Certainly not this one, whose claims to be a prolific gigger and session player are dubious, and formal, organised lessons on bass guitar don't seem his strong suit either.
As a long time bass player, one thing *I* have learned is never to take advice from a bass player about taking advice from a bass player about taking advice from a bass player.
(with practice and time it's actually VERY easy to manually increase your tonal range on a p-bass simply by plucking differently) I think it's worth it to play a p-bass even just for tone control practice - I've played one for about 11 years and it's always been my main bass - and controlling tone with my picking and fretting is second nature, while I watch others rely almost entirely on their electronic controls. The so-called limitations on P-basses will make you a more talented, versatile bassist over time - but it does take practice since many people hardly ever learn how to manually control tone, so they're starting form scratch. To start practicing controlling tone manually experiment with different positions on frets (difference of even a mm) and different pressures, using different parts of the tip of your finger. Same with plucking, experiment with different parts of your fingertip, difference force and difference positions. Using simple technique to increase your tonal range will get easier - your plucking fingers will become quasi-calloused as you "tap-pluck" with them more, much more dense than the other fingertips of that hand, giving you further control simply by plucking differently.
As a seasoned guitarist it amazes me that so many have to have this explained to them. It was one of the first things I figured out before I had the luxury of an electric.
I never liked the P bass, I didn't like the sound when I played it . I avoided them for 30 years. I finally gave in and picked one up. Still wasn't crazy about the sound. I took it to rehearsal and , WOW! They way that thing sits in the mix is amazing! My ignorance kept me from having an incredible instrument for so many years. So there's 1 reason TO buy a P bass! 🙂
Yip! Back then, our bassist wasn't sounding good, and he kept bringing new basses to rehearsals -- Peavy, Yamaha, Fender JB, and others, and got the thumbs down each time. One day he appeared with a second-hand Fender P bass, and the world was a different place! We all said, "Never sell that bass". Many years later, I can still remember how it sounded.
P basses ARE built for studio mixes after all, and because they have stronger low mids and lows (if tone's completely up) in general, whereas a jazz of the same setting with its neck pickup has more highs for attacks.
I love the simplicity of the P bass, just one knob for volume, one for tone, it's up to me as the musician to make a polished sound without the extras.
I love the limitations of a P Bass or single pickups basses in general. For me, that means that most of the tone comes from the hands and technique, and I've used a P Bass for pretty much every style of music. Great discussion
Not all single pickup basses have such a limited tonal range. You can get quite a lot out of a single pickup Stingray or most other basses with a single humbucker & active EQ
@@stevec6427 that's true. active circuitry definitely can enhance bass tones, especially if it's a four band EQ. but for most bass playing, a two or three band EQ would do it. Best are basses with the ability to toggle between active and passive as a failsafe.
No, one fretted and one fretless. ;-) In sooth, I have a late 70s fretless P that puts out about the biggest pipe o' sound I ever heard on any bass. It only has that one sound, but what a sound.
For me, the sound of a Precision Bass, with a vintage-style split coil pickup and roundwound strings, is the ultimate perfect tone for the heavy styles of music I play. It's just got that great growly and thunderous tone that sits great in a mix, rumbles like nobody's business, and still has a good amount of clarity and definition even with the tone control almost all the way down. Sure, it's a bit of a one trick pony, but it just so happens to be so good at that one particular trick that there's nothing else I want.
Duly noted About to pick up bass lessons soon and your comment helped me out. I’m looking for that sound and tone you described as well as I don’t really like the more muted tone.. something more along the lines of what you’ll hear in a RATM song
Nowadays you have precision jazz basses so this vid's more for those who want another type of tonal versatility, scooped mids, playing with jazz tones etc in live setting.
I recently purchased a P-Bass after owning only a J-Bass & an active P-J Bass for several years, and found what Scott mentioned about the tonal differences of the P-Bass vs my other two Basses to be right on point. I do find myself practicing & playing Bass covers more with the J-Bass, but when creating original music, the P-Bass is nearly always in my hands. Go figure, right?! Each of my Basses holds special places in my musical ear, heart & soul. Thanks for great content and the “Oh Yea?!” insight Scott. Keep, Keeping It Bass!
They're a blessing to have around the studio. I've only ever owned a Japanese Geddy for the past 15 years but I know when to put it down if the track needs a P and there's one I can use. Neck p/u with tone on 0 gets close but there's some kind of woodsy character to the lower midrange that you just can't get on a Jazz.
The "let me just add a little extra low" impulse has messed up a lot of mixes. Live & studio......the Precision, as you mentioned sits so well in the mix, organically....particularly with the drums. As always you sound great!
I've always struggled with P basses. Been a J guy most of my life. Always found Ps difficult and uncomfortable to play, dull "meat and potatoes" sound, and sonically just ugly to listen to when you're just sitting around noodling on one. (I equate it to a grunting pig). And something about the P PUP position always brings out a clicky clacky fret noise in my playing that irritates me (not buzz, but the sound of my fretting hand pressing the frets), so I spend more time trying to tame the thing than just relaxing and playing like I do with other basses. (I still prefer a reverse P setup = smoother, more balanced tone). But I knew I needed one in a band I was playing in, so I bought an Fender Am Std P a few years ago. Didn't give it much thought while I was playing it, but when I heard back the recordings from some live shows, I was blown away. Sounded SO great in the overall band mix. Sat exactly where it should. I'm a convert now.
As a Cliff Burton fan I personally love that clacking sound my lawsuit era p bass makes because it sounds like all the isolated bass tracks from Master Of Puppets. Too bad the 44mm nut makes the bass uncomfortable to play while playing all Cliffs bass solos.
pjmuck: you can always take off the P bass neck and put on a Jazz Bass neck, or a thinner after market bass neck. One of my three P Basses has a Mexican Std Jazz neck on it, and man, that bass is so easy to play, it practically plays itself :)
Yes... Me too, i prefer the reversed P pickup configuration, sounds more contstant between thicker and thinner strings, the thing i don't like from regular P's are the thicker strings sounds dull or unbalanced with the thinner strings 👍👍
Worth noting: If you love the P bass sound, but you DO want a bit more versatility, you can always get a PJ or the much less common PMM (a precision pickup with a music man humbucker in the bridge).
but it's less wood and more important, it feels different because it adds more magnetic pull on the strings. I routed a 70's P for a J PU once and hated what it did to the bass.
@@omagodosgraves the strings have a nice looseness on a p-bass, when I added the J in the bridge spot, the strings were tighter from more magnetic pull from the extra pickup, even with the J PU turned off. If it were equal, why would anyone buy a one pickup Musicman Stingray when you can have a 2 pickup Stingray or a Les Paul Jr with one P-90 when you can get a Special with 2 P-90's? They are all great instruments and you get more tones with 2 pickups but you also don't get the same sound as you do on the one pickup models.
@@rrdream2400 Right ! But truth moves and vibrates too. And if you put a J pu in it, don't do it to do the Jaco but only to colour the P sound or you"ll ruin the sound. (by the way, I tried it on a 79 Iba Roadster, and removing the J..........well was it the ears or the between the ears. Couldn't hear a difference and this original PU is Sensitive with an S. And if you're never satisfied, there's always an option to remove all PU hehe, or buy an upright
I think the problem with a versatile bass is that you can get every sound except for that proper p-bass sound you crave for certain songs. The best solution is to, if you can afford it, have both a versatile bass and a p-bass.
After 30 years of playing bass I bought my first one a couple of months ago and it fit like a glove , I just love the simplicity , feel and tone of the instrument .
You must have some real talent if you played bass for 30 years before you ever actually bought one! Didn't anybody else in the band notice you had no instrument?! 😜
Thank you Scott for suggesting flats on a P-Bass. Love em on mine... Tone down and you got James Jamerson. Turn it up about half way and you got Duck Dunn. Crank it all the way and you get Steve Harris. Totally love it.
I think part of the issue is that most amplified musicians over estimate their need for tonal spectrum width. It's probably very rare that most of us NEED that much and most mix engineers are probably going to narrow your wide spectrum tone into a spot in the mix.
@@richardrichard5409 true story, play your shit man nobody cares about your pickups, preamps and compressors) people are just happy to listen to some low boom boom boom
@@richardrichard5409 True. A good drummer is the real hero when bass bungles something lol. I recently sat in on a gig last minute and had never heard any of the songs we played. I held it down but butchered some outros. Had a great drummer and he would pick it back up for me just long enough for a small fill to end on the right note. My band and their friends were there to watch and my bandmates just grinned at me when our friends were like "loved the solos on those outros bro." Hahaha
And yeah to the main comment. I always run my DI out flat to the house and the engineer can do with it what they will. I know it's super annoying to mix a tome that sounds good in their room not in an actual mix. I boost the treble and cut the bass on my amp on stage for articulation and frequency clash since its essentially a monitor for the band only at that point. XLR out from the DI to house board or ours and parallel output to the input of my amp where I can adjust the tone for just myself on stage so I'm not playing F# thinking it's F because of the house mix.
My first bass was a mid '70's Rickenbacker 4001. Bought when I was 13 it was only 3 or 4 years old and had been lightly used. The guy that traded it in had said it was too treblely for him and he wanted the P Bass sound. It is an awesome bass. My buddies P Bass was a lot heavier and the frets were farther apart. I hated to play that P Bass. As a kid with smaller hands the Rick was much easier to play. The Rick also has a signature sound that was easily recognizable and very popular in several genres of popular music. With the Ric-O-Sound box both pick-ups could be plugged into seperate amps giving "simulated stereo", great for a stack arrangement or seperated amp speaker arrangements. Lots of sound and tone versatility was there to be had. Since then I have had many basses. From 8 string Alembic to 4 string acoustics. The Alembic is worth its considerable weight in terms of tone and quality sound and playability. The Ric remains a favorite. Have always disliked Gibson basses as they are not comfortable for me to play or wear and I am not a fan of the Gibson bass sound. After thirty years of not playing Fender basses (my hands got much bigger over that time) i found an 83 Squier P bass that I could not say no too ($120 with a case and Fender Backstage 30 bass amp and looked unused for 20 years). Made in Japan it sounds and plays as well as any P Bass I have ever played. It taught me to love the P Bass. I now have tried many P Basses and other Fender basses as well. Really like the fretless Jazz bass. Jazz neck is thinner across the board and front to back. My Jaguar has frets similar to short scale width. Both play easier than the P bass. The P Bass will teach you the hand and finger stretch (as will any Alembic) and if you can play it well you should have an easy time with other basses. When I go from the P Bass to the Rickenbaker it feels like a short scale. I do think it was easier to learn to play the Rickenbacker as a kid but as an adult the P Bass becomes easier to manage in terms of size. Still, they are the 2 basses I play the most!
I've never played a rickenbacker (I really want to though), but I thought they had similar neck profiles and the same nut size as Precision basses. Maybe that is the case for the newer ricks?
I believe it's easier, frets are closer, and feels like a short scale when going from a P is because it is actually shorter* Ricks are 33.25" Fender is 34"!
@@Astral_Wave So that means you’re talking about less than 1 mm of variance across 20 frets. If anyone is worried about that small of a difference, they might as well not play bass at all. LOL
I started out only on P-basses, but then switched to P&J basses so I could have the best of both worlds (and then some, IMO). Still, I never felt remotely limited on a P-bass and loved how they could cut through a mix. So much so that I bought a new P-bass last year.😁
Well I just spent more or less all my money on a Fender Precision 5-String a few days ago and now you make this video... ...and it just reassured me of my decision. Thanks for that!
You see 5 string Jazzes popping up everywhere because it's an obvious choice. Heck I've got two. But man, a P 5er would be straight awesome. Nice purchase.
Erm, no. Sorry to be "that guy," but I've always *hated* Fender basses, both P and J. Principally, I just find them horrible to play: I can barely get my fingers round the crazy thick necks, and the whole _feel_ of them is just "wrong" somehow. For me, almost unplayable. I also genuinely don't like the sound P-basses make (NOTE: when *I* play them, I mean!), but that's frankly academic, because my hands just can't make them work. So I'm sorry, Chris, but I have to disagree. I would agree if you'd said "you should TRY at least one P-bass," but not "you should OWN one." :) One size definitely doesn't fit all. :) (If you're wondering, I play a 1972 Ibanez copy of a Rick 4001, which I've owned since new.)
A couple of observations I have made about the P Bass over the years are: You can also use the level/volume control to vary the tonal color. Turning down and playing harder, or turn up and softer touch creates different textures. The bass seems to phrase itself a bit after I pluck/play it. I feel I have to start playing my note earlier than I would on my Stingray5 to hear it appear at the same time. Not saying either is bad, just different.
Perhaps the most-heard slap bass part in history was played on what sounds like a p-bass, and it indeed sounds great in the mix but terrible soloed: ruclips.net/video/X9R3_IJCY-Q/видео.html (Giant hit pop song that’s still in playlists 40 years later and features a slap part in the clear as part of the hook - certainly one of the most-heard slap parts in history, right?)
dunno if i'd apply such superlatives to a brief section of a popular single, since it's a supportive role. Unfortunately, soloing it reveals that Hungate wasn't among the cream of thumb players, tho your point of band-limited (and overcompressed) poor tone is borne out.
Geezer Butler on the 1st 5 Sabbath albums. Iron Maiden's Steve Harris. John Entwistle's magnificent work on the Who Live at Leeds. Right there's all the reason you need to play a P-Bass.
The first thing an experienced engineer will do is make your bass sound like a P bass as it will always sit perfectly in any mix. There's a reason it's been used on 90% of popular music.
I play a Warwick double buck and I can make it sound almost like any other bass, and funny enough the most versatial sound I dial in is the P bass sound. I most of the time play it passive and in single coil mode. I use the blend knob to dial in more attack from the bridge pickup when a song needs more funky touch. The meat in your fingers also changes the sound and where you position your plughand😀 Great video👍
Reasons to hate the P - narrow tone - bat of a neck - very limited yet still, every engineer favors it because it sits so well in the mix. Reasons to love the P. narrow tone - bat of a neck - very limited and every engineer favors it because it sits so well in the mix. It does what it does. You either hate what it does or love what it does. Fortunately I love my ‘73 Body ‘79 neck P :) great video of a critique of the P from someone who loves the P
I modified my P-Bass by switching to EMG pick ups and adding a bridge pick up. It gives me a multitude of sounds. The only draw back for me is having to disassemble it (remove the strings, knobs, pick guard) to change the battery for the pick ups. I turned it into a PJ Bass in 1983 and I don't recall ever seeing a stock PJ Bass at that time. Not sure when Fender started making them.
Darren: try putting Rotosound Jazz 77 strings on your second P Bass. They sound almost identical to round wound strings, but they are smooth and won't eat your frets or fingers. Honestly, they are the best bass strings I've ever played in my life. Who plays 'em? Steve Harris, Roger Waters, Sting, Paul Simonen, John Deacon, just to name a few...............
I watched your series "Why the crushes everything" series. REALLY enjoyed it. I'd give your acting job on that series only a 5 on some bases but an 8 on others, where you did a good job of convincing the viewer that the bass in question did crush everything. I happen to believe you actually prefer the P bass by a large margin over all other basses which made that series so good. I was expecting this video to be tongue in cheek where you don't really try to convince others that they shouldn't play a P bass, since we know you love them deeply. But, this one I feel was straight up honest, where you tried your best to show why P basses aren't everyone's favorite. Anyway, well done, I like your humor, your acting and your opinions, even though I have barely play bass. Thanks for the videos and the info.
I love the 44mil nut I love the simplistic two knobs I love the tone with flatwounds I love it doesnt require batteries I love all my P basses, wont play anything else.
I didn't own a Bass (i want one), but i can say that a P Bass with Flatwounds is perfect. Btw, what about Mustang basses? i heard Tina Waymouth playing Psycho Killer and it sounds so good.
I've played bass for 30 pluse years . I started out on a p bass, moved to a rickenbacker, did a stint with a Ibanez pro line, got a killer jazz bass. I've found that you always need that great sounding p bass in your fleet. That warmth you get from a p bass is essential and very inspiring.
You can't go wrong with it. Specially when cutting through the mix with a DG pedal or Sans Amp (if you like playing rock or metal). Definitely a must have in your collection, there's a reason why it's kept the highlighted spot in recording studios as well.
Not a single one of these reasons has ever stopped me from playing one. I have a really nice 70’s-style Jazz Bass that I consider my main bass, but I have found myself playing my single-coil and split-coil P-Basses out more often lately.
Always said I would never buy one when I started out playing. Now have 3, have let some go in the past and regret everyone I sold. My go to bass for recording, never fails. Could not be without one now
When I was a teenager I had a 5 string Ibanez, mostly played gospel. As I got older and recorded a few tracks I came to the epiphany every bass player does, gotta have a P bass if you wanna record. Nothing tracks as well as that dull, slabby, lifeless sound of a P. Got myself a Made in Japan 86/87 P with a Maple fretboard, love the way it looks feels sounds etc. Has a truss issue but I guess that’s what you get when you buy a 30+ year old axe from overseas.
The hottest of hot takes! But nuanced. I had a 15 year run where I did not play P-basses at all. But I've come to appreciate what it does, because it does that thing SO well. And now I've got three.
Allegedly ppl buy the classic vibe Squiers and upgrade the electronics. If you find one that feels great (an exceptional MIM craft job), then you basically get a near USA quality fender axe for half the price. I heard good things about those, but as expected the electronics and hardware leaves much to be desired.
Totally right, Scott! I never cared much for P basses when I was young. But nowadays that I own an original ‘62 P bass I love it to death. It’s such a pleasure to play! But it has it limitations, sure. Nevertheless, i still find it surprisingly versatile for an instrument with such a simple concept. And the meaty neck doesn’t bother me at all. I also find that a pleasure compared to the often very thin and narrow J necks.
If a P-bass isn't versatile then why does a good one work on just about everything in popular music from the last 70 years? That one trick is the most versatile bass sound there is.
He means that you have to set up differently for every kind of sound. Instead with other basses you have a wider possibility of sound just in a set and with the same eq configuration ☺️
>Popular music That means it's doing one thing really well; the thing most people want. Kinda like saying the Carolla is the most versatile car cuz it's the best selling. It works great for people. Does what most people need. Doesn't mean it's versatile. Doing one thing many desire isn't the same as doing many things.
@@wildesage4172 it's nothing like that, a Corolla doesn't do anything different than a Sentra or Civic etc. The P-bass has the one most versatile bass sound there is. It fits perfectly in soul, rock, funk, punk, jazz, reggae, disco, pop, you name it. Plug in and your done. No other bass offers that versatility.
Customizability - I changed the pickups to EMG's. Sounds great. Added more top & bottom to the tone. They came pre-wired with pots and a jack. Fits right in under the pick guard. Only problem - I have to remove the pick guard to change the battery (I didn't want to chance routing out the back for a battery compartment and screwing it up)
I absolutely love FAT P bass sounds, but like Scott mentioned, I feel like it's a plug and play one trick pony. Out of all my basses, I actually don't any P(only) bass. I love me some PJs though!
Played a PBass for almost 19 years and was happy with it generally, as the PBass somehow gets heard even if the band's guitars were too loud. Was mystified why I couldnt sound like the other cover versions we played and found out the jazz bass was used on those songs. Got a Dimarzio model P to replace the 1963 original pickup and so happy. Now I play a custom 5-string and the Dimarzio P-bass pickup still sounds like I'm playing a PBass. Thanks Scott for sharing this.
So true! I had to choose between a P and a PJ and was advised to go for the PJ as I can't "make do" only with the P they said... so I got the PJ. Nowadays I mostly use the P pickup and that's because I discovered effects... there are more bass effects and amp sims today than 2o years ago when I started- so nowadays the "limitations" part is entirely optional :) I like the P bass!! I equally enjoy my 6-string sub bass as well... and the EB-0 and somehow I have convinced my lovely wifey that although they are called basses, a 6 string with humbuckers sounds nothing like a PJ and an EB-0... I was a good boy and last Christmas I got a '51 P replica- that with a single non-staggered coil and what a surprise, it sounds somewhat like a P but not exactly... It has "only one sound" just as the modern P or the EB-0- that is until I let the effects rip... I can use it like an ambiental instrument or it can move the roof overhead , it can sing or growl or wail... and now you're gonna hate me but I found that bass is just another type of guitar :) so all regular shenanigans apply-sounds interesting with echo, fuzz, eq, or a specially voiced tube screamer..or .. When my well-versed cousin came to visit and saw what I did with (to?) my bass he said well traditionally you don't use them like this, and was okayyyy..now listen to this solo on my 6string with a echo, flanger and eq'd for mids...
I bought a Squier Classic Vibe 60s Precision this week. I thought I was going in for a Jazz but the P was so good. It plays so well, looks great and sounds lovely! I am a convert.
The P bass has a very intimate sound that brings you in. The Jazz Bass of marcus Miller etc can be overwhelming for most. Still both great sounds depending on what the song calls for
They way I've heard it described is that the P bass has a 'warm' growl, like an old pet dog that's not in the greatest of moods. A Jazz Bass barks and snarls at you like it's gonna to bite you :) Both are electric bass guitars, both can probably be set up and played to sound good no matter what the fuck you're playing. Making a huge fuss over gear is a moot point for electric instruments, since you can control the sound largely with knobs on your amp as well as the instrument itself. Acoustic bass though, the instrument's sound is just, well... What you hear is what you get and that's it.
As Jazz Bass player for about 10 years the only reason I didn't want a Precision was because of the thick neck. So after the Squier Mini Precision came out (and luckily has a Jazz width neck) I was convinced to get a Precision for once. Now I'm just appreciating the sound that goes with anything. Its simplistic design makes me less likely to fiddle around with the knobs as I used to with my Jazz Bass depending on the song. This thing just goes well with ANYTHING!
With round wound strings , a graphic EQ , a modern amp you should be able to get just about any tone imaginable. Since when do bass players have only one bass ?
there is no eq that can make a p bass sound like a double humbucker bass if that's the sound you want, not even liek a jazz bass. I agree that the p bass is great but your coment is irrelevant.
as a mixing engineer... you're just wrong, EQ can't boost the frequencies that aren't there, you can't make a P-bass sound like a J-bass, they're two very different instruments. That's like trying to make a drum set sound like a trumpet with some EQ (a bit exaggerated comparison, but you get the point)
I got the Cliff Burton tone with my Ibanez Roadstar II RB650 bass which is just a p bass. Guitar Pedals and a good Metal bass amp like a Mesa/Boogie boom you got the Cliff Burton bass tone.
@@nickey7473 Yeah exactly. The p pickup accentuates different mid range frequencies for each string, which would be impossible to replicate with just an eq move.
Here's what you do... Flatwounds on a 1997 Fender P-Bass deluxe. One of the few years that they produced a p-bass with a Musicman-style humbucking bridge pickup. Gives you a HUGE bandwidth for tonality. Anything from Jamerson to Edwards. I play one in my band METROFERN and it gives a lot of flexibility.
My brother and I are both bass players. My brother is a HUGE Steve Harris fan, so he has signature Fender P basses. I'm more diverse and get into bands that range from decade to decade, so I have to have diversity in my bass tones. I'm down to 10 basses from 14, seems like a wimpy number for a bass player?! But getting back to the P bass issue, P basses are a one trick pony. I did build a custom bass and with the encouragement of my brother, I did put a single SBP-3 Seymour Duncan pickup in the bass. I was worried that the sound would be pigeon holed into only one tone but found that I can "feather" my playing and get a "normal" tone and slamming the strings and getting the "Maiden" tone. I've rediscovered flatwounds after many years but in the Rock genre on my Ibanez SR950 with P & J + blend. Scott's video is VERY relevant. Thanks Scott for doing this video!
I love having a wider neck. My Jazz feels like a guitar neck although it does have more tonal options. Any bass can be customized up to the point of destruction. Lee Sklar's double pickup P is a beautiful idea. One of mine has a hipshot d-tuner. Flatwounds with the Tone set on 4ish most of the time. Thanks for this vid Scott.
l've played my 1971 Precision Bass from 1972 to 2016 . it NEVER failed me EVER ! I had to retire from playing bass because of scoliosis. l still keep my 3 Precisions 1 Telecaster Bass 1 Music Man Stingray and Cort Curbow 5 String with me. for life.
Scott - A few things - First - Great content as always. Next: There are quite a few aftermarket drop in, pre built potentiometer sets. I have an Emerson in one and an EMG set in another. Obsidian wire make one, among others. There are tons. Number two: Just as you put a new P type neck on your reliced P, I’ve put jazz bass necks on both my Ps. I can’t handle that wide string spacing.
I just started playing bass a couple months ago and I love my p bass.the warmth and the big neck and depth of the sound I was hooked immediately.I bought a jazz bass and didn’t like it and returned it.💁
When I was younger I was definitely J>P. But now that I’m older I’ve accepted the P is the holy grail of bass tones, dull af but for some reason that’s perfect in 90% of band contexts. Imo you get a J when you want to play what/how YOU want to play. The P bass on the other hand practically plays itself.
I started with a 78 used Pbass that I picked up for 3oo bucks. Never thought that it had enough punch. Put in a set of EMG's and a Badass bridge. That was better. Then thought I needed a fretless J bass and bought a Mexican one. Played with it but didn't have much call for it and bought a fretted, rosewood StewMac replacement neck but never really fell in love with it even after putting EMG's and a Badass on that one. Really loved the neck for speed. I eventually tried the J-neck on the Pbass and have never looked back. Love this thing.
Love the simplicity of mine, not a Fender but still a bloody beautiful instrument. In my band it sits better than my five string, I think, because of the pickup and the tonal limitations, my favourite
I'm a p bass player for decades and I just installed a hip shot kick ass bridge on mine and it has a better accuracy and clarity. This new model has better string alignment than the older bad ass bridge. I highly recommend it but if you are a fender purist, do not. The original fender bridge can scratch your hand sometimes but it is important if you want to keep it vintage. a high mass modern bridge really rings much better. Make sure it matches the original 5 screw holes replacement exactly and try one. It's easy to install.
As the long-time owner of a March '67 P-bass (pre-CBS parts, post-CBS assembly), I can relate. All these points are true. I picked it up for its value but only learned to appreciate it when it was what recording engineers were asking for -- and then hearing it "sit well in the mix," as the folklore goes. 20-some years ago I ordered a Raven Labs active upgrade kit ... which I have never installed (thankfully, in hindsight). I DID, however, put new vintage Hipshot tuners on, including the D-tuner -- THAT was a worthy mod. But yeah, as a working bassist you need one, then you need to learn to love it. It's definitely a process. Oh, and do try the flatwounds (and never change them), so it can do "that thing."
For USA bassists, 44mm is 1.75" (C neck). A Jazz bass is a 1.5" (A neck) and another common size for P bass necks is 1.625" (B neck). These were stamped at the heel of the neck as well as the year of manufacture in the '60's. The first number of the code was the model. 5 was a P bass and 7 was a Jazz bass. A neck stamped 5 MAY 68 B would indicate a P bass with a nut width of 1 5/8" made in May of 1968.
It took me a lifetime to finally appreciate the tone of a PBass enough to buy a late 70s one a few years ago. I've got flats on it and love it.. It's not even worth comparing to a jazz with rounds...apple and oranges.
I have a Fender PJ Bass with a Precision Neck and Jazz Pickup near the bridge. I added a switch to invert the phase of the Jazz pickup, and another to play the Pecision and Jazz Pickups in normal Parallel or in Series. In Series, the PVol is used. I added a 3rd switch to Tap off the series point between the two Pickups to the JVol pot. I get a nice Series/Parallex mix depending on the Volume controls. Then inverting the phase on the Jazz Pickup really muddies it up. Then I play through two Morely Wahs set just right to get the thinnest sound out of a Bass, then I add in a bit of phase shift and a tiny bit of Fuzz with two more Morely pedals. Finally I go through a Morely Compressor/Boost pedal. All my pedals are vintage 70's Morelys. They add a bit of hum that the Fender Humbucking Pickups remove. But no crackle ever from the pedals. I am building a Analog Bass to MIDI converter so I can play my Yahma DX7 from my Bass.
Wow, that's some serious bass customization and effects rig you've got there! 🎸🎛️ Your creativity and technical skills are impressive. Keep the groove going and enjoy your unique sound journey! 🎶✨
@@devinebass Yeah, but now you can get 6-way switches from Free-Way that do the same thing. There are are also pots that have a DPDT switch you can work by pushing/pulling a knob. If I had known about those I wouldn't have these 3 little toggle switches on my bass, I could have done the same thing with 3 push/pull knobs.
Brilliant vid sir! One question I had for you that I've never heard discussed in these tone wars is the seemingly ignored example of Mr Harris of Iron Maiden. P bass with flats, yet bright modern tone...best of both worlds?!
With his own brand of quarter pounder pick ups and with his plucking hand, he can play it with all 4 fingers and his thumb. It's all traditionally wrong and it's all AWESOME.
Interesting POV, Scott. Always appreciate your insights. In my opinion, it’s actually more versatile than any other bass. Because of its inherent tonal quality, naturally beefy, punchy and focus (ie its where it belongs in the mix). All you need to do is find suitable strings, set your amp to taste and away you go. You can Marcus Miller, James Jameson deep funk reggae punk alt rock with a pick or your fingers until the cows come home. I can see the physical requirements being a barrier for some, most tend to have fat/wide necks but plenty of MIM have modern profiles. It’s the bass sound in my head so never had an issue with inspiration. As a matter of fact, you can dial out the heft from a P easier than you can add girth to a bass that is thin in the bottom but tends to carry a more modern range
I am very happy that Fender P- and J-basses are popular. Because it makes us who play Rickenbackers and Höfners look special 😁 Before a concert this summer I was given a P-bass on soundcheck. I looked at it and though, "yeah, I'm gonna get me one of those". Picked it up and discovered there was no place to rest my hand. I play with a pick and need to rest my palm on something. I'm also used to flatwound strings, and the feeling of sliding up and down on roundwound strings was awful. And it makes such a terrible noise. So I saved that money...
I fell in love with P basses after rocking a Squier Affinity Series PJ bass combo for about 2 years. During all that time I realized that I never even used the Jazz pickup on the bridge so I decided to invest in a 2019 Fender Mod Shop Precision Bass with Pure Vintage '63 Precision pickups, roundwound strings and a C shape neck with a 9.5" radius which makes navigating the fretboard quite easy and quick. I've never looked back since buying this bass. I agree that the P-Bass (especially w/ flatwounds) is definitely limited in it's tonal spectrum compared to the Jazz, however in my opinion it's more versatile because if I want to get more range out of my P-Bass I can simply fine tune my EQ on my Ampeg SVT 6 Pro to achieve the desired tones, but if I want that smooth, warm and round low end feel that Jamerson always had, you just turn that tone knob super low or even all the way off and it's there! Also if you crank the tone knob all the way or just a bit under, you get some nasty slap tones!!! You just have to be mindful of your dynamics and the force with which you are slapping (TECHNIQUE!!!!). So in a way it is quite versatile but you just have to think outside the box to get your desired tones! I definitely would recommend any bassist own at least one because it can come in handy during recording sessions and live performances!
@@optimuscunt7746 My drummer owns a Jazz Bass that I use for certain songs in our bands setlist that are punk. I think the mid-range growl that a Jazz bass can produce naturally is ideal for the genre of music that you are going for! However, if you do have a P-Bass you can crank the tone knob up and it will give you that mid-range growl feel, not nearly as heavy as a Jazz Bass's tone but still good enough to do the job. Also playing with a pick and a bit of aggressive dynamics can help you get that punk bass tone. But ultimately I just suggest sitting down with your bass and messing with your EQ levels and dynamics until you find something that sounds good to you. I hope this helps!
The comparison goes back to Jbass does it’s own thing and so does Pbass - all depends on context - have played p bass with tone off doing rnb stuff & the same pbass with full tone in a loud punk band, that’s just from the tone knob and a lot of difference can be made between fingers or pick (for those two same examples) Just to be clear - Pbass forever
When I was a young lad (10), I always wanted one. My friend had the Fender Road machine poster. I was determined to get one of these “ road machines”. When I was a junior in high school, I got a job working at gas station. I’d work from 4:00 pm to midnight then get up and go to school. My day came when a friend and I took the trip from Sacramento to San Francisco. I walked into Don Weir’s Music City and walked out with a black/black/maple P bass. I came up $40 short so my friend who was from the Bay Area hit his Dad up for the $40. It was a loan that I am forever grateful for. I still have her…. The year was 1976. My date code indicates it was built in 1975.
You can change the wiring of the tone and volume pots from either a 51-style, modern style, or treble-bleed circuit to alter the character of the P-bass.
Scott, great conversation here! My first bass was a Rickenbacker with a warped neck which to me is even more limited in its sound but then I discovered a P-bass and was lucky to get a vintage one before they became outrageously expensive albeit beat to hell but functioned perfect and all the Motown stuff that I was listening to it perfectly embodied it so I have flatwounds on it and have not changed the strings since I snagged the bass 30 years ago and the tone is 100% Jamerson for sure and depending how you attack the strings you can get some variance in tone and if you really want a lot of definition just use a medium gauge pick for that more Joe Osborne thing even though he used a 1960 jazz bass ( good luck getting one of those now LOL). As a bassist you guys all know you have to have more than one bass if you really want to cover a wide spectrum of tones in Your Arsenal. The problem I think and has been for me anyway is that I had to search and play at least 100 vintage Fender basses before finding one that sounded good to me they are all slightly different and the older they are the greater the variances seem to be but once you find one that you fall for (or) once it finds you, never let it go... It would be great if you had a conversation about that particular aspect of it and advise people how to go about trying to find one and what to look for or look out for when purchasing an old vintage Fender bass or any bass really but P bases in jazz basses are really unique but they are all over the place. It took me twenty years until I found a vintage jazz bass that I was happy with I think the P bases are a bit more consistent. I was very lucky and landed a 62 P Bass and it seems like the neck is extra wide and gives me the feeling like I am playing and upright Bass I think that's why Jamerson really loved it because he played up right at first but once he discovered the P Bass it was a match made in heaven he played a lot of his stuff in the style of an upright which the P bass really lended itself to which is why I think he did so great with it. Sorry about being long-winded but I could talk all day and night about my main inspiration on bass the one and only James Jamerson. Darling dear is an awesome line but my favorite probably will always be Ain't No Mountain High Enough from the 1970 Diana Ross album. The bass is mixed out front and really takes you on a journey with so many different changes and moods... It is a total Masterpiece and complete showcase of every aspect of Jameson's genius, especially the final part... It is like Bach meets Mozart playing bass. Also, "What's happening Brother" and "save the children" from Marvin Gaye's What's Going On album... Really, the entire side A of the album is a jazz masterpiece in a pop format. Any aspiring young bassist needs to check that out and I guarantee it will move them in ways that very little else could on the bass. It certainly did that to me many years ago. Peace, Bob M.
I have a 2003 Precision Lyte Deluxe. It's made in Japan, active and with a P/MM configuration. I've seen Carol Kaye playing one of those too . I've been asked to trade it several times but this is my favourite 4 string I have. The older I get, the more simple things I like and that's the reason why nowadays I gravitate towards simple basses. I'm a huge fan of P basses and for my birthday I'm considering to get a 5 string P style bass .
I was going to get a Standard Jazz but saw a P Lyte Deluxe hanging in the back of the racks in the store. Hmmmn...I thought. Tried it out and knew I'd found it. Walked out with it 20 minutes later. Have 2 now and love em both.
I have 2. Mid 90s 60s Reissue from Japan. Strung with Flatwounds. Plays great. And a 2002 American Deluxe. This P Bass is a BEAST. Plays and sounds great. The 60s reissue is loaded with HI-A pickups I threw in.
I have to agree with everything said. I love a p bass but a jazz bass or almost anything else tends to be more versatile. As for comfort to play yeah the baseball bat neck is not suitable in my opinion to going ham for solos.
Had a 5 string with active pickups, etc for years. Played great, but never got the sound I wanted for my recordings. Got a P Bass and absolutely love it. I do miss that 5th string though....
Had one in the late 70s. Since sold it. Loved it, but wished I had bought a Jazz instead. That being said, I used it a lot in the studio and played it on some demos for Beth Nielsen Chapman, Lawrence Reynolds and Tim Lovelace to name a few.
I am leaning to the Stingray 5 in series mode. Kind of the young P-bass cousin: One pickup bass, easy to master different tones with different right hand positions, killer B-string, best neck ever. And every now and then when a slap sound is required - switching to parallel.
I gave a chance to a P bass when a friend lent me his Fender. If I said it is not an amazing instrument, I would be lying. It is truly amazing. The sound is scoped, bold, feels awesome. However, when I returned to my good old Aria Pro PJ bass I concluded it's got the growl I love so much and make me appreciate it more. I had a great time with the P bass and I'd give another chance if I could play it for a recording session, mixed with other instruments. But overall I still prefer the PJ bass. Great video, as always!
The man who made me love the P Bass tone is Geezer Butler. The sound of his 1963 P Bass on Black Sabbath's first three albums is so sweet I just get all gushy when I hear it. I love love love the P Bass! BUT, I also own three Jazz Basses as well. I love them just as much.
I’ve been playing guitar for 30 years, and started playing bass 3 years ago. When it came time to pick a tone, I went straight for the pbass sound. I just want my bass to sound like a bass, and stay out of my guitar’s range. I have two inexpensive PJ type basses, and never use the jazz pickup.
My P-Bass American Elite overcomes all of his objections. It has a narrower 41.3 MM nut, active 18 volt electronics, and is equipped with P and J pickups so you can emulate one or the other or a mix of both. Very versatile and great to play.
I would say that *specifically* EMG actives widen the potential tonal spectrum of a P bass. I don't know if there's a comparable competitor; I tried three or four pickup sets and the EMGs won. The main thing is that if you play hard, the little chip adds upper distortion partials in a very useful way. The clean sound is a bit scooped-ey and colder. The tone knob on a set of EMGs is pretty radically different from a passive setup. But follow your bliss; I've tried multiple times to replace the PBass and I always got asked to bring back the old one. You adapt your playing to the instrument.
Sold a ‘95 Precision Bass back in 2001 and went to a Music Man Sting Ray and never looked back. I never bonded with the wide neck profile which was extremely uncomfortable and limited tonal options. If I had to go back in time I would have gotten a Jazz Bass. The Sting Ray and Steinberger are my basses of choice.
The P is still my desert island bass! It’s the perfect bass for most studio gigs, although I always bring a J for when a more aggressive tone is needed. The P is also my favorite bass for live gigs, but that’s also dependent on the style of music I play. Another thing to keep in mind tone wise is rosewood vs maple necks, with the maple being more pronounced tone wise and a better fit for roundwounds to my ear. Flats + rosewood is hard to beat for that classic thump tone. I use flats on my maple fretless P too. I think any gigging bass player needs at least a P and a J, everything else is cake!
As a long-standing bass player, one thing I've learned is to never take advice from a bass player.
Certainly not this one, whose claims to be a prolific gigger and session player are dubious, and formal, organised lessons on bass guitar don't seem his strong suit either.
@@bryanleigh6497 facts, i hate this dude showing up in my recommendation in fact
...or from your soundguy who regurgitates what his "bass teacher" told him.
As a long time bass player, one thing *I* have learned is never to take advice from a bass player about taking advice from a bass player about taking advice from a bass player.
@@denisblack9897 ?????????????
(with practice and time it's actually VERY easy to manually increase your tonal range on a p-bass simply by plucking differently) I think it's worth it to play a p-bass even just for tone control practice - I've played one for about 11 years and it's always been my main bass - and controlling tone with my picking and fretting is second nature, while I watch others rely almost entirely on their electronic controls. The so-called limitations on P-basses will make you a more talented, versatile bassist over time - but it does take practice since many people hardly ever learn how to manually control tone, so they're starting form scratch. To start practicing controlling tone manually experiment with different positions on frets (difference of even a mm) and different pressures, using different parts of the tip of your finger. Same with plucking, experiment with different parts of your fingertip, difference force and difference positions. Using simple technique to increase your tonal range will get easier - your plucking fingers will become quasi-calloused as you "tap-pluck" with them more, much more dense than the other fingertips of that hand, giving you further control simply by plucking differently.
I agree 100 percent
As a seasoned guitarist it amazes me that so many have to have this explained to them. It was one of the first things I figured out before I had the luxury of an electric.
This! I think the range of a bass is way more then most realize.
I never liked the P bass, I didn't like the sound when I played it . I avoided them for 30 years. I finally gave in and picked one up. Still wasn't crazy about the sound. I took it to rehearsal and , WOW! They way that thing sits in the mix is amazing! My ignorance kept me from having an incredible instrument for so many years. So there's 1 reason TO buy a P bass! 🙂
Facts!!! The P bass slices through the mix like a Katana. Nothing else has as much definition IMO
Yip! Back then, our bassist wasn't sounding good, and he kept bringing new basses to rehearsals -- Peavy, Yamaha, Fender JB, and others, and got the thumbs down each time. One day he appeared with a second-hand Fender P bass, and the world was a different place! We all said, "Never sell that bass". Many years later, I can still remember how it sounded.
@@FreshBagelz OH BROTHER
P basses ARE built for studio mixes after all, and because they have stronger low mids and lows (if tone's completely up) in general, whereas a jazz of the same setting with its neck pickup has more highs for attacks.
And three of the reasons are interconnected
I love the simplicity of the P bass, just one knob for volume, one for tone, it's up to me as the musician to make a polished sound without the extras.
I love the limitations of a P Bass or single pickups basses in general. For me, that means that most of the tone comes from the hands and technique, and I've used a P Bass for pretty much every style of music. Great discussion
Not all single pickup basses have such a limited tonal range. You can get quite a lot out of a single pickup Stingray or most other basses with a single humbucker & active EQ
so music man's also your cup of tea?
@@stevec6427 that's true. active circuitry definitely can enhance bass tones, especially if it's a four band EQ. but for most bass playing, a two or three band EQ would do it. Best are basses with the ability to toggle between active and passive as a failsafe.
@@musenw8834 Yeah! I got a Stingray Special last year, and if there was ever a bass that could steal my heart from the P bass, the Stingray is it
@@stevec6427 a P actually has two pick ups when think about it😎
That's one BEAUTIFUL P-bass. And everyone should own at least two p-basses. One with flats, one with rounds.
True that
Agreed!!!
No, one fretted and one fretless. ;-)
In sooth, I have a late 70s fretless P that puts out about the biggest pipe o' sound I ever heard on any bass. It only has that one sound, but what a sound.
I'm putting flats on my Frankenstein so I have both
I like how this video conviced me to go back to Precision.
For me, the sound of a Precision Bass, with a vintage-style split coil pickup and roundwound strings, is the ultimate perfect tone for the heavy styles of music I play. It's just got that great growly and thunderous tone that sits great in a mix, rumbles like nobody's business, and still has a good amount of clarity and definition even with the tone control almost all the way down. Sure, it's a bit of a one trick pony, but it just so happens to be so good at that one particular trick that there's nothing else I want.
Duly noted About to pick up bass lessons soon and your comment helped me out. I’m looking for that sound and tone you described as well as I don’t really like the more muted tone.. something more along the lines of what you’ll hear in a RATM song
Nowadays you have precision jazz basses so this vid's more for those who want another type of tonal versatility, scooped mids, playing with jazz tones etc in live setting.
yup!!
I love my MIM vintage, but now I know why a compressor/sustainer is recommended.
The best promo for a P Bass is to say “don’t buy one” !!
LOL!! :)
reverse psychology
Now I want one.
I’m on my way to get one now, great promo lol
The Bart Simpson move...
I recently purchased a P-Bass after owning only a J-Bass & an active P-J Bass for several years, and found what Scott mentioned about the tonal differences of the P-Bass vs my other two Basses to be right on point. I do find myself practicing & playing Bass covers more with the J-Bass, but when creating original music, the P-Bass is nearly always in my hands. Go figure, right?! Each of my Basses holds special places in my musical ear, heart & soul. Thanks for great content and the “Oh Yea?!” insight Scott. Keep, Keeping It Bass!
Is PJ bass more versatile
@@prajwalhatte1281 I would say a Jazz Bass is... My opinion tho
Scott Devine: "Not as customizable"
Billie Sheehan: "Hold my beer!" :D
Lee Sklar: Hold my beerd
Lol. 🍺🍺.Cheers
Love billy. and his playing. but his tone is absolute garbage. GAAARRRRBBBAAAGE.
@@daveycmusic5150 Your opinion
I this his point was not as easily customizable but where there is a will, there is a way, as with your example and other replies below.
They're a blessing to have around the studio. I've only ever owned a Japanese Geddy for the past 15 years but I know when to put it down if the track needs a P and there's one I can use. Neck p/u with tone on 0 gets close but there's some kind of woodsy character to the lower midrange that you just can't get on a Jazz.
Maybe lacks thickness in the lows because of the single coil
The "let me just add a little extra low" impulse has messed up a lot of mixes. Live & studio......the Precision, as you mentioned sits so well in the mix, organically....particularly with the drums. As always you sound great!
I've always struggled with P basses. Been a J guy most of my life. Always found Ps difficult and uncomfortable to play, dull "meat and potatoes" sound, and sonically just ugly to listen to when you're just sitting around noodling on one. (I equate it to a grunting pig). And something about the P PUP position always brings out a clicky clacky fret noise in my playing that irritates me (not buzz, but the sound of my fretting hand pressing the frets), so I spend more time trying to tame the thing than just relaxing and playing like I do with other basses. (I still prefer a reverse P setup = smoother, more balanced tone). But I knew I needed one in a band I was playing in, so I bought an Fender Am Std P a few years ago. Didn't give it much thought while I was playing it, but when I heard back the recordings from some live shows, I was blown away. Sounded SO great in the overall band mix. Sat exactly where it should. I'm a convert now.
As a Cliff Burton fan I personally love that clacking sound my lawsuit era p bass makes because it sounds like all the isolated bass tracks from Master Of Puppets. Too bad the 44mm nut makes the bass uncomfortable to play while playing all Cliffs bass solos.
pjmuck: you can always take off the P bass neck and put on a Jazz Bass neck, or a thinner after market bass neck. One of my three P Basses has a Mexican Std Jazz neck on it, and man, that bass is so easy to play, it practically plays itself :)
Grunting Pig
Nice
😆😆😆😆
Yes... Me too, i prefer the reversed P pickup configuration, sounds more contstant between thicker and thinner strings, the thing i don't like from regular P's are the thicker strings sounds dull or unbalanced with the thinner strings 👍👍
Reverse Ps sound way better in a PJ, but I've never liked it by itself. The Classic P tone is one of the best ever.
Worth noting: If you love the P bass sound, but you DO want a bit more versatility, you can always get a PJ or the much less common PMM (a precision pickup with a music man humbucker in the bridge).
but it's less wood and more important, it feels different because it adds more magnetic pull on the strings. I routed a 70's P for a J PU once and hated what it did to the bass.
@@rrdream2400 could you please explain it better sir? Thanks
@@omagodosgraves the strings have a nice looseness on a p-bass, when I added the J in the bridge spot, the strings were tighter from more magnetic pull from the extra pickup, even with the J PU turned off. If it were equal, why would anyone buy a one pickup Musicman Stingray when you can have a 2 pickup Stingray or a Les Paul Jr with one P-90 when you can get a Special with 2 P-90's? They are all great instruments and you get more tones with 2 pickups but you also don't get the same sound as you do on the one pickup models.
@@rrdream2400 Right ! But truth moves and vibrates too. And if you put a J pu in it, don't do it to do the Jaco but only to colour the P sound or you"ll ruin the sound. (by the way, I tried it on a 79 Iba Roadster, and removing the J..........well was it the ears or the between the ears. Couldn't hear a difference and this original PU is Sensitive with an S. And if you're never satisfied, there's always an option to remove all PU hehe, or buy an upright
I think the problem with a versatile bass is that you can get every sound except for that proper p-bass sound you crave for certain songs. The best solution is to, if you can afford it, have both a versatile bass and a p-bass.
After 30 years of playing bass I bought my first one a couple of months ago and it fit like a glove , I just love the simplicity , feel and tone of the instrument .
You must have some real talent if you played bass for 30 years before you ever actually bought one! Didn't anybody else in the band notice you had no instrument?! 😜
Thank you Scott for suggesting flats on a P-Bass. Love em on mine... Tone down and you got James Jamerson. Turn it up about half way and you got Duck Dunn. Crank it all the way and you get Steve Harris. Totally love it.
I think part of the issue is that most amplified musicians over estimate their need for tonal spectrum width. It's probably very rare that most of us NEED that much and most mix engineers are probably going to narrow your wide spectrum tone into a spot in the mix.
As Lee Sklar would say "Just play it!"
Spot on, something about .bass players that make us soooooo anal about tone, when really, the audience couldn't give flying f*ck🤔😊
@@richardrichard5409 true story, play your shit man nobody cares about your pickups, preamps and compressors) people are just happy to listen to some low boom boom boom
@@richardrichard5409 True. A good drummer is the real hero when bass bungles something lol. I recently sat in on a gig last minute and had never heard any of the songs we played. I held it down but butchered some outros.
Had a great drummer and he would pick it back up for me just long enough for a small fill to end on the right note. My band and their friends were there to watch and my bandmates just grinned at me when our friends were like "loved the solos on those outros bro." Hahaha
And yeah to the main comment. I always run my DI out flat to the house and the engineer can do with it what they will. I know it's super annoying to mix a tome that sounds good in their room not in an actual mix. I boost the treble and cut the bass on my amp on stage for articulation and frequency clash since its essentially a monitor for the band only at that point. XLR out from the DI to house board or ours and parallel output to the input of my amp where I can adjust the tone for just myself on stage so I'm not playing F# thinking it's F because of the house mix.
My first bass was a mid '70's Rickenbacker 4001. Bought when I was 13 it was only 3 or 4 years old and had been lightly used. The guy that traded it in had said it was too treblely for him and he wanted the P Bass sound. It is an awesome bass. My buddies P Bass was a lot heavier and the frets were farther apart. I hated to play that P Bass. As a kid with smaller hands the Rick was much easier to play. The Rick also has a signature sound that was easily recognizable and very popular in several genres of popular music. With the Ric-O-Sound box both pick-ups could be plugged into seperate amps giving "simulated stereo", great for a stack arrangement or seperated amp speaker arrangements. Lots of sound and tone versatility was there to be had. Since then I have had many basses. From 8 string Alembic to 4 string acoustics. The Alembic is worth its considerable weight in terms of tone and quality sound and playability. The Ric remains a favorite. Have always disliked Gibson basses as they are not comfortable for me to play or wear and I am not a fan of the Gibson bass sound. After thirty years of not playing Fender basses (my hands got much bigger over that time) i found an 83 Squier P bass that I could not say no too ($120 with a case and Fender Backstage 30 bass amp and looked unused for 20 years). Made in Japan it sounds and plays as well as any P Bass I have ever played. It taught me to love the P Bass. I now have tried many P Basses and other Fender basses as well. Really like the fretless Jazz bass. Jazz neck is thinner across the board and front to back. My Jaguar has frets similar to short scale width. Both play easier than the P bass. The P Bass will teach you the hand and finger stretch (as will any Alembic) and if you can play it well you should have an easy time with other basses. When I go from the P Bass to the Rickenbaker it feels like a short scale. I do think it was easier to learn to play the Rickenbacker as a kid but as an adult the P Bass becomes easier to manage in terms of size. Still, they are the 2 basses I play the most!
I've never played a rickenbacker (I really want to though), but I thought they had similar neck profiles and the same nut size as Precision basses. Maybe that is the case for the newer ricks?
If Rickenbacker would just put the 4030 into mass production, all problems would be solved.
I believe it's easier, frets are closer, and feels like a short scale when going from a P is because it is actually shorter*
Ricks are 33.25"
Fender is 34"!
@@Astral_Wave So that means you’re talking about less than 1 mm of variance across 20 frets. If anyone is worried about that small of a difference, they might as well not play bass at all. LOL
I started out only on P-basses, but then switched to P&J basses so I could have the best of both worlds (and then some, IMO). Still, I never felt remotely limited on a P-bass and loved how they could cut through a mix. So much so that I bought a new P-bass last year.😁
Well I just spent more or less all my money on a Fender Precision 5-String a few days ago and now you make this video...
...and it just reassured me of my decision. Thanks for that!
You see 5 string Jazzes popping up everywhere because it's an obvious choice. Heck I've got two. But man, a P 5er would be straight awesome. Nice purchase.
A P-bass 5 string sounds like the epitome of “too much of a good thing…”
I've played a p bass for 2 years. They sound very versatile and unique. I've also played a jazz bass, but the p bass seems more suitable for me.
With all that being said, you should own at least one P-Bass.
True
**With flat wounds** though
Exactly this.
This is the answer.
I own three jazz basses…. One precision with a jazz neck….. and last week, I went out and bought a regular precision. You gotta have one at least.
Erm, no. Sorry to be "that guy," but I've always *hated* Fender basses, both P and J.
Principally, I just find them horrible to play: I can barely get my fingers round the crazy thick necks, and the whole _feel_ of them is just "wrong" somehow. For me, almost unplayable.
I also genuinely don't like the sound P-basses make (NOTE: when *I* play them, I mean!), but that's frankly academic, because my hands just can't make them work.
So I'm sorry, Chris, but I have to disagree. I would agree if you'd said "you should TRY at least one P-bass," but not "you should OWN one." :) One size definitely doesn't fit all. :)
(If you're wondering, I play a 1972 Ibanez copy of a Rick 4001, which I've owned since new.)
A couple of observations I have made about the P Bass over the years are:
You can also use the level/volume control to vary the tonal color. Turning down and playing harder, or turn up and softer touch creates different textures.
The bass seems to phrase itself a bit after I pluck/play it. I feel I have to start playing my note earlier than I would on my Stingray5 to hear it appear at the same time.
Not saying either is bad, just different.
Perhaps the most-heard slap bass part in history was played on what sounds like a p-bass, and it indeed sounds great in the mix but terrible soloed: ruclips.net/video/X9R3_IJCY-Q/видео.html (Giant hit pop song that’s still in playlists 40 years later and features a slap part in the clear as part of the hook - certainly one of the most-heard slap parts in history, right?)
It’s always a pleasant surprise to see you in music RUclips, Adam.
Yo it’s the food man
dunno if i'd apply such superlatives to a brief section of a popular single, since it's a supportive role. Unfortunately, soloing it reveals that Hungate wasn't among the cream of thumb players, tho your point of band-limited (and overcompressed) poor tone is borne out.
Adam on the bass channel???
@@btRU_funQsta It sounds phenomenal in the track, and that’s all that matters, imho. Anything else is vanity at the expense of the song.
Geezer Butler on the 1st 5 Sabbath albums.
Iron Maiden's Steve Harris.
John Entwistle's magnificent work on the Who Live at Leeds.
Right there's all the reason you need to play a P-Bass.
Anthony Jackson, Stanley Clarke, Jack Cassidy and Louis Johnson are reasons you don't.
Roger waters and his surrogate guy on The Wall Live 1980. That's the most incredible sound of a P Bass I have ever listened to.
That was 1/3 of the market back then though
I play a Jaguar Bass.
Matt from Rancid!
A P simply cannot do what other basses do... and other basses cannot do what a P does! Perfect, I'll take one of each, thank you so much.
That was the best and most simple explanation for the difference between the two on here!
The first thing an experienced engineer will do is make your bass sound like a P bass as it will always sit perfectly in any mix. There's a reason it's been used on 90% of popular music.
🐐🐐🐐
You forgot the J bass, it's 65% P bass and 30% J bass, the 5% is other basses
HAHAHAHHA THIS IS TRUEEEEE
First thing an experienced engineer will do is ask you if you have a P Bass. Preferably with flats.
Even less work for him/her
Does this apply to all genres as a general principle for mixing?
I play a Warwick double buck and I can make it sound almost like any other bass, and funny enough the most versatial sound I dial in is the P bass sound. I most of the time play it passive and in single coil mode. I use the blend knob to dial in more attack from the bridge pickup when a song needs more funky touch. The meat in your fingers also changes the sound and where you position your plughand😀
Great video👍
Exactly same here!
Me too!! love passive tones of warwick $$
Reasons to hate the P - narrow tone - bat of a neck - very limited yet still, every engineer favors it because it sits so well in the mix.
Reasons to love the P.
narrow tone - bat of a neck - very limited and every engineer favors it because it sits so well in the mix.
It does what it does. You either hate what it does or love what it does. Fortunately I love my ‘73 Body ‘79 neck P :) great video of a critique of the P from someone who loves the P
Talking about P bass starting from "negative" items: a great method to learn loving P bass.
Thank you!!
I modified my P-Bass by switching to EMG pick ups and adding a bridge pick up. It gives me a multitude of sounds. The only draw back for me is having to disassemble it (remove the strings, knobs, pick guard) to change the battery for the pick ups. I turned it into a PJ Bass in 1983 and I don't recall ever seeing a stock PJ Bass at that time. Not sure when Fender started making them.
Sounds awesome! 🔥🔥🔥
I think the PJ came out in 84 or so. I had one in 85
Just love p bass more than any other sound. Tempted to buy another for rounds as mine has flats.
Yeah p-basses are awesome
Darren: try putting Rotosound Jazz 77 strings on your second P Bass.
They sound almost identical to round wound strings, but they are smooth and won't eat your frets or fingers.
Honestly, they are the best bass strings I've ever played in my life.
Who plays 'em? Steve Harris, Roger Waters, Sting, Paul Simonen, John Deacon, just to name a few...............
I installed a tort pickguard to my two p basses and now they sound much better.
Love my P bass with Rounds!
Tight piano sound.
I watched your series "Why the crushes everything" series. REALLY enjoyed it. I'd give your acting job on that series only a 5 on some bases but an 8 on others, where you did a good job of convincing the viewer that the bass in question did crush everything. I happen to believe you actually prefer the P bass by a large margin over all other basses which made that series so good. I was expecting this video to be tongue in cheek where you don't really try to convince others that they shouldn't play a P bass, since we know you love them deeply. But, this one I feel was straight up honest, where you tried your best to show why P basses aren't everyone's favorite. Anyway, well done, I like your humor, your acting and your opinions, even though I have barely play bass. Thanks for the videos and the info.
I love the 44mil nut
I love the simplistic two knobs
I love the tone with flatwounds
I love it doesnt require batteries
I love all my P basses, wont play anything else.
same
Took the words right out of my mouth
I've had many different types of electric basses, and my vintage Precisions are the ones I always went back to.
I didn't own a Bass (i want one), but i can say that a P Bass with Flatwounds is perfect.
Btw, what about Mustang basses? i heard Tina Waymouth playing Psycho Killer and it sounds so good.
I've played bass for 30 pluse years . I started out on a p bass, moved to a rickenbacker, did a stint with a Ibanez pro line, got a killer jazz bass. I've found that you always need that great sounding p bass in your fleet. That warmth you get from a p bass is essential and very inspiring.
You can't go wrong with it. Specially when cutting through the mix with a DG pedal or Sans Amp (if you like playing rock or metal). Definitely a must have in your collection, there's a reason why it's kept the highlighted spot in recording studios as well.
Not a single one of these reasons has ever stopped me from playing one. I have a really nice 70’s-style Jazz Bass that I consider my main bass, but I have found myself playing my single-coil and split-coil P-Basses out more often lately.
Always said I would never buy one when I started out playing.
Now have 3, have let some go in the past and regret everyone I sold.
My go to bass for recording, never fails. Could not be without one now
Me too. “I’m not a p bass guy”. Now own a couple. One for rounds, one for flats. Always sounds great.
When I was a teenager I had a 5 string Ibanez, mostly played gospel. As I got older and recorded a few tracks I came to the epiphany every bass player does, gotta have a P bass if you wanna record. Nothing tracks as well as that dull, slabby, lifeless sound of a P. Got myself a Made in Japan 86/87 P with a Maple fretboard, love the way it looks feels sounds etc. Has a truss issue but I guess that’s what you get when you buy a 30+ year old axe from overseas.
The hottest of hot takes! But nuanced. I had a 15 year run where I did not play P-basses at all. But I've come to appreciate what it does, because it does that thing SO well. And now I've got three.
As an occasional bass player in a blues band and a punk band in the past I like the simplicity. You just plug in and go.
I’d say it is a versatile bass. It’s great for punk music, smooth music, jazz. And it sits in the mix perfectly
About to buy my first bass after 25+ years of playing guitar (Squier Classic Vibe 70s P-Bass), and this has cemented why I wanted a P over a J
Allegedly ppl buy the classic vibe Squiers and upgrade the electronics. If you find one that feels great (an exceptional MIM craft job), then you basically get a near USA quality fender axe for half the price. I heard good things about those, but as expected the electronics and hardware leaves much to be desired.
Totally right, Scott! I never cared much for P basses when I was young. But nowadays that I own an original ‘62 P bass I love it to death. It’s such a pleasure to play! But it has it limitations, sure. Nevertheless, i still find it surprisingly versatile for an instrument with such a simple concept. And the meaty neck doesn’t bother me at all. I also find that a pleasure compared to the often very thin and narrow J necks.
If a P-bass isn't versatile then why does a good one work on just about everything in popular music from the last 70 years? That one trick is the most versatile bass sound there is.
He means that you have to set up differently for every kind of sound. Instead with other basses you have a wider possibility of sound just in a set and with the same eq configuration ☺️
>Popular music
That means it's doing one thing really well; the thing most people want. Kinda like saying the Carolla is the most versatile car cuz it's the best selling. It works great for people. Does what most people need. Doesn't mean it's versatile.
Doing one thing many desire isn't the same as doing many things.
to be fair, most popular music from the past 70 years was recorded on a p bass.
@@wildesage4172 it's nothing like that, a Corolla doesn't do anything different than a Sentra or Civic etc. The P-bass has the one most versatile bass sound there is. It fits perfectly in soul, rock, funk, punk, jazz, reggae, disco, pop, you name it. Plug in and your done. No other bass offers that versatility.
@@succ6031 true, ans that is because the p-bass has the most versatile bass sound
Customizability - I changed the pickups to EMG's. Sounds great. Added more top & bottom to the tone. They came pre-wired with pots and a jack. Fits right in under the pick guard. Only problem - I have to remove the pick guard to change the battery (I didn't want to chance routing out the back for a battery compartment and screwing it up)
I absolutely love FAT P bass sounds, but like Scott mentioned, I feel like it's a plug and play one trick pony. Out of all my basses, I actually don't any P(only) bass. I love me some PJs though!
Played a PBass for almost 19 years and was happy with it generally, as the PBass somehow gets heard even if the band's guitars were too loud. Was mystified why I couldnt sound like the other cover versions we played and found out the jazz bass was used on those songs. Got a Dimarzio model P to replace the 1963 original pickup and so happy. Now I play a custom 5-string and the Dimarzio P-bass pickup still sounds like I'm playing a PBass. Thanks Scott for sharing this.
So true! I had to choose between a P and a PJ and was advised to go for the PJ as I can't "make do" only with the P they said... so I got the PJ. Nowadays I mostly use the P pickup and that's because I discovered effects... there are more bass effects and amp sims today than 2o years ago when I started- so nowadays the "limitations" part is entirely optional :) I like the P bass!! I equally enjoy my 6-string sub bass as well... and the EB-0 and somehow I have convinced my lovely wifey that although they are called basses, a 6 string with humbuckers sounds nothing like a PJ and an EB-0... I was a good boy and last Christmas I got a '51 P replica- that with a single non-staggered coil and what a surprise, it sounds somewhat like a P but not exactly... It has "only one sound" just as the modern P or the EB-0- that is until I let the effects rip... I can use it like an ambiental instrument or it can move the roof overhead , it can sing or growl or wail... and now you're gonna hate me but I found that bass is just another type of guitar :) so all regular shenanigans apply-sounds interesting with echo, fuzz, eq, or a specially voiced tube screamer..or .. When my well-versed cousin came to visit and saw what I did with (to?) my bass he said well traditionally you don't use them like this, and was okayyyy..now listen to this solo on my 6string with a echo, flanger and eq'd for mids...
I bought a Squier Classic Vibe 60s Precision this week. I thought I was going in for a Jazz but the P was so good. It plays so well, looks great and sounds lovely! I am a convert.
I guess its just me but I LOVE my flatwounds, i love the sound they give. I love the narrow tone over the roundwounds imo.
it’s definitely NOT just you haha
1984 Mexican fender, baby blue. Greatest bass ever made. Got it when I was 14 and still playing gigs with it. I'm 38.
The P bass has a very intimate sound that brings you in. The Jazz Bass of marcus Miller etc can be overwhelming for most. Still both great sounds depending on what the song calls for
They way I've heard it described is that the P bass has a 'warm' growl, like an old pet dog that's not in the greatest of moods. A Jazz Bass barks and snarls at you like it's gonna to bite you :)
Both are electric bass guitars, both can probably be set up and played to sound good no matter what the fuck you're playing. Making a huge fuss over gear is a moot point for electric instruments, since you can control the sound largely with knobs on your amp as well as the instrument itself.
Acoustic bass though, the instrument's sound is just, well... What you hear is what you get and that's it.
As Jazz Bass player for about 10 years the only reason I didn't want a Precision was because of the thick neck.
So after the Squier Mini Precision came out (and luckily has a Jazz width neck) I was convinced to get a Precision for once.
Now I'm just appreciating the sound that goes with anything. Its simplistic design makes me less likely to fiddle around with the knobs as I used to with my Jazz Bass depending on the song. This thing just goes well with ANYTHING!
With round wound strings , a graphic EQ , a modern amp you should be able to get just about any tone imaginable. Since when do bass players have only one bass ?
When you're broke lol
there is no eq that can make a p bass sound like a double humbucker bass if that's the sound you want, not even liek a jazz bass. I agree that the p bass is great but your coment is irrelevant.
as a mixing engineer... you're just wrong, EQ can't boost the frequencies that aren't there, you can't make a P-bass sound like a J-bass, they're two very different instruments. That's like trying to make a drum set sound like a trumpet with some EQ (a bit exaggerated comparison, but you get the point)
I got the Cliff Burton tone with my Ibanez Roadstar II RB650 bass which is just a p bass. Guitar Pedals and a good Metal bass amp like a Mesa/Boogie boom you got the Cliff Burton bass tone.
@@nickey7473 Yeah exactly. The p pickup accentuates different mid range frequencies for each string, which would be impossible to replicate with just an eq move.
The P bass delivers solid "Gronk." Old friends term for a good bass sound back in '74. Thanks Scott. This was as informative as it was interesting.
Here's what you do...
Flatwounds on a 1997 Fender P-Bass deluxe. One of the few years that they produced a p-bass with a Musicman-style humbucking bridge pickup. Gives you a HUGE bandwidth for tonality. Anything from Jamerson to Edwards. I play one in my band METROFERN and it gives a lot of flexibility.
Yessir Chesty Hall on the '97 P-Bass Deluxe
My brother and I are both bass players. My brother is a HUGE Steve Harris fan, so he has signature Fender P basses. I'm more diverse and get into bands that range from decade to decade, so I have to have diversity in my bass tones. I'm down to 10 basses from 14, seems like a wimpy number for a bass player?! But getting back to the P bass issue, P basses are a one trick pony. I did build a custom bass and with the encouragement of my brother, I did put a single SBP-3 Seymour Duncan pickup in the bass. I was worried that the sound would be pigeon holed into only one tone but found that I can "feather" my playing and get a "normal" tone and slamming the strings and getting the "Maiden" tone. I've rediscovered flatwounds after many years but in the Rock genre on my Ibanez SR950 with P & J + blend. Scott's video is VERY relevant. Thanks Scott for doing this video!
I love having a wider neck. My Jazz feels like a guitar neck although it does have more tonal options. Any bass can be customized up to the point of destruction. Lee Sklar's double pickup P is a beautiful idea. One of mine has a hipshot d-tuner. Flatwounds with the Tone set on 4ish most of the time. Thanks for this vid Scott.
l've played my 1971 Precision Bass from 1972 to 2016 . it NEVER failed me EVER ! I had to retire from playing bass because of scoliosis. l still keep my 3 Precisions 1 Telecaster Bass 1 Music Man Stingray and Cort Curbow 5 String with me. for life.
Wow sounds like a beautiful collection! 🤘🏻
It took me a long time to come around to the P. Now I love them, especially with a bit of over drive on them. Get that nice growl and overtones!
Scott - A few things - First - Great content as always. Next: There are quite a few aftermarket drop in, pre built potentiometer sets. I have an Emerson in one and an EMG set in another. Obsidian wire make one, among others. There are tons. Number two: Just as you put a new P type neck on your reliced P, I’ve put jazz bass necks on both my Ps. I can’t handle that wide string spacing.
I just started playing bass a couple months ago and I love my p bass.the warmth and the big neck and depth of the sound I was hooked immediately.I
bought a jazz bass and didn’t like it and returned it.💁
When I was younger I was definitely J>P. But now that I’m older I’ve accepted the P is the holy grail of bass tones, dull af but for some reason that’s perfect in 90% of band contexts. Imo you get a J when you want to play what/how YOU want to play. The P bass on the other hand practically plays itself.
I started with a 78 used Pbass that I picked up for 3oo bucks. Never thought that it had enough punch. Put in a set of EMG's and a Badass bridge. That was better. Then thought I needed a fretless J bass and bought a Mexican one. Played with it but didn't have much call for it and bought a fretted, rosewood StewMac replacement neck but never really fell in love with it even after putting EMG's and a Badass on that one. Really loved the neck for speed. I eventually tried the J-neck on the Pbass and have never looked back. Love this thing.
Love the simplicity of mine, not a Fender but still a bloody beautiful instrument. In my band it sits better than my five string, I think, because of the pickup and the tonal limitations, my favourite
P-basses aren't frequency hogs like many other basses. Might be boring in the music store and practice room but magic in a live band or recording.
I'm a p bass player for decades and I just installed a hip shot kick ass bridge on mine and it has a better accuracy and clarity. This new model has better string alignment than the older bad ass bridge. I highly recommend it but if you are a fender purist, do not. The original fender bridge can scratch your hand sometimes but it is important if you want to keep it vintage. a high mass modern bridge really rings much better. Make sure it matches the original 5 screw holes replacement exactly and try one. It's easy to install.
I luv it, thank you Scott for showing both pros and cons to playing a P bass🎸
As the long-time owner of a March '67 P-bass (pre-CBS parts, post-CBS assembly), I can relate. All these points are true. I picked it up for its value but only learned to appreciate it when it was what recording engineers were asking for -- and then hearing it "sit well in the mix," as the folklore goes. 20-some years ago I ordered a Raven Labs active upgrade kit ... which I have never installed (thankfully, in hindsight). I DID, however, put new vintage Hipshot tuners on, including the D-tuner -- THAT was a worthy mod. But yeah, as a working bassist you need one, then you need to learn to love it. It's definitely a process. Oh, and do try the flatwounds (and never change them), so it can do "that thing."
For USA bassists, 44mm is 1.75" (C neck). A Jazz bass is a 1.5" (A neck) and another common size for P bass necks is 1.625" (B neck). These were stamped at the heel of the neck as well as the year of manufacture in the '60's. The first number of the code was the model. 5 was a P bass and 7 was a Jazz bass. A neck stamped 5 MAY 68 B would indicate a P bass with a nut width of 1 5/8" made in May of 1968.
Thank you for this - your comment is worth more than the last 15 tube videos!
@@victorboucher675 Thank you. Glad you were helped by this.
As someone who has a classical guitar background, using PIMA, I find no issue at all playing my PBass- I love it!
It took me a lifetime to finally appreciate the tone of a PBass enough to buy a late 70s one a few years ago. I've got flats on it and love it.. It's not even worth comparing to a jazz with rounds...apple and oranges.
I have a Fender PJ Bass with a Precision Neck and Jazz Pickup near the bridge. I added a switch to invert the phase of the Jazz pickup, and another to play the Pecision and Jazz Pickups in normal Parallel or in Series. In Series, the PVol is used. I added a 3rd switch to Tap off the series point between the two Pickups to the JVol pot. I get a nice Series/Parallex mix depending on the Volume controls. Then inverting the phase on the Jazz Pickup really muddies it up.
Then I play through two Morely Wahs set just right to get the thinnest sound out of a Bass, then I add in a bit of phase shift and a tiny bit of Fuzz with two more Morely pedals. Finally I go through a Morely Compressor/Boost pedal. All my pedals are vintage 70's Morelys. They add a bit of hum that the Fender Humbucking Pickups remove. But no crackle ever from the pedals. I am building a Analog Bass to MIDI converter so I can play my Yahma DX7 from my Bass.
Wow, that's some serious bass customization and effects rig you've got there! 🎸🎛️ Your creativity and technical skills are impressive. Keep the groove going and enjoy your unique sound journey! 🎶✨
@@devinebass Yeah, but now you can get 6-way switches from Free-Way that do the same thing. There are are also pots that have a DPDT switch you can work by pushing/pulling a knob. If I had known about those I wouldn't have these 3 little toggle switches on my bass, I could have done the same thing with 3 push/pull knobs.
Brilliant vid sir! One question I had for you that I've never heard discussed in these tone wars is the seemingly ignored example of Mr Harris of Iron Maiden. P bass with flats, yet bright modern tone...best of both worlds?!
With his own brand of quarter pounder pick ups and with his plucking hand, he can play it with all 4 fingers and his thumb. It's all traditionally wrong and it's all AWESOME.
Interesting POV, Scott. Always appreciate your insights. In my opinion, it’s actually more versatile than any other bass. Because of its inherent tonal quality, naturally beefy, punchy and focus (ie its where it belongs in the mix). All you need to do is find suitable strings, set your amp to taste and away you go. You can Marcus Miller, James Jameson deep funk reggae punk alt rock with a pick or your fingers until the cows come home. I can see the physical requirements being a barrier for some, most tend to have fat/wide necks but plenty of MIM have modern profiles. It’s the bass sound in my head so never had an issue with inspiration. As a matter of fact, you can dial out the heft from a P easier than you can add girth to a bass that is thin in the bottom but tends to carry a more modern range
I am very happy that Fender P- and J-basses are popular. Because it makes us who play Rickenbackers and Höfners look special 😁
Before a concert this summer I was given a P-bass on soundcheck. I looked at it and though, "yeah, I'm gonna get me one of those". Picked it up and discovered there was no place to rest my hand. I play with a pick and need to rest my palm on something. I'm also used to flatwound strings, and the feeling of sliding up and down on roundwound strings was awful. And it makes such a terrible noise. So I saved that money...
I fell in love with P basses after rocking a Squier Affinity Series PJ bass combo for about 2 years. During all that time I realized that I never even used the Jazz pickup on the bridge so I decided to invest in a 2019 Fender Mod Shop Precision Bass with Pure Vintage '63 Precision pickups, roundwound strings and a C shape neck with a 9.5" radius which makes navigating the fretboard quite easy and quick. I've never looked back since buying this bass. I agree that the P-Bass (especially w/ flatwounds) is definitely limited in it's tonal spectrum compared to the Jazz, however in my opinion it's more versatile because if I want to get more range out of my P-Bass I can simply fine tune my EQ on my Ampeg SVT 6 Pro to achieve the desired tones, but if I want that smooth, warm and round low end feel that Jamerson always had, you just turn that tone knob super low or even all the way off and it's there! Also if you crank the tone knob all the way or just a bit under, you get some nasty slap tones!!! You just have to be mindful of your dynamics and the force with which you are slapping (TECHNIQUE!!!!). So in a way it is quite versatile but you just have to think outside the box to get your desired tones! I definitely would recommend any bassist own at least one because it can come in handy during recording sessions and live performances!
What if I wanna play like joy division more of a post punk genre what bass guitar do u suggest
@@optimuscunt7746 My drummer owns a Jazz Bass that I use for certain songs in our bands setlist that are punk. I think the mid-range growl that a Jazz bass can produce naturally is ideal for the genre of music that you are going for! However, if you do have a P-Bass you can crank the tone knob up and it will give you that mid-range growl feel, not nearly as heavy as a Jazz Bass's tone but still good enough to do the job. Also playing with a pick and a bit of aggressive dynamics can help you get that punk bass tone. But ultimately I just suggest sitting down with your bass and messing with your EQ levels and dynamics until you find something that sounds good to you. I hope this helps!
The comparison goes back to Jbass does it’s own thing and so does Pbass
- all depends on context
- have played p bass with tone off doing rnb stuff & the same pbass with full tone in a loud punk band, that’s just from the tone knob and a lot of difference can be made between fingers or pick (for those two same examples)
Just to be clear - Pbass forever
When I was a young lad (10), I always wanted one. My friend had the Fender Road machine poster. I was determined to get one of these “ road machines”. When I was a junior in high school, I got a job working at gas station. I’d work from 4:00 pm to midnight then get up and go to school. My day came when a friend and I took the trip from Sacramento to San Francisco. I walked into Don Weir’s Music City and walked out with a black/black/maple P bass. I came up $40 short so my friend who was from the Bay Area hit his Dad up for the $40. It was a loan that I am forever grateful for. I still have her…. The year was 1976. My date code indicates it was built in 1975.
You can change the wiring of the tone and volume pots from either a 51-style, modern style, or treble-bleed circuit to alter the character of the P-bass.
Scott, great conversation here! My first bass was a Rickenbacker with a warped neck which to me is even more limited in its sound but then I discovered a P-bass and was lucky to get a vintage one before they became outrageously expensive albeit beat to hell but functioned perfect and all the Motown stuff that I was listening to it perfectly embodied it so I have flatwounds on it and have not changed the strings since I snagged the bass 30 years ago and the tone is 100% Jamerson for sure and depending how you attack the strings you can get some variance in tone and if you really want a lot of definition just use a medium gauge pick for that more Joe Osborne thing even though he used a 1960 jazz bass ( good luck getting one of those now LOL). As a bassist you guys all know you have to have more than one bass if you really want to cover a wide spectrum of tones in Your Arsenal. The problem I think and has been for me anyway is that I had to search and play at least 100 vintage Fender basses before finding one that sounded good to me they are all slightly different and the older they are the greater the variances seem to be but once you find one that you fall for (or) once it finds you, never let it go...
It would be great if you had a conversation about that particular aspect of it and advise people how to go about trying to find one and what to look for or look out for when purchasing an old vintage Fender bass or any bass really but P bases in jazz basses are really unique but they are all over the place. It took me twenty years until I found a vintage jazz bass that I was happy with I think the P bases are a bit more consistent. I was very lucky and landed a 62 P Bass and it seems like the neck is extra wide and gives me the feeling like I am playing and upright Bass I think that's why Jamerson really loved it because he played up right at first but once he discovered the P Bass it was a match made in heaven he played a lot of his stuff in the style of an upright which the P bass really lended itself to which is why I think he did so great with it.
Sorry about being long-winded but I could talk all day and night about my main inspiration on bass the one and only James Jamerson.
Darling dear is an awesome line but my favorite probably will always be Ain't No Mountain High Enough from the 1970 Diana Ross album. The bass is mixed out front and really takes you on a journey with so many different changes and moods... It is a total Masterpiece and complete showcase of every aspect of Jameson's genius, especially the final part... It is like Bach meets Mozart playing bass. Also, "What's happening Brother" and "save the children" from Marvin Gaye's What's Going On album... Really, the entire side A of the album is a jazz masterpiece in a pop format. Any aspiring young bassist needs to check that out and I guarantee it will move them in ways that very little else could on the bass. It certainly did that to me many years ago. Peace, Bob M.
I had two Rick 4001s over the years with strait necks. I hated them both. Same with the Jazz and the Thunderbird. The necks are too skinny.
I have a 2003 Precision Lyte Deluxe. It's made in Japan, active and with a P/MM configuration. I've seen Carol Kaye playing one of those too .
I've been asked to trade it several times but this is my favourite 4 string I have.
The older I get, the more simple things I like and that's the reason why nowadays I gravitate towards simple basses. I'm a huge fan of P basses and for my birthday I'm considering to get a 5 string P style bass .
Dude the Lytes are highly desirable basses. Those who know...
I was going to get a Standard Jazz but saw a P Lyte Deluxe hanging in the back of the racks in the store. Hmmmn...I thought. Tried it out and knew I'd found it. Walked out with it 20 minutes later. Have 2 now and love em both.
I have 2. Mid 90s 60s Reissue from Japan. Strung with Flatwounds. Plays great. And a 2002 American Deluxe. This P Bass is a BEAST. Plays and sounds great. The 60s reissue is loaded with HI-A pickups I threw in.
I have to agree with everything said. I love a p bass but a jazz bass or almost anything else tends to be more versatile.
As for comfort to play yeah the baseball bat neck is not suitable in my opinion to going ham for solos.
Had a 5 string with active pickups, etc for years. Played great, but never got the sound I wanted for my recordings. Got a P Bass and absolutely love it. I do miss that 5th string though....
Had one in the late 70s. Since sold it. Loved it, but wished I had bought a Jazz instead. That being said, I used it a lot in the studio and played it on some demos for Beth Nielsen Chapman, Lawrence Reynolds and Tim Lovelace to name a few.
I am leaning to the Stingray 5 in series mode. Kind of the young P-bass cousin: One pickup bass, easy to master different tones with different right hand positions, killer B-string, best neck ever. And every now and then when a slap sound is required - switching to parallel.
The P Bass When it comes right down to it is the only base you will need
If you dont wanna slap then I recommended I mostly got it to play iron maiden and black sabbath songs
I slap on my P Bass all the time. Is it a refined J Bass or Musicman also? No! But it is very workable.
I gave a chance to a P bass when a friend lent me his Fender. If I said it is not an amazing instrument, I would be lying. It is truly amazing. The sound is scoped, bold, feels awesome. However, when I returned to my good old Aria Pro PJ bass I concluded it's got the growl I love so much and make me appreciate it more. I had a great time with the P bass and I'd give another chance if I could play it for a recording session, mixed with other instruments. But overall I still prefer the PJ bass. Great video, as always!
Coming from a pop punk background, I can't imagine not loving the sound of a p bass solo'd
I love the sound of Kathy Valentine's P bass on "Our Lips Are Sealed" and John Wetton's P Bass on "Starless."
Pure, luscious, meaty, growly bliss! :)
Mark Hoppus is actually got me into the P bass sound. It’s iconic for punk, I love the tone.
@@Mister47Gaming Doesn't Dirnt play one as well?
The man who made me love the P Bass tone is Geezer Butler.
The sound of his 1963 P Bass on Black Sabbath's first three albums is so sweet I just get all gushy when I hear it.
I love love love the P Bass! BUT, I also own three Jazz Basses as well. I love them just as much.
Yes. It sounds really good. 🎸👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
i love the look and sound of that natural wood P-Bass. i WOULD definitely be playing that all day every day. :)
I have a Fender Precision Elite 2 and I love it, it's not getting replaced anytime soon
I’ve been playing guitar for 30 years, and started playing bass 3 years ago. When it came time to pick a tone, I went straight for the pbass sound. I just want my bass to sound like a bass, and stay out of my guitar’s range. I have two inexpensive PJ type basses, and never use the jazz pickup.
My P-Bass American Elite overcomes all of his objections. It has a narrower 41.3 MM nut, active 18 volt electronics, and is equipped with P and J pickups so you can emulate one or the other or a mix of both. Very versatile and great to play.
Limited narrow tonal spectrum does not necessarily sound weird, it's really up to the individual listener to decide how it sounds...
I would say that *specifically* EMG actives widen the potential tonal spectrum of a P bass. I don't know if there's a comparable competitor; I tried three or four pickup sets and the EMGs won.
The main thing is that if you play hard, the little chip adds upper distortion partials in a very useful way. The clean sound is a bit scooped-ey and colder. The tone knob on a set of EMGs is pretty radically different from a passive setup.
But follow your bliss; I've tried multiple times to replace the PBass and I always got asked to bring back the old one. You adapt your playing to the instrument.
Looking forward for the "Why you shouldn't play a J bass" video!
Sold a ‘95 Precision Bass back in 2001 and went to a Music Man Sting Ray and never looked back. I never bonded with the wide neck profile which was extremely uncomfortable and limited tonal options. If I had to go back in time I would have gotten a Jazz Bass. The Sting Ray and Steinberger are my basses of choice.
The P is still my desert island bass! It’s the perfect bass for most studio gigs, although I always bring a J for when a more aggressive tone is needed. The P is also my favorite bass for live gigs, but that’s also dependent on the style of music I play. Another thing to keep in mind tone wise is rosewood vs maple necks, with the maple being more pronounced tone wise and a better fit for roundwounds to my ear. Flats + rosewood is hard to beat for that classic thump tone. I use flats on my maple fretless P too. I think any gigging bass player needs at least a P and a J, everything else is cake!
It took me many years to love P Bass. But last year I decided to buy it and... I love it now. By I also keep loving my old JB... Different beasts.