[ChurchBass] {GEAR} P in a J
Posted by: wulf <wulf@...>
> Hello all. I have a fender jazz (mexican). I absolutely
> love the bass. However, I am interested in changing out a J
> pickup in favor of a P pickup. Does anyone know if this can
> be done? If it can be done...any suggestions?
If you love the bass as it is, I'd tend to stay away from
doing that for various reasons:
1. As I recall, one of the functions of twin J-type pickups
is to cancel unnecessary noise in the circuit. A P-type
pickup will do this on it's own but the remaining J pickup
will then have nothing to cancel the noise in it's signal.
There are solutions (eg. replacement J pickup designed
to be quiet on its own) but that means you have to buy
two new pickups.
2. You'll need to rout the body to fit the P pickup. If you
don't like it, you can't easily go back without visible
damage.
3. As I recall, the differences between P and J basses go
further than the pickups - eg. the feel of the neck, body
shape and control layout. You won't transform the bass
to a Precision by turning off the J pickup.
Therefore, it's a potentially expensive and irrevocable
modification that will permanently alter you bass.
Especially when you figure in the risk that it might all go
pear shaped, I wonder if you might not be better off just
buying a P bass or one that comes designed with a PJ
configuration. Two basses (even if one of them is a cheap
P copy) might be a bit more awkward to lug around but
are otherwise a flexible and reliable solution - going for a
single 'frankenbass' is a much more risky investment!
Wulf
--
Wulf Forrester-Barker <//<
NB. new preferred address: wulf@web-den.org.uk
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