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I play bass more than guitar at home these days. Weirdly I write better guitar parts when I'm playing bass, by singing along with a bass line, than on guitar.
In reality, I think I just like the wide fretboards because they are easier on my hands. I always feel really cramped up on a Jazz.
Eccent-Ric bass guitars have their place. A unique sound and a different ride. Only yesterday evening, I grabbed my 4001 at random to sketch out a bass line on a demo recording. Managed to come up with something that I never would have attempted on brand F, MM or W.
Select a maple neck (with rosewood board if you like softer purr or maple fingerboard if you like snappy), an alder (if you like soft purr) or ash (if you like snappy) body. Buy some second hand pickups - Lace Sensors or Armstrong are pretty good and cheap as chips. Get decent hardware too, avoid anything with "vintage" in the name.
There's no particular bass suited for one style over another in terms of sound - that's all marketing BS. Go with something that feels comfortable and, if you plan on experimenting with different sounds, two pickups for versatility. A jazz bass will do a decent P-bass tone on the neck pickup or a p bass body with PJ pickups and jazz neck if you like (although there's a bit of a mismatch in output between P and J pickups unless you get a matched set). Forget about active eq for now.
If you don't know what you want, go visit a music shop and mess about on a couple of instruments to help you focus your thoughts a bit more.
[This space for rent]
The VM Jazz is still good, bassist in my old band used one. Changed the bridge but was happy with the pick ups; generally speaking anyone I've been in a band with has low standards but he was an ex pro function player with a closet full of expensive bass gear and still used the VM live.
The Marcus Miller branded ones might be worth a look but new only from Thomann so they aren't as competitively priced now. Worth bearing in mind if one pops up used.
Still not bought my son a new bass, current front runners have been MIM Precisions, but they aren't consistent - you have to try them out.
I don't think I've seen that Squier PJ before so that'll go on our list. Just waiting on his exam results - so he's probably f*****d, just joking son...
This is the 2014 Squier VM Precision Bass in my forum ID thumbnail.
http://i.imgur.com/gP1IZKD.jpg?2
40mm whereas the nut width of a 2014 Squier VM Jazz Bass is 38mm.