Disclaimer: This is going to be a fairly long post, and you may get nothing out of it. Since last night and this morning I've thought about what factors in my life may have caused a love for the lower frequencies and maybe what made me choose the bass that I currently have. This post may only be useful to people interested in buying a bass but don't know which kind to purchase, or people who may want to go back and try to figure out why they like bass. Personally, this little revelation helped me decide which bass I want next, and which bass I hope to get one day. This post goes into my past, and it will likely be boring for you, but it is what has led me to my conclusion, and I had to write it out somewhere, and I figured what better place than here. So if you're interested then continue.
I've always loved music, and I would say more than the average person. I was always the person dancing and singing outloud in their car, the kid on the subway head-banging to his Ipod.
When I was in high-school, I got into using computer-based sequencers to create melodies and songs, since I couldn't play any instrument. This led me to start tampering with keyboards, and eventually I found my Dad's acoustic guitar in the basement. I tried really hard to play it because I wanted to be able to play an insturment well, but the sound of an acoustic annoyed me, never inspired me at all.
One day, I was at a friend's house with him and his brother, and an acoustic. My friend and I were both about 3 months in with the acoustic and we were just passing it around playing what we could. The little brother played bass and just kind of listened and watched us. Eventually he wanted to get involved, so he picked up the acoustic and played the bassline to Pink Floyd's Money. I was ecstatic, so he showed me how to play the main groove of the verses, and I was in love. I imagined the sound I should have been getting out of those notes.
The next day as I was driving around, I was listening to music and feeling the bass. I was hugely into the Arctic Monkeys at the time (just around when they put out their second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare), and in that album and in their first, they had some very punchy and groovy basslines (really fit the songs well). When I got off work, I went straight to a music shop and looked around for a bass. I had done no research at all, but one bass caught my eye. It was a Stagg BJ-300 (copy of a Fender J), natural wood finish, rosewood fretboard, and tort pickguard. Looked great. A very nice salesman could see I was interested. He asked me what I wanted, and asked if I was more into a P or a J configuration. I had no idea. He characterized the P as punchy, but the J was brighter and with two pick-ups it was more versatile. I loved the Stagg on the shelf, and I thought two pick-ups were better than one. I ignored the cardinal rule in bass shopping, and that it is: Try Before You Buy. I really didn't even see the point, I just bought the Jazz.
At some point soon after, I realized this bass's electronics were horrible, and the 60-cycle hum was noisy as hell. It was not versatile; both pick-ups had to be full up to be bearable and the tone knob hardly did a thing. But, I did not have the financial means to buy anything else, and I did enjoy the look and feel of this bass.
As I practiced and learned more about bass, and watched videos of my favourite bass lines, I noticed something funny. Practically all of my favourite bands or songs were played with a Precision: Roger Waters, both Arctic Monkeys bassists, Stu Cook, John Deacon, Mike Dirnt, Offspring, Cake's "Love You Madly", and especially Jamerson (I've always loved Motown, primarily for the bass grooves of this genius).
Several years had passed, and it was time to purchase a new bass. I did all kinds of research, spent months deciding, listening to audio clips and youtube videos, and practically everything I could. At first I was serious about getting a Warwick (I just love the growl), but could in no way afford one, or even justify it if I could. But as I continued to listen, I realized what I wanted. A Fender P with flats, every sample of it I listened to had one similar characteristic: a bass that "thumped". I went out to a local shop which had a beauty 2000 used for about $750. I tried it and was ridiculously giddy. It was the thump I had been missing for the last 3 years. It was exactly what I wanted and this was with roundwounds. I put on Chromes, and a couple of months later I could not be happier with my purchase.
Last night, I was reading the J vs. P poll and fellow TB'er Luckie posted a quote from Ed Friedland differentiating the P and J. Paraphrased Ed said this about the two:
"...The P bass is a fat, chunky-butt animal that likes to take up space. It demands a high level of attention to what you play, because every note hurts - or helps. There ain't no takin' it back with a P bass. You better mean it, or be very good at making it work...."
"...The J is a sleeker machine. Being a Jazz guy means having a little more wiggle room. It takes up less space in the mix, so you can get more active without squashing people..."
I never really consciously thought about it but I would describe it as this, a P thumps through the mix and a J sings with it (but don't get wrong, with the right EQing and technique, a Jazz can roar, Geddy's a great example of this).
I knew I preferred the sound of a bass that thumped, and not really one that sung. I personally don't get much out of listening to Jaco (no offence, he was definitely one of the most talented bassists ever, just not my style).
Now the question was why... Revelation Time...
My mom is a die hard antique collector. She crams her house with antiques; thousands of little figurines fill up lighted cabinets; vases stand tall on little stands on the wall. Clearly, this house was not supossed to rumble and shake. Some roofers came and re-did the roof a couple of years ago. Some vases, paintings, and china fell to the floor. Hundreds of dollars in damage.. you get the idea.
As a child, I was told to never play in the house, there were certain rooms I was completely forbidden to enter. The house was perfect for an old lady, but give her a rocking chair, and my mom would be right there taping it to the floor. I'm sure my upbringing led me to stray away from the delicate flower my mom would have loved for me to grow into, and instead, I turned into a hockey and football playing kid who was, and is still, horrible at golf (I do not have the finesse).
From a young age, I would listen to Motown or the Jackson 5, and pump the music, as I got older it was Green Day and Offspring. My mom would always scream at me to turn down the bass. If I did, it was only because of how mad she got. When she left the house, I turned the bass way up. Eventually, I got into hip hop, where the bass surged, and this caused many speakers to rattle until they ultimately bit the dust.
I wish I could have come to this realization without also realizing that I was a rebellious little brat...
Anyways, I remember reading some article a couple of years back, that stated how the human brain subconsciously learned to like music based on our atmosphere. For example, if we gained a new circle of friends, and they listened to some genre that we hated prior to befriending them, then our brains would naturally and subconsciously would start liking and loving that music too. Also, we would favour music that our parents told us not to listen to.
This was the revelation that told me why I love the thump of a P, and also why when I hear players use a Jazz to solo and do some great harmonic things, I'm hardly moved.
My P with flats will serve me well for years to come. When I start shopping for my next bass, I will definitely be looking for something that growls, and will likely revisit the idea of getting a German made Warwick, but I'll see. I think I prefer passives, but that's a conversation that will happen down the road.
And thanks to Talkbass for the different discussions about different genres and bass greats that has opened my ears to the likes of Rush, and other bands that I may not have had the pleasure to appreciate without this site. I know that in several years, I will mature, and my music preferences will alter, and one day Jaco will be something that relaxes me and will inspire me in a whole different direction. One day I will buy a Jazz, maybe even a fretless, but that will be later on, when I'm ready for it.
This revelation helped me know why I prefer the bass I have, and ultimately what I want out of a bass. This helped me clear up what I'm looking for for my next purchase, and hopefully this will help new bassists, or others who are GASing, move in the right direction. It hugely helped me...
That's all. If you made it this far, thanks for hearing me out.
My revelation into why I love bass, and why I chose the bass that I have 
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