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A Pbass hypothetical

Tendollarcat

Tendollarcat

Aug 19, 2005
767
14
Brisbane, Australia
#1
The Pbass to me is the essence of simple plug and play musical tools. Two knobs, passive and it just fits tonally into many situations. I've played basses with more pickups, more knobs and preamp features and yet still managed to find that the bass was less useful than a Pbass in a live situation. How is that possible? Simplicity is good and apparently quite easy to build. Does a Pbass therefore have to be expensive or boutique? This brings me to my hypothetical -

A new bass worldwide law is passed that gigging bassists can only own one passive, 4 string Pbass for the rest of their musical lives. Who would build yours and why? Budget is unimportant. You can all sell your 5/6/7/8 strings back to the government to be destroyed to fund it ;)

I don't want a point and click poll. I want reasons and thoughts. Remember this is to be the bass you play for the rest of your life but that doesn't mean it has to be expensive. Heres some examples of the brands and builders I know and love -

Fender
SX
Squire
Ibanez
Fodera
Ken Smith
Alembic
Ritter
Lakland
Sadowsky
The Lowend
Alleva Coppolo
Mike Lull
Nash
Atkinson
Lecompte

Many of the builders above don't build a Pbass. But I'm kind of confident they could if the "laws" were changed :D Lets hear your thoughts and ideas.
 
#2
Id be an outlaw and not play p bass unless was double P neck and bridge set BC Rich. Single pup basses are not attractive to me sound wise. They can have an excllent voice but thats it, one excellent voice. No versatility nor options for two to three excellent voices. Besides all that, I'm not a big fan of P nor Jazz pups, I find humbuckers and soapbars much better choice for my voice. With very few excepetions. So again would be an outlaw quite happilly if such a law was passed. Lmao
 
#5
Fender p-bass American Standard with the Graphite Reinforced Maple neck.

Easily fits my style (or lack thereof). It actually took me 21 years and countless basses to figure this out. Had one back in the 80's (with out the Graphite Reinforced Maple neck) and sold it. Did not even realize that was the sound I was constantly searching for until last month. I just need it simple otherwise I get lost...

My daughter would pick the SX for the same reason, just fits her needs.
 
#9
I already have it. Bought it brand new on April 15, 1983. A Fender Vintage Series '62 Precision (Lake Placid Blue). But I'd break the law 'cause my Lakland 4-94 is more useful to me for gigs.

If I had to get a NEW Precision today I'd opt for a Lakland Bob Glaub with a neck that's an exact copy of my Deluxe 4-94. That's because the few post-Fullerton VS Fenders I've played haven't shown the same attention to detail and the necks are bigger and more clumsy than the profile used on the early VS '62 necks. Those were very wide side-to-side yet very shallow front-to-back,

John
 
#16
Spencer! said:
Versatility? P basses are the most common basses in the world....they're used in pretty much every style of music!
Click to expand...

While I agree with your above statement, I think a lot of people start mixing up terms when speaking on this topic. Yes, a P is versatile in the essence that their tone fits almost anywhere, but that single tone cannot be altered (except for the treble roll-off).

Example:

A P sounds great in a rock band.

A Stingray also sounds great in a rock band.

HOWEVER, a P will never sound like a 'Ray no matter how hard you try.

Application versatility? Yes.

Tonal versatility? Not so much.


All that being said I'd probably go with a G&L because I love how much grind you can get out of their pickups.
 
#17
I build my own p-basses with more knobs, more strings and more pickups.

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#18
*insertcoolname said:
..., but that single tone cannot be altered (except for the treble roll-off).
Click to expand...
Huh? :eyebrow:
This is a commonly held view, but I can think of at least 7 or eight very distinct tones I get by varying my technique alone. Frankly, I'd rather do it that way than by twiddling lots of knobs. A lot of people assume the 'one trick pony' mantra is real, and it most definitely is not.
Whatever....make mine a Fender, please. Sunburst with a tort guard and rosewood board.
 
#20
My P-Bass would be a Lakland USA Duck Dunn.

Dunn-CA-R-100-dpi.jpg


After my visit to the factory (really, it's more of a workshop), I saw the care and craftsmanship put into each of their instruments. I saw the Plek machine in action. I watched Carl carefully set up and play basses through a bunch of different rigs. The bass sounds fantastic, is quality made, and just flat out looks great!
 

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