2 Precision Basses for a 2 bass quiver?

[SLO Surfer]

I think it’s a fine idea! My two main gigging basses are P basses, one with flats and one with rounds. They cover pretty much everything.

I’ve found that my maple fingerboard P favors rounds and Makassar ebony fingerboard (similar to rosewood) prefers the flats. Try it out that way.

(Then, like me, you’ll probably start wanting to add a jazz bass, too…)

 

[DrBnz]

In due time you're likely to have every variation of P-bass that you find appealing. Having 2 P-bass with flats/rounds does sound good and eventually you will "go there". But early in life, I'd suggest you venture out a little and try a little "strange". But there's a huge world out there that you're missing. G&L, Music Man, J-bass - in that order would be my suggestion. I wouldn't go to a Rickenbacker or fretless just yet. If you want something for your quiver (as you put it) I would recommend you start considering a 5 string. Now that's a weapon of mass destruction. L2500 would be my recommendation there.

 

[Rich67]

As a guitar player who stepped into the deep end, let me ask... How many guitars do you own? It's possible sooner than later you'll have the same number of basses...

 

[ThinCrappyTone2]

I've been playing bass guitar for a few years (long-time guitarist) and I've got an itch to expand beyond my one bass setup. I've got a bass that I love and plan to hang on to - an American proII precision with a maple fretboard. It's currently wearing flats, and one of the reasons I'm considering adding a bass to my arsenal is that I would like to have round wound tones available. I play a little bit of everything, and as much as I love the flat wound sound, sometimes it doesn't quite cut it. I'm actually considering picking up an AO 60s P-bass, putting the flats on that, and repurposing my proII as my round wound rock machine.

Is this silly? Should I take the chance to branch out and add a Rickenbacker, a Music Man, or even a Jazz to the mix? Maybe add a short scale for the flats with round wounds on my current P-bass? On the one hand, two P-basses, one with flats and the other with rounds, covers a ton of the ground that I'm interested in. On the other hand, diversity is the spice of life. What say you?

Having 2 very similar basses is handy if you plan to play out, and want a backup. Same model, pickups and output can be good when you want to swap a bass out quickly and not have to adjust settings or playing.

 

[tvbop]

I have two Squire P's both with flats. They both feel different and look different..I like that.

 

[Crusher47]

General TB answer is always to buy another bass and variety really is the spice of life. I have 3 Precisions w/Flats and 3 w/Rounds

 

[bobba66]

You will be suitably equipped with 2 Precisions. Put your mind at rest.

 

[micguy]

My preference is for as much sonic diversity as I can get, within as few basses as possible. A P does a certain thing. Yes, it's different with flats, but I hate flats. If I were to choose a 2 bass herd, one of them might be a P (it's more likely I'd have something with a good P-ish neck pickup), but I definitely wouldn't have 2.

 

[Lobster11]

The only two basses I play are P's: a limited-edition Fender 60th Anniversary model and a D. Lakin Bob Glaub. Two P-style basses could hardly be more different in terms of woods, fretboards, neck profiles, etc., but they initially sounded very similar as the previous owner of the Lakin had installed a Fender pup in it. So I swapped out that pup for a Lakland "Neopunch" (cuz Julie Slick) and now it is a snarling, angry beast. So now I choose between them based on which tone I want for the context, and it really is like having two completely different basses.

 

[Hundred proof]

I concur with the flats and rounds, but as others have opined two of the same style is perfectly fine. My take as others prefer is different basses.
In my case a Peavey T45 replaced my Precision (with rounds) as it can channel either the 51 style P os the later split pickup style. An EBMM Sterling replaced my Jazz (with flats) just so many sounds available.

 

[Pings Bass]

P and a fretless J was my platonic ideal when I was starting out, but the only fretless J I could find at the time was a PJ.

It's a good combo. Having at least one bass with a bridge pickup is a good idea. If it's a PJ, you can still get that familiar P sound and dial up the bridge when needed.

 

[GreyBeard]

Sounds like a good plan to me.

 

[jd56hawk]

That’s purty

Feels and sounds even better than it looks.
The turbo switch gives it just a bit more than the average Jazz bass...pull it up and both pickups are wired in series.

 

[Fretbuzzard]

As a guitar player who stepped into the deep end, let me ask... How many guitars do you own? It's possible sooner than later you'll have the same number of basses...

This is a really interesting point. I have three guitars: one acoustic steel string (a J-185), one electric (a Strat) and a classical. I basically settled on the "best of type" instruments for my purposes and stick to one electric, one acoustic, and the classical. I am NOT someone who generally collects instruments. My original thinking was that I would get a single bass, and the P was the one for me. I'm not presently gigging, just recording and playing for my own enjoyment, so I figured that would be plenty.

Now that I've taken up bass in earnest I've given more thought to seeking out gigging opportunities. My P with flats still feels like "my sound," but I acknowledge that it offers a somewhat limited palette. More tonal variety would be useful I think, both for my own projects and as I look for opportunities to play out. As a matter of personal preference, though, there are some bass tones that I just don't get on with. My single least favorite bass sound, for example is a fretless jazz on the bridge pickup. It works for some folks but grates on me for whatever reason.

Edited to add: oh, and FWIW, I play 70/30 fingers/pick, and do not slap.

 

[Nedmundo]

There's nothing wrong with having two P-basses, or multiples of any type that turns out to be your favorite. I've had up to four J-basses and three P-basses at once. So if you definitely want two P-basses, that's fine.

However, I finally became happy with my herd when it included a great P and great J bass, specifically a 2003 MIA J and 2004 MIA P. (I went through a couple other P-basses before settling on the 2004.) Those were a great pair, which could cover all necessary four string territory apart from a couple of gigs that required 21 frets. Eventually I replaced the Fender P with a G&L SB-2, which has a more powerful pickup and wider sonic range. I generally prefer J basses, but sometimes the SB-2 works best, no question, so I'm glad I have both.

So unless you're absolutely certain another P-bass would be best, I'd suggest trying something different. An active/passive J like Fender's Player Plus might be a good choice, or something like a G&L L-2000. Of course this doesn't preclude getting another P-bass eventually anyway!

 

[Lowendchamp]

Of course, if you want to go with something instead of another Precision, there's a zillion choices out there.

If you're happy with the one you have now with flats, I'd leave it alone.

If I were going to get another PBass with the intention of having something really bright sounding with roundwounds, I'd consider a PJ like an American Ultra or Player Plus. Adding the J plus Roundwounds would offer you a big range of tones, a complete other set of tones than a trad PBass with flats.

My real first choice would be a barely used Fender PJ that would have everything else I wanted, and then swap the electronics (if it had the PJ routs and a 4-hole + side-jack control layout and a battery box) and swap everything under the hood for an EMG PJ set plugged into their BTS Control. These have a totally modern sound, easy to install, and would have a very sophisticated roundwound tone.

My two cents.

 

[G On Bass]

.... and one of the reasons I'm considering adding a bass to my arsenal is that I would like to have round wound tones available.

That's exactly my set up for years. 2 PJ5s, one with flats, one with stainless. Though I may alternate which gets which at times, I have found which bass takes to which string better.

 

[Ric5]

I've been playing bass guitar for a few years (long-time guitarist) and I've got an itch to expand beyond my one bass setup. I've got a bass that I love and plan to hang on to - an American proII precision with a maple fretboard. It's currently wearing flats, and one of the reasons I'm considering adding a bass to my arsenal is that I would like to have round wound tones available. I play a little bit of everything, and as much as I love the flat wound sound, sometimes it doesn't quite cut it. I'm actually considering picking up an AO 60s P-bass, putting the flats on that, and repurposing my proII as my round wound rock machine.

Is this silly? Should I take the chance to branch out and add a Rickenbacker, a Music Man, or even a Jazz to the mix? Maybe add a short scale for the flats with round wounds on my current P-bass? On the one hand, two P-basses, one with flats and the other with rounds, covers a ton of the ground that I'm interested in. On the other hand, diversity is the spice of life. What say you?

get a stingray

 

[Grinderman]

I'm in the midst of a similar considerations and experimentation with rounds vs flats (including a combo of E and A rounds with D and G flats) on three different basses.

My three Bass:

1. FrankenJB: Rosewood fretboard '60s style J neck, alder body, Fralin split coil J pups, VTVT with .047 uf caps.

2. '58 style P parts bass: 1-pc '50s style P neck, swamp ash body, Klein Epic '58 pups, 250K pots with .1 uf cap.

3. Nash PB: Rosewood fretboard, alder body, Lollar pups with late-‘50s tone, 250K pots with .1 uf cap.



I'll likely stick with the combo of E and A rounds with D and G flats for JB. I think I'll probably settle on using flats only on the Nash PB for a '59/early-'60s tone and all rounds on the '58 type PB.

 

[bmusic]

Two P’s is probably where I will end up. Or three. I mean, I need one with La Bellas, and one with rounds, and maybe one with another kind of flats. (Recent TI convert here.)

But I was working on a recording a couple years ago and after trying and trying to dial in the tone, I ended up laying it down with my daughter’s Jazz bass (with rounds). So if you do end up shopping outside the P family, I’d get a J. Familiarly Fender, but altogether different.

Final answer: get another P…and then get a J, too.