Every true bassist needs a P-bass

[Michedelic]

Fundamentalism sucks.

 

[Gorn]

Your teacher is an *******.

 

[jimmydean]

When I got my first PB , I felt like I had arrived . Played and recorded with that bass for many years, until I moved to England and played a Steinberger . After returning to the US I ended up selling the Steinberger and ended up playing mostly J basses and everything in between . After about 10 years , I wanted a P again , but I couldn't find one I liked and have been searching for 20 years and just found what I was looking for last month and believe it or not.........It's an old Squier PB .

 

[buldog5151bass]

Play what you like. But you certainly can't go wrong with one.

 

[And I]

My bass teacher told me that "Every true bassist needs a P Bass."
Agree or disagree?

your bass teacher doesn't get to decide who is a "true" bassist and who isn't. do you play the bass? you are a true bassist. end of story. fire your teacher.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Most will, but different styles have different needs.

 

[Gervais Cote]

Geddy Lee is a true bassist and he got rid of his p bass after his first album.
JPJ and Mark King : no p bass !

 

[Steve Cooke]

You don't NEED it, but If you haven't, try it. There's a reason 1000's of threads and posts are written about the P.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Your teacher is a Fender stockholder.

 

[in tune]

If you play bass for the sole purpose of concreting the low end and nothing else, then p bass is the perfect tool for you!

 

[5StringBlues]

I've got 3 split coil Ps and one single coil P!




That never get played.

 

[groovepump]

Maybe amend the thesis: "Every (hobbyist) bassist (in a classic rock cover band) needs a P-bass"

I'm racking my brain trying to recall if I've ever seen a bassist in a Latin or jazz act play a P. I don't think I have. R&B sometimes, maybe, but far from a requirement. Definitely a rock perspective to think of the P as some kind of standard.

Agree: I think it's a "rocker" thing.

 

[groovepump]

I've got 3 split coil Ps and one single coil P!




That never get played.

Same here. I have 2 P basses sidelined, 'cuz I do 5 string Jazz now. The P basses will be on Craigslist very soon.
They never get played now.

 

[GretschWretch]

Evidently you missed the “takes it upon themselves” portion of the definition.

None of the professions you mentioned are self appointed positions.

No they are not, although these positions would at least need to be applied for; but I did miss your qualification. I guess I have in my life had very few encounters with the sort of gatekeepers you describe. I can bring to mind no examples.

 

[PennyroyalWe]

The problem is “which form of p bass?”.

I voted for a PJ is fine, since you can solo the p. I went nearly 15 years of playing before I owned a “true” p bass. I currently have 3 basses that say “precision bass” on the headstock, but all 3 are different.

Truth be told, if push came to shove, the split p might be the one I’d let go of first. It sounds, feels, plays great, but it’s also the easiest to replace.

 

[MDBass]

No they are not, although these positions would at least need to be applied for; but I did miss your qualification. I guess I have in my life had very few encounters with the sort of gatekeepers you describe. I can bring to mind no examples.

Consider yourself lucky!

They’re everywhere in the music world: “‘real’ bassists need a p bass”, “pop music isn’t ‘real’ music”, “you’re not a ‘real’ rock band”, etc.

It’s all self-important nonsense.

 

[burpgun]

It’s good to have one, but with my 131 basses I wouldn’t miss either my Sandblasted P or my Deluxe P.
Just another tool with a different name on it. Mac, Snap-On, Husky, Craftsman, etc.

I also truly enjoy the different sound and feel of each bass. The idea of making every bass sound like a P to me is an adjective I can’t use here without getting myself in trouble.

YMMV

131 basses? That is a truly wild number.

 

[logdrum]

Be thankful that there are forum rules:

 

[KenD]

Trolling.

 

[B-Mac]

131 basses? That is a truly wild number.

Listed in my ‘encyclopedia’ in my signature.
There are others here that have many more than I.