So, I know there are a billion p v. j threads on this forum, hopefully, this one will at least be a bit different. I played two long sets at my church on Sunday with very different basses. During the first set, I played my Squire P-Bass (modded with a Custom Shop P Bass pickup) and some TI Flats. I alternated betweeen playing with a pick for the uptempo driving songs, and fingers for ballads. In the evening, I played my American Jazz Deluxe. Again with a pick for uptempo songs, and fingers for slower stuff.
At my church, we play mainly contemporary Christian (Tomlin, Redman, Hillsong). When I talked to congregants, who are not by any means music aficianados by any means, after the first set with the Pbass, folks told me that they did not hear the bass, but they could tell it was in the music. I know it is not a volume issue, because we kept my settings the same for both sets. Others said that the bass sounded "bouncy" feel. Others noted that the bass sounded less defined. They weren't sure the bass sounded bad, just different than they are used to in this kind of setting.
When I played my evening set with the J bass, many of the same folks claimed that they heard the music differently, and that the notes on the bass were easier to hear, and sounded more like what they hear on the radio with the Contemporary Christian music. They could tell a difference, but were not sure what the difference was. They weren't sure it made a difference in the end, or that they thought about it during the set, but after the fact they thought of the differences.
At first, I thought all of the p and j threads were an exercise in navel gazing, and that the differences were audible only to bass aficianados such as the people who are members of this board. But, after this experience, I am wondering if I need to revist my prior conclusion. A passive, flat wound strund bass with a split coil should sound different than a bass with a 18 V powered preamp and two single coils, I just didn't think anyone else would care.
What are people's experiences? Does the audience hear/appreciate the difference? Have you gotten feedback from the audience indicating that they could tell the difference?
At my church, we play mainly contemporary Christian (Tomlin, Redman, Hillsong). When I talked to congregants, who are not by any means music aficianados by any means, after the first set with the Pbass, folks told me that they did not hear the bass, but they could tell it was in the music. I know it is not a volume issue, because we kept my settings the same for both sets. Others said that the bass sounded "bouncy" feel. Others noted that the bass sounded less defined. They weren't sure the bass sounded bad, just different than they are used to in this kind of setting.
When I played my evening set with the J bass, many of the same folks claimed that they heard the music differently, and that the notes on the bass were easier to hear, and sounded more like what they hear on the radio with the Contemporary Christian music. They could tell a difference, but were not sure what the difference was. They weren't sure it made a difference in the end, or that they thought about it during the set, but after the fact they thought of the differences.
At first, I thought all of the p and j threads were an exercise in navel gazing, and that the differences were audible only to bass aficianados such as the people who are members of this board. But, after this experience, I am wondering if I need to revist my prior conclusion. A passive, flat wound strund bass with a split coil should sound different than a bass with a 18 V powered preamp and two single coils, I just didn't think anyone else would care.
What are people's experiences? Does the audience hear/appreciate the difference? Have you gotten feedback from the audience indicating that they could tell the difference?
