P-bass tone in a modern body shape

[antfarm]

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[PennyroyalWe]

In no version of reality would I call a p bass body large (have you seen a T-40 or a grabber?), but try out a Peavey fury, it's slightly smaller than a p body and cheap too!

 

[groovaholic]

Wow, this is excellent to hear!

Do you see any neck dive?

And between Dinky P and G4, are there any pros and cons?

Another recommendation: if you're going with a lightweight body, get a neck with a 2+2 headstock.

My lightest bass is a P-Bass copy around 7.5lbs.
Even with HipShot UltraLites it was a tad bit neck heavy.

I remedied that by hacking-off the end of the headstock and moving the G-tuner to the treble side (a la MusicMan) and that fixed the balance.
But 2+2 would have been even better.

 

[sunbeast]

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.

Maybe track down an Ibanez SR2000? SR2000
A potential issue I could imagine is that if the P pickup wasn't up to snuff that it looks like a tighter string-spacing at the bridge so traditional P pickup polepieces probably wouldn't align well if you swapped pickups.

Edit- I see you also take potential issue with the reversed coils (in my experience this is a plus for string balance purposes, but if you like that signature twangier D and G string sound from a P then you'd be outta luck). A lot of the modern takes on a P have the reversed pickup because it offers a more balanced tone than the traditional arrangement.

There were a lot of alternative body shapes with P pickups in the 80s and early 90s too, including some Japanese Fenders, though they often had reversed pickups too and sometimes very loud colors and/or sharp headstocks!

The G&L SB-2 is definitely has a slightly smaller body and different shape than a Fender P

 

[Isaac_James]

Yamaha's BBPs are about as "high end" as it gets.

Yep, the BB line runs the gamut from entry level to handcrafted. There are also older models that have a reverse P configuration, if you're into that, but the current generation are "standard" PJ style

 

[GrooveCaptain]

If you go with a warmoth body, get it in basswood... It's extremely light. I'm in the process of building an explorer bass, and with all the hardware and everything I'm under 7 pounds total.

 

[TyBo]

If you go with a warmoth body, get it in basswood... It's extremely light. I'm in the process of building an explorer bass, and with all the hardware and everything I'm under 7 pounds total.

Yes, very light wood. I've used Paulownia, or "Empress" wood bodies (6 1/2 lbs Jazz bass). Got those already finished (from Guitar Fetish, super-cheap), I could imagine that being a big pore chore if unfinished. With these light woods , attachment of screws can be less secure, so screw 'em in once, and leave them there. But they ARE light, mine play beautifully!

 

[nellie48]

What about the new Dingwall SP1?

View attachment 7244698

I came here to say this.

 

[Heiwa]

 

[VeryTallBassist]

This gets that P bass tone despite the reverse P pickup.

Any of these will also get a great P bass tone with an EMG 40P5 or 40P5X at the neck location:

 

[Schpeaker]

Smaller no, but lighter yes.
G&L LB-100 with empress body
6.75lbs.View attachment 7244697
Edit: actually… if you look it up, you'll find that one of the horns is smaller like a Jazz bass. So it actually is a smaller and lighter Pbass just as you requested.

Oh man. If only G&L didn't have that ugly headstock. That's a complete Nope for me. I don't care how good the bass is. I can't with that headstock.

 

[sunbeast]

Oh man. If only G&L didn't have that ugly headstock. That's a complete Nope for me. I don't care how good the bass is. I can't with that headstock.

You could find a vintage one (before Fender threatened litigation) or just cut that extra horn off!
https://reverb.com/item/89728779-g-...are&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=89728779

 

[lowfreqgeek]

I don't know when a P-bass became huge. That's a new one.

 

[-Stingray]

Spector.......but only if you want to be disemboweled the first time you hit an open E.

Honestly, they are great basses. Bonus: mine is only 7.2 pounds. No neck dive. 100% tone monster.

 

[brianrost]

Go look for some used basses from the 1980s. I found all of these on Reverb.

Kramer

Cort

B.C. Rich

Yamaha

Washburn

S.D. Curlee

Hondo

 

[wompwomp]

fender aerodyne p will be smaller and lighter than the standard it's sort of a chamfered body

 

[Bob_Ross]

Rob Allen Solid 4

 

[g-dude]

There are a few Alembic models that come with PJ pickups.

Do it.

 

[Root 5]

Yamaha's BBPs are about as "high end" as it gets.

To me this video really drives home the adage to play what you like the looks and feel of. All of these instruments sound (though some subtle differences..)equally good.

 

[Heiwa]

warwick rockbass streamer lx

Jackson Spectra JS2