What's the deal with all the P basses?

[RyanJD]

Originally Posted by lowphatbass

Generally speaking a P-bass will compliment the kick drum without competing with it and carry enough body and definition to be well heard under guitars, keys and vocals.

And, in a general case, it beats out the Jazz in both categories?
I don't know if I'm all that happy with where I sit in my band's live mix.
I'm thinking a P could help the situation. That and I just want one again!

[Zoomie]

Originally Posted by bluestarbass

.............My first bass was a Spector, so I just got used to thick necks.

The same thing happened to me with big-legged women.

Basses are tools. Love them or hate them, there are times when nothing will do it better than the humble P.

In the words of a wise TB'er,"everyone needs at least one P Bass in their tool box."

Lots of different specs. If you play enough of them, you'll find one that speaks to you.

[drummer5359]

I'm not going to cover any new ground, but here is my take on it.

I always thought that a jazz bass was the coolest looking bass. I've screwed around with bass over the years. When I got serious about bass a little over a year and a half ago I intended to get a jazz.

I bought a couple of inexpensive basses at first to see what spoke to me and it was a P.

I ended up buying an American P, then a vintage Tele bass and eventually an American Jazz. Now I have all three. It really took me a while to find the "right" Jazz bass for me, but I did. Finding a P bass that spoke to me seemed simpler maybe because it is such a simple instrument.

[bassgod0dmw]

Originally Posted by RyanJD

And, in a general case, it beats out the Jazz in both categories?
I don't know if I'm all that happy with where I sit in my band's live mix.
I'm thinking a P could help the situation. That and I just want one again!

What kind of music do you play?

I find that in my rock band, a P sits better in the mix than a J. That's not to say that I don't love my J and gig it very regularly, but when I bring a P it's just perfect. My band mates all agree.

I'm sure a lot has to do with my guitarists EQ too...

[baileyboy]

Originally Posted by Swipter

I see everyone looking to buy or trade for a P bass. Love my Jazz bass, never played a P bass. What's the difference? Why the P over a Jazz?

I have both and I much prefer the sound of my P over the J. Both are great, but it's just my preference. Each to his own, I suppose.

[phillybass101]

I'd say it's a rock and blues bass. Having to compete with guitars in rock is very true. Especially if a guitarist plays with low mids. It fits in that kind of mix. I used to play P-basses until I heard Larry Graham and Graham Central station. I traded my P for Jazz and never looked back. P-basses were used in funk as well before guys started playing the JB. You can slap on a P but it's a different world slapping on a JB. History repeats itself and a lot of guys are trending towards P basses. IMO they are much too plain of a bass for what I do. They do have a solid place in bass playing and many kinds of music.

[Duckwater]

I love all basses but P's are a special thing for me. I can plug mine into any amp, have it strung with any strings, and play any style of music on it and it will sound phenomenal. I can play it softly up by the neck and get a big blooming thump, play aggressively right over the pickup to get a load of pissed off mids, or slap it to get a stanky rubbery funk sound out of it.

[Steve Dallman]

I played in a loud, hard rock band in the mid to late 70's. I had a 69 J bass that had plenty of presence in the band, but I never bonded with the narrow neck. I bought a new, ebony Ripper, but although it had more highs and lows than the J, it just got lost in the mix. I'd plug in the Jazz and it was just "there."

The opportunity came up to buy a 64 P bass for $200. Once I got that, the Jazz went, the Ripper went, and it was THE bass until the mid 80's. I loved the neck...it had all the presence the J bass had, and more.

And it's true...P bass into an SVT IS a glorious thing, and that tone has been the starting point of my bass tone since 1976.

[cybersnyder]

For years I hated P basses and thought that J basses and MM's sounded so much better. That was largely based on playing at home and in the store. Then I started playing with a band - except this is a big band - ~120 playing members plus guitars, keys, drumset. My J sounds that were so pretty at home were lost. My MM (2EQ especially) disappeared completely. Then I tried the old P bass because everyone says they fit in the mix, still thinking they sound like crap. Bingo. I could hear myself and it sounds great when everyone is playing.

The P is exactly what a bass should sound like.

[StayinTime]

I have a 2006 MIM J Bass. i wish I could get used to the thicker neck on a P. Love the way they sound and they way they look.

[AuntieBeeb]

Originally Posted by Ezmar

That's because contrary to what conventional wisdom would say, lower mids cut better, because that range belongs exclusively to the bass. Upper mids and highs get eaten up by guitars and cymbals. Nothing wrong with having those frequencies, but they CANNOT cut. Can't slice through bread with bread, no matter how much bread you use. You just end up with a mangled mess, and everyone is sick of bread.

HOW DO YOU STOP THE BREAD????

[Eublet]

Originally Posted by Ezmar

That's because contrary to what conventional wisdom would say, lower mids cut better, because that range belongs exclusively to the bass. Upper mids and highs get eaten up by guitars and cymbals. Nothing wrong with having those frequencies, but they CANNOT cut. Can't slice through bread with bread, no matter how much bread you use. You just end up with a mangled mess, and everyone is sick of bread.

Not to single you out, but it seems this kind of thought is common, and I'd like to post a link to a frequency chart which shows the overlap of different instruments. Low mids are far from being owned exclusively by bass guitar. In fact, pretty much every instrument and human voice all have their fundamental inside the low mids. It's the overtones and such that define how each instrument sounds. See the link below.

The issue with P basses isn't that they cut at all IMHO, it's that they sit well in the mix. They have presence without cutting, which is a little harder to do with a jazz bass, though it is possible. For live mixes, or even recording, that can make it a great choice. However, as has been proven over and over again, pretty much any great player can swap seamlessly between P's and J's and still make the music work, and it'll sound like whatever instrument they chose was perfect for the song. Stylistically, I think one bass is better over another in terms of genre specificity, but that doesn't mean that one has to go that direction for things to work well. In the end, using a P bass instead of a J bass or vice versa is no different than choosing a Rhodes over a Piano, or a Tele over a Strat, and bass players get way too bent out of shape trying to claim one is better than another for any given purpose. It should be enough just to say they sound different IMHO. No more, no less.

http://www.independentrecording.net/...in_display.htm

[wilfred]

Love me some P bass

[bkbirge]

I've never been much on the P sound by itself, but there are times when it works really well. Usually I go for PJ. However, the build of an old P is perfect for my hands, a nice chunky neck. If you like thin necks then the classic style P's are not for you. If you play upright and switch a lot then going from upright to P is nice, going from upright to a jazz is weird. IMO. I still like the jazz tone better though. A really good P tone without the nasty low-mid mud can be had from those old mustang or musicman basses. The danelectro lipstick pickups do a nice alternative if you like the P timbre but not the mud too.

[Swipter]

So no rounds on the P, flats? How is the Fender V? I see it they come in maple and rosewood necks. Both my other basses are rosewood and I love the sound. What's the best for the P? I guess that matters based on strings too. No funk playing with flats? Never used them.

[AuntieBeeb]

Originally Posted by Swipter

So no rounds on the P, flats? How is the Fender V? I see it they come in maple and rosewood necks. Both my other basses are rosewood and I love the sound. What's the best for the P? I guess that matters based on strings too. No funk playing with flats? Never used them.

Oh, no, flats just seem to be in vogue at the moment. I've always had rounds on my P copy and it sings beautifully. I'd have said if you like the sound of your rosewood fingerboards already then stick with rosewood for a P.

[Eublet]

Originally Posted by Swipter

So no rounds on the P, flats? How is the Fender V? I see it they come in maple and rosewood necks. Both my other basses are rosewood and I love the sound. What's the best for the P? I guess that matters based on strings too. No funk playing with flats? Never used them.

Again, you're asking questions as if there is a best or not best answer. Case in point, no funk with flats? Well, tell that to Rocco, who started a whole new genre playing funk on a P with flats, but later in life used humbuckers with rounds. Bootsy Collins played plenty of funk with a crunchy sounding roundwound string. There is no right or wrong answer, only what you like or dislike in a sound. Chances are if you like it, there will be thousands of listeners who like it also as long as you know how to play your instrument well.

I'll say again...people get to bent out of shape over thinking one instrument or tone is better than another. Play what you like, learn to play it well, and it'll work just fine.

[southpaw420]

My stable consists of a 5 string active J with rounds, and a 4 string passive P with flats (actually half rounds). The P is just a different animal. Both are great basses in their own way.

[Gab124]

Originally Posted by Eublet

I'll say again...people get to bent out of shape over thinking one instrument or tone is better than another. Play what you like, learn to play it well, and it'll work just fine.

^ This +1000

Much of the tone differences we hear in music can be taken care of with proper EQ and technique/talent. Not all, but a great deal of it - and, as mentioned , if you perform well the average listener will love it.

[RaginRog]

I have my Jazz basses strung with TI flats, and add low mids to my amps eq, and I fit the mix perfectly, and have clarity as well. Pickup wise, I have SD Antiquity II single coils. Definitely have better presence with the flats. On it's own, it doesn't sound great, but fits nicely with two guitars and loud drummer in a classic rock band.