Considering downsizing to a P

[ToneMonkey]

I can't do the PJ thing either. Call me a purist but it always feels like the bass is having an identity crisis . Not a fan of the sound of the pups blended and prefer the clean aesthetics of a pure P or pure J. The magic of a J comes to life from blending its pups and the P doesn't need any help.

Sting Rays are fun to play but I haven't ever gotten along with them to the point of owning one mainly just because they don't fit in to the music I play any where near as well as P's and J's. I agree with your assessment that they like to have rounds on em and love to be bright and zingy. If I played slap bass in a funk band or punk rock with a pick I'd have a Ray.

"identity crisis" is a great way to put it.

 

[Kukulkan61]

Precision Bass= The Alpha & Omega of Bass!!

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

As if you could get a real, honest answer about P-Bass vs ANYTHING here on talkprecisionbass.com, haha! Personally, I think everyone ought to have a P style bass at their disposal (nothing else really sounds quite like one), particularly if you intend to record bass (not because they're better, really, just because that's all some lazy engineers will accept), but unless you play punk or country exclusively, it shouldn't be the only bass at your disposal.

P-basses are great, they really are, but you simply can't do enough with them to cover all of a modern player's potential needs in my opinion. Maybe an active/passive P/J with compression-wounds? might be all a person would need, but probably not just a P. Particularly once you've gotten accustomed to a Music Man, those preamps are STOUT.

 

[newwavefrank]

I'm the opposite. I have 2 Stingray 5 strings. I just never felt right with A Fender in my hands. I sat in with a friends band Saturday and played two songs on his P bass...felt weird, but worse to me was the song I played on his Ibanez strung with flats....No thanks LOL. We all have our own preferences so whatever makes you enjoy music then go for it. (feel free to send pics of the sting if you are selling it...)

 

[non]

The simplicity and versatility of a P bass seems to be a stretch of the laws of acoustics. How can something so simple be used to create so wide a tonal palette? The only thing you have to consider is what neck size you like best. They are all available on a P anyway, so it's just a matter of shopping.

a bass with two pickups will have a wider tonal palette than a p bass and even a single pickup bass will have just as wide a tonal palette as a p bass. so i don't think the p bass has a particularly wide tonal palette.
it is where the p bass occupies or sits in the tonal spectrum that makes it so popular.

 

[JimmyM]

a bass with two pickups will have a wider tonal palette than a p bass and even a single pickup bass will have just as wide a tonal palette as a p bass. so i don't think the p bass has a particularly wide tonal palette.
it is where the p bass occupies or sits in the tonal spectrum that makes it so popular.

It sure sits in a lot of different places depending on who's playing it and how, though.

 

[ToneMonkey]

It sure sits in a lot of different places depending on who's playing it and how, though.

Sometimes I think it's a chicken-egg thing. Does it sound right because it's been used on so many records (and our ears are used to hearing it)? Or is it used on so many records because it sounds right?

 

[JimmyM]

Sometimes I think it's a chicken-egg thing. Does it sound right because it's been used on so many records (and our ears are used to hearing it)? Or is it used on so many records because it sounds right?

The latter. Nobody cares how legendary a bass is unless it works.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I’m on my second MM Sting. I’ve alternated between Stings and Js for most of the past 30 years. I go long stretches where I don’t really play bass much at all (I switch hit with guitar).

This time around I haven’t fully bonded with my Sting. Part of it is ascetics and ergonomics. I really don’t care for the bare wood gun oil thing on the neck. I prefer gloss poly. Also, flats don’t seem to work too well. Stings just seem to want rounds. I also think I’m much more of a passive rather than active guy.

I’m thinking about selling the Sting and getting a P bass.

For what it’s worth, a P with rounds rock, been on my Ps since 1976. I get the dead string PB timbre, but only if I were only playing Duck Dunn and Tower of Power covers.

Regardless, IMO, you always let your ears be your guide while playing the type of music you perform. Your ears should tell you if you’ve created the right voice or not.