I GET IT. P BASSES ARE AWESOME.

[spade2you]

I have a few basses with P pickups. I'm neutral on the use of "cheap" to describe the tone. If a punk band uses a pick and distortion, isn't it meant to sound somewhat cheap?

I have recorded a few times with non-P basses and managed to sit in the mix. All of my basses with a P pickup will have a bridge pickup, which I am assured means my basses won't sound like a P bass at all. Somethings never change on this forum.

 

[grrg63]

Unfortunately, I dont believe it does everything well like P-Basses lovers think hence the reason why see these "Go P-Bass Threads" all the time (because only P-Bass lovers think it can do everything. It can't.

Exactly what cant a P Bass in the hands of a capable, motivated player do?
Seems like a pretty narrow minded opinion to me.

 

[Rib 13]

Exactly what cant a P Bass in the hands of a capable, motivated player do?
Seems like a pretty narrow minded opinion to me.

For starters: On a standard single PU P-bass , you cant solo the bridge pickup and roll down tone for that "Jaco" sound or the "faux fretless" technique. Why? You dont have a bridge pickup

I never said a P-bass is a "One Trick Pony" but it is still limiting to its one voice,......changing hand positions is like making different vowel sounds with your mouth (different tonalities of the voice), but it doesnt change the voice

 

[grrg63]

No, you cant make it sound like a J, so what? That doesnt mean you cant play jazz with it.

 

[Rib 13]

No, you cant make it sound like a J, so what? That doesnt mean you cant play jazz with it.

lol - i never said you couldnt: we were initially talking about recording.....

You can play jazz on any bass: but I see very few P-basses in the hands of jazz players compared to other basses (if any)

however, other basses can get the P-bass sound, and do other things as well. A G&L L2000/ASAT can do a P-Bass, get Jazzish, do the Jaco when needed, and can even get into Stingray territory --- its the last of a long line of instruments that Leo continually improved on.

 

[spade2you]

Tone is in the fingers?

 

[LT131]

Ok, Not a real P but pretty much a P.

 

[grrg63]

I see very few P-basses in the hands of jazz players compared to other basses (if any)

You must not be looking very hard then. Im not saying its the most popular or commonly used bass for jazz, but I see it pretty regularly.

 

[Rib 13]

You must not be looking very hard then. Im not saying its the most popular or commonly used bass for jazz, but I see it pretty regularly.

you are just reiterating what I said with the exception of seeing it regularly.......When I think jazz, Im thinking Jaco, Miller, Pattitucci, East, all the usual suspects,etc.....none which play P-Basses....the only time I see P-Basses show up is at Jazz jams in my area and they are still few and far in between

 

[grrg63]

I disagree- "if any" means hardly any.

 

[Rib 13]

Tone is in the fingers?

tone is in many factors including fingers

 

[Rib 13]

I disagree- "if any" means hardly any.

yes, hardly any....Im not going to have this silly argument with you......research it yourself. Show me name jazz players from the last two-and-a-half decades who use the P-Bass as their primary instrument compared to jazz players within the same timeframe that dont use P-Basses as their primary instrument

 

[grrg63]

I dont need to research anything, there are countless examples of P Basses being used for jazz.

 

[superdick2112]

P-basses are awesome.
I bought an Am. Std. P a few years ago, and didn't really fall in love with it until I played it at a gig.
The sound of a P-bass solo'd might not thrill everyone, but it sits perfectly in the mix of a full band, and it records wonderfully.

 

[Reiska]

I picked up a new American Standard P yesterday and it`s the best electric bass guitar I ever played. Super happy!!!

 

[hover]

Tone is in the fingers?

I tried installing a set of pups on my pointer and middle fingers...wouldn't you know it didn't work?
Man o MAN I just wanted to take the bass out of the equation. FOILED AGAIN

 

[angrychair]

I own a pretty awesome P bass, and I don't think it holds a candle to my vintage Kramer Forum I or my Spector Euro4lx.

 

[petrus61]

lol - i never said you couldnt: we were initially talking about recording.....

You can play jazz on any bass: but I see very few P-basses in the hands of jazz players compared to other basses (if any)

however, other basses can get the P-bass sound, and do other things as well. A G&L L2000/ASAT can do a P-Bass, get Jazzish, do the Jaco when needed, and can even get into Stingray territory --- its the last of a long line of instruments that Leo continually improved on.

After owning two G&L's (L2000 and L2500) and many Precisions, I respectfully disagree. It can not "do a P bass". It is similar only in that it has an abundance of low-mids, but IMO the similarities stop there. Pretty much everything, from the effects to the amplifier, respond very differently to G&L pickups than they do to a typical split coil P. It's a great sound, but much further outside the realistic scope of comparison I see bandied about here all the time. For me, if it could convincingly do a P, I never would have sold mine. They are great basses though.

 

[gregmon79]

I hear you OP. I LOVE my P. Its an older Squier heavily modded. I did it all myself and it's my very first bass so its a special one for me. I cant say that it works for every thing I do though. Like my band, my main bass is my Ibanez ATK300. It fits our bands sound so much better. The P seems a little too "woody" for out sound. But either way, I love my P. If Im at home playing or just messing around, the P is usually the one I pick up.

 

[hover]

Me with the greatest P in existence. When I'm not pounding a 5, this is what is holding my feet down.

Took that J coil and threw it in the toilet.
GoncaloAlves / Pau Ferro neck (Warmoth), BAII bridge, Bill Lawrence 46 pup, Warmoth brown shell pickguard. Hipshot Ultralites. This just oozes incredible.