Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
If you could only have one bass, would it be a Precision?
- Thread starter Andy Daventry
- Start date
If I could only have one bass, it certainly would not be a one trick pony like a P Bass. Don't get me wrong, there is a place for a P Bass, and for most musical styles, it is not an issue, but I prefer a bass that can duplicate the P Bass tone while offering many more options. My go to would be my Alembic Scorpion 5.
P bass. It covers the bulk the music out there. You can't get a J to sound like a P but a J is more versatile and is good for slap, especially if active. You can't get a P to sound like a J. But for me the P needs flatwounds. Probably prefer a J with rounds.
You can't have just one bass as you need a backup on stage. So P and a J.
So, Andy thinks that all of us "sheeple" like Precisions because they're popular?
asking sheeple in such a cloistered environment = skewed a priori = takes the intelligence out of guesswork = duh.
https://www.talkbass.com/members/spidey2112.296573/ , you are killing me!
Did it occur to you, (in your un-cloistered, highly intelligent environment), that Precisions are popular because people like them? After all we live in a supply/demand society.
May I suggest that if you feel the need to play an unusual bass in order to be noticed, you might just want to practice a little more.
I've been playing a long time and am fortunate enough to own many different basses.
But, if I could only own, say six...they would all be Precisions.
Never owned or played one. I'm more about the look of an instrument. Precision basses may sound great, but to me, they are like a Strat in terms of image. They're everywhere, like a comfy pair of jeans. Some are well-worn, and others not. I really prefer more than one pickup on a bass, and neck-thru, but that's just me.
If I had to pick one of my basses to be my "desert island" instrument, assuming there was power to run a practice amp, I don't know. Each one has it's feel and tone. I can safely say it wouldn't be my trusty Rick 4001, my Hamer 8-string, or either of my T-birds. Even though I love them dearly.
Probably my old school Mockingbird, despite the neck balance issue. One bass with many sounds. Second choice, and an odd one at that, would be my Ibanez SR640. It's lightweight, active PJ config, and plays like a dream.
If I had to pick one of my basses to be my "desert island" instrument, assuming there was power to run a practice amp, I don't know. Each one has it's feel and tone. I can safely say it wouldn't be my trusty Rick 4001, my Hamer 8-string, or either of my T-birds. Even though I love them dearly.
Probably my old school Mockingbird, despite the neck balance issue. One bass with many sounds. Second choice, and an odd one at that, would be my Ibanez SR640. It's lightweight, active PJ config, and plays like a dream.
Last edited:
I love the simplicity of the P. Volume and Tone. Less is more. You can concentrate on getting tone from your fingers. I have active Js with many many onboard tone options but lately I've realised it detracts from the music IMO. I wouldn't use a P for slap (don't play slap much anyway) but it does sound good (check out Forget Me Nots).
In my opinion, the better one plays, the P bass Is all one needs.
I've played a Jazz since I bought my first one new in '69, and a Jazz first till last year. Added an Ibanez TRB200 so now I have a PJ setup that almost displaced the Jazz as #1. Tried(still have) T-Bird, EB-3, Hamer Standard, Korina Explorer. Still grab the Jazz most of the time.
That's sharp.
It would have a thin-nut-width neck and a 2 octave fretless fingerboard, so not a Precision. But it would have a P pickup in the P location.
I have played Fender Jazz basses and P basses. I would stick with the Jazz bass. It is a more versatile bass. It can sound like a Rickenbacker 4001, and a P bass. I have always preferred the sound of a Jazz bass.
Judging by what I've been taking to play with various bands and individuals... as much as I prefer my fancy-pants stuff if I could just have ONE bass for all the work I might get and still cover as much ground as possible... it would be a Jazz.
