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.
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...
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ygpRIljc4lM.html&ab_channel=DaveTenney
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!!!
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
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.
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...
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?
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?
The J bass on its own is super versatile. The P on its own, you can't get a bad tone out of it. A P/J config doesn't give you the best of both worlds per se, but you certainly get a bass you can do dang near anything with!
I agree, I never understood the "best of both worlds" comments. PJ is a great bass, lots of tones but you don't get that distinctive Marcus Miller both pickups on tone with a PJ. It also has slightly more magnetic pull by adding that J pu to a P.
@@rrdream2400 To me, a P/J config is literally a P with a little J seasoning. In most basses of that persuasion I have ever played (the exceptions being way out of my price range lol), the J was considerably weak when solo'd and honestly sounded better with the split coil solo'd.
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.
You did a great job in this video. Another way to get a P bass to sound less in your face is to turn the amp up a little and play with a lighter touch or play closer to the neck.
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.
Dave, sometime listen to T-Bone Wolk in the 1985 Hall and Oates Liberty Concert in NYC. You may not like this type of music persay, however; his sound is top-shelf. He has the same type of PJ pickup setup and got one of the best bass tone I have ever heard. You are right that this setup is a real Gem, Thanks!
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.
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...
Had 2 moments of, "Huh!...INTERESTING..." 1) When he demonstrated to tonal differences in the P pickup by using switch to go between series and parallel. Find myself contemplating installing a switch to get those differences. 2) When he played the J pickup solo with tone completely rolled off. Clarity without harshness. Perfect solo tone.
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
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!
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!
