Love the Jazz for cutting through the mix and being able to change tones with the turn of a knob, but there's something about the fat tone of a P that one cannot deny.
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P Bass what am I missing
- Thread starter bachplay6
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- precision bass
Love the Jazz for cutting through the mix and being able to change tones with the turn of a knob, but there's something about the fat tone of a P that one cannot deny.
You can always buy a PJ...Fender currently makes passive and active versions, two for below $1,000.
Or maybe you should simply try out one of these. I did, and I knew I couldn't walk out of the store without it.
For years I've heard the Fender and Music Man people singing the praises of the P bass and the Stingray and they definitely know what they're talking about, but for years I've also heard this: "Leo got it right the third time!" and now I know exactly what they mean.
You simply can't go wrong with the L-2000, it's one of the most versatile basses made.
Anyone who says you can't get a great professional bass for under $1,000 very simply doesn't know what it's all about.
After owning probably more than my share of Precisions, I have accepted that I can never get *that* sound I hear other players produce so effortlessly. It's not the bass--it's me.
Doner Designs
Steve Doner
- Jun 2, 2012
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It has a wide aperture split single coil pickup. Nothing else sounds quite like it. The closest thing to it would be something like a Nordstrand Big Split pickup in that same position. I believe the offset of the two halves helps retain more of that single coil tone than you get with a perfectly inline split (like a lot of noiseless J pickups).
So essentially it's a fat single coil tone and you don't get any of that mid scoop that occurs whenever you use more than one pickup at the same time (like a J bass with both pickups on full).
So essentially it's a fat single coil tone and you don't get any of that mid scoop that occurs whenever you use more than one pickup at the same time (like a J bass with both pickups on full).
Just last night I was playing a blues trio gig on my Jazz. Throughout the first set I wrestled with my tone, adjusting the EQ on the amp, trying the tone knob at different spots, rolling off the bridge pickup. For the 2nd set I broke out the P. The band filled right out. Great tone. No messing with the amp. So often the P is just the right tool.
Michael League and Pino Palladino seem to do just fine with their Pbasses in the jazz and fusion context.
When I started to play bass in the mid 80s I really didn't know anything about tone, I was more worried about how the instrument played and at the time (I was about 15 years old) my hands were still very undeveloped. Result was that any P bass was virtually unplayable at the time with the massive neck and fretboard. Since then I've owned a few Squier and other branded P's and still found them to be too unwieldy to play. When I finally managed to get my hands on a MiM Jazz I never turned back.
That said I do know the historical role Precisions have made in recording and live performances and can appreciate the sound for what it is.
That said I do know the historical role Precisions have made in recording and live performances and can appreciate the sound for what it is.
Pops Popswell with The Crusaders!
I have a Lakland 44-64 Custom - P body, J neck. The best of both worlds. You really don't have to have a wide fat neck on a P. I once put an MIM J neck I bought on Ebay on a SX P. There are many options if you like a slim neck.
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A P-bass is boring when fiddleling at home.
However, on stage it's the best. The best! Jerry, the best!
However, on stage it's the best. The best! Jerry, the best!
I agree with the posts that a P-Bass typically sits well in the mix, yet it's still audible.
Of the P-Basses I've owned, my favorite was an early 80's 1957 Reissue model. It had a lightweight alder body with a maple neck/fingerboard. It's neck was wide at the nut, but it was somewhat thin from front to back. I believe Fender called it a "C" Width neck, 1-3/4" across at the nut.
That neck really built up my fretting hand! In retrospect, if I were ever to build a P-Bass from parts, I might consider a "B" width neck, 1-5/8"
Tonewise, it was monstrous. I only used roundwounds on it, and it had a super aggressive tone. A Rock Bass tone to die for, there was nothing subtle about it; very much in-your-face. And I don't think flatwounds would've tamed it's tone very much, either.
I've always wondered what made it have such a bold sound. My guess is it's pickup had greater output, and I think it's lightweight, resonant alder body and wide maple neck/fingerboard also contributed.
Of the P-Basses I've owned, my favorite was an early 80's 1957 Reissue model. It had a lightweight alder body with a maple neck/fingerboard. It's neck was wide at the nut, but it was somewhat thin from front to back. I believe Fender called it a "C" Width neck, 1-3/4" across at the nut.
That neck really built up my fretting hand! In retrospect, if I were ever to build a P-Bass from parts, I might consider a "B" width neck, 1-5/8"
Tonewise, it was monstrous. I only used roundwounds on it, and it had a super aggressive tone. A Rock Bass tone to die for, there was nothing subtle about it; very much in-your-face. And I don't think flatwounds would've tamed it's tone very much, either.
I've always wondered what made it have such a bold sound. My guess is it's pickup had greater output, and I think it's lightweight, resonant alder body and wide maple neck/fingerboard also contributed.
Playability: nothing. The p neck is a little fatter and the jazz neck is a little more narrow at the nut.
Tone: the P has more pronounced low mids than a jazz, which is a little more scooped. A jazz bass is a touch more flexible and can sort if imitate a P if you use the neck pickup.
Beware the ramblings of P bass zealots. They are good basses in some circumstances but are far from perfect for everything.
Show me a (non extreme) genre where a P bass doesn't do the music justice. I think a Precision can do it all.
There are lots of comparisons on YouTube but this is the best I've found:
The Jazz sounds way prettier when soloed and, IMO, on the funkier piece, but check out how the p bass sits in the mix on the rockier 8th note piece. That's why they're so popular in recording studios.
It's a shame he didn't also solo the neck pickup on the Jazz to see how close/far it gets compared to the P.
The Jazz sounds way prettier when soloed and, IMO, on the funkier piece, but check out how the p bass sits in the mix on the rockier 8th note piece. That's why they're so popular in recording studios.
It's a shame he didn't also solo the neck pickup on the Jazz to see how close/far it gets compared to the P.
I don't know a ton about P bass history, but I have a 2015 American P, and the neck is super easy to play. I don't have large hands (but I do also play upright, so my left hand is pretty strong). I have seen elsewhere on TB that these days jazz and P necks are quite similar, but P bass necks used to be much bigger. My P neck is easier to play than my Stingray.
