Bandmates prefer Jazz Basses...

[TMARK]

The guitarist is the songwriter, correct? I'd seriously listen to his ideas. He wrote the songs, he had bass tone in mind. Serve the song.

 

[StraffordMike]

Not everybody plays Rock

Really??

 

[jbd5015]

Buy a ric instead. cooler looking, it has 2 single coils if thats what hes after.

Or pickup a P/J. I had one built so I didnt have to get a jazz bass. Best of both worlds!

nothing against jazz basses!

 

[StraffordMike]

Man my p with a pick cuts like a knife. I don't think I would enjoy playing with guys who would tell me what gear I should be using I am self critical enough and am always striving for better already

I agree I don't tell my guitarist how frigging muddy his sound is and the reason he can't hear himself is he's playing some cheap Strat copy. I prefer the crunch of a les Paul so he should buy one. I spend plenty of time worrying about my playing, my equipment and my sound. Don't like it , play it yourself. But!! I wouldn't bring my P to a funk show either!

 

[socialleper]

Hey all! As you can tell from my profile picture on here, I play a G&L LB-100 P bass copy. I've played mostly P-style basses for the entirety of my bass playing and have always felt at home on them. I really do love my bass. However, we just got done rehearsal, and my guitar player/songwriter said something to me along the lines of: "Hey man, can't wait for you to lay down these tracks on my Jazz bass". So I guess my bass hasn't been providing the sound he's had in his head for the songs?? This also isn't the first instance of this happening, the guitar player of my last project stated multiple times: "You should totally get a jazz bass... they're the best bass."

What's a Precision loving guy to do with all these haters? I guess I should shop around and add a Jazz to the arsenal... (which I'm okay with)

Anyone else ever encounter this? I thought most people would prefer me to play a P since I would sit in the mix easier.

There is never a uniformly right or wrong way to handle something like this. You know your situation better than any of us.

If you have a sound that is "your sound," then that's the end of the discussion. I've spent a lot of time and effort on my tone, so if a guitar player thinks he can tell me what to sound like, he has another thing coming.
If you aren't necessarily locked into what you are using, its just what you have, give it a whirl. You may like it you may not.
I think the real line that needs to be drawn with this guy is that he understands that you do things on your terms. If you try his jazz and don't like it, he needs to know that is the end of the discussion. Someone else doesn't get to dominate your craft. Establish boundaries.
Learning how to lie creatively is also a good skill to have. When one of the guitarists in my band "suggested" that I use a different bass for our video shoot because he liked the why it looked more, I told him my ultimate goal is to try to get an endorsement deal with the company that makes my usual bass. Using something else would hurt those chances. There is little chance that will happen, but what I use and when I use it isn't a discussion I'm willing to have with someone.

Bottom line: It is your art. You know what you want out of it. If something adds or subtracts from the enjoyment of your playing, then you already know the answer.

 

[RickyT]

My guitar player/singer loves P Basses and says regularly "oh that would sound great with a P Bass". I've started saying things like "oh that would sound great if you had a 7 string"

Funnily he hasn't been so vocal about it lately.

But I am about to buy a MIM P so what the hell would I know?

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

Here are a couple of ways to handle that. I've used both:
1. Actually, it isn't my bass. If you would get a (something other than he plays) instead of (what he plays now), it would sound really good.
2. I really don't care. Buy me one, and I'll be happy to play it.

I only use #1 if someone is being a real ahole and I want to light him up.
If I use #2, I usually don't hear any more complaints.

 

[Matt O]

OP, I would avoid the advice many seem to be giving that would cause friction, like the "yeah well you should use a strat nyaa nyaaaa" crowd. That is just passive aggressive.

At the very least a/b your bass against his when you are recording, if he's right play the Jazz.

When I think of the Smiths, I think P bass / Roto 66 / Trace. You might try a fresh set of 66's on session day, chances are you'll take the Jazz out in the a/b and that will be that.

 

[TakisK]

Just get a blacktop jazz and blow his mind

 

[Chili Bo Billy]

Another story, lead singer says that he doesn't care for my bass tone, again, no problem I ask what tone he is looking for and I proceed to dial in the tone he hears.
As soon as I dial in the tone he hears in his head, he says "That's it! don't touch a thing!" Just to clarify, This is during a sound check, he just hears the bass alone, not with the rest of the band.
When full band kicks in he yells, " where's the bass?!, what did you touch?" I said "nothing" I chuckle knowing that he made me pull all the mids and the definition is gone.
Sometimes you have to give people what they want so they can see for themselves what works and what doesn't work.
I will always oblige.

 

[stonewall]

Who cares what your guitar player says. If he plays a strat tell him how great a tele would sound.What a Plug.

 

[phillybass101]

I am Not A P BASS GUY. But I own one for when one is needed. Still I feel once someone starts to dictate what I should be playing I would be like great when are YOU going to Buy me one. In your case I'd be like sure, let me take it home for awhile so I can get used to it so that I can nail the recording.

 

[SteveHeissner]

Agree with him.

Then tell him he needs to play some Gibson or Fender guitar that he doesn't currently own, that they are also "the best" for your kind of music.

 

[Ampig]

No one, in any of the bands I've played in, ever gave a sh!t what bass I played.

 

[pbass2]

I skimmed through most of the thread, and it does seem like a little of a "mountain out of a molehill". Go to the studio with your bass and his, and ideally at least one other option. That's what you should do anyway. You don't have to own them all, or even plan to use them live ever. The studio is a different animal. Very often once the "tape" gets rolling, the sound that seemed to be working live or in rehearsal isn't the ticket at all, and something unexpected works better. Sometimes it's an extreme detour, like going from a bass with rounds to flats. Happens all the time. Of course, MORE than one sound can work, but it's usually pretty clear when a certain sound is the one that really brings the track to life, sits in the mix the best, etc. etc. Then if everybody in the room is being honest and setting aside preconceived preferences you can forge ahead with a tone that nails it, regardless of whatever-the-heck bass was used. Chances are, one bass isn't going to be the best sound for every track(unless of course, the arrangements, guitar/keys/etc voicings, and the overall concept and mix are the same for all the songs, which would of course, be terribly boring!).

And besides, this is the mindset you need when going in as a hired gun session player - being prepared to use whatever works to serve the song. I think it's good to work that way even on your own projects - with the big picture in mind, not individual gear preferences and so on.

 

[itsalljustaride]

I'm guessing it has already been said by now, but, get a PJ, solo the neck P, laugh when they exclaim "yeah! that's more like it!"

 

[DanAdams]

Maybe they just don't like teal but they're trying to be polite??? that color doesn't match a lot of bands aesthetics.

Or maybe they just hate the Miami Dolphins.

 

[JIO]

It's probably because guitars players are more used to a trebly kind sound then a bassy sound. So when you play the jazz bass it sounds better to them. I've been told a couple of times to switch basses I don't like, but I usually find a way to satisfy these people with thunderbird. Just try to find a way to make the P work for what they want.

I have addressed the 'more bass/more treble' issue the same way! …that or a G&L L-2000. But only when it was a requested sound - not a request to use a specific instrument to achieve a sound as in the OP's case. So what's the rub in appeasing your bandmate? Sounds like an easy issue to resolve (just play the J).

 

[DavC]

build a P-neck , J-body .. !

 

[Antisyzygy]

We play indie rock in the vein of the Smiths (his guitar playing is very Marr sounding). and by Jazz bass he mostly means the sound of single coils. We all prefer vintage styled instruments so I don't really have any interest in anything active or modern sounding. I think he prefers the Jazz sound because he wants me to cut through the mix a little more (i'll take it as a compliment amidst this situation). and nope, not getting paid, just some buddies making some music together

A G&L SB-1 I found is a happy medium. That MFD pickup cuts through really well, it's brighter than most AlNiCo P pickups. The tone knob does bring it back to P warm/thump territory.

I was a Jazz bass player for a long time, and I switched to P-basses or P-bass derivatives for the most part. I do have one PJ. I missed that Jazz cut when I only had a regular P-bass but I eventually got a SB-1. I find my SB-1 has just enough of what I want there it's a good all-round bass.

Anyway, if you want to work with what you got there are a few things you could try. One would be just using your amp to boost your treble a bunch, while cutting some mids. Another idea would be to purchase some really bright strings, cobalts maybe.

Another more drastic idea would be a pickup swap, but I wouldn't do that to a G&L--they're designed rather specifically to do what they do. In the same vein, you could also get a tone knob that lets you do some different EQing right on your bass, like this one (in down position it's a normal tone, in up position you can scoop the mids and get a Stingray sound).

There isn't any good reason to make a Jazz bass a requirement if you get the performance you want out of your instrument. You can brighten it up a variety of ways.