• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

P Standard and P Deluxe sound very different

smeet

smeet

Gold Supporting Member
Nov 27, 2006
9,197
13,433
65
Sammamish, WA
www.reverbnation.com
#1
Hey all, I recently got both a 2008 American Precision 5(alder/rosewood) and a 2006 American Precision 5 Deluxe(ash/maple).

These are the first P-basses I've had so I could use some feedback from all you P-bass experts.

With the eq "flat" and 100% neck pickup on the Deluxe (tone/vol 100% on both), the two sound very different. The standard sounds like a precision, and the Deluxe sounds kind of scooped and modern in comparison. Is this just the preamp, or is the P pickup in the Deluxe very different from the standard?

Here are a couple of samples, please ignore the playing. The levels are not matched, but you can hear the difference in midrange and wetness in the sounds.

American Standard Precision 5 (alder/rosewood):
http://sumitdas.net/P5s/P_STD.mp3

American Deluxe Precision 5 (ash/maple):
http://sumitdas.net/P5s/P_DLX.mp3

Are these differences due to:
1) The expected differences between two P-basses
2) Standard passive vs Deluxe active
3) Alder/rosewood vs. ash/maple
4) Different pickups in the two models
5) They shouldn't sound this different, something is wrong.

EDIT:
I replaced the Badass V bridge with the stock bridge.

Deluxe with original bridge:
http://sumitdas.net/P5s/P_DLX_BRDG.mp3

I can hear some difference already, and the bass feels like it's responding differently to the vibrations of the string. It feels a little less "tight", and thats kind of what I hear in the sound. A small step in the right direction.
 
#4
This is the reason I prefer to stay passive for Precisions (or neck-solo'ed Jazzes).
Preamps tend to take away from the upper-midrange texture that pretty much MAKES the P-bass tone.

The same frequencies are better left out when trying to stay unobtrusive in a recording, or when J basses are sounding too harsh.
 
#7
Dunno why they're so different if the Deluxe is set "flat" but I really prefer the PASSIVE Bass way more. The Ash body may, ever so slightly, rob the Deluxe of some Mids as well.
Now, it all comes down to what YOU like.
 
#8
They both sound great in different ways, and while I don't really like the Deluxe's preamp, boosting the mids gives it a lot of that character that it's missing when flat.

I'm going to replace the preamp with something better, probably the Nordstrand, or possibly the East U-Retro. They both have a passive mode and the Nordstrand is supposed to be very transparent even when active.

I have to admit, I'm being dragged kicking and screaming into the world of Precision bass, so I'm coming at it from a wierd angle. I've always played more modern-sounding basses, and almost never played Fenders. Now I just sold a Bongo and a Sadowsky and bought two Precisions!

But... They are both 5 strings, and even the Standard has an East P-Retro preamp in it. This pre is very transparent and by default it's off. When on, it still retains and even enhances that P-bass grunt, so it's very cool.

So basically, I do want a preamp in the bass, but I think I'll probably go for something transparent and clean. I just hope I like the sound of the pickups once I have a preamp that actually lets me hear them!
 
#9
I'll tell you, I use a Sadowsky outboard Preamp with my passive P and J basses. Really does a nice job with both..and you get to retain the passive vibe if you'd like.
Just a thought..
 
#11
Sounds like you're trying to make the Deluxe sound like the standard... why bother? You don't NEED an active bass, no matter what anyone tells you, and you certainly don't need two basses that sound the same.

My advice would be to sell the Deluxe (before you've gutted it), use the cash to buy another used Standard and use the leftover cash to defret it. At some point stick a J pickup in the bridges of them. Job done.
 
#13
DylanB said:
Sounds like you're trying to make the Deluxe sound like the standard... why bother? You don't NEED an active bass, no matter what anyone tells you, and you certainly don't need two basses that sound the same.

My advice would be to sell the Deluxe (before you've gutted it), use the cash to buy another used Standard and use the leftover cash to defret it. At some point stick a J pickup in the bridges of them. Job done.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I really do know what I want though. I like the classic P sound, and I like the active J bridge sound with added beef, and I like an active sound with both pickups blended. With a replacement preamp I can get all three of these tones out of this bass without even touching the eq. With the eq, I can get almost anything.

No matter what these two basses will never feel or sound at all the same, and I don't want them to. I am just VERY picky about my midrange, if it's not there or not complex enough it bothers me. That doesn't make all basses sound the same, but there needs to be some substance in that middle area of the spectrum.

And despite what you may think, nobody told me I need a preamp. Everybody says "go passive", but that's just not me. I want that as an option, but given the choice I will almost always pick a GOOD active tone (which means it has versatile eq but doesn't really draw attention to itself as active). I've been playing active basses since the early 80's!
 
#14
I have the 4 string Deluxe P-Bass, and I had issues with the stock split pick-up ( it just quit working, one coil shorted out, no ohm reading ) the bass had a somewhat modern sound when the split/bridge pick-up was soloed ... I put in a Fender 62 reissue pick-up and it sounds more like a passive p-bass, and the preamp really has a impact on the tone setting now, you still can get a nice modern tone when you blend the humbuckler, it's much smoother than the single coil Jazz pick-up ... this is what my ears tell me
 
#16
jastacey said:
I have the 4 string Deluxe P-Bass, and I had issues with the stock split pick-up ( it just quit working, one coil shorted out, no ohm reading ) the bass had a somewhat modern sound when the split/bridge pick-up was soloed ... I put in a Fender 62 reissue pick-up and it sounds more like a passive p-bass, and the preamp really has a impact on the tone setting now, you still can get a nice modern tone when you blend the humbuckler, it's much smoother than the single coil Jazz pick-up ... this is what my ears tell me
Click to expand...

I'm confused when you say "split pickup"... Did you replace the bridge pickup or the neck pickup with the 62 reissue? Both my pickups are humbucking (Split P and double jazz).

I actually really like the sound of the double jazz bridge humbucker, it sounds like a jazz bridge but thicker, perfect for what I want. It's the neck pickup I want to sound "wetter" or more grunty or some other word like that.


darkstorm said:
Diff woods plus preamp will make a noticeable diff. Id add a preamp to the passive one myself to bring it closer to the sound of the one with a preamp. Then main noticed diff will be from the diff body and fretboard woods imo.
Click to expand...

Both of them have preamps. The Standard has an East P-Retro which is in passive mode for the clip.

I'm going to replace the preamp in the Deluxe with something higher-quality (now I'm leaning toward the U-Retro :eyebrow:), and then once I can really hear the pickups I can decide if I like them or not.

After all of this, both basses will be relatively non-stock, but it will be simple to bring them back to stock condition if needed. The Deluxe has a Badass bridge, but it came with the original bridge also, and I'm going to reinstall that.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back