A little help and clarification please

Body wise- the Jazz has a physically larger body- it can look really huge if you're not 6' tall. It also has 2 SC pickups- when used together they're humbucking. The nut width (From E-G) is 1.5"

The P has a physically smaller body- one humbucking pickup in the same position as the "neck" pickup of the J. The nut width gets as big as 1.75"

The P will give you more "thump." The J (with both pickups on) will sound more "middy." A J can do a passable P impression- but a P always sounds like a P.

I find the J neck more playable- as the 1.5" nut width works best for me.

 

J has more of a "bright" sound to it. Think Geddy Lee in Rush...he plays a J almost exclusively. And of course, every bassist knows who Jaco was.

P has more "thud" to it. Best example I can think of offhand is from Billy Sheehan.
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In my opinion, you can do a lot more with a J-style bass, including "faking" a P sound. It's also generally got a smaller neck so for someone with smaller hands it might be better.

 

I usually describe the Jazz as a "smile sound", and the P as a "frown" sound. (think of an EQ)

Jazz has deep bass, but a zing on top, the P is more midrange thud. Less zing.

 

<donning fire-retardant suit> Just a thought... If your GF is petite, or intimidated by a large bass guitar, you might consider a short scale bass. I'm a guy, and I prefer short scales - my hands are just not big enough for the longer scale, and wider necks.

A really nice short-scale that is currently out there is the Gibson SG reissue which has two pickups, and a small body. There are plenty others.

Most people will tell you that only an idiot or the Anti-Christ would play a short scale, but there are many bass players who did pretty well with them: Cream (Jack Bruce), Govt Mule, etc, etc.

Just my 2 cents - YMMV

 

Definitely go for something with at LEAST a J-size neck.

There are P-bass specials that have a P body, J neck, and a P/J pickup combo.

Other alternatives if she's not 6 foot tall (haha) are brands like carvin, etc... the carvins almost play like a guitar, the necks are so thin, and they are lighter weight...

 

To me P Basses sound better than Jazz's and record better, but I like the Jazz necks better..

Jeff

 

The "Jazz" neck is also called the "A" neck, and is often found on P-basses as well... of all the Precisions I've owned over the years, I think more had A-necks than not.

I'd stay away from a short scale only because she may as well learn to play on the same instrument, at least size-wise, as she'll play when more accomplished.

Choose something light, something with a narrow nut, and string it with light or extra-light strings... string weight, overall guitar weight, and nut width/neck profile are going to be the "biggies."