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How Come Old P Basses Sound So Good?

jnammy

jnammy

Sep 23, 2000
993
253
Orange County, CA
#1
I just tried out an old 80's Vantage Avenger P Bass that was lying around my band leader's house and it sounded amazing; punchy, burpy, and thick, unlike any modern P bass I've tried, which have always sounded mushy, boomy, and lacking definition. So what makes these old P's sound so good? I've played new Js that sound great, but never a new P, at least so far. The bass I tried was exactly like the one in this link:

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#7
hmmm ... I remember in the 70s people said the old 50s and 60s Fenders were better. Then in the 80s suddenly the old 70s stuff was now good. Now after 2000 the old 80s stuff is desireable.

No matter what era ... there always seems to be an attitude that the new stuff is crap and the old stuff is better. Even though when the old stuff was new it was considered crap back then.

I look at it that some basses are better than other because of the wood. No 2 basses sound identical. If you find a good bass then buy it, keep it, and play it.
 
#8
New P Basses sound great too... The deal with P basses is that the guy playing it never really hears what the audience hears. P Basses sound great in a mix. They find their spot and sound fat and full. That is not what you necessarily hear near your amp.

The old vs new... I don't buy it. I have a new P bass and a 37 year old p bass, they both sound great. I played a new 60th anniversary P bass the other day, sounded great.
 
#10
Some basses have that magic tone, some don't. This is true of all basses of any era, any manufacturer.

And what is "magic" to you may not be magic to someone else.

I'm in the middle of trading with a customer to get back one of my own P basses. I listened to session work I'd done with it and realized it nailed my personal "magic" tone moreso than any P bass I currently own.
 
#11
Luckydog said:
Wow...when did the 80's become old? I guess I've been sleeping under a tree.
Click to expand...

Um, dude.................
It's 2012 now, the eighties are old, teetering on ancient.

During the 80's everything 60's was vintage. Same time gap then as from now to the 80's. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying eighties gear is as cool as sixties stuff, or the generations compare favorably just pointing out the eighties were a long time ago!!!!!
 
#12
In my personal opinion P basses sound better with either flats or somewhat-worn roundwound strings. Even if not "better" they certainly sound different. This could be what you're hearing with old P basses vs. new models fresh out of the box.

That and some of the "modern" P bass pickups tend to be brighter, and only really come to life (again IMHO) when the tone is rolled off a bit. I have a wonderful Nordy vP4, and wouldn't dream of rolling the tone beyond halfway or so.
 
#14
Ric5 said:
hmmm ... I remember in the 70s people said the old 50s and 60s Fenders were better. Then in the 80s suddenly the old 70s stuff was now good. Now after 2000 the old 80s stuff is desireable.

No matter what era ... there always seems to be an attitude that the new stuff is crap and the old stuff is better. Even though when the old stuff was new it was considered crap back then.
Click to expand...

I'm sure this isn't 100% accurate but I'd say there's a bit of "that's the sound I got used to hearing growing up" going on. Each generation is looking back and "vintage" means something different to each one.
 
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#15
john nam said:
I just tried out an old 80's Vantage Avenger P Bass that was lying around my band leader's house and it sounded amazing; punchy, burpy, and thick, unlike any modern P bass I've tried, which have always sounded mushy, boomy, and lacking definition. So what makes these old P's sound so good? I've played new Js that sound great, but never a new P, at least so far. The bass I tried was exactly like the one in this link:

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Click to expand...

I think its the 3 strings that do it.
 
#17
Dunno, I can agree. I was born in '87 so yeah the 80's are old to me. And I started playing only new active basses for years before just a couple months ago. I have played a handful of modern P basses (all active unfortunately) and when I first picked up my newly received '83 Ibanez P copy (MIJ), the old passive pickups and aged wood delivered some kinda gritty raw P tone that I can't cop with any other bass. Sure my newer actives are more "compressed", have more frequency control, and deliver an all around "tighter" tone, I'm really diggin the unpredictable harmonic overtones and thumpin grooves I'm getting out of it. I have no idea what kind of roundwounds came on it, but I dont plan on replacing them anytime soon.
 
#18
BassChuck said:
Perhaps all the old basses that sucked were destroyed and only the good ones survived.
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Yes, I'm sure about this....

Like the Theory of Natural Selection...and the Survival of the Fittest.

The bad ones are weeded out by excessive modding, abuse, disregard, lost parts, disrepair, natural defects, etc....

The ones that are left were good enough to keep and care for. The ones that compared favorably to years of newer basses being produced. They got played alot or were preserved well (either was a positive). Their growing value ensured someone would always maintain them very well.

And once the term "vintage" is applied to a particular guitar, it earns a permanent status which sets it apart from newer ones, adding to it's chances of remaining/or landing in the hands of someone who appreciates it and protects it's monetary worth.

Therefore, as years, decades go by,...the once reviled 70's Fenders will have been distilled to generally the very best specimens. And their reputation gradually rises.
 
#19
There is a theory that as wood ages 20 years or more it sounds better ...

I am not sure I buy into it but it is an interesting theory.

Also an instrument more than 20 years old has had the wood under stress from strings for years and that can change how it sounds. (theoretically)

There are others who believe that as the finish wears and the magnets in the pickups degauss the instrument will sound better.

I usually prefer a new instrument of high quality.
 
#20
john_martin_sai said:
Yes, I'm sure about this....

Like the Theory of Natural Selection...and the Survival of the Fittest.
Click to expand...

(Best read in a hushed voice)

Here we see a herd of Fender P-basses. They're on alert because a 7 string guitar was spotted in the area. Yes they're definitely spooked. P-basses are always cautious when predators encroach on their frequency range.

They've spotted the 7 string. It looks like an Ibanez! They're very fast. The herd is already edging away...no they're fleeing the area now! The Ibanez is giving chase. Already, one P-bass has fallen behind. I can see now that it has been injured already, the D string is missing, and its neck is bowed. Yes it's inevitable now, the Ibanez is rapidly closing in, going for the kill.

:::Scare chord:::

Well that was a grisly scene. But life is brutally hard out here in the plains of low frequencies.
 

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