Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

My Jazz bass or my Kawai F-2-B. But I can't think of a world without my Rics!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No I will not have it !!!!!

My second choice is a Precision. And as such it will not get any playing time over here while I still have my Rick's so I will not buy a proper (Fender) one and keep on playing my (also good) Bach Precision once in a while.

After playing one at the Montreal guitar show, I was blown away by the Dingwall Afterburner. Even the fan frets did not present an issue. Wild bass. Has it's own sound though, not like anything else. I fell in love. I'll get to try a Combustion when my bass player's arrives in a week or two. I hope it plays and sounds as nice as the Afterburner. Unbelievable touch and tone. All strings had piano tone, even the low B, without any excessive tension. Mongo impressed...

gearhed289 wrote:

johnallg wrote:In a Rickless world, a P-bass, a J-bass, and maybe a Thunderbird. Oh, and adding a J pickup to a Precision ruins the P sound. IMHO. It changes the loading and the tones of the P pickup enough it is like now not a P and not a J.

Interesting... I briefly owned a Fender California P-Bass Special (P body, J neck, PJ pickups), and I was disappointed that it didn't seem to scream "P BASS!" when I soloed the split pickup. Then again, when my old alumi-Kramer had the stock Schaller PJ pups, it got a great P bass sound. Hmm.... Any more insight on this? I was thinking of replacing the neck pup on a Geddy Lee Jazz I just bought with a P style.

Tom and Joey - the P/J configuration is a nice sounding bass, but you do not get the classic P sound (very similar but not identical character) and you get a near-hit on a Jazz bridge sound.

Tom, remember a P bass only has the one pickup and when you add a J in parallel it is a different load on it. Go to a store that has a P/J on the shelf and compare it to a P and see. Y M M V

Yeah, as far as pure tone goes, the simplicity of a Precision (or a 4004) is often worth it.

I like the PRecision for its great tone and simplicity.

Someday I'd like a straight 4000 for its own unique tone, and again, simplicity!

cassius987 wrote:Yeah, as far as pure tone goes, the simplicity of a Precision (or a 4004) is often worth it.

I love the simplicity of the P-Bass and 4004.

johnallg wrote: Tom and Joey - the P/J configuration is a nice sounding bass, but you do not get the classic P sound (very similar but not identical character) and you get a near-hit on a Jazz bridge sound.

I've never owned a bass with the P/J pickup configuration, but I know some people who love it. I do appreciate the heads-up because I would not want to kill the P-Bass sound of my Precision. It really nails the classic P sound as I hoped it would. My '76 Precision did not do that! One of the reasons why I got rid of it.
So even with an extra volume control pot, I run the risk of killing my P-bass tone?

rickenbrother wrote:

johnallg wrote: Tom and Joey - the P/J configuration is a nice sounding bass, but you do not get the classic P sound (very similar but not identical character) and you get a near-hit on a Jazz bridge sound.

I've never owned a bass with the P/J pickup configuration, but I know some people who love it. I do appreciate the heads-up because I would not want to kill the P-Bass sound of my Precision. It really nails the classic P sound as I hoped it would. My '76 Precision did not do that! One of the reasons why I got rid of it.
So even with an extra volume control pot, I run the risk of killing my P-bass tone?

In a P/J, the wiring of the two pups is the same as a Jazz - parallel. I suppose you could put a switch in that would allow switching in the Jazz when wanted. Not sure if that would still compromise the tone you love when the pup was out of the circuit.

I think Tony Franklin got around this by using a Strat switch to go from P to J or both, with a master volume and tone.

I definitely agree that adding a volume pot is no good for the tone. It should cut the resistance to ground as far as overall signal goes in half. It's the same reason we like how Ric-O-Sound sounds.

johnallg wrote:

rickenbrother wrote:

johnallg wrote: Tom and Joey - the P/J configuration is a nice sounding bass, but you do not get the classic P sound (very similar but not identical character) and you get a near-hit on a Jazz bridge sound.

I've never owned a bass with the P/J pickup configuration, but I know some people who love it. I do appreciate the heads-up because I would not want to kill the P-Bass sound of my Precision. It really nails the classic P sound as I hoped it would. My '76 Precision did not do that! One of the reasons why I got rid of it.
So even with an extra volume control pot, I run the risk of killing my P-bass tone?

In a P/J, the wiring of the two pups is the same as a Jazz - parallel. I suppose you could put a switch in that would allow switching in the Jazz when wanted. Not sure if that would still compromise the tone you love when the pup was out of the circuit.

Sounds like it would have to be wired sort of like a 4004Cjj to sound like a P or a J!

rickenbrother wrote:Sounds like it would have to be wired sort of like a 4004Cjj to sound like a P or a J!

Check this guy out: http://www.fender.com/products/search.p ... 0190085800

Tony Franklin had a really good idea to fix the P/J problem.

If I were ever to pay top dollar for a new P/J-bass, the Tony Franklin would be the way I'd go. But, for $190 plus about $250 in mods, I have a blistering FL Jazz that drops jaws with its tone. So, I'm good.

I bet a Warmoth Tony Franklin-esque bass would probably cost half as much. I admit I've always wondered why his was so expensive besides the ebony board.

I'd have to say a Fender Jazz bass or a Spector NS-2 would be my choice. My Fender is pretty much all I use now anyway since I sold all my RIC's.