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02-05-2013, 05:31 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: London, United Kingdom | | | Why Does The P-Bass Sustain The Way It Does?
I've been having a bit of a play this evening with some of my favourite songs form the early 80s. One of which was "Who's Cryin Now" by Journey - so lot's of long notes.
I started off with my Gibson SG, then moved over to the Stingray HS, then the Jazz and finally the P.
Now the first three did a fine job, but somehow I knew I had kept the best till last.
The sustain on the P is in a different league to the others entirely. Syrupy sweet and sticky with all of those tones that the others just can't manage.
It is the lightest (by a whisker) of the four basses, the most unsophisticated mechanically and electronically and yet the sound it delivers is absolutely unique.
Why is this? |
02-05-2013, 06:20 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: London, United Kingdom | | | I was hoping for some profound technical insights... |
02-05-2013, 06:30 PM
|  | Sponsored by Jagermeister | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Seattle / Tacoma | | | Are you sure that's a P bass on that song? It never sounded like one to me. |
02-05-2013, 06:33 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: London, United Kingdom | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Caca de Kick  Are you sure that's a P bass on that song? It never sounded like one to me. | No it's not - it's a Stingray on the original played by Ross Valory. But that's not my point.
This was not a "how-to-get-journey-tone" post. |
02-05-2013, 06:37 PM
| | | My BB5000 sustains way longer than my P-bass. 
Sounds better, too.  |
02-05-2013, 06:38 PM
|  | **** | | Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: west coast | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Caca de Kick Are you sure that's a P bass on that song? It never sounded like one to me. | I doubt very seriously that song was recorded w/ a P. I think he was using something fancy like an Aria Pro II. Of course, I also heard a rumor that some of their bass studio work was hired-out to a "ringer" so it could be anything. Some of those tracks are difficult to isolate because of the chorusing effect/piano unison.
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02-05-2013, 06:39 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: London, United Kingdom | | Quote:
Originally Posted by lowphatbass I doubt very seriously that song was recorded w/ a P. | No one - is suggesting that it was. |
02-05-2013, 06:40 PM
| | **** | | Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: west coast | | | And, yea, my P-basses aren't heavy sustainers compared to some of my other basses.
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02-05-2013, 06:41 PM
|  | All these blankets saved my life. | | Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Columbia, Mo | | | It should have something to do with the placement of the pickup. However, you must have a "control" of some sort,(i.e. all basses strung with the exact same strings) for this to become a right proper experiment. |
02-05-2013, 06:42 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: London, United Kingdom | | Quote:
Originally Posted by SunnBass It should have something to do with the placement of the pickup. However, you must have a "control" of some sort,(i.e. all basses strung with the exact same strings) for this to become a right proper experiment. | It's not an experiment - it's an experience! |
02-05-2013, 06:44 PM
|  | Supporting Member | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Vancouver Canada | | | "the P is in a different league to the others entirely. Syrupy sweet and sticky with all of those tones"
That's because of the pup design and its placement in particular. Newer strings help too ;-)
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Gigging and digging Fender AVRI 62 P bass w Lollar pup. www.woolysock.com |
02-05-2013, 06:44 PM
| | | Its part o the mojo, Because they're awesome  |
02-05-2013, 06:46 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2010 Location: Los Angeles, CA | | | Even on the crappiest basses Ive ever played, sustain is never an issue. When do you ever need to stretch a note that long? I could make a bass from garbage can and a broomstick and it would have enough sustain, unless your music requires you to let notes ring out for 60 seconds at a time.
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02-05-2013, 06:48 PM
| | Sponsored by Jagermeister | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Seattle / Tacoma | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Misterwogan No it's not - it's a Stingray on the original played by Ross Valory. But that's not my point.
This was not a "how-to-get-journey-tone" post. | Oh okay. It's just the sum of the parts on your particular bass then, not all P's are that way. I have two Precisions, and my others (including my preEB Musicmans) sustain longer than them. |
02-05-2013, 06:49 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: London, United Kingdom | | Quote:
Originally Posted by tastybasslines I could make a bass from garbage can and a broomstick and it would have enough sustain. | Ah, time for a hearing test... |
02-05-2013, 06:51 PM
|  | Plus ça change, Plus c'est la même chose. | | Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Middletown, OH | | | Seems like in a perfect world that a single pickup bass would sustain better than a bass with more than one pickup...due to less magnetic pull on the string.
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02-05-2013, 06:51 PM
| | All these blankets saved my life. | | Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Columbia, Mo | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Misterwogan It's not an experiment - it's an experience! | It is now. |
02-05-2013, 06:51 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: London, United Kingdom | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Caca de Kick Oh okay. It's just the sum of the parts on your particular bass then, not all P's are that way. I have two Precisions, and my others (including my preEB Musicmans) sustain longer than them. | That's interesting. It's just a standard american P 2011, but I put 62 original pickups in it. The dynamics are amazing, just the slightest touch and it kicks off and keeps going. |
02-05-2013, 06:56 PM
|  | User | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: East Coast | | | I've noticed very different tonal qualities from my AVS '57 RI Precision and Lakland Bob Glaub P Bass as compared to my other Fender Precisions, and I think that difference is due to the 1 3/4" nut width. Bigger nuts = longer sustain?
Probably not much help, but at least somewhat on topic.
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Last edited by JimB52 : 02-05-2013 at 07:02 PM.
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02-05-2013, 07:01 PM
| | **** | | Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: west coast | | | I will say, some of those Journey "power ballads" do have a lot more hang-time on the bass notes than is typical. I realize this isn't a thread about "how to get Journey tone", but cranking the volume a plucking/picking a bit lighter is helpful in terms of getting a more even sustain. That's typically how I like to get that low gain, direct into the board, heavily compressed sound without running a compressor live.
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