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Do I REALLY need a new p?

I

Iroquoi

Sep 18, 2008
103
0
#1
I'm a very happoy owner of an American Standart P, but i'm selling my backup bass (OLP mm-2 with basslines pickup and circuit). Now i'm gasing for a new backup.
I've been very impressed with the new squier vm and cv series, so i'm wondering:

Should i get a new p?

I really dislike the "jazz tone" and i'm a HUGE p lover, but is another split p bass necessary?

I've been thinking a lot and came between these models:
- 50's CV p
- VM p
- VM p telebass

I don't have too much knowledge about the 50 p and the telebass tone, from what i've seen on youtube, the VM p with the mudbucker has a VERY thick fat sound that i think that fits perfectly with reggae but i didn't see any pick playing. I Don't have too much info about the difference of tone between the 50's single coil p and the split coil model, how are they different sonically?
I play mostly all kinds of rock/punk/country/indie/reggae/disco/funk so what do you guys think?
 
#2
i'd like to answer your question. can you ever have too many precisions?

the 50's p with mudbucker is really nice, but i think one of the guys on here
threw a darkstar in it and it blew him away (no routing was needed).
just some food for thought. =]
 
#4
TheBasicBassist said:
i'd like to answer your question. can you ever have too many precisions?

the 50's p with mudbucker is really nice, but i think one of the guys on here
threw a darkstar in it and it blew him away (no routing was needed).
just some food for thought. =]
Click to expand...

I think you have them mixed up. The 50s P would most certainly need routing as it only has the single-coil in the middle position. The "mudbucker" P is the Squier VM Telebass.
 
#6
I'd get another split-coil model, and drop a hot pickup like a Quarter Pounder or DiMarzio Model P in one of them, so I'd have different flavors of split-coil tone. I have this with my two split-coil basses: an American Series Precision with a Fralin pickup (and frequently flatwound strings), for classic tone; and a G&L SB-2, which provides thicker, heavier, more aggressive split-coil tone from its MFD pickup.

You may as well have your backup provide a sonic alternative, and it sounds like the mudbucker might not be the best option. I love the tone of single coil P-basses, but I wouldn't want to deal with the hum. If you don't mind it, the Classic Vibe is a really nice axe, so it might be a good option.
 
#7
I'm with you on the P bass love--not a fan of J's at all. I've got a Fender MIM 50's Classic with a split coil and a Squier CV 50's P with a single coil and I love them both. The split coil gives the full low-mid thump that P's are known for and the SCPB is more of a full spectrum sound, while still retaining some nice thump. After a show a couple months ago I had a person come up to me and tell me that on our last song he felt like my bass (the Squier) was kicking him in the chest. Very thumpy. :smug:

To demonstrate the sound difference, the best example I've seen is Invalid Link Removed He runs through the Squier CV series and compares it directly to the Fender versions. Check it out if you haven't seen it yet.

IMG_1749.jpg
 
#11
I have a VM Telebass and it is a whole different animal than the single or split P IMHO.
I have a couple/few splits now and I like to string them differently for different sounds. I have one with nickel, one with NPS and one stainless. They all have a classic P sound, IMHO, but they all sound different.
I also have a Sting which has a single and it wears flats. It does not look the part but it plays good Motown. It is not noisy unless I get real close to florescent lighting or other electrical interference and even then if I turn the tone down a little, I can get rid of most of that.
 
#12
I played a fake Fender telebass thing for afew months a long time ago. had some kind of lipstick pickup and was hideously ugly. HOwever, for a really cheap pile, it had a unique sound and I kind of liked it. Not like a split pup P sound, but akin to it enough that I played it alongside my P and found they complimented each other quite well. I think that until you are rich and famous it makes no sense to buy a bunch of the same thing anyway.
 
#18
you don't have enough till you lose count.
But seriously if you like to tinker around with a lot different sounds. one way is to get a lot of different basses but if you want a bass that’s for life just keep what you like or maybe have a clone as a back up. maybe a good question to ask your self is, do I want to stick with one or do I want more and then go from there. Also I don’t know about the rest of us here but if want a back up bass, I want it to be just like the bass it’s backing up.
 
#20
I watched a Pretenders concert recently (through my stereo) and their bassist was playing a Tele bass and played with a pick. I'm not a huge pick fan but that sounded GREAT! Fat, round, punchy, and all of the ranges were covered. (Ampeg rig I think) but he was probably DI into the board anyway. Good luck with your hunt!
 

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