As I modded my pointy old Electra X700JB (my avatar comes from that NBD) into a fire-breathing P-bass over the last year, I found myself wanting of a sonic match in a five-string. Unfortunately for me they didn’t make a ton of five-strings in Japan in the ‘80s, and it seems that five-string P-basses haven’t really caught on, either. I want to love the Spector Legend 5 Classic I acquired last fall but even after some mods I still haven’t found a sound of my own with it that really does it for me. After a deal for one of those rare five-string P-basses fell through, I found myself playing the five-string I had bought new back in 1995 … and loving it more than ever! I set out to find a four-string to match that one.
Well, I have had the five for 24 years, and the four for 24 hours. Mission accomplished!
Apparently, my 14-year-old self knew something it would take my 38-year-old self a while to figure out! Let’s be clear: the Ibanez ATK does not sound like a P-bass. It does, however, make it really easy for me to sound like me.
My pointy fire-breathing P-bass still has its place, as it has the edge when I start heaping dirt on parts, but I tend not to use a fifth string in those situations. With the four- and five-string ATKs, it would seem I now have a consistent core sound regardless of range.
Well, I have had the five for 24 years, and the four for 24 hours. Mission accomplished!
Apparently, my 14-year-old self knew something it would take my 38-year-old self a while to figure out! Let’s be clear: the Ibanez ATK does not sound like a P-bass. It does, however, make it really easy for me to sound like me.
My pointy fire-breathing P-bass still has its place, as it has the edge when I start heaping dirt on parts, but I tend not to use a fifth string in those situations. With the four- and five-string ATKs, it would seem I now have a consistent core sound regardless of range.
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