Got a P, want more grind or clank, get a J?

[MegaSwing]

The simplest way to change your sound is with strings.

 

[Acoop]

Well yeah! ... P & J's go hand in hand. ... Just pick wisely.

 

[overit]

Everyone's definition of sound is going to be different but it seems like you just want to add another sound to your P-Bass. Right now, as something to get away from my P-ish instrument, I'm digging the J(neck)/MM(bridge) sounds. I'd suggest sitting down with as many different basses as you can to see what that other sound is you want, or at the very least listen to a bunch of YouTubes for comparison.

 

[Bruiser Stone]

 

[Tommy V]

these will probably get you there

 

[Jscriv]

I was in the same boat. Get dunlop super brights. Set your amp around 6-4-8 bass-mid-treb rock that gain between 5-7. Get a pick. You will grind my friend.

 

[MCF]

Love my P, the low mid hump and that classic P bass tone.
However i'm on a quest for less high end roll off, more grind and clearer "piano" like tones.
Should i get a J? Will it give me that? Not planning on ever selling the P, but pondering adding a J to the collection

Also love Geddy's tone, a classic Ric tone (but will never afford a Ric) and some classic 80s tones that i'm fairly sure that were produced on a J eg. OMD, Skids etc

You want a T-bird if it’s a piano tone you’re after, although it’s an “angry” tone; don’t pay attention to the man behind the curtain who derides them as neck diving one trick ponies. If you’re on a budget, an 80’s Peavy Foundation with ferrite pickups. A Ric is also a good choice, if you can find one with a neck you like. Nothing wrong with a Fender J, but there are a lot of alternatives.

 

[socialleper]

Love my P, the low mid hump and that classic P bass tone.
However i'm on a quest for less high end roll off, more grind and clearer "piano" like tones.
Should i get a J? Will it give me that? Not planning on ever selling the P, but pondering adding a J to the collection

Also love Geddy's tone, a classic Ric tone (but will never afford a Ric) and some classic 80s tones that i'm fairly sure that were produced on a J eg. OMD, Skids etc

There are a couple of different ways to get a little more bite out of a P bass.
If you have "classic" or "vintage" wound pickups, that will deaden your attack a little. You can swap them out, or change out the pots for 500k ones. That is a little extreme.
Strings can also make a big difference. SS tends to have a little more bite, although I find that Ernie Ball Slinky strings are pretty bright for a nickle wound. DR Hi_Beams are my personal favorite for presence, because they are SS and round core. The Dunlop Super Bright string are round wound nickles that work well.
You can get more grind or rattle out of your attack if your lower your action and straighten out your neck to nearly flat. Use that or raising the pickups closer to the strings can do it too.
There is always a pick.
And there is always OD pedals. Many TS clones or Darkglass pedals are good for giving your attack a nice peak in the high mids.

 

[srayb]

Sounds like a PJ instrument might be what you're looking for.

A suggestion would be to add a jazz pickup in the bridge position on your current Precision, voila, PJ. Not sure if that will give you exactly the sound you describe but it will give you a lot more options in sound.

 

[jd56hawk]

You can even forget all about P and J basses.

 

[somebrains]

Love my P, the low mid hump and that classic P bass tone.
However i'm on a quest for less high end roll off, more grind and clearer "piano" like tones.
Should i get a J? Will it give me that? Not planning on ever selling the P, but pondering adding a J to the collection

Also love Geddy's tone, a classic Ric tone (but will never afford a Ric) and some classic 80s tones that i'm fairly sure that were produced on a J eg. OMD, Skids etc

Yes, that's what all the punk, metal, thrash, etc guys around me did in the 80's-90's.

EMGs were the pickups du jour.
Mij stock J's are pretty hot, those were prized as well.

Don't forget that the AMP is very important in that sound too. "Grind" and "clank" is Ampeg SVT all day.

I'm way into my SVTs, but for clank GK 400/800rb.

 

[odarellmc]

Just change your strings I put new daddario nyxl on my lakland p 5 and it became a new bass!

 

[Erik Turkman]

When I saw the original post asking for grind, clank, and piano like tones, I immediately thought of my old Rickenbacker that I played back in the early 1980s, which was strung with D’Addario XL Reds. That’ll get you there. If that’s the sound you’re after, why not just save up for a Ric?

 

[spigmu]

Split the signal to your bass amp and a guitar amp with the bass rolled to zero. Adjust amount of clank to taste.

 

[ihaveaquestion]

Do zing, zang, clank, clunk, growl, honk really mean anything? I always see:

person 1 - "Thing x will give you clank"

person 2 - "nah it gets you more of a clunk and honk. What will get you clank is thing y"

person 3 - "Thing y has so much growl, it buries the clank. Get thing z"

 

[oZZma]

I’d recommend a fresh set of stainless rounds in a lighter gauge than you are used to.

Less tension = more “grind and clank” in my experience.

I usually don’t equate P bass and piano tone. A Jazz will get you closer to piano tone, where the P bass will always sound meaner if provoked.

I have always used heavy gauge strings but maybe I made a huge mistake
What if I use a heavy one on the E string and a ljghter one on the others? I play in drop D so maybe the neck will not suffer difference in tension...

 

[MDBass]

.

Grind? not even close.
its get more 'Bonk'. turn up the tone knob and it's either bonk bonk bonk or gong gong gong depending on the strings.

Yes. Grind.

 

[tradernick]

However i'm on a quest for less high end roll off, more grind and clearer "piano" like tones.

As others have said, we may not mean the same thing when we say 'grind', but please don't buy a new bass before trying a set of Rotosound RS66LD Stainless Steel Round Wounds on your bass.

They may chew your frets after a few years of use but you might find what you're looking for.

 

[Sid the Kid]

I have always used heavy gauge strings but maybe I made a huge mistake
What if I use a heavy one on the E string and a ljghter one on the others? I play in drop D so maybe the neck will not suffer difference in tension...

I would absolutely recommend doing that. Your neck will settle and take an adjustment if any is needed. Easily reversible mod.

I think the “chunk” sound that is so desirable comes from the lower tension string. Makes sense to have that on all the strings instead of having 1 badass string and 3 plinky things.

Also it’s important to know that the average G string has more pull on the neck than the average low E. Drop that to D and it is lower yet. Stop in to the strings section for a while. Strings make the bass imho.

 

[oZZma]

I would absolutely recommend doing that. Your neck will settle and take an adjustment if any is needed. Easily reversible mod.

I think the “chunk” sound that is so desirable comes from the lower tension string. Makes sense to have that on all the strings instead of having 1 badass string and 3 plinky things.

Also it’s important to know that the average G string has more pull on the neck than the average low E. Drop that to D and it is lower yet. Stop in to the strings section for a while. Strings make the bass imho.

Thanks!! I'll definitely try that then