Although this has been discussed numerous times over the years, it's been a while. So, in honor of it being DISCO FRIDAY, I post the serious question: What is the best bass (and/or rig) for disco? No knuckleheads please, this is a legit question.
My Janice Marie Johnson thang says “Jazz”. But my Verdine White / Earth, Wind, and Fire fetish says “P/J”. And my Gap Band admiration says “Precision”. Anyone want to cast the I Ching for an answer?
A lot of people conflate funk and disco. A lot of what I would call pure disco like Diana Ross “Love Hangover” or Hughes Corporation “Rock the Boat” as pure disco played on P-Basses. Later groups like Chic and Change went to active basses.
Well IMO the best all-round disco basslines were played by Maurice Gibb on his trusty Ric 4001, and Bernard Edwards on his MM stingray {although Everybody Dance sounds a bit like a jazz bass} but IMO the best SOUNDING bass for disco is …. The P bass {no surprises there}
For classic disco, it needs to be a J style bass, or a music man The P bass is great at a lot of things, disco however is not one of them