P Bass and the Grammys

[GreenWithEnvy]

That's just crazy talk fellows!

But just in case, can you recommend any makes and models that lets me dial in a really authentic P-bass tone?

 

[Mastermold]

That's just crazy talk fellows!

But just in case, can you recommend any makes and models that lets me dial in a really authentic P-bass tone?

CS Fender P-bass with flats (TI or La Bella) and a little chicken grease for good measure.

 

[JazznFunk]

Quite a few P/J models can get very close with proper pickup placement and EQ tweaks, but only a Precision will truly get that tone. Such a Catch-22, eh? For me, my Squier CV 60's Precision with flats nails it. Every other bass's 'Precision' sound I take on a case-by-case basis. I don't pretend to cop a true P sound on my other basses, but you can get close enough for the mix in most cases.

That's just crazy talk fellows!

But just in case, can you recommend any makes and models that lets me dial in a really authentic P-bass tone?

 

[GreenWithEnvy]

CS Fender P-bass with flats (TI or La Bella) and a little chicken grease for good measure.

Use a Fender P to get a Fender P sound? You're not going to last long on this forum, friend, hate to tell you.

 

[Eublet]

So are we really saying that even at that level (Grammy's/other big productions), some live sound engineers don't want to take the time to properly EQ/mix a bass other than a Precision? I've shown up to venues months apart with the same band and the same house sound engineer... in some cases they have their presets (including house/monitor mix levels) from the last time we played there, stored in the computer. Even with a different bass, it's a 2-second level check and slight EQ fix. I find it hard to believe sound engineers couldn't/wouldn't take the time to EQ anything 'other' than a P-Bass at this level. But ya know, it's only we bassists griping about it for sure. The fact that it's live TV changes the game a bit too, but there sure seemed to be a lot of gremlins throughout the night with mics fritzing out, static in the mix, etc. It's a crapshoot.

You're going against the TB myth, which is that P-basses always sound good and are easy to mix. If you ever have any kind of issue with your tone or with a sound engineer, switching to P-bass is the answer. Don't question it, just do it. They always work. This is a given.

(Yes, I'm being sarcastic because I TOTALLY agree with your premise also. These types of P-bass gushing threads always irk me...and I love P-basses FWIW).

 

[mjcantor]

The two best tones I heard were Jamaero's P and Garry Tallent's signature short-scale Spector. On that note, that was the most present I've ever heard Garry in the mix in a Bruce performance.

 

[Mastermold]

No one's arguing the fact that Precisions sound good. I love a great P-Bass. The point of debate is whether or not there is pressure on some level to 'go with what works' in someone else's view, despite the fact one's Jazz/P-J/Lakland/Sadowsky/Fodera sounds great and could easily be slotted in the mix with little extra effort.

It's possible. But no way to know without asking the player why he selected the bass he did. I'm assuming they chose the bass they liked best, not what someone told them to use, because otherwise we would not have seen other basses being used (e.g., Ric, Epi JC, Jazz, etc.)

 

[MultiScaleMale]

It was the first on the scene, so it is *the* bass sound. That's why it's easy to get a great sound with a P - it *is* the sound.

 

[brad houser]

even with flats (Lakland) on my Pino sig P I've been able to most times get an amazing clear sound in mixes. clear and brown I call it. if people are getting mud out of their P basses I would suggest:
different brand/ type of string ( some strings just flat-out don't agree with some basses )
cleaner technique.
better muting.
amp eq- roll back the bass and turn up the gain and master vol. takes some watts and headroom, but a neat trick.

P basses when coupled with a good setup and a great player sound amazing in a mix. it just seems to "sit" in a good place. some basses are too clear, always sticking out of a mix, others are too muddy/ boomy, and can't get 'up front'. a good P in good hands can do both. Especially with a savvy sound engineer.

 

[Mastermold]

Use a Fender P to get a Fender P sound? You're not going to last long on this forum, friend, hate to tell you.

Want to know what's worse? I also like Ampeg amps!

 

[GreenWithEnvy]

These types of P-bass gushing threads always irk me...and I love P-basses FWIW).

Have you actually read this thread? This is a P-bass gushing thread? Really. To me, the TB community seems SHOCKED that professional musicians would use the lowly P-bass when they could use any bass available.

 

[Phil Smith]

Have you actually read this thread? This is a P-bass gushing thread? Really. To me, the TB community seems SHOCKED that professional musicians would use the lowly P-bass when they could use any bass available.

I think the community is pointing out an oddity and trying to figure it out, though it could just be purely chance but I think there are myths about P-Basses, sound men, and mixes that are being floated as fact.

 

[Eublet]

Have you actually read this thread? This is a P-bass gushing thread? Really. To me, the TB community seems SHOCKED that professional musicians would use the lowly P-bass when they could use any bass available.

Yeah, for some, while others are going on and on about how they just always work. I've just seen a lot of the latter over the years around here. I'm a bit jaded over hearing the "Pbass with Flats" as the solution for so many problems. It would have been just as easy to get a great tone from any number of basses for any of those spots. Sure it might have sounded different, and that means folks might have liked it more or less. Either way, it shouldn't be surprising when folks choose a P bass and get a great tone. But it also shouldn't be required that this is necessary to sound great in a mix. I'm just being sarcastic. As I said, I love P basses.

 

[GreenWithEnvy]

I'm assuming they chose the bass they liked best, not what someone told them to use, because otherwise we would not have seen other basses being used (e.g., Ric, Epi JC, Jazz, etc.)

Cue X-files theme.

Scully, stop the tape. Back it up.

What is it Mulder, what do you see?

See behind those 12 guitar players there. Blow that up.

Oh my God, Mulder. It's a Stratobass!

 

[GreenWithEnvy]

Yes, played by the liver eater.

 

[rydin4lifebass]

Meanwhile, the Mary K forums are buzzing with which shade of lipstick the performers wore last night and which shade of black is better for metal vocalists.

But seriously, I can't get into the feel of a Fender or Squier P bass but I love the sound and the classic look to them. I own a different brand P bass and like the feel much better..still has that classic vibe and sound to it. I'm hoping for some Ibanez SR love...maybe next year's Grammys ?

 

[JAUQO III-X]

I'm always trying to read more into your posts than is there because sometimes you drop hints. So this one was, He was faking!!!!

I've watched too many X-Files episodes....

No, I really thought his P bass sounded killer.

X-Files??? JAUQO III-X is a Jedi Master.

 

[One Drop]

even with flats (Lakland) on my Pino sig P I've been able to most times get an amazing clear sound in mixes. clear and brown I call it. if people are getting mud out of their P basses I would suggest:
different brand/ type of string ( some strings just flat-out don't agree with some basses )
cleaner technique.
better muting.
amp eq- roll back the bass and turn up the gain and master vol. takes some watts and headroom, but a neat trick.

P basses when coupled with a good setup and a great player sound amazing in a mix. it just seems to "sit" in a good place. some basses are too clear, always sticking out of a mix, others are too muddy/ boomy, and can't get 'up front'. a good P in good hands can do both. Especially with a savvy sound engineer.

Yeah, but what do you know about basses?

Very good point about cutting the bass and turning up. I've never had problems with mud but I've always had powerful rigs and I've never boosted the lows. In addition, I high pass everything above 80-100hz depending on the room and PA when I'm playing through one.Amazing how fat a P is in a mix if you don't mess with it's basic tone, and play cleanly. Also amazing how much tonal variety you can get just by dialing in more or less mids, without even mentioning RH position, etc.

 

[GreenWithEnvy]

Meanwhile, the Mary K forums are buzzing with which shade of lipstick the performers wore last night and which shade of black is better for metal vocalists.

Holy crap. That Mary K forum is more brutal than TB.

"What could be worst than showing up on the red carpet in the exact same dress as another star at Oscars? Showing up at the Grammys with the same bass guitar as every other band. Seems that every bass player wanted to stand out as being different and looked to designer Leo Fender for that classic, retro feel. But uh, oh, other people had the same idea. There were a lot of red faces. Even in the audience, Randy Jackson was heard to say "Damn dawg, another P?" Worse, the color choices were ghastly. The Foo Fighters' bassist is a winter and should have gone with a Mary K colored P with red tortoise pickguard. The bassist for the band Perry was a fashion disaster and would have done well going with seafoam and a mint green pickguard. Adele's bassist is a summer and made a major fashion faux pau by going with the Sunburst. He should have rocked it with lake placid blue and a white pickguard. But the number of Grammys Adele took home should ease the embarrassment. The lone fashion hero of the evening was Bruno Mar's bassist who really pulled off the fashion gamble when he rocked it with a lovely pastelish Fiesta Red, taking designer Leo's classic lines to it logical conclusion. Even Bob Mackie approached him with congratulations at the after party".

 

[StuartV]

Quite a few P/J models can get very close with proper pickup placement and EQ tweaks, but only a Precision will truly get that tone.

To quote myself from another thread:

"What gives a p-bass its sound?"

Define p-bass.

If you define it as a bass, made by Fender, that says "Precision" in its name, then I think it's pretty simple. Even if you limit it to Fender, and made in America.

By that definition, P basses have been made with ash and alder, so it's not one specific kind of wood. They've been made with maple and rosewood fretboards - slab and veneer. Necks that are quartersawn and necks that are, umm, whatever that other style is. Bridges that are a bent plate and bridges that are "high mass". They've been made active and passive. With and without a J pickup. With nitrocellulose lacquer and polyurethane. Nitrocellulose pickguards and plastic. 4 and 5 string.

The only things I can see that are common to all P basses are:

- Pickup type
- Pickup placement
- 34" scale
- bolt-on neck

Beyond that, when I hear somebody say "that doesn't sound like a P bass", I interpret it to mean that it just doesn't sound like some specific P bass that they have in mind. But, if it has those 4 characteristics above, it probably sounds EXACTLY like some other actual Fender Made in America P bass somewhere.

In other words, I disagree with the notion that "only a Precision will truly get that tone."

Also, see this thread,

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/p-vs-p-like-can-you-tell-difference-838140/

where more TB'ers thought my G&L SB-2 (a P/J, I point out) was the "real" Precision than my actual '66 P.