How many P Basses do you need?

[Rumblefisher]

N+1

 

[Stewie]

I have Fretless P, a fretless single coil and a fretted single coil. I’m thinking of selling the single coils and going back to just the P. I don’t need a backup, I usually have a DB with me at gigs

 

[Altitude]

One bass that you lusted after, worked hard to get, maybe spent some time finding, and finally acquired is better than any number of basses that you don’t cherish.

I’m not the guy who has six Squiers and four SX P basses because they cost less combined than one Fender Custom shop or whatever. But I understand other people like that.

Optimally if I took a lot of session calls (or, these days, any session calls), I’d probably want one strung with rounds and another with flats as many have said. In my actual world I have plenty of time to swap strings, so the one P I have works great with rounds and flats both in the bag.

Mine is sort of a Roger Waters type thing. It has a J neck which I’m sure makes me seem measured and thoughtful to the .001% of people who see it and notice.

 

[bearhart74]

Why is all of them not an option?

 

[beaglesandbass]

need? 0

I have 3, but I don’t need any.

 

[Fullmoon1971]

My modest collection

Flat wounds
Harley Benton PB-50 (Wilkinson pickup)

Vintage V-4 Reissued BLK

Vintage V-4 Reissued MVW (Steve Harris Strings)

Round wounds
Harley Benton PB-50FR (Left hand conversion)

Harley Benton PB-50FR

Vintage V-4 Reissued MTB (gold vinyl pickguard wrap)

 

[JTNuney]

Two.

1. The “Crafted in China” Squier CV50s single-coil P I bought in 2010 for something like $350. Still have it.

2. The (also) “Crafted in China” Squier CV60s split-coil P I *should have* bought at the same time for the same price.

Stupid hindsight…

 

[CletusMarley]

You gotta love a p bass!!

 

[SDC1-ClickClack]

"How many P Basses do you need?"

...said the bass player's frowning wife.

 

[MovingPitchers]

Ideally I want:

Main P w/ rounds
Secondary P w/ rounds

Main flats P
Secondary flats P

Fretless P

Budget P for borrowing/tinkering

 

[andymac]

N+1

Agreed!! I've got ten, and definitely have my eyes on one more, after which I'll have my eyes on one more...

I don't agree with the idea that a P is for a "P sound", and that any time you hear a P it's instantly recognizable. They vary so much in sound and feel. And while any P can do the "P sound", they definitely don't have to.

 

[NotHereNow]

Lots of great comments here. I noticed not too much commentary on nut width and neck feel. I suppose things like flats vs rounds or active/passive setups would be more noticeable sonically speaking. I’m mostly curious how people feel about a traditional p neck vs the thinner jazz version.

 

[pbass2]

If you're talking recording, I used to say always 2 - one w flats and one with rounds, the classic default. And while I think that's still a pretty good bet, you can get by with one. You just gotta decide if your "P needs" are leaning more for flats or rounds. I still always bring a P but now it's one with broken in rounds if only bringing one. Then I cover the flatwound angle with other axes--sometimes a J, sometimes a shorty hollowbody, sometimes my five string Kiloton(which is like a P meets a Ray in a rude way). Turns out I find I'm more likely to miss the P with rounds than the P with flats, interestingly.

 

[MegaSwing]

As many as I want. Currently, I got 3: candy apple red, Olympic white, and orange sparkle flake, all of my own imagining and optimized to my own whims and preferences.

There are as many reasons to like them as there are finishes and neck/fongerboad choices.

Then come hardware, pickups, and strings…

IMO, it’s easy to arrive at one that turns you on.

 

[Hawk620]

How many did James Jamerson need? One should be enough if it's the right one.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I saw a SDOD for a classic vibe 60s P Bass that looks great. The problem is I already have a P bass that I really like. It’s a sonic series so it’s got the jazz nut width. I am wondering if a traditional width nut is worth adding to the stable. My instinct tells me the thinner nut is more playable, but maybe that’s not the case? Anyway, any opinions are welcome and considered.

One.

 

[andymac]

Lots of great comments here. I noticed not too much commentary on nut width and neck feel. I suppose things like flats vs rounds or active/passive setups would be more noticeable sonically speaking. I’m mostly curious how people feel about a traditional p neck vs the thinner jazz version.

Width and thickness of neck are very personal! You really need to try yourself and see what you think.

In particular, it is not true for everyone that narrow+thin = easily playable. Some people are more comfortable on a wider and/or thicker neck. And sometimes what you like about a neck is a little harder to pin down than just width or depth.

Also, IME, a solider "classic" profile neck on a P tends toward a different, often better, sound. Though people will have differing opinions on that . . .

 

[Wasnex]

If you want it and can easily afford it, go for it. Do consider potential consequences and opportunity costs.

I own one P bass, but I don't really need it. I voted 0. FYI mine is a Fender Precision Elite II, so it's probably not what most would consider a proper P . My #1 is a Yamaha TRB6P.

 

[atquinn]

*looks around*

Apparently 3. I should mention that only one is a regular Precision. One is a PJ that I have tuned to D standard and the other is a double singlecoil precision.

 

[Topkat13]

You can only play one at a time.