Fender Jazz Bass VS P Bass: Are they different at all?

I'm not a fan of splitting hairs when it comes to bass guitar specs (or any instrument).

And when it comes to the differences between the current Fender Jazz bass and Fender Precision bass, you'd have to do some serious hair splitting to find much difference.

Granted, I'm looking at two bass guitars within the same series - in the Fender brand - the Player series.

This means you have the following two bass guitars:

• Fender Player Jazz Bass
• Fender Player Precision Jazz Bass

We'll look at the differences - the few of them - on the specs sheet and then give some basic (and subjective) category grading. Though I'll warn ahead of time, you could roll dice and pick one, or just pick based on looks.

As our Fender Jazz Bass VS P Bass comparison will show you, they're essentially the same guitar.

Compare Fender Jazz Bass VS P Bass

For those wanting a quicker answer, this chart includes compare buttons that show you price and basic specs between the two guitars. 

Also, if you're going to buy, consider shopping through our orange Sweetwater buttons, which cost you nothing extra but help support our site. Either way, enjoy the article.

Basic Specs

It's disappointing, but Fender is extremely uniform when it comes to the production of these two bass guitars. Tonewood, parts, and even measurements are exactly the same with very few exceptions.

Also note that when there are quality differences, we highlight those with red boxes (yellow indicates a difference without quality concerns), of which we've found absolutely none between these two instruments.

In fact, we've only been able to find four spec comparisons that require the yellow box highlight.

Unless you're talking aesthetics, these are essentially the exact same instrument.

Our Comparison Chart

Nut width (width at the bottom of the first fret) is a little wider in the P bass, and the pickup configuration is (obviously) different. However, both basses uses the "Player Series Alnico V" pickup.

One is just a split single coil.

This Alnico V pickup is a type of Fender stock pickup that doesn't come from the Custom Shop that makes the nicer Fender pickups. They're pretty cheap and should - in most cases - be replaced.

One might argue that you have less flexibility with the Precision bass because of fewer pickups and controls. However, that's splitting hairs since tone and knob tweaking isn't as big of a deal in bass guitars as it would be in a six-string electric guitar.

Our Grading

Predictably, there isn't a lot of room to grade differently between these two guitars.

I gave the Jazz bass a boost in features for having the two pickups and dual volume controls, but that doesn't make a huge difference when it comes to practical use.

Otherwise, you're dealing with two extremely similar instruments without much room in the middle.

It's clear that Fender has developed a template for the Player series, that even translates into the electric guitars with the Stratocaster and Telecaster models. The Alder body and stock Alnico V pickups are a common theme, which leads me to a bit of disappointment that Fender has become so uniform in the way they produce guitars.

I would love to see more nuance between the models, but as they currently stand, it just isn't there.

Are both great bass guitars?

Absolutely.

But there isn't much we can distinguish in terms of grading.

Fender Jazz Bass VS P Bass Conclusion

For those trying to make a buying decision, I think it largely comes down to aesthetic preference.

I always thought the Jazz bass looked nicer, and I like the extra pickup.

But the P bass has plenty of iconic appeal as well.

Either way, don't spend too much time agonizing over the difference between the two. They're essentially the same guitar.

If you have questions about this Fender Jazz Bass VS P Bass comparison, let us know in the comments section below. We'll see you there.

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