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P Bass Seems Overly Bright

#61
I'll add my .02

I am a long time p bass player w/flats.

I have 3 P Basses with different configurations of electronics and pickups.

Before you do anything major, put some sort of good flatwound strings on, you will not believe the difference in tone.

I have Chromes, Fenders, and Sadowskys, all have that old school thump and are not "zingy' bright like a new set of round wounds are.

Chromes are a bit brighter at first, but mellow out into a nice round tone.

The new fender flats are actually made by D'Addarrio and have a similar sound to chromes (hmmm....).

Sads are made by La Bella to Roger's specs and are a great tone, very big and full.

Do flats first and see what you think before modding the electronics.

BTW, I had one of those S1 P Basses and the switch does not color the sound in series.

Cheers!!
 
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#62
"Any particular brand of hand lotion for that old-timey sound? JK"

Bacon Grease

Plus for flats I have used most that have been mentioned. Liked the GHS and Chromes.
Right now I have heavy Labella DTB 50-109 on mine. A bit darker in tone, but HUGE in fundamental. Nice to have a G that doesn't sound thin compared to the rest of the set.
Don't let the gauge scare you. Be a man...just yank harder!
 
#68
wayfarer55 said:
I am using a Carvin MB15. That's a 200 watt combo with a 15" speaker & tweeter. I run the unit with the tweeter set on dim. EQ set with accent on lows. I've used this amp for a while and can get a nice low end with my J bass.
Click to expand...

I just wondered if you were using a small practice amp with an 8" or single 10" speaker. The Carvin MB15 should be good for low end.
 
#72
wayfarer55 said:
Hi, new to TalkBass here.
I have a 2005 Fender American Standard P bass that I recently bought. It looks and plays great but the pickup seems overly bright. Were these pickups brighter than usual in this era?
I have fiddled with the amp settings and tone control on the bass, but it still lacks the fat P bass sound that I'm seeking.
This bass has the S-1 switch but I leave it in the up (series) position all the time.
Any advice or suggestions are appreciated!
Click to expand...
 
#73
Use your fingers instead of a pick, Put foam sponge under the string at the bridge, pluck the strings over the or at the end of the fretboard. If you still need more bass go to flats. Depending on brand of flats, some are not to be strung through the body. I'venoticed very little difference through vs top load Using the setup mentioned in this email.

wayfarer55 said:
Hi, new to TalkBass here.
I have a 2005 Fender American Standard P bass that I recently bought. It looks and plays great but the pickup seems overly bright. Were these pickups brighter than usual in this era?
I have fiddled with the amp settings and tone control on the bass, but it still lacks the fat P bass sound that I'm seeking.
This bass has the S-1 switch but I leave it in the up (series) position all the time.
Any advice or suggestions are appreciated!
Click to expand...
 
#74
I agree on starting with the strings first. I picked up a new Amer. Std. P in December and it came with stock round wounds that were much too zingy and bright for my taste. I put on some La Bella DTB flats and it sounds the way a P is supposed to sound now. Try the flats first - they will make a huge difference in your tone.
 
#75
Maybe you've got a very trebly P-bass and that's that. It might sound brilliant live for certain gigs.

How about buying another Precision with alder/rosewood and focus on a warm sound when you purchase.

Davo : )
 
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