan]

change the wiring to have a series/parallel option. I believe that wired in series the pickups should give you more of a P-bass sound.

[Turdus]

Roll back the bridge pup.

This, but I'd roll it off completely. Then, add a little low end + mid. I think that is as close as you are going to get.

I've got several Jazz + P basses. The P basses seem more naturally "boomy"

[gtone]

Our bassist uses a Sansamp DI box in front of a modest Fender amp using a MIM J-bass and it growls like a mofo (sounds like my son's Ampeg SVT stack with a lots of hair on it!).

[GusS]

bridge pickup + rounds + tone knob maxed out = ugh

neck pickup + flats + tone knob somewhere in between = jazz (jizz)

[JohnnyB]

I'm a proud owner of an Am Fender J-bass. Playability is great, I love it, etc.

But I ALSO want to get some growling P-bass sounds from it. What can I do, apart from changing pu's or other "drastic" measures like buying a P-bass (can't afford that !).

Are there perhaps any kind of special stomp boxes I could buy?

What kind of sound do you get from the neck pickup full up and the bridge at around 20%?

And what kind of amp do you have and are you running it flat? I used to have a 1x12 combo that imparted an upper midrange glare to anything I plugged into it. My current rig is much more linear and has some excellent tone-shaping controls.

You say you don't want a pickup swap, but it seems to me that dropping a split coil hum canceling pickup in the Jazz form factor into the neck pickup position only would pretty much do it, and still leave you plenty of J-bass snarl when you adjust pickup blend in favor of the bridge PU. This would make for a stealth PJ.

You can get these from Bartolini, DiMarzio, Nordstrand, and others. I put single coil Barts in my Squier VM fretless and like their tone and dynamics.

I have no direct experience with it, but perhaps a Stellartone Tone Styler would give you what you want. Then there are all those versions of the Sansamp DI.

I'd start by turning the neck pickup all the way up, rolling the bridge pickup down to about 20%, and then fiddle with the EQ knobs on your amp. Specifically, boost the bass a little and roll down the mids a bit. A hum-canceling pickup scoops the midrange compared to its single-coil counterpart.

[Sentinel]

Thanks a lot - you REALLY are experts!

I'll try these tips.

:-)

[JohnnyB]

Roll back the bridge pup.

This, but I'd roll it off completely. Then, add a little low end + mid. I think that is as close as you are going to get.

I've got several Jazz + P basses. The P basses seem more naturally "boomy"

Definitely true. I also found that you can compensate somewhat for a Jazz's lack of boom by turning up the gain on a bass amp that has both gain and volume controls. I also got more boom when I swapped in those Bartolinis and some more boom yet by dropping in a Babicz Full Contact bass bridge:

The bridge is a direct drop-in replacement for any 5-screw Fender style bass bridge, though you may have to stick with your original screws instead of the ones that come with the bridge.

[Sentinel]

I went to the local music store today and tried a stomp box that looks a lot like this:

It sounded more or less the way I want it. It is a bit on the expensive side, but I'll have it in mind...!

Thanks, again!

Now I'll also try the "roll off bridge pu - etc" tip and trim eq on the amp, adding a bit of gain...! :-)

[Sentinel]

Yep, again you were right! :-)

I tried it last night:

No bridge and full neck pu, with added mids and a bit of gain did the trick. It was a really great sound I got there.

(I'm using a Fender Cyber Deluxe 65 watt amp.)

Even though the Tech21 VT Bass was killer sweet, my own tweaking will suffice for a while...!

Thanks again!

[ZR]

So, where does the Hamer Cruisebass fit in the whole J/P bass spectrum? How could I change the wiring (as someone said above; series/parallel etc.) to offer more variety? What is the current wiring setup in stock form - series or parallel? Thanks!

[Turdus]

If you are talking about a 2nd gen Cruise, 2 tek, that bass needs nothing. To me, it sounded like a Rick/Jazz hybrid. The near perfect combination.

[ZR]

If you are talking about a 2nd gen Cruise, 2 tek, that bass needs nothing. To me, it sounded like a Rick/Jazz hybrid. The near perfect combination.

It's an '86 with the yellow ink stamp serial # w/ regular bridge not the 2tek.

[JohnnyB]

If you are talking about a 2nd gen Cruise, 2 tek, that bass needs nothing. To me, it sounded like a Rick/Jazz hybrid. The near perfect combination.

It's an '86 with the yellow ink stamp serial # w/ regular bridge not the 2tek.

In that case, it's almost like trying to get Strat sounds out of a Les Paul. The '80s Cruise bass is all mahogany with a set neck. Basses with maple bolt necks generally have a more prominent string attack with more midrange punch. However, the Cruise does have a Jazz-type bridge pickup, so if you dial in about 100% bridge and 10-20% neck pickup, then roll off low bass a bit and boost midrange, that should get you close.

[ZR]

Thanks for the reply JohnnyB but I'm not sure if you may have me mistaken w/ the OP, but I don't really want my bass to sound like any other particular model/type of bass. I was just wondering how it fit into that spectrum, and just considering the tonal options that could be changed w/ some simple wiring mods. Thanks again for the reply. Either way, it's a great bass (though I mainly play guitar)!!

Also, love your sig pic. Reminds me of sitting on the floor listening to records out of the crappy speaker with my sister, looking at the records go round and round as I looked in awe at the latest in portable music technology!!

[JohnnyB]

Thanks for the reply JohnnyB but I'm not sure if you may have me mistaken w/ the OP, but I don't really want my bass to sound like any other particular model/type of bass. I was just wondering how it fit into that spectrum, and just considering the tonal options that could be changed w/ some simple wiring mods. Thanks again for the reply. Either way, it's a great bass (though I mainly play guitar)!!

Also, love your sig pic. Reminds me of sitting on the floor listening to records out of the crappy speaker with my sister, looking at the records go round and round as I looked in awe at the latest in portable music technology!!

Basically for playing clean or for bass, harder woods (ash, maple, alder), boltnecks, and single coil pickups are at the brighter/snarlier end of the spectrum and setneck construction, mahogany and noise canceling pickups (especially fat humbuckers) are at the mellower end. That would put the original Cruise about 70-80% toward the full/mellow side.

As to that crazy portable record player, people today wonder how the 8-track ever became an accepted playback medium. It's because it was the first commercially successful car-friendly music medium. Until it came along, we had to take our music along like that portable record player or one of these 3" reel tape recorders:

Vinyl is about all I listen to anymore, at least at home. Maybe I'll have to get one of these:

[ZR]

Thanks for the reply JohnnyB but I'm not sure if you may have me mistaken w/ the OP, but I don't really want my bass to sound like any other particular model/type of bass. I was just wondering how it fit into that spectrum, and just considering the tonal options that could be changed w/ some simple wiring mods. Thanks again for the reply. Either way, it's a great bass (though I mainly play guitar)!!

Also, love your sig pic. Reminds me of sitting on the floor listening to records out of the crappy speaker with my sister, looking at the records go round and round as I looked in awe at the latest in portable music technology!!

Basically for playing clean or for bass, harder woods (ash, maple, alder), boltnecks, and single coil pickups are at the brighter/snarlier end of the spectrum and setneck construction, mahogany and noise canceling pickups (especially fat humbuckers) are at the mellower end. That would put the original Cruise about 70-80% toward the full/mellow side.

As to that crazy portable record player, people today wonder how the 8-track ever became an accepted playback medium. It's because it was the first commercially successful car-friendly music medium. Until it came along, we had to take our music along like that portable record player or one of these 3" reel tape recorders:

Vinyl is about all I listen to anymore, at least at home. Maybe I'll have to get one of these:

Thanks for the reply. I remember someone in our family having an old r2r like that! The record player looks like something Bang and Olufson would put out ... if it was made from plutonium, titanium and the finest Northern European Hardwoods.

[killerteddybear]

I'm a proud owner of an Am Fender J-bass. Playability is great, I love it, etc.

But I ALSO want to get some growling P-bass sounds from it. What can I do, apart from changing pu's or other "drastic" measures like buying a P-bass (can't afford that !).

Are there perhaps any kind of special stomp boxes I could buy?

You can get close but never exact. The size and placement of the Precision split pickup changes everything. It's like trying to get humbucker thickness from your single coil guitar.

You COULD buy a Squier Vintage P or a mid '90s Mexican P, for about US$ 300.

[Sentinel]

I guess you're right! :-)

Thanks!

[JohnnyB]

You can get close but never exact. The size and placement of the Precision split pickup changes everything. It's like trying to get humbucker thickness from your single coil guitar.

You COULD buy a Squier Vintage P or a mid '90s Mexican P, for about US$ 300.

I have a dual humbucker G&L ASAT fretless. It has a lot of sounds in it, but not the Jaco-type fretless Jazz mwah. So I picked up a used Squier VM Fretless--which is the poor man's poor man's Jaco bass--for $199 w/gig bag. This had exactly the sound I was looking for, though I swapped in some USA Bartolinis to get more dynamic range than were in the stock pickups. I enjoy this bass a lot now.

You could definitely get a Squier Classic Vibe P-bass (read the enthusiastic user reviews), and with a string swap, get what you're looking for. For unit-to-unit consistency, I trust the current Squiers more than the MIM Fenders. And you could eventually pop in a used USA-made P-bass pickup for not much money. Even a new Duncan Basslines pickup is only $65.

That said, I'm still surprised how close to a P-bass sound I can get with my Squier Jazz when I use the neck pickup only, or with a little bit of bridge pickup blended in for bite. It also helps to pluck in the region where the P-basses have the thumb rest or tug bar.

I gigged with it last Saturday with the new pickups and it's the most enthusiastic feedback I've gotten from the band (as in, "You sounded fantastic tonight!"). Part of that may have had to do with how I finally figured out how to defeat an annoying in-room resonance via better amp placement, but still, the Squier held up its end very well and brought something new to the party that they liked.