P-Bass Opinions

[9mmMike]

I was on a pee quest last year. The problem with Fender is there is no consitency in neck shape and profile through out the years on any of their pee bass models. Body woods can vary too. So IMO; for the money, the Fender Nate Mendel signature pee bass is a prett good bargain. Not to mention consistent build quality on the model. I personally like the neck profile and nut width on this particular model. The only caveat on the Mendel pee is the pup. I'm not a big fan of the spb3 quarter pounder Fender installs. Install an emg gzr and you'll have yourself a very nice 70's reissue pee for pennies on the dollar. It's the best bargain out there IMO.

I agree 100%. The Nate Mendel is a very nice model with an ash body and terrific neck. I changed the pickups in mine to Aguilars as I do not like the 1/4 lbers. Mine also wears TI Flats. It has the sound you are looking for. Shop for a used one. Pull the Duncans and the bridge and sell them to get closer to your budget.

Another option is to build one. You could start with an MJT body and get any wood/color you want and then add a neck, pickups and hardware to your liking.

 

[Hopkins]

As far as I am concerned a P bass is a P bass, and individual basses from the same line can have subtle differences that make one great and one not so great to the individual player, which can be total opposite to someone else. Play a bunch of different ones that please you aesthetically and find one that you like. Brand or model is irrelevant

 

[9mmMike]

Considering your budget, I'd look for one of these two on the used market. Classic '50s (MIM) or an American Special.

Both have killer P-Bass tone. My Classic '50s was my "go-to" for years, even though I have/had other great, more expensive basses. Just a great value. As mentioned though, these have the wide nut width (1.75").

..............

That pic of your Classic '50s always makes me smile. Love that bass.

 

[highboltage55]

I love my Roger Waters sig! Replaced the stock " SPB-3 Duncan Quarter Pound" pickup with an EMG Geezer because I have two other basses with the Duncan, it's awesome for a Vintage style pickup ( Duncan is "high gain", more " modern " voiced).

It's all subjective but I love the neck, which is a "thick, chunky, baseball bat style" neck which is pretty much the polar opposite of a Jazz bass neck.

The " Classic 50's " MIM P Bass has a similar build to the Waters, without the "Signature" style incorporation. They are higher end Mexican basses and shouldn't be confused with the "Standard" series.

 

[Icculus]

So many options. Find one you like as is, and you can always upgrade the pickup. In my experience, the most important way to get the P sound you're after (aside from the basic P bass), is finding the strings that make it do you what you want it to.

 

[turcmic]

I had the same dilemma years ago...

After reviewing all the relevant comments here, I found a used MIM P with SD pups with a rosewood neck. I later bought a MIJ P maple neck... because I love maple necks.

I wanted the big chunky neck to make sure that I would feel the difference between a P and a J, and that I would play it as it is, and not as if I was playing the same way I would do on my J (Sadowsky BTW).

IMHO, find a used one and experiment!

And do not forget the tort guard. No tort, no mojo.

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

It's honestly all about the pickup you put in. A P-bass is a P-bass is a P-bass.

 

[crucislancer]

I certainly know it's all subjective and a matter of opinion so I will take in all your responses and weigh them out. Two fold question here but,

A) what do you Precision Bass guys think the best sounding Precision Bass was either old or new and

B) If you were going to recommend a solid well built P-Bass to someone whose played Jazz Basses all their life who wants to change up their sound and is on somewhat of a budget, which new or used should I be looking for that will deliver strong sustain and awesome traditional P sound?

Thanks!

Answering “A” is always going to be a subjective thing, but “B” is one I can answer as I was exclusively a Jazz bass guy for 15 years before getting a couple of Precisions, though both are not standard models:

Nate Mendel Precision – This is a fantastic bass, and I think one that can be found for a good price ($500-600) in the used market. They are $900 new. Ash body, rosewood board, narrower nut width, it sits comfortably between a Jazz and a Precision in that regard. This bass comes with a high mass bridge (either Badass II or the Fender version depending on the model year you get) and a SPB-3 pickup, which has a love/hate thing going with folks on TB. I love it personally, as it fits much of the music I play. Mine is a bit heavy at 10 lbs, but it plays like a dream, low action and a very comfy neck.

Limited Edition Deluxe PJ bass – This is the one that Fender makes for Guitar Center/Musician’s Friend exclusively, so you can only get it at one of those places unless you find one on the used market. The neck is a Jazz neck, specifically a maple one with black block inlays. It’s just about identical to the Geddy Lee Jazz neck except that the truss rod adjustment is at the headstock end. Precision body with a P pickup in the usual spot and a noiseless J pickup at the bridge position, and a Fender high mass bridge. VVT controls. Really the best of both worlds. Mine is the sunburst version but there’s a seafoam green one as well. Mine is also one of the lightest basses I have. Super fast neck, low action, and the tone is amazing.

 

[MixBass]

MIJ Fenders are generally great bang for the buck.

 

[Val Tremola]

Both Lakland and Mike Lull make consistently fine P basses. Not cheap though. Can be found w J width necks.

 

[stringthrough]

Within every make, model, year, etc. there will be lemons and plums. So there are no "universal" answers that will guarantee you a good representative instance.

That said, and staying with Fender production models, many MIA P's and a fair number of MIM P's are very good instruments. I personally have had very good luck with the MIM Roadworn series.

No matter which way you end up going, just make sure it includes a tort guard.

 

[pbass2]

Yeah, lots of variables between all the different P's out there---certainly no one "best" sounding.
The pickup is such a huge part of the equation though, that I'll say that for me, the "best" sounding P pickup is the stock wound Lindy Fralin. It's on the traditional side sonically, clear as a bell, just the right amount of lows, really workable output when using with effects and outboard gear--really nails "what a P should be" to my ears. YMMV of course!

 

[Tom Henry]

This always goes the same way.

You need to find yourself a used USA p-bass.

Scenario 1: You buy a squier pbass, but you wonder if you don't have a "real" Fender. You get a MIM fender, and then wonder if it would be better if you had a MIM or MIJ fender. With your new MIM or MIJ fender, you wonder if you are missing something not having a USA fender. You eventually get a USA fender. At Each stage of this scenario you ask for talkbass opinions and this does nothing to satisfy your curiosity, and only makes you more curious.

Scenario 1a: You are satisfied with the USA fender. Talkbass was leaning slightly to "fender is the best" that day. (now you start to question pick ups, strings, amps, pedals etc...)
Scenario 1b: Talkbass was leaning slightly to "fender is not the best" that day, so you search for a G&L, Lull, Nash, or some other P bass clone that is more expensive than your USA fender.

Either way, you've spent a ton of time and money instead of starting from a USA fender.

Scenario 2: You don't get a fender. You get a G&L tribute, a Lull, or any of the other pbass clones from every company out there. You always wonder if you should get a "real" fender pbass. You probably end up getting one a few years later and either tell talkbass that you wasted time with the other bass, or that fender isn't all that. Talkbass responds with 50% love or hate for your decision.

The only people who care what the headstock of your bass says is other musicians. With that said, i have about 3 US made fender precisions. I've seen guys with squiers that sound great, and guys with super fancy US made instruments sound bad.

Good luck!

 

[sikamikanico]

In case it hasn't been said in the 5 pages I didn't read: Lakland Glaub, if you can afford one. Skyline (used) is in the $700 range. Great necks that I figure a jazz player can adjust too. For less $$, I really dig Yamaha BB series, also nice necks and usually not the 1.75" width.

Sound wise, great strings and technique will get you far on a P. If not, aftermarket PUPs are plenty and some classic designs are very affordable (even $50 and less used). Now there's plenty of boutique P pup makers, but to me "boutique P" is almost an oxymoron.

And no, I don't think old basses have anything special, except worn necks - I don't like thick neck finishes, so all old Fenders felt nice in my hands. The sound was totally dominated by other factors (strings and setup).

 

[DwaynieAD]

I bought a squier affinity, bone stock it sounded great and I auditioned with and got gigs with it.

Recently put dr legends flats on it and put a Seymour Duncan spb1 pickup and it sounds amazing.

 

[bigtone23]

As far as I am concerned a P bass is a P bass, and individual basses from the same line can have subtle differences that make one great and one not so great to the individual player, which can be total opposite to someone else. Play a bunch of different ones that please you aesthetically and find one that you like. Brand or model is irrelevant

So many options. Find one you like as is, and you can always upgrade the pickup. In my experience, the most important way to get the P sound you're after (aside from the basic P bass), is finding the strings that make it do you what you want it to.

This.

I have owned several Ps (active, passive, flats, rounds, vintage output, hot output, ash, alder, other...) and they all are distinctly in the P wheelhouse. I have a mid-50s inspired parts P (I call it Partscision) that has had everything important swapped out and combined in most every configuration over the course of 3 years--originally an ash body, now agathis, originally a slimmer J profile maple neck, now a thicker 50s P maple, it had a 12K cheapo Squier ceramic pickup, an EMG P and now a 2004 US Fender P pickup. Originally the vintage style bent steel bridge, now a Schaller 3D4 high mass. Nickel rounds, SS rounds, now Chromes. In all of those incarnations, it still sounded like a P in the mix. Flats with an EMG could sound vintage, yet nickel rounds on the cheapo pickup sounded modern and bright with a pick, roll the tone down and finger pluck near the neck and it's dubby old school.

It all comes down to finding the body/neck combo that you like for feel and aesthetics and put the pickup and strings that get the sound you are after. A large tone cap can get a deep roll off and the way you play the bass has a huge effect on the final tone.

USA Fender is, and always will be, the benchmark for Ps. I always tout the awesomeness of the early to mid 80s Ibanez Roadstars and Blazers as a much more affordable option for the same quality. My RB630 is as good as any P and they are out there for well under $400, many around $250. My Partscision mentioned above is built on a Squier Dirnt body/pickguard/control plate with a CV '51 neck with the stock tuners. It's as good as any P I have played and it's total investment is still under $225.

 

[Antisyzygy]

Yeah actually that Squire VM 60's I played today almost has too wide of a neck but it played and sounded so awesome. If I put a jazz neck on it would it lose it's "P" sound at all? OR..what has a thinner neck you'd recommend?

I just remembered there is the Mike Dirnt signature that should have a slightly narrower neck. I think it's 1.59" instead of the usual 1.650" or the wider 1.75".

2004-2005 Fender Mike Dirnt Precision Bass 4 String Electric Bass Guitar !L@@K! | eBay

 

[Antisyzygy]

This always goes the same way.

You need to find yourself a used USA p-bass.

Scenario 1: You buy a squier pbass, but you wonder if you don't have a "real" Fender. You get a MIM fender, and then wonder if it would be better if you had a MIM or MIJ fender. With your new MIM or MIJ fender, you wonder if you are missing something not having a USA fender. You eventually get a USA fender. At Each stage of this scenario you ask for talkbass opinions and this does nothing to satisfy your curiosity, and only makes you more curious.

Scenario 1a: You are satisfied with the USA fender. Talkbass was leaning slightly to "fender is the best" that day. (now you start to question pick ups, strings, amps, pedals etc...)
Scenario 1b: Talkbass was leaning slightly to "fender is not the best" that day, so you search for a G&L, Lull, Nash, or some other P bass clone that is more expensive than your USA fender.

Either way, you've spent a ton of time and money instead of starting from a USA fender.

Scenario 2: You don't get a fender. You get a G&L tribute, a Lull, or any of the other pbass clones from every company out there. You always wonder if you should get a "real" fender pbass. You probably end up getting one a few years later and either tell talkbass that you wasted time with the other bass, or that fender isn't all that. Talkbass responds with 50% love or hate for your decision.

The only people who care what the headstock of your bass says is other musicians. With that said, i have about 3 US made fender precisions. I've seen guys with squiers that sound great, and guys with super fancy US made instruments sound bad.

Good luck!

I use a G&L SB-1 as my P and I will never sell it but you're right. I'm looking at buying a Fender P. However I know I'll be happy with the Classic Series.

I was happy with a Classic Series RW 50s P before I sold it to try out a G&L LB100. The LB100 would have been a good bass to have instead of my SB-1, but it was so similar that I found it was redundant. Now I am looking back at that RW 50s P bass and thinking "Hey, I should have kept it".

My old RW had a EMG Geezer in it though. It had a distinctly different mid-bark tone than the LB100 or SB-1. The neck also allowed me to string it up as a BEAD bass comfortably. It just gave me something I didn't already have.

Having two Ps with slightly different sounds is appealing to me though. In the past I had a P with a Quarter Pounder and then a regular P. The SB-1 is now my bright P, I'm just missing the warmer version. I traded my LB100 off since it didn't do anything more for me.

If I had to only have one P though instead of my SB-1 and a secondary, I think it'd be a LB100.

 

[ofajen]

If you end up with a bass you can stand to modify, you might be interested in my thread on adding a Q-filter midrange cut to my SX P-bass:

If P, then Q!

I find the Q-filter to be very musically useful, as it allows you to adjust the meat of the tone by passively cutting midrange anywhere from none at all to a little bit to enough to change to a very deep-sounding tone without the usual strong midrange and all the way to far too much, where even the low E has become "midrange" and is being cut.

Otto

 

[Jeff K]

I didn't have the funds when these were around, and I kick myself for not getting one. The anodized pickguard looks amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Did you have to modify the mounting holes for that pickguard?

Y'know, that's a good question and I don't know the answer. A tech I know swapped it out for me. I didn't ask, and he never mentioned anything about it. There are fewer holes in the anodized gold pickguard, but I'm not sure if they line up with the existing holes.