Lots of my students have both graduate level studies and a defended thesis—and don’t understand a darned thing!
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(Only) NOW I understand the P bass
- Thread starter vindibona1
- Start date
Lots of my students have both graduate level studies and a defended thesis—and don’t understand a darned thing!
One of my first 5ers was a 2010 MIM Jazz. Fool that I can be I over-improved it with Aguliar pups, and Audere ProZ preamp and Hipshot ultralite tuners- and had the frets professionally leveled/crowned. Even as a MIM it can hold its own against any J. I guess I should be glad I only have $900 in it total. I'd have to spend over $2k to match it's quality and sound. I don't know why I don't play it more often. But my Sandberg (avatar) hast sort of that Stingray sound/vibe, but plays better than any Stingray I've ever held.
Similarly I hadn’t owned a P bass in probably 25 years. The other day I tried a Squier Classic Vibe P into the same Ampeg 2x10 I own at a GC and was impressed. I found a 5 string version and have to say, for the $, it’s a unique sound and I’m glad I purchased it. But it’s definitely woolier than my modern active basses and the ergonomics aren’t quite my thing. I put on flat wounds and think over time they’ll mellow into a nice old school sound - not something I plan to use often, but something I can now appreciate after decades of avoiding.
I've played nearly all my appearances on a stage with a Precision bass, as much as I like my Jazz Bass when playing at home.
The revelatory moment for me was breaking out of the flatwound mold.
I had followed the conventional wisdom of putting flatwound strings on a Precision Bass and went through several of the recommended brands - Chromes, some Ernie Ball flats, TI Jazz Flats, La Bella DTB. I liked Chromes the best but was still never totally happy.
That one dimensional chunk sound is OK, but I didn't realize how limiting the flatwound thing had been until on a whim I put a set of good old D'Addario EXL160s, nickel rounds, on a whim.
Suddenly the bass is so much more lively, the tone is multidimensional with girth in the mids and more sizzle above. It responds to picking and palm muting with chunk but still retains character to the sound. I can roll the tone down to 1/3 whenever I want, but rounds give the bass 2 more gears when I set the tone above half.
Sometimes it pays to go against the grain of conventional wisdom.
Earlier today I didn't think the bass had ever sounded better on stage - granted I've changed amps recently as well but I really think most of it is the rounds. There's just so much more content to the sound now to work with.
The revelatory moment for me was breaking out of the flatwound mold.
I had followed the conventional wisdom of putting flatwound strings on a Precision Bass and went through several of the recommended brands - Chromes, some Ernie Ball flats, TI Jazz Flats, La Bella DTB. I liked Chromes the best but was still never totally happy.
That one dimensional chunk sound is OK, but I didn't realize how limiting the flatwound thing had been until on a whim I put a set of good old D'Addario EXL160s, nickel rounds, on a whim.
Suddenly the bass is so much more lively, the tone is multidimensional with girth in the mids and more sizzle above. It responds to picking and palm muting with chunk but still retains character to the sound. I can roll the tone down to 1/3 whenever I want, but rounds give the bass 2 more gears when I set the tone above half.
Sometimes it pays to go against the grain of conventional wisdom.
Earlier today I didn't think the bass had ever sounded better on stage - granted I've changed amps recently as well but I really think most of it is the rounds. There's just so much more content to the sound now to work with.
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Currently really liking my P/J with GHS Pressurewounds. It has a 3 way pickup selector switch and the bridge pickup is much closer to the neck pickup than is typical. It is very much a pure P with the switch in neck position. In middle position, bite and growl is added to the standard P tone and sits very nicely in the mix. Like many here, I started on active 5 string J style instruments, experimenting with various "modern" basses like Lightwave, Lace, Pedulla, Esh. All very nice instruments. When this P/J came my way - Wilkins Custom P/J 4 - I found myself preferring it most of the time. Maybe because of it's P-ness, it's P/J-ness, it's unusual pickup layout, or just the overall quality of the instrument. I had a Fender standard P bass but it wasn't as fine sounding as this. Strings make quite the difference as well. The pressurewounds are a real surprise.
Just my 2 cents.
Just my 2 cents.
I DON’T ALWAYS PLAY A P BASS…
BUT WHEN I DO, I PREFER AN LB-100.
BUT WHEN I DO, I PREFER AN LB-100.
With all due respect, roundwounds *are* the conventional wisdom. Unquestionably, more people today play Precision Basses and every other bass with rounds than flats. I have P-Basses with flats and rounds and like both for different applications.
Never liked P's and thought they were poorly made but....same thing happened to me ages ago. There is no denying that tone on so many of my favorite recordings.
I've found a lot of used basses with split P pickups that often provide as good or better quality per dollar than Fender on the used market.
I'm not fixated on Fender headstock/body shape, so it doesn't have to be a Fender or Squier Bass.
I've also found basses with pickups in the right place that provide a sound that gets all the things a split P Precision will.
Peavey made a Super Ferrite pickup in their original Gen 1 Fury that is as good (maybe better) than the Fender split P.
I am also a fan of the Thunderbird humbucker in the P Position, makes for a really nice sounding bass.
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True..All my current players are like this. Bruce Johnson ampeg scroll, bruce johnson SSB, 73 p, 77 p, and my newest custom built P where the neck was copied from my '73 with peavy t40 clone pickup in the P position. A P tone is more about a good passive pickup in the sweet spot. IMHO
I agree.
A Peavey Gen 1 Fury does it well with that big sweet Slant Super Ferrite pickup.
A Peavey T45 does it with it's one T40 Humbucker.
A Peavey T40 does it with it's middle T40 pickup.
A Gibson Thunderbird does it with it's middle pickup.
I'm sure there are a number of others.
I tend to hate the form factor of a Split P pickup, those four little tabs and four screws to mount and adjust it are a PIA.
I feel the same way about a Jazz pickup with the four little tabs and four screws to install and adjust it.
I like that Bartolini and EMG have created split P pickups in a different shell, that should have been done decades and decades ago.
I also really like the new Dimarzio split P pickups with the curved shell tops and the recessed tabs that sit below the top surface.
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I'm first and foremost a Rickenbacker nut through and through. I used my 4001 for 99% of gigs until I was about 21. I tried a few P basses over the years, played at home and thought they weren't for me.
Until I used one live, and now I realise the error of my ways.
My Rickenbacker will always be my #1... But the P bass gets the gig and the play time these days. Comfortable, dependable and always sounds great.
Until I used one live, and now I realise the error of my ways.
My Rickenbacker will always be my #1... But the P bass gets the gig and the play time these days. Comfortable, dependable and always sounds great.
Nothing beats a P. Stingrays and Jazz basses are also really awesome, but they can't touch the P bass.
If enough Bassists find their way to this thread, it's possible, just possible, that the Precision bass could become a very popular instrument among bass Players, and may even be used in the Studio for recordings!
Wow, that would be a feather in your cap!!
(Mine is a '69 w/ a Bad-Ass bridge and Duncan 1/4 -pounder).
Wow, that would be a feather in your cap!!
(Mine is a '69 w/ a Bad-Ass bridge and Duncan 1/4 -pounder).
Lots of my students have both graduate level studies and a defended thesis—and don’t understand a darned thing!
I've met more than a few PhD candidates, and people with awarded PhD's, who had absolutely no idea what they were doing.
Yep! Same!
My "1959 Spec" LB-100:
- Quartersawn Maple neck, vintage 1-3\4" Nut width
- 9-1\2" radius Indian Rosewood fretboard
- Himalayan Blue
- Brown Tort pickguard
- Stock G&L Alnico V pickup (I replaced the black covers with Cream, because I love how it "pops" with the Tort!)
- Strung with Curt Mangan Flats
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Lots of my students have both graduate level studies and a defended thesis—and don’t understand a darned thing!
After college (bachelor's in music) I never went for more degrees but took classes for the sake of learning, not just in music but in many fields, even becoming somewhat proficient in a few. But the one penultimate lesson I learned was:
SIMPLE KNOWING IS NOT UNDERSTANDING BUT THE PATHWAY TO IT. ONE CANNNOT ATTAIN WISDOM WITHOUT DEEP UNDERSTANDING. MASTERY BEGINS TO OCCUR WHEN WISDOM INTERSECTS WITH EXPERIENCE. BUT LEVELS OF MASTERY ARE DEPENDENT UPON THE EXPERIENCE, DEPTH OF UNDERSTANDING AND HOW TO APPLY THE WISDOM IT PRODUCES.
Disembarking from monastery now :0.
