Love to keep it simple with one pickup bass. My main basses are a Musicman Stingray and My P-bass...
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Only a P-bass?
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
I just don't buy the "one pickup" thing. It seems right up there with "Flatwounds rule". The notion that having tonal options might be *bad* just doesn't work for me -- and while I get the desire for simplicity, I also get that adding a 2nd p'up in the bridge position with a 2nd volume control is hardly creating a highly "complex" bass...
I agree with you. All the same tonal variation resulting from technique changes is there on a two pickups bass as a single pickups bass. And you can definitely get more varied tones from a dual pup bass. I think that sometimes folks are less likely to find those technique variations on a dual pickups bass though because you're more likely to start twisting knobs to get a different sound, rather than just learning how to make physical adjustments. I will be the first to admit that a P bass will help anyone out with that pursuit. But is it unique over a jazz bass in that regard? I don't think so.
If you are referring to my posts, I never said that two pickups are bad to have. I simply said that I think a one pickup bass is closer to playing an acoustic instrument because the lack of options means that the player has to focus on technique and hand placement more to affect tone than with a more sophisticated system.
Reading the thread, I understood the topic to be about fitting the P bass into different situations--rock gig, funk gig, blues, country, etc.--not a large number of different sounds in the course of one set. The P will cover quite a lot of gigs, IMO.
I have not and would not argue that a P could be more versatile than a J in a single show spanning many genres. But I agree with some of the last few posts that technique and judicious use of the tone knob will get you a long way with a P bass during that set.
I'm curious what settings you use to get your J close to a Stingray. I really haven't heard many folks say they can do that.
I guess the idea that we need several different kinds of basses to get several tones is exactly what bass companies want us all to believe.
Here is something that will make believers of the "a P always sounds like a P" camp particularly upset. Once a musician gets out of the garage, my experience tells me that the most important factor to his sound isn't his bass. It's not whether he brought his P or his J. The most important factor in his sound isn't even himself. It's the recording engineer or the FOH guy mixing. If you think that your P is going to sound a certain way when you reach a certain level, I beg to differ. It is going to sound the way someone else wants it to sound. And that someone else may or may not know what a P sounds like. And he may or may not care. He will probably make it sound good, but that may or not be a P sound. It will be the way he wants it to sound.
At a certain level, when you hear back "your sound" a lot of you are going to be extremely surprised if not completly shocked. This whole "P sounds like a P" stuff is going to become very secondary.
And we may disagree, that's fine, but if your P doesn't sound the way the engineer or the mixer wants it to sound, you better be very good friends with him.
It amazes me that so many of us don't realize that Js and Ps are merely basses that operate in slightly different places in the EQ spectrum. And that spectrum can be altered by the placement of our fingers, by the whim of the soundguy, by the EQ we choose on our amps...Ps and Js are not static. The sounds of these basses are not cast in stone, totally immune to what goes on around them and what is being done to them.
Ps and Js were immune to all that back in the 50s and a part of the 60s. That's why everything sounded the same back then. But now, with all the other factors that are included, it is simply not the case.
If Ps and Js really had indellible fingerprints, why are some pros like Marcus Miller unable to tell if they played on such and such record? Couldn't they recognize their own sounds? But they know that their (initial) sound is a small part of the overall sound of the bass. So I guess they could go and buy a gazillion basses or they could try to manipulate their sounds through fingers, EQ, etc and get to where they can make themselves sound the way they want. And we can too. Really. There is no doubt.
Not to argue, but I find we are really selling ourselves and our craft short when we say that our bass guitar can only be used in a few settings. No matter what brand that bass happens to be. We are way better than that. Seriously.
John
Here is something that will make believers of the "a P always sounds like a P" camp particularly upset. Once a musician gets out of the garage, my experience tells me that the most important factor to his sound isn't his bass. It's not whether he brought his P or his J. The most important factor in his sound isn't even himself. It's the recording engineer or the FOH guy mixing. If you think that your P is going to sound a certain way when you reach a certain level, I beg to differ. It is going to sound the way someone else wants it to sound. And that someone else may or may not know what a P sounds like. And he may or may not care. He will probably make it sound good, but that may or not be a P sound. It will be the way he wants it to sound.
At a certain level, when you hear back "your sound" a lot of you are going to be extremely surprised if not completly shocked. This whole "P sounds like a P" stuff is going to become very secondary.
And we may disagree, that's fine, but if your P doesn't sound the way the engineer or the mixer wants it to sound, you better be very good friends with him.
It amazes me that so many of us don't realize that Js and Ps are merely basses that operate in slightly different places in the EQ spectrum. And that spectrum can be altered by the placement of our fingers, by the whim of the soundguy, by the EQ we choose on our amps...Ps and Js are not static. The sounds of these basses are not cast in stone, totally immune to what goes on around them and what is being done to them.
Ps and Js were immune to all that back in the 50s and a part of the 60s. That's why everything sounded the same back then. But now, with all the other factors that are included, it is simply not the case.
If Ps and Js really had indellible fingerprints, why are some pros like Marcus Miller unable to tell if they played on such and such record? Couldn't they recognize their own sounds? But they know that their (initial) sound is a small part of the overall sound of the bass. So I guess they could go and buy a gazillion basses or they could try to manipulate their sounds through fingers, EQ, etc and get to where they can make themselves sound the way they want. And we can too. Really. There is no doubt.
Not to argue, but I find we are really selling ourselves and our craft short when we say that our bass guitar can only be used in a few settings. No matter what brand that bass happens to be. We are way better than that. Seriously.
John
John, this is all true - but I think most folks here aren't nearly so worried about how their bass sounds "in the studio" since most folks here gig at bars at best... and the greater debate here isn't about "my sound" so much as it is about he value of options. I have a J bass, I have some pretty clear options as to what I want my tone to be. If I have a PJ, it's the same. I even have a MM Sterling, I can get more than one sound out of the p'up... but a P-bass? It sounds pretty much like a p-bass, no matter what you do with it, plugged into an amp and played live. Me, I like options, which is why I have popped a J p'up into every P-bass I've ever owned since 1980.
If you are referring to me about the "one pickup" thing I meant for me I like the one pickup type of basses. I like a simple amp as well. Its like when you go to a restaurants with a large menu. To many selections makes my over think things to much.
I don't think anyone will argue that the FOH can't totally change your sound, but I also won't use that as an excuse to say my bass doesn't matter. FOHcan also destroy the things you do with your hands to affect tone.
Nobody here is saying that any bass can only be used on some circumstances. I think some of us are just saying that there are cases where a particular instrument is called for. I'd think that a player who doesn't understand that is also selling their profession/hobby short.
I get that - I really do. That's why three (or more) P'ups on a bass would seem silly to me, even if they do offer more variation... In fact, years ago, I built a Warmoth "Strat" P-bass -- layed out much like the Big Al -- I ended up finding it confusing and distracting -- but lord that bass got a zillion sounds...
But I think that having two well separated p'ups just makes sense: It give you three distinct, useful sounds. Sure, some folks would say that careful blending could result in more - but to me, it's either front, back or both - and they all have a use... But with single P'up (like a P-bass), you have one and only one option... So that doesn't work for me. I need at least a *few* options...
Such great points in this thread! My $.02 is this, I love my PBass and it has gotten me as many gigs as my fingers have. The tone (although limited) is always great. I enjoy my JBass and feel that's it's more versitile (just like everyone else does). It's fun to mess with and really dial in.
If I was on an island or someone said "you can play only bass forever" I'd go with the P in a heartbeat. I play all sorts of music and never has anyone looked at me and said, "do you have another bass you can play for this".
All this to say, to each their own. I respect almost anyone that picks up a bass and plays something that matters to them.
If I was on an island or someone said "you can play only bass forever" I'd go with the P in a heartbeat. I play all sorts of music and never has anyone looked at me and said, "do you have another bass you can play for this".
All this to say, to each their own. I respect almost anyone that picks up a bass and plays something that matters to them.
