advice: records with an aggressive, picked P bass

[g-picker]

hi!

I always thought P basses could only sound boomy and muddy. I have always liked J basses but never really understood the P bass.

But I recently heard many people talking about how the P bass sits well in the mix and many pick players swear by the P for their heavy music.

So I would be curious about hearing some picked, aggressive P sounds on record, could you please give me some advice?

Please note that I am referring to heavy music... metal, alternative, etc...

thanks!

[Ian Perge]

A good deal of Scott Thunes' recording with Frank Zappa was done extremely aggressively on a P-bass. Offhand I'm not that knowledgeable to recommend anything: hopefully anything more complete FZ fan can do so.

In more modern times, One of Jason Newsted's prized recording basses was a late 50's P-bass - the other was a Spector, and together they made up most of his recorded work with Metallica.

[slugworth]

Any King Crimson record with John Wetton or the early ASIA records.

[Philbiker]

The Stranglers "Rattus Norvegicus" and "No More Heroes". You may not like the early punk/new wave style, but the bass tone is friggin' FANTASTIC.

[stretch80]

All of the Clash records pretty much are P-bass with Pick.
Listen to "London Calling"

The Pretenders also. Listen to "Middle of the Road" among many others.

Elvis Costello's first four or five records...great pick playing on a P.

Non pick, but cool: Listen to Little Feat: "Waiting for Columbus" More funky than heavy.

Death Cab for Cutie = P with a pick...

Put a set of roundwounds on a P and crank up, and it is NOT muddy. very full and ballsy.

anyway, have fun exploring that sound if you decide to.

(If you get a chance to play a Rick with a pick, that's an awesome sound too...)

I'm sure others can chime in with heavier stuff...

[powellmacaque]

Most metal players now use dual humbucker active basses...

Listen to Rise Against, their bassist uses OD, a p-bass, and a pick.
A good song with the classic p-tone is "Drones".

Most punk is really driven by p-bass. Look up any picture of an old punk band, and the bassist will probably be wielding a white fender p-bass with a black pickguard...

[tZer]

I think - I said, I THINK Graham Maby (Joe Jackson) uses a pick on a P on songs like "Sunday Papers" (<- bassline RULES!!!) and "Is She Really Going Out With Him?"

[Philbiker]

Originally Posted by tZer

I think - I said, I THINK Graham Maby (Joe Jackson) uses a pick on a P on songs like "Sunday Papers" (<- bassline RULES!!!) and "Is She Really Going Out With Him?"

It was an Ibanez P-J with tapewound strings. Not just P. Definitely a pick. Definitely great tone.

[Jeramaya]

Seek out NoMeansNo's song "I'm Dreaming and I Can't Wake Up." That's intense P-bass.

[cowsgomoo]

Originally Posted by Ian Perge

A good deal of Scott Thunes' recording with Frank Zappa was done extremely aggressively on a P-bass. Offhand I'm not that knowledgeable to recommend anything: hopefully anything more complete FZ fan can do so.

he used the P-Bass on the 1984 and 1988 tours... prior to that he used a Carvin bass that sounded very 'un-P-like'

all these Zappa records feature Scott on his 1963 P-Bass:

1. You Can't Do That On Stage Any More - Volume 3 (Disc 1, all of it, Disc 2 bits of it)
2. Make A Jazz Noise Here
3. Broadway The Hard Way
4. The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life
5. You Can't Do That On Stage Any More - Volume 1 (Disc 2 - some of it)
6. You Can't Do That On Stage Any More - Volumes 4 & 5 (bits)
7. Them Or Us
8. Guitar
9. Trance-Fusion
10. Does Humor Belong In Music?

for the 'aggressive P' sound, check out Andy Rourke of The Smiths... particularly the album 'Hatful of Hollow' - lots of great playing and P tones on that record

I'd also second Graham Maby's stuff with Joe Jackson

check out Steve Harris of Iron Maiden for another aggressive P sound... not picked but in the ballpark for what we're talking about here

Steve Hanley from The Fall has his fair share of wiry sounding P tones... check out the song 'Big New Prinz' from the album 'I Am Kurious Oranj'

oh, and Sean Welch from The Beautiful South had some solid picked P tones going on... not as aggressive as JJ Burnel, more like Graham Maby kinda sounds... one of their last singles before they split up, 'Manchester' starts with a little bass intro which is about as archetypally 'picked P tone' as you can get... instantly recognizable

[Johnny Mack]

Any Blink-182 record.

[Disc]

"What Makes a Man Start Fires" by the Minutemen.

Really aggressive and perfect for the record.

[KeithPas]

Most of Kansas early material was recorded with a picked P Bass as well as Gentle Giant.

[Dave Siff]

Anything by Green Day. He's always recorded with a P-bass, as far as I know, although he used a Gibson G-3 live for a while.

[jerry]

Originally Posted by slugworth

Any King Crimson record with John Wetton or the early ASIA records.

+1, especially the live albums. The standard bearer for 70's over-driven loud P-bass tones, IMHO of course.

[santacruzom]

Originally Posted by Jeramaya

Seek out NoMeansNo's song "I'm Dreaming and I Can't Wake Up." That's intense P-bass.

Yeah, Rob Wright's an insane bassist. Doesn't he exclusively use MIM P's?