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A more defined sounding P-bass. HOW?

Kelpie

Kelpie

Jul 25, 2011
15
9
#1
Hello everyone, I am sure you bass brothers can help me out on my mission. This is driving me insane.

I have an american 1978 P-bass. I bought it without it's original pickups and I mounted Fender Original (the 1962 re-issue).

This p-bass sounds deeper and warmer than any other vintage bass circa 1978 that I've tried which is great for acoustic situations but when it comes to full band stuff (especially if piano or keys are in the band) there's no clarity in the sound and the bass (live and especially in studio) doesn't cut right through the mix.

Any solutions? I have tried a '74 Fender jazz and sounded marvellous but I'm never gonna have 2K for it, so I gotta work out a way to make my P-bass sound clear. If it helps, I play mainly light rock, blues, pop and a bit of funk and reggae.

I am open to any solution (putting a bridge pickup is the least of them all).

- Would making it active give me that little push and brightness/clarity on the lower frequencies that I need? Would it be possible to install a switch so I could switch between active/passive?

- Would a different capacitor make the difference in the sound I am looking for?

- Try another pickup? (I find really hard to hear the actual "wood" sound out of this bass unless I plug it through a mixer but then I lose a lot of punch - Before this Fender Original I had a Di Marzio Billy Sheehan and it made my bass sound real boomy. I had some EMG on my Jazz model of a Lakland and they were really warm but not boomy,is it the same for EMGs for P-basses?)

- Maybe something way simpler like try a particular kind/brand of strings (I use Ernie Ball 45-100)?

PS: Buying a balaclava and a fake gun to go and get that '74 Jazz is not considered a solution...yet.

Feel free to laugh at me and thank you very much guys!
Kelpie
 
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#2
This is my opinion, based on the older Fenders I've owned (I've had a 77 J and a 79 <I think> P)

You want a bit more pop/zing out of it? New p'ups. I put SD Quarter LBs in my P-bass and it really helped. Combine that with good stings and you're good to go. I wouldn't go active - the P-bass doesn't have an easy way to get to the battery. SD quarter pounder or something similar and you're good to go. That and some better strings - Rotosounds, DR, SOMETHING. EB strings - meh.

A bridge J will really add more options, but if you'd rather not route (And I wouldn't do it on an instrument that SOME folks have deemed "vintage"). You want a PJ? Go find a good PJ. They are out there.
 
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#3
"A more defined P bass sound" doesn't make sense to me, but... any time I need that little bit of separation in the mix with a passive bass, my thoughts turn in one direction. My Sadowsky outboard preamp. By itself, I don't hear much difference. In the mix, the difference is striking. Lately, I have been using a Tri-Logic and WMD parametric EQ instead, but when a buddy of mine went on the road with a Nashville-based band, I sent him out with my SVT, P bass, and Sadowsky preamp.
 
#4
Well first of all you woulnt wnt the 62 reissue pickup in there because its the opposite of what you want. You want a cleAr sound for not much money get an emg. There are PLENTY of other pickups that wOuld a achieve this at all price ranges.

Also use steel strings
play near to the bridge
Consider an active preamp, either onboard or outboard
 
#5
the first thing I will mention is that I had EB 45-100 strings on my P bass and it disappeared in the mix; the stock fender strings were way better on it.
better yet were TI flats.
EB are great strings but work best on EBMM instruments.

I have an American standard 2012 P bass with the CS PU's and it is just glorious in tone. I would start with a PU swap.
I tried some other basses just the other day in a store and they were nothing like mine. no two instruments are identical.
 
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#10
Strings are always the cheapest and easiest to try first. They can make a huge difference.
If that doesn't work, I'd go with a P/J arrangement. You can dial up the J when you want it, and dial it down when you don't.
If I had a "vintage" USA Fender P-Bass, personally I wouldn't route it. I'd buy a good P/J instead. (I have a few BTW).
 
#18
Personally, I would sell it and go play a bunch of basses until I found the best one in my budget. Never judge a bass by it's tone when solo'd. The true test is the way it sits in a mix.

The right bass will sound different shades of good with just about any pickups.

This May or May not apply to you as a player, but, great right hand technique is crucial for good tone. U can also try picking back closer to the bridge.

Finally, an external pre-amp with mid controls is an option.

But for me....I'd sell it. Life is too short to hold on to basses that aren't giving you the tone u want.
 
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#19
Here is the thing you need to know about the sound of a pbass... what you hear next to your amp and what the audience hears are completely different.

What I have found is that what sounds dull and nondescript to you is round warm and punchy out front. How do I know this? Record what it going on in front of house.

You have to try to f-up the sound of a p-bass. One way to do that is make bright and present with eq on stage... its usually harsh and peaky out front.

If you want a very clanky modern sound out of a p-bass, try a tech 21 Sans Bass pre amp. It will give you a gritty chris squire type sound or a warm tubby SVT tube grit with brightness.

The pickups in the stock bass sound quite good. Before you go chasing replacement parts record what is actually going on out front, you may be very surprised at how good you bass actually sounds.
 
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#20
Dbassmon said:
Here is the thing you need to know about the sound of a pbass... what you hear next to your amp and what the audience hears are completely different.

What I have found is that what sounds dull and nondescript to you is round warm and punchy out front. How do I know this? Record what it going on in front of house.

You have to try to f-up the sound of a p-bass. One way to do that is make bright and present with eq on stage... its usually harsh and peaky out front.

If you want a very clanky modern sound out of a p-bass, try a tech 21 Sans Bass pre amp. It will give you a gritty chris squire type sound or a warm tubby SVT tube grit with brightness.

The pickups in the stock bass sound quite good. Before you go chasing replacement parts record what is actually going on out front, you may be very surprised at how good you bass actually sounds.
Click to expand...


With all due respect, my experience has been very different regarding the sound of a P Bass in front of house. I HAVE heard P's sound amazing out front, but far far more often I have heard P's sound like non- descript low end mud. Honestly...I have noticed this at hundreds of shows. One exception is when a P is played with a pick.

I think it is very possible that it is the bass. He said the result was the same in a recording.
 
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