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Is a P bass necessary?

#161
john turner said:
wow. what's the worst that could happen [if you listen to bad music]? you get a laugh at someone else's expense? :)
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That's a tempting straight line, but I'm going to take the high road and let it go to waste. ;)

Here's my point:

Unsatisfactory music is a toxic intrusion into my personal environment, just like barking dogs, leafblowers and telemarketing calls.

Multiply that times fifty since developing hyperacusis.
 
#163
john turner said:
i can only imagine the neck-deep pools of musical feces you've had to wade through.
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No, you can't.

Really. Making it your profession hugely raises the despair factor. Imagine being alone, in the dark, in an old lifeboat that's rapidly sinking in a vast cesspool (no more apt metaphor exists for the music business) with only a rusty soup can with which to bail.

However...the interesting thing is that now everyone can simulate the same wonderful experience by spending eighty straight hours in the lower depths of MySpace Music while the phone rings with constant calls from people who make no sense.
 
#164
Bongolation said:
No, you can't.

Really. Making it your profession hugely raises the despair factor. Imagine being alone, in the dark, in an old lifeboat that's rapidly sinking in a vast cesspool (no more apt metaphor exists for the music business) with only a rusty soup can with which to bail.

However...the interesting thing is that now everyone can simulate the same wonderful experience by spending eighty straight hours in the lower depths of MySpace Music while the phone rings with constant calls from people who make no sense.
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My ice cream just melted .... :bawl:
 
#165
savit260 said:
... and you could also say the same of those who'd turn their noses up at poeple who play a basic P bass, and call them unoriginal, stuck in a box, unispired, conformists etc. etc.

Equaly absurd IMO. Everything is worth a listen IMO.
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john turner said:
does that really happen a lot though? folks turning their nose up about someone else's music based solely on the instrument being a pbass? i can't remember seeing that recently, if ever.
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A lot? Not in my experience. But I see it once in a while on TB, and I have recently. Perhaps you're not familiar, JT, with the elitist stylings of a certain Drozd fan/P-bass hater here.;) Oh, it's nothing worth reporting, IMO. I haven't seen personal attacks--just general ones. But--again, IMO--those posts are just as close-minded as the "Jaco only needed four" nonsense.
 
#166
john turner said:
i bet you're talking about john jordan with chris duarte. he's a great player, one of the first conklin 7 guys, if not the very first. (just judging by your style of music and his as well, i could be totally off base. if so, no offense meant).

if so, you'd be surprised at how much he actually uses the full range of the instrument. that being said, he could probably play duarte thing with a p and make it sorta work.
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Yup, that would be correct. I think he does a fantastic job with Duarte, and plays very appropriate stuff, but I've also seen other play 4 bangers with him and do just fine as well.

Yes, he does certtainly use the whole instrument particularly on the more "out" stuff. (my favorite stuff of Duartes)

I'm also VERY impressed with Jordans solo work where he goes off into very different territory.

Monster player, who seems to exacly what , and what not to play. Very tasetfull.

Super nice guy as well.

IMO ofcourse.
 
#167
yeah, he's awesome. bout broke my heart when i heard about his bass and chris's old strat getting ripped off so many years ago. that was one of the very first conklin 7's that got stolen. like serial number 3 or 4. i have #6 and #16 among my collection, and i can't imagine how much it would suck to lose em.
 
#168
john turner said:
yeah, he's awesome. bout broke my heart when i heard about his bass and chris's old strat getting ripped off so many years ago. that was one of the very first conklin 7's that got stolen. like serial number 3 or 4. i have #6 and #16 among my collection, and i can't imagine how much it would suck to lose em.
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I wasn't aware of that stuff getting stolen. It's been a number of years since I saw them last, but Chris was still playint the strat , and John was playing the Conklin.

That's a shame.
 
#173
I owned one years ago and to be completely honest, it wasn't for me. Given it's tone is great, but not $1300 great. I also didn't like playing musical P-Basses when I was trying to buy one...at least they nailed the consistency recently, but damn, took them long enough. Don't get me wrong, I love Jazz basses, and the P/J pickup configuration is my favorite, but the P-Bass is what it is. I know there are plenty of people who will vouch the polar opposite of what I'm saying, but based on personal opinion and experience, stick with the Jazz if you're getting a Fender...or pick up a Peavey T-40 and save a couple hundred bucks!
 
#175
savit260 said:
I probalby first saw them around 95, so it was after the theft. Still what a damned shame.

I also remember that was the first 7 string I had ever seen in person.
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they were still quite rare back then. i wonder where that bass ended up - would have certainly been more difficult to unload even than that strat at the time.
 
#176
savit260 said:
He was commenting on what Bongo... said. Those weren't Steve's words.
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Ahhhhh, that was so confusing I was getting a headache.

BTW, thanks for the compliment several pages back. I can't remember if I mentioned that...but I'm entirely too lazy to check. :p


Still, I saw the Chris Duarte Band maybe 5-6 years ago and John wasn't their bassist, but some younger guy from Mexico using a 6 string Fodera. Damn thing basically played itself and is pretty responsible for me leaning towards the boutique side.

GregC said:
A lot? Not in my experience. But I see it once in a while on TB, and I have recently. Perhaps you're not familiar, JT, with the elitist stylings of a certain Drozd fan/P-bass hater here.;) Oh, it's nothing worth reporting, IMO. I haven't seen personal attacks--just general ones. But--again, IMO--those posts are just as close-minded as the "Jaco only needed four" nonsense.
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The funny thing is that his arguments are equal, but in opposite direction from the typical anti-boutique threads. Somehow it's perfectly acceptable to bash his basses (and they do) but everyone calls foul if he does the same to your bass.




Revisiting the "geek bass" debate:
I'll admit a lot of the boutiques look fairly unconventional, but typically will make up for it with comfort. This may not help getting rid of "geek" status, but I see no reason not to design or redesign things to work in your favor.
1. The reach on my Rob Allen basses is about 2-3" shorter than most Fender style basses due to bridge/saddle placement at the very edge of the body. I used to own a Fender Urge, which was 32" scale and the first position reach on my 35" scale MB2. It was also a bit lighter, but that's from the chambering.
2. My CB 4 string has a lower bout that's so comfortable on the leg, as well as being very light, that I can't see any reason why it wouldn't be the ideal recording bass. At 7.5lbs, you notice the weight reduction right away, but it feels amazing after a long day.
3. Yes, there are some designs that are heavy and not particularly comfortable. I do not own any of those. :p
 
#178
elBandito said:
True. Dont players listen? They can tell the difference in sound. Who cares if people cant tell. If the player gets inspired by the instrument, thats what matters most.
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Is a P bass necessary?

To me. Yes. IMHO it boils down to elbanditos comment if its the right tool for the gig then yes it's necessary. On some gigs I like my Corvette 5, or some my frettless SX jazz, get the picture. But I will say I prefer my P bass when recording.
 
#179
Someone else said it, but I'll echo it...... Plug and Play

Over my 30 years of playing, I find the same thing over and over again..... when nothing else works, grab the P. And when something else works, chances are usually pretty good that the P will work even better. While it has very little tonal range, what it has works with virtually everything...... and it will certainly never sound out of place.

When playing out, I take two basses.... a P with flats and a Jazz with rounds. I do use the Jazz with the bridge pup rolled off a bit on fingerstyle stuff (when the tune calls for a roundwound, more modern sound)..... but I try to use the P for the fingerstyle stuff when ever possible. I'd probably just bring two P's (one with flats, one with rounds), but the Jazz is killer for slap.

And c'mon, there is nothing any more killer than listening to some cat just friggin' layin' it down with a battered up old P. It just works.

Ljazz
 

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