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Do I really need a P bass?
- Thread starter SteveLo42
- Start date
Need is such a nasty word, what does your inside voice say?
Honestly, while you don't need anything, having a P bass or two (flats and rounds) is kind of liberating. The simplicity and rawness of P basses are what make them so ubiquitous.
Honestly, while you don't need anything, having a P bass or two (flats and rounds) is kind of liberating. The simplicity and rawness of P basses are what make them so ubiquitous.
I simply love wanting a P bass. Sometimes I even keep them for a couple of years.
No. I played a musicman bass. Afterwards I sold my fender p and jazz basses and never looked back!
Well...
As others have said; you have a "sort of" P-Bass, already. Functionally, anyway. But, if you want a "real" Fender P-Bass? Guess you'll have to buy one...
Do you "Really need one"? Only you can answer that. Lots of folks here - and elsewhere - would say "yes, you do". And, lots of other people would disagree; rather vehemently, too. Maybe you should just play your P-J as a P-Bass for a while, and see what you think about it. And, try playing some of the music that you think a P-Bass wouldn't work with. You might be surprised. A P-Bass can be pretty versatile, depending on the strings - and where you play them.
Personally? My "A-spec" necked, lefty '78 P-Bass was my first bass. I bought it from a fellow GI, in 1988. Since I bought it, it's never worn anything but flats, of various brands and gauges. Until a few years ago, it worked at least pretty well, for everything I like to play. But, as my "Bass Herd" got bigger, I decided to turn that bass into a... specialist. With flats that are a close copy of the Squier-made factory flats it had when it was new, under the foam mute (like the factory one) under the bridge cover? When I bring it out, it's Saturday night at the Sock Hop - in 1965... If I want to play something else? Well, I have 26 other basses to choose from; none of them sound like my P-Bass, though...
So... bottom line? Strictly up to you, whether you buy a P-Bass - or not. All I can say is; I've had mine for... going on 37 years, now. And, I have no intention of ever getting rid of the thing...
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Nope. I own 15 and not one of them is a P. Closest thing I have is a PJ and I don't feel the need for a P. If I were to get another bass that is P-like it'd probably be a Spector, which is a reverse-P/J, but that's a passing interest at best.
Get a P bass or live with regret. Regret sucks. Easy choice.
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Goodness ! That last sentence makes me wanna run to the music store right away and buy a freaking p bass…………………….but, wait, I own 5 precision bass already !
I have a straight Fender Precision 2014 Custom Shop '59 Journeyman, as well as two non-Fender trad PJs:
(1) 1981 Ibanez Roadster and
(2) 1984 Yamaha BB3000
For all intents and purposes, pickup interplay or otherwise, IMO both PJs sound superior to the Fender on the P pickup, especially the Roadster.
I have a reverse PJ as well - an '82 Yamaha BB2000 - and in a straight comparison with any Precision, Fender or otherwise, there's absolutely no contest. BB2000 for the win.
The upshot of that is I don't really need to keep the P bass, because the PJs sound better, but I do for 'old times' sake, but if I had to choose between it and the PJs mentioned, the PJs - especially the reverse PJ BB2000 and the Roadster - win the day.
YMMV of course.
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Your subconscious and the spirit of Leo are speaking to you. Find the precision bass that fits and you will have zero regrets. It's an itch that you will not regret scratching.
Far out, thought I was the only one...
50+ years of playing and I've never played a bass in a music store.
Carry on...
You certainly don't need a P bass. But…
It would be cool. Maybe. If a P suits you.
But even if you ultimately find a P doesn't suit you, if you get one and play it a few years (at least months), you'll have had that experience/education. The itch will have been scratched.
Or, like with more than a few people, you may find yourself saying, "This is it! A Precision. Dang, why was I faffing around with all those other basses. The answer was right in front of me all along…". That's how it was for me (admittedly, an exception among my irl bass friends).
Or maybe it'll just be another tool in the ol' musical tool chest for you.
If you buy used, if in the end it doesn't work out, you should be able to sell it for a similar price somewhere down the line.
If you do get one, well, everyone is different, but I'd say avoid the temptation to get some fancy version with extra pickups or electronics, etc., at least for the first one. The beauty is in the simplicity
It would be cool. Maybe. If a P suits you.
But even if you ultimately find a P doesn't suit you, if you get one and play it a few years (at least months), you'll have had that experience/education. The itch will have been scratched.
Or, like with more than a few people, you may find yourself saying, "This is it! A Precision. Dang, why was I faffing around with all those other basses. The answer was right in front of me all along…". That's how it was for me (admittedly, an exception among my irl bass friends).
Or maybe it'll just be another tool in the ol' musical tool chest for you.
If you buy used, if in the end it doesn't work out, you should be able to sell it for a similar price somewhere down the line.
If you do get one, well, everyone is different, but I'd say avoid the temptation to get some fancy version with extra pickups or electronics, etc., at least for the first one. The beauty is in the simplicity
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