Hi everyone I love reggae and was wondering is the P-Bass great for reggae I love many artists such as Dennis Brown, Bob Marley, Alton Ellis and many more i always see Jazz Basses get more praise for it but not P-Bass to me it shouldn't matter what Bass it is any music is good for any Basses so i was wondering would a P-Bass cover any Reggae music or not?
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P-Bass great for Reggae?
- Thread starter Kevin1234451
- Start date
Sure thing just roll the tone knob all they down & boom done
A P should work wonderfully with reggae. Adding more subs is just a matter of EQ; if needed. I'd subjectively prefer flat wound strings for that application.
Many famous reggae bass players played or still play jazz basses, but p basses were and are played too, for example by
Clinton Fearon (The Gladiators)
Earl "Bagga" Walker
Richie Daley (Third World)
Kamardo Blake (Earthkry)
Keith Francis (Chalice)
Fwiw, I mainly play roots reggae and mostly use a p style bass. Sounds very good and heavy to me. I think the mids make it sound a bit fatter than a j. Ymmv.
It is when I play mine.
Any bass is fine. Obviously you need the sound, but it's the feel that will make you a good player or not.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Play the bass you want (for any music) - simple as that.
As others have stated play whatever bass you like. With the tone rolled back works fine. I guess P bass would be regarded as industry standard for reggae
It depends on the tone you're going for. They can work very well, but so can a J bass or something super modern.
If I was doing reggae I'd want something super clear and deep. Dingwall or Modulus would be my choice for that, along with some great cabs and a head with a lot of wattage.
If I was doing reggae I'd want something super clear and deep. Dingwall or Modulus would be my choice for that, along with some great cabs and a head with a lot of wattage.
Exactly this. P-Basses are SUPERB reggae machines.
D
Yes but the choice of strings is very important (as it would be on a J-bass too).
I think you can have a great Reggae tone with any bass.
I recall a video of a session when Robbie Shakespear was playing a PRS bass.
In the early days, didn't he use a Steinberger L2?
Proof that the bass doesn't matter.
In the early days, didn't he use a Steinberger L2?
Proof that the bass doesn't matter.
P Bass is absolutely good for reggae. Huge low end and low mids. Experiment with where on the string you pluck! A lot of reggae players play near the fretboard. With the fatness of the P, you can play all around.
I did 3 years in a semi pro reggae band. 5 gigs a month type stuff. Auditioned a bunch of basses and the P did the best. It just takes up so much low end room which is exactly what you want in reggae. Jazz types and Stingray types got lost in the mix more easily. Doable, but the P was just so easy.
Some folks will suggest flatwound strings. Don't need them. They were used a lot in classic reggae, but tons of modern reggae bassists are using rounds and tapes. Use any string you like, just roll off the tone knob or adjust the Highs down on your amp and find that sweet plucking spot.
Some highs are nice to help you cut through, depending on your band mix.
If you understand the Physics of how Pickups work, at low and low mid frequencies, magnetic pickups are flat - there is no "tone" of a pickup until you get up into the middle mids. The position of a pickup does play a big part in how much low end there is - closer to the neck, more low end.
Put that together with the preference for reggae bass parts being pretty much all low end with a tiny bit of low mids, and the formula is simple - any bass with a neck pickup and the tone rolled completely off will work fine for reggae.
And you can rip the tweeter out of your cab if it has one - no need at all for that silly thing.
Put that together with the preference for reggae bass parts being pretty much all low end with a tiny bit of low mids, and the formula is simple - any bass with a neck pickup and the tone rolled completely off will work fine for reggae.
And you can rip the tweeter out of your cab if it has one - no need at all for that silly thing.
P is fine but the Jazz neck pickup has deeper low end extension.
- Jul 7, 2010
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Just about any bass will work.
It's EQ, hand positioning and technique really.
It's EQ, hand positioning and technique really.
I always preferred a Hofner violin bass for dub sessions. They have a massive, deep sound that is perfect for reggae styles.
