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P-bass tone in a modern body shape

S

Schpeaker

Jun 4, 2023
70
148
#1
I love the P-bass tone, but I don't like its huge body shape (I dislike the Jazz bass shape even more, FWIW).

Is there a way to get that tone in a smaller, lighter, more modern looking body? P-bass tone means it *must* have a pickup in that magic spot. Split-coil is ideal, but I think some humbuckers may also work. But it must be in that perfect P-bass position.

I know there's a few cheap PJs made by Ibanez and Yamaha, but I'm looking for something higher-end. Wish Ibanez made a high-end P or PJ. Spectors have the split coils reversed, plus from what I can tell they sound very hi-fi and modern.

The Sire P10dx seems to fit the bill, but from what I hear QC is horrible, I'm not paying $1.2K for a bass with poor fretwork.

Warmoth Dinky P could work, but from what I've read Warmoth basses end up being quite HEAVY. I don't want anything over 8.5lbs, and ideally would like to be lower than that.

Anything else? Any custom builders? I've looked at Mike Lull and their P-basses sound *incredible* but the body shape is still traditional.
 
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#5
Schpeaker said:
Warmoth Dinky P could work, but from what I've read Warmoth basses end up being quite HEAVY. I don't want anything over 8.5lbs, and ideally would like to be lower than that.
Click to expand...
Warmoth basses are not necessarily heavy. If you buy a body made from heavy wood, or a neck with the steel rods, yes, you can make a heavy bass. But.....

Red front.jpg


It's a 5 string (with a nice wide neck. ) So, it starts at a big disadvantage, because you need a wide neck for a 5, you have a bigger bridge, you have one more tuner, you have a B string (which weighs almost as much as the other 4 strings in total).

But, if you get roasted swamp ash for the body, a roasted maple neck, aluminum Hipshot hardware....

You get (in this case) a 5 string that weighs 7.35 pounds. And it's not a fluke - I've made a bunch of Warmoth 5 string builds. Heaviest is 7.68 ponds, ilghtest is 7.26. I have made 4 strings as low as 6.6 pounds (yes, Full scale - that was a P bass with a G4 body shape)

You have to know what you are doing, but you can make very nice light weight basses with Warmoth wood.
 
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#7
Schpeaker said:
I love the P-bass tone, but I don't like its huge body shape (I dislike the Jazz bass shape even more, FWIW).

Is there a way to get that tone in a smaller, lighter, more modern looking body? P-bass tone means it *must* have a pickup in that magic spot. Split-coil is ideal, but I think some humbuckers may also work. But it must be in that perfect P-bass position.

I know there's a few cheap PJs made by Ibanez and Yamaha, but I'm looking for something higher-end. Wish Ibanez made a high-end P or PJ. Spectors have the split coils reversed, plus from what I can tell they sound very hi-fi and modern.

The Sire P10dx seems to fit the bill, but from what I hear QC is horrible, I'm not paying $1.2K for a bass with poor fretwork.

Warmoth Dinky P could work, but from what I've read Warmoth basses end up being quite HEAVY. I don't want anything over 8.5lbs, and ideally would like to be lower than that.

Anything else? Any custom builders? I've looked at Mike Lull and their P-basses sound *incredible* but the body shape is still traditional.
Click to expand...
You can get lighter stuff from Warmoth, for example a roasted swamp ash body will tend to be less heavy than the plain wood might be. They have other wood choices as well. And a look through their "in stock", already made, bodies will generally show weights for each one ... so look for a light one, perhaps. Also could contact them to inquire about getting a light one, I know this has been done.
I have no experience with Sire, but .my impression has been that they've had good quality. Idk about currently though.
 
#8
micguy said:
Warmoth basses are not necessarily heavy. If you buy a body made from heavy wood, or a neck with the steel rods, yes, you can make a heavy bass. But.....

View attachment 7244594

It's a 5 string (with a nice wide neck. ) So, it starts at a big disadvantage, because you need a wide neck for a 5, you have a bigger bridge, you have one more tuner, you have a B string (which weighs almost as much as the other 4 strings in total).

But, if you get roasted swamp ash for the body, a roasted maple neck, aluminum Hipshot hardware....

You get (in this case) a 5 string that weighs 7.35 pounds. And it's not a fluke - I've made a bunch of Warmoth 5 string builds. Heaviest is 7.68 ponds, ilghtest is 7.26. I have made 4 strings as low as 6.6 pounds (yes, Full scale - that was a P bass with a G4 body shape)

You have to know what you are doing, but you can make very nice light weight basses with Warmoth wood.
Click to expand...
Curious what those pickups are? 🤭
 
#9
TyBo said:
Curious what those pickups are? 🤭
Click to expand...
Le Compte crooked J's, with a special wind that I requested.

5 string pickups (to keep the same output level) often use the same number of turns as their 4 string version. But the additional pole pieces more iron in the coil) means more inductance, so they don't sound the same.

I had them (him, more accurately, - pretty sure he's a one man shop) do less turns so I'd get similar inductance, but in a 5 string pickup (sacrificing a bit of output for the sonic quality I wanted).
 
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#10
micguy said:
Warmoth basses are not necessarily heavy. If you buy a body made from heavy wood, or a neck with the steel rods, yes, you can make a heavy bass. But.....

View attachment 7244594

It's a 5 string (with a nice wide neck. ) So, it starts at a big disadvantage, because you need a wide neck for a 5, you have a bigger bridge, you have one more tuner, you have a B string (which weighs almost as much as the other 4 strings in total).

But, if you get roasted swamp ash for the body, a roasted maple neck, aluminum Hipshot hardware....

You get (in this case) a 5 string that weighs 7.35 pounds. And it's not a fluke - I've made a bunch of Warmoth 5 string builds. Heaviest is 7.68 ponds, ilghtest is 7.26. I have made 4 strings as low as 6.6 pounds (yes, Full scale - that was a P bass with a G4 body shape)

You have to know what you are doing, but you can make very nice light weight basses with Warmoth wood.
Click to expand...

Something with the pickup magnet alignment is really messing with my eyes, but wow is that wood gorgeous!!
 
#13
micguy said:
Warmoth basses are not necessarily heavy. If you buy a body made from heavy wood, or a neck with the steel rods, yes, you can make a heavy bass. But.....

View attachment 7244594

It's a 5 string (with a nice wide neck. ) So, it starts at a big disadvantage, because you need a wide neck for a 5, you have a bigger bridge, you have one more tuner, you have a B string (which weighs almost as much as the other 4 strings in total).

But, if you get roasted swamp ash for the body, a roasted maple neck, aluminum Hipshot hardware....

You get (in this case) a 5 string that weighs 7.35 pounds. And it's not a fluke - I've made a bunch of Warmoth 5 string builds. Heaviest is 7.68 ponds, ilghtest is 7.26. I have made 4 strings as low as 6.6 pounds (yes, Full scale - that was a P bass with a G4 body shape)

You have to know what you are doing, but you can make very nice light weight basses with Warmoth wood.
Click to expand...
Wow, this is excellent to hear!

Do you see any neck dive?

And between Dinky P and G4, are there any pros and cons?
 
#14
Schpeaker said:
Wow, this is excellent to hear!

Do you see any neck dive?

And between Dinky P and G4, are there any pros and cons?
Click to expand...
I never built a Dinky P - I have built G4's and G 5's. The only thing where a Dinky P might have an advantage is that the bottom is symmetrical - on an old style stand, it'll sit a bit more upright. But I use hanging stands, so I don't care.

I always use Hipshot Ultralites for tuners, and have never had a hint of neck dive - I can put on a bass, and jump up and down with my hands off the neck, and it'll stay put - no "grippy strap" needed.
 
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