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NBD New Bass Dilemma... Versatility vs. Simplicity
- Thread starter funkycoldmedina
- Start date
P Bass defines the genres on your list. You want simplicity, you're singing, and a P Bass is as close to plug-and-play as you'll get.
I think you just hit the nail on the head my good sir. Plus, You just made me realize one thing. The Bass Player in me cries out for versatility: more knobs, more tones, more options. The musician in me cries out for simplicity.
I think I may be inching closer to a decision... Okay I think I might have made it...
Heavy bass guitars are not fun. There are light-weight five strings one, not that I've seldom if ever had a need for a five-string myself. *)
*) Maybe if I had to play Nashville modern country -- which I don't. If I have to, I get a light-weight five-string.
*) Maybe if I had to play Nashville modern country -- which I don't. If I have to, I get a light-weight five-string.
As a full-time singer who plays secondarily, I feel your (back) pain, and have the same physical concerns when my summertime bass playing picks up. Personally, my preference would always be a four-stringer, and not only because of the weight. I have never felt the fifth string was necessary for any playing I've ever done. Go p-bass.
Thank you for that. One thing I will say is that the fifth string is pretty handy for SOME stuff. It's kind of a you-know-what to read with sometimes though, and the weight is a beast. I may just get a nice four string P bass NOW and upgrade to a lighter 5 when I have the scratch saved up
Wow, that is stupid heavy. I change my recommendation to keep "a" fiver... but not THAT fiver. Take that thing back.
You will end up hating to play that beast. There are definitely lighter 5 strings out there. Bring your strap with you to the store when you try other basses. That way you will get a true sense of how it feels and the balance - you don't want a neck-diving bass either.
You will end up hating to play that beast. There are definitely lighter 5 strings out there. Bring your strap with you to the store when you try other basses. That way you will get a true sense of how it feels and the balance - you don't want a neck-diving bass either.
I don't know about you but when I use to read charts I had a hard time with extended range basses. Kept going to the low B string when i should have been playing the E. I haven't had to read charts in years as a working cover band musician so i've gone from 4 strings to as many as 8 string extended range basses and i can tell you that in my experience I have little needs for even the low B string not to mention the extra top strings. All the added strings made soloing a bit easier on the VERY rare opprotunity I was given a solo but in the BASS PLAYER role all i really ever used on those extended range basses 99.9% of the time were the standard 4 strings. I'm also a lead singer in my band so when i'm singing my bass playing is on auto-pilot so i need a bass i never have to think about. In over 40 years of playing I recently bought my 1st American Standard P bass (Owned a few Jazz basses but never a P until now) and i have to say i LOVE this bass! Lots of top end with treble full open, lots of warmth when it's backed off a bit, sounds awesome with it's nice quiet PASSIVE pickup located in the sweet spot, (No noise like you get from a Jazz) it simply makes playing easy. I'd recommend bringing back the Jazz and buying an American Standard P. It's a little pricy new but they're really well made and i think it's worth the extra over a MIM or even an American Special. It'll make it EASY for you to be able to concentrate on your singing because you're not going to be concentrating on trying to find the right sound, you'll HAVE the right sound.
Get a P for flats. Strip the electronics off your present Precision and buy "detuned" strings (DR has them) and tune to D.
I voted carrots. Going from a Jazz V to a P is actually quite a big change. Like totally different sounds. If you like the versatility of a Jazz V, I think you'd be happiest with another passive 5er. But OTOH if you really desire the P bass then maybe you've answered your own question.
Two things about your strap though. If it doesn't feel comfy between your neck and shoulder it's probably just too wide, you don't want it to dig into your neck, that is sensitive and the weight is probably not helping. But you might consider when looking for a new bass to try it with a "normal" width strap. Added bonus is that it'll keep it from hiding the shoulder feel of the bass.
Two things about your strap though. If it doesn't feel comfy between your neck and shoulder it's probably just too wide, you don't want it to dig into your neck, that is sensitive and the weight is probably not helping. But you might consider when looking for a new bass to try it with a "normal" width strap. Added bonus is that it'll keep it from hiding the shoulder feel of the bass.
Passive P-bass is a beautiful thing. I used to have exotic basses but for the past 10 years I've been playing passive P-basses. All of my favorite albums have Prec or jazz basses on them. I don't see how different bass sounds are "versatile", the bass just "is" I can play any gig just with tweaking the EQ of the amp with a P or a J. I hate treble in my bass sound. No style of music as far as I'm concerned needs all the treble some people use. That's why on the greatest albums of all time if you listen to the bass track there is no high treble, cause it sounds like garbage in the mix.
Keep the Jazz 5 , get use to it, and when not using the B string too often
it makes a great thumb rest that lets you access plucking near the neck, to the bridge and gives you all the tonal variations you need & like.
The P is a one tone pony IMHO.
it makes a great thumb rest that lets you access plucking near the neck, to the bridge and gives you all the tonal variations you need & like.
The P is a one tone pony IMHO.
P-Bass all the way. It's THE bass for the styles listed, and 12 pounds is TOO DAMN MUCH.
If you're hellbent on keeping the fiver, try something like this:
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If you're hellbent on keeping the fiver, try something like this:
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I weighed every bass in town when I was shopping (brought my own digital scale to the stores) and the J basses were all 1-2 pounds heavier than a P. The lightest J I found is the one I bought - 8.2 pounds. The P's were 7 - 7.5 pounds.
Seems like a P would do it for you. I played a 5 for years. I have now played a 4 for about 1 1/2 years. I don't miss the B string and neither do the people I play with.
Thank you to everyone who offered their advice on this topic. I made my decision and went ahead and returned the five string. I also discussed it with my teacher and his response was "you're giving me a whole list of reasons why you should return, but you've only given me one or two why you should keep it.. Isn't it obvious?" So I took it back. No need to make my life more difficult than I need to, right? Again, thanks to everyone for helping me feel less crazy. I think I just wanted approval that my logic wasn't TOO flawed.
On a quick sidenote, my instructor allowed me to play his custom Surine bass and it was amazing. It was a 5 string, 24 fret, neck through, mahogony body and it weighed 8.5 pounds! GAS much lol. Maybe later lol
On a quick sidenote, my instructor allowed me to play his custom Surine bass and it was amazing. It was a 5 string, 24 fret, neck through, mahogony body and it weighed 8.5 pounds! GAS much lol. Maybe later lol
Okay, it's good that you returned the bass you weren't happy with. What I don't get is why you don't just put flatwounds on your PJ and go for it? Probably I missed something in reading the thread. 
He doesn't like the P/J because of the Jazz neck IIRC. I have a '66J I don't play for the same reason.
