Jazz vs Precision Bass
Fender is the name of the musical instruments manufacturer that has been making Jazz and Precision bass guitars for more than half a century. In fact, Fender’s basses have been dominating all other bass guitars across the globe. It was in 1951 that Leo Fender produced the world’s first bass guitar called Precision bass. Only 9 years later, Fender crated another bass guitar called jazz bass or simply J bass. Bassists all over the world remain confused between P bass and J bass till date. This article takes a closer look at the two bass guitars to find out the differences between Precision bass and Jazz bass.
Precision Bass
Before 1950, to visualize a guitar playing bass was unthinkable and bass sound was produced using an upright bass. It could be kept only upright to be able to produce the bass sound, and it could not even be amplified. It was in 1951 that the world saw the first bass guitar in the shape of precision bass guitar made by musician Leo Fender and his crew. The world of musicians lapped up this bass guitar as it was for the first time that a bass producing instrument could actually be held in hand and transported easily from one place to another. One could use it in live performances, and it made recording and amplifying easy jobs. The fact that it was played like a guitar and also with precision revolutionized the world of composers. The acoustic bass soon gave way to precision bass all over the world, and it was P bass dominating the world of bass.
Jazz Bass
Leo fender himself was very happy with the success of P bass and the manner in which it was received by the musicians the world over. However, he set upon the task of upgrade the P bass to come up with something more refined and better than this bass. After experimenting and toiling hard for 9 years, Fender finally introduced the new look J bass to the world. The pickup was single coil and numbered 2 in this bass. The guitar had a slimmer neck and a different body than that of P bass. Music world welcomed this trendy looking bass. Since then, the two basses have been evolving, and we see them as they are today with both being very popular across the world.
Jazz Bass vs Precision Bass
• The sounds made by the two basses are very different.
• P bass was invented earlier in 1951 while Jazz bass was made in 1960.
• J bass has a thinner neckline than P bass.
• J bass is crisper and gives a fuller sound than P bass, but the amount of bass produced by precision is higher.
• Today, P bass is used more in rock and metal while J bass is seen more in jazz, country, and Blues genres.
• The choice of an electric bass is dependent upon the requirement of sounds and the liking of the composer.