my jazz seems a little to bright for my reggae band so i was thinkin about pickin up a pbass for the reggae...you can get a fatter, lower "dub" sound of the p rather than the j right?
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is a pbass better for reggae than a jazz?
- Thread starter jcphockey16
- Start date
in a word... yes
in two words... yes yes....
wanna go even farther?... stick some d-adarrio chroms on there... i appologize fr my spelling
in two words... yes yes....
wanna go even farther?... stick some d-adarrio chroms on there... i appologize fr my spelling
I got an american jazz bass w/ the S-1 switch awhile back, I had RW,s on it but still wasnt that happy, so just for something different I put a set of Labella flats on it, That was the ticket, click the S-1 into series mode and you got some thick funky dub tones. You cant really go wrong with a P bass though either, Love mine. Try some flats on that jazz and see if that dont do the trick.
bongomania
Commercial User
No, and frankly there's a lot of misconceptions out there being repeated.
A P has stronger mids than a passive J, and we hear those low mids as these huge deep lows, but the fact of the matter is the actual frequencies we're hearing are not the low lows. A J can actually put out stronger, lower fundamental lows than a P due to the placement of the neck pup.
For another thing, if your J seems bright then use the tone knob! That's what it's for. Also read up on reggae technique, because proper technique is what generates that deep throbbing boom on any kind of bass with any kind of strings. I have rounds on my J and can get a super wide deep boom just by playing with reggae technique.
A P is a good "shortcut"- roll back the tone, throw on some flats, and you don't need technique to get a big fat boom.
i have a deluxe active jazz so i cut treble back all the way and boosted the lows so it sounds pretty good.
i still want to pickup a pbass though just for the opportunity to use it haha
i still want to pickup a pbass though just for the opportunity to use it haha
YUP.No, and frankly there's a lot of misconceptions out there being repeated.
if your J seems bright then use the tone knob! That's what it's for. Also read up on reggae technique, because proper technique is what generates that deep throbbing boom on any kind of bass with any kind of strings.
A P is a good "shortcut"- roll back the tone, throw on some flats, and you don't need technique to get a big fat boom.
IMO either work well. P's are easy as NO blend- one vol, one tone!! Jazz's work REAL well for reggae -as do P's- techique makes the most difference IMO!
+ 1 on technique. For me,the key is to use the front pickup. (whether to combine it with a back or not, its really up to your ears) Play between the 20th fret till somewhere before the front pick up. It especially helps to have some amount of relief to the neck. That gives the notes more bottom. Action should never be too low...like 'Family Man' Barret (Bob Marley's bass player) says; 'think upright!'
The top 3 Reggae bass players use Jazz basses- Shakespeare, Aston 'Family man' Barrett and Flaba Holt. But Bill laswell uses P bass for his Dub tracks. I think most Studio one recordings were done with P basses. Traditionally,its flats but I think RWs are fine, as long as its comfortable for you to execute the lines. Amounts of treble or none is highly personal, its all about finding your sound!
The top 3 Reggae bass players use Jazz basses- Shakespeare, Aston 'Family man' Barrett and Flaba Holt. But Bill laswell uses P bass for his Dub tracks. I think most Studio one recordings were done with P basses. Traditionally,its flats but I think RWs are fine, as long as its comfortable for you to execute the lines. Amounts of treble or none is highly personal, its all about finding your sound!
why would one think that a P-bass is better for Reggae than a Jazz.
IMO...EITHER will work...there are PLENTY of Reggae artists out there that play Jazz basses almost exclusively.
Mind you...I'm not downing the P-bass, I actually prefer P's to J's (but only slightly)...
I'm only trying to put to bed a popular misconception.
IMO...EITHER will work...there are PLENTY of Reggae artists out there that play Jazz basses almost exclusively.
Mind you...I'm not downing the P-bass, I actually prefer P's to J's (but only slightly)...
I'm only trying to put to bed a popular misconception.
word.
i want to put some string mutes on my mexi jazz and add the pickup covers. some nice rotosound flatwound strings. i'll have a pretty good dub bass i'd bet.
i want to put some string mutes on my mexi jazz and add the pickup covers. some nice rotosound flatwound strings. i'll have a pretty good dub bass i'd bet.
yeah dude
if memory serves me, Family Man invented reggae with a Jazz. you know what that means, right?
it's definitely a Jazz for reggae. anything else is just imitation.
+1...
I just use wrist muting...but sometimes I do throw a piece of foam under the bridge...It works GREAT with nylon tape wounds.
Got da riddim?
Dub was invented on a 2x4 attached to a washtub, by Family Man, wasn't it? It ain't the bass, it's the playah!
Dub was invented on a 2x4 attached to a washtub, by Family Man, wasn't it? It ain't the bass, it's the playah!
BurningSkies
CRAZY BALDHEAD
- Feb 20, 2005
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Anyone who tries to convince you that you need a Jazz (or any other specific brand of bass) to play reggae is full of crap. Start going to shows, you'll see a wide range of bass brands and types on stage.
I've used both P & J and got better feedback with my P from other players. I currently play a Dingwall AB-1 and it kills them all. I've also done a stint with a PRS.
Its not your bass, it's your playing an your amp.
BTW, Familyman didn't "invent reggae" with a Jazz. Lloyd Brevett did. With an upright. How come we're not debating using an upright for reggae...or the earlier used hoffner?
I've used both P & J and got better feedback with my P from other players. I currently play a Dingwall AB-1 and it kills them all. I've also done a stint with a PRS.
Its not your bass, it's your playing an your amp.
BTW, Familyman didn't "invent reggae" with a Jazz. Lloyd Brevett did. With an upright. How come we're not debating using an upright for reggae...or the earlier used hoffner?
I absolutely think a P is better than a Jazz for reggae if I had to choose.
I played some reggae (Bedouin Soundclash and even some reggae inspired Sublime) this week at a gig on my Sadowsky Jazz which is my main gigging bass these days (bass way up and treble rolled right off) and it still sounded great.
IMO reggae on a Jazz still works great but a P just offers a bit more thump. If I played reggae exclusively, I would definately play only a P.
I played some reggae (Bedouin Soundclash and even some reggae inspired Sublime) this week at a gig on my Sadowsky Jazz which is my main gigging bass these days (bass way up and treble rolled right off) and it still sounded great.
IMO reggae on a Jazz still works great but a P just offers a bit more thump. If I played reggae exclusively, I would definately play only a P.
Yup, most of the greats used/use jazzes for example:
Family Man:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Robbie Shakespeare:
Link Removed
Flabba Holt:
Robbie also used a Hofner Violin.
