51 P-bass tone: Players to listen to...

[telepbrman]

I want to track down some tunes/cd's that have good 51 P-bass style tone, fill me in if you have a suggestion/player. I know Dusty is a good start...thanks, dy.

[Ezbass]

Sting has been using a '54(?) for many years now.

[RHFusillo]

I saw the Police play live last week -- Sting was using his '54 P bass (or Custom Shop replica thereof). Anyway, it's very similar to the '51 P, only with a contoured body. He used it well, taking advantage of the trebly highs that you can get with those basses, as well as the thumpy lows. So you might want to look for recent Sting recordings.

John Paul Jones used a single-coil P bass some times with Led Zeppelin. However, I can't point to exactly which live or studio recordings have that bass.

Ron Wood used a Telecaster bass with the first Jeff Beck Group. That was a pretty straight reissue of the '51 P. He used roundwound strings (probably Rotosound Swingbass) and got a very bright, slightly distorted sound. Check out the albums Truth and Beck-ola.

You also might want to seek out recordings by Monk Montgomery, a jazz bassist who was a very early Fender user. He recorded in the Fifties and early Sixties with a single-coil Precision Bass, and his sound was muted and thumpy. Unfortunately, it's really difficult to find his electric bass recordings on CD -- he also played upright. A few months ago, I found a Wes Montgomery CD on which brother Monk played Fender. Monk also recorded with his own group, the Mastersounds.

[Caca de Kick]

Actually the right term would be 'Single Coil P Bass'. Because the 67-72 Telecaster basses also fall into the catergory, and tons of recordings with them as well

There was a very recent thread highlighting SCPB users, and it had lots of great bassists listed in there.

Sting's P is an early 1957.

[JTE]

Keith Ferguson with the original Fabulous Thunderbirds. The bass was an original SCP (single-coil Precision) and the recordings were recent enough to give you a good idea of what they sound like.

Also, David Hood's part on The Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There" (which, BTW, has one of the BEST bass solos ever) is also a SCP.

Sting's may not be the best choice as his has a custom-made Seymour Duncan hum-cancelling PUP installed. In addition, unless it's a live recording or you have concrete information from a reliable source, there's a high probability that recent recordings could be any of his basses, not just his SCP.

jte

[telepbrman]

Great info, I will be doing some listening ASAP on SCPB...dy.

[redstrand]

Sting's P is a '54(with mods)...the '57 was split.

[Parabolic Box]

It might be a little obscure but 'Coming Soon' by Queen has the sound of a '54 P-Bass.

[RHFusillo]

Originally Posted by JTE

Sting's may not be the best choice as his has a custom-made Seymour Duncan hum-cancelling PUP installed.

I am aware of this, but must add that the pickup does retain much of the single-coil character. Duncan did a good job with that one. P.S. Keith Ferguson and David Hood are good recommendations. I need to go back and listen to some of that music.

[fenderphil]

didnt the guy from weezer play an old '51 or '52?

the blue album, i believe

[Kink Rimson]

Originally Posted by RHFusillo

Ron Wood used a Telecaster bass with the first Jeff Beck Group. That was a pretty straight reissue of the '51 P. He used roundwound strings (probably Rotosound Swingbass) and got a very bright, slightly distorted sound. Check out the albums Truth and Beck-ola.

.

Truth is a jazz, I believe.

Unexpected answer, but Bob Daisley used one on Ozzy's No More Tears album. He takes solo bass intros on 'No More Tears' and 'Zombie Stomp'. Very clean, clear sound.
I never guessed it what bass it was, couldn't believe it when I found out.

[emblymouse]

Originally Posted by JTE

Keith Ferguson with the original Fabulous Thunderbirds. The bass was an original SCP (single-coil Precision) and the recordings were recent enough to give you a good idea of what they sound like.

Also, David Hood's part on The Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There" (which, BTW, has one of the BEST bass solos ever) is also a SCP.

jte

Yeah, Fab T Birds came to mind first. But the Staple Singers cut is a revelation. Just goes to show how much crap you don't need to get it right.

[JTE]

Yeah, I was surprised when I read that in Bass Player a few years ago, about Hood using his SCP for the Staple Singers' tracks.

jte

[eotpr]

I have seen Dusty Hill from ZZ Top playing a SCP on TV that looks like a 51 RI. I don't know how much he uses it on recordings though.

[GianGian]

Sting's not all original? Why bother watching thei recent shows then?