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Post subject: Interesting Discovery about P/J basses and the 70s bridge PU
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 10:09 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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I was interested in modifying my p bass to be a p/j bass, and I noticed something quite interesting....

I looked at different p basses with j bodies and I couldn't help but notice the j pickup seemed to be in the 70's jazz bridge position (about a 1/4" closer to the bridge than the normal bridge PU location).

Something was strange though.... I measured the distance between the center of the front jazz pickup and the center of the rear jazz pickup, and it corresponded exactly to the distance between the center of the front p bass pickup and the center of the jazz pickup in a p/j bass (specifically the deluxe p bass special).

If the p/j bass used the 70's jazz location, then the spacing SHOULD have been greater than the spacing of a jazz bass, since I assumed the front p bass pickup was in the same location as the front jazz bass pickup. That's where I was wrong.

In fact, the distance between the front jazz pickup and the front p pickup (from their centers) is the EXACT amount of displacement between a normal jazz bridge pickup and a 70's location, about 1/4".

Therefore means that there are two types of p/j basses out there: those oriented around the p pickup, and those oriented around the rear j pickup. Let's compare the reggie hammleton P/J with a deluxe P special.

The reggie has a jazz body, and has the J pickup in the regular spot. The Deluxe P has the J in the 70's spot. The Deluxe P has the P pickup in the normal spot, but the Reggie has the P pickup about 1/4" closer to the neck than a P would normally be.

This means that the distance between the pickups is consistent, but that both pickups on the Deluxe P are offset by 1/4" from both pickups on the Reggie Hammilton Jazz.

I've checked this out, and it's consistent between all models.

Now what does all this crap mean exactly? Quite a lot. If you've ever played a jazz bass from the 70's, you can tell the difference between the 70's bridge placement and a regular jazz placement. Now just imagine what this will do to a P bass pickup that same distance closer to the bridge.

Yeah, I'm a total guitar geek with too much time on my hands, but I figured I'd throw this out there.


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Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 10:11 pm
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I should also note that this clears up some (though certainly not all) mystery behind the 70's PU location. The distance it was offset is the same distance between a front P coil and a Jazz coil (the jazz being slightly closer to the neck).


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Post subject: Re: Interesting Discovery about P/J basses and the 70s bridg
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 10:19 pm
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anubis16 wrote:
.....Yeah, I'm a total guitar geek with too much time on my hands, but I figured I'd throw this out there.

As long as you know this and admit to it, there is counseling that you can get. :wink:

Bloody good information there.


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