Tell that to Phil Chen, Paul Jackson, Billy Sheehan, and George Porter...among others...those guys have all used P-basses to tremendous effect in fusion and jazz situations.
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P Bass what am I missing
- Thread starter bachplay6
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Tell that to Phil Chen, Paul Jackson, Billy Sheehan, and George Porter...among others...those guys have all used P-basses to tremendous effect in fusion and jazz situations.
Yes it is. Tons of 70's fusion. Every listen to the Headhunters? I play jazz and I use one. There's a lot of guys using them honestly. I went from an active 6 string to a Precision for Jazz.
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Maybe this second part has a bit of "legend" in itself. But it's the best definition for a P.
I think that any bassist should have one, to play when needed (as any bassist should have a fretless ready, and maybe a fiver too...), and note that I'm definitely a J-guy,,,
okcrum
in your chest
I don't think that word means what you think it means.
There's nothing subjective about the signal that comes out of a P bass, or the fact that recording engineers love it. It EQs itself into the mix. That's the effect of that pickup mounted at that spot.
After playing mostly jazz basses for 30 years, I started playing precisions... and have not looked back. The tone, how it sits in the mix, how it sounds with effects and the different styles of music that I play, all just works for me.
Phil Chen used to play with Jeff beck in the mid seventies.
Paul Jackson used to play with Herbie hancock around the same time.Forty years ago.
George Porter doesn't play Fusion.
Billy Sheehan plays a Yammy now.
I know about Herbie Hancock's Headhunters.He was already mentioned.
Everyone keeps citing the same bass player and group from forty years ago.
One is not tons.
Most modern top level Fusion bassist don't play P-Basses
Anthony Jackson.Fodera.
Michael Manring.Zon.
Tom Kennedy.Fodera.
Adam Nitti.Yamaha.
John Pattitucci.Yamaha.
Mark Egan.Pedulla.
Steve Bailey.Warwick.
Jimmy"Flim" Johnson.Alembic.
Stanley Clarke.Alembic.
Alain Caron.F Bass.
Gary Willis.Ibanez.
Jonas Hellborg.Warwick.
Dave La Rue.Music Man.
Henrik Linder.Mattisonbass.
Franck Hermanny.Ibanez.
Ernest Tibbs.Yamaha.
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Well....let's see.... Jaco, Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke, Victor Wooten, Luis Johnson, Bernard Edwards, Gary Willis, Jimmy Haslip, Abraham Loboreil, John Patitucci, Andrew Gouche, Anthony Jackson, Larry Graham, Richard Bona, and whole lot of other bass legends seemed to have gotten by just fine without a P bass.
There are a lot of great basses out there that were not available to James Jamerson in 1968. Personally, I don't understand the fixation on the Precision in this day and age. But that's just me of course...(I posted this before reading gebass6's post above..looks like he made my point already)
There are a lot of great basses out there that were not available to James Jamerson in 1968. Personally, I don't understand the fixation on the Precision in this day and age. But that's just me of course...(I posted this before reading gebass6's post above..looks like he made my point already)
I'm way late to this party, let me just say this.
It's a p.
Having said that, buy a RIC.
I'm just here for the controversy.
It's a p.
Having said that, buy a RIC.
I'm just here for the controversy.
I think of a P as jumping right at you outta the mix, while a Jazz sort of envelopes and surrounds the mix. That's how I use 'em anyway--those are the results I get straight away with those basses without any fussing around.
Paul Jackson is the greatest fusion player ever. He may have played 40 years ago but all the guys YOU are citing learned how to play by listening to him. I know that this player has been listed several times here too but do yourself a favor and stop arguing a point that has been proven wrong so many time since you first posted it and check out snarky puppy. They are a top notch MODERN fusion group and Micheal League is a great fusion bass player using a early 70s P bass (like Paul Jackson). For a fusion guy (I assume) you certainly don't want to accept that some good fusion now and then was recorded using a precision bass, sure lots of good fusion has been recorded without one but...
I have owned many P basses over the past 30 or so years and I can say that it's easily my favorite body shape...and my least favorite sound for live playing. It has been my experience that it is the hardest bass to hear notes articulated when playing live. I saw someone mention that versatility is its strong suit...I personally disagree. I think it's one of the least versatile, for my needs anyway. I prefer a Jazz bass for that reason...if we're talking Fender. Lately I've become a big fan of the EBMM Sterling 4H and 4HH. The body style is like a smaller P bass, the neck is more Jazz like, and you can hear notes clearly even with a loud band playing around you.
Who cares? The point is you can play whatever you want with a Pbass. There are videos of the youngest and hottest fusion band - Snarky Puppy, killing with a Pbass. Another guy who uses one at times is Joe Dart from Vulfpeck. These are the young, modern up and comers. You are listing the older, established guys who were huge in the 90's when ERB and active tone in fusion was almost a must.
Here is a thread on a guy who kills it on a P and plays fusion - Marcello Giuliani - Bassist for Erik Truffaz He even has the nerve to use Flats.
You can play anything you want on any bass. If you don't like the sound that's fine, but plenty of guys are using them. Even if they weren't, it would not matter to me since I make my own sound without worrying about what others are doing.
Ah, so that's why my P bass has been leaking oil.
Actually, I can go along with that comparison. P Bass owners and Harley owners both think that Ps and Harleys are the "best" and nothing else can come close, and think anybody who doesn't like them or think they are the be-all end-all are just hating and/or jealous. "Lifestyle products."
Whenever I think of Progressive, -which many times incorporates a Jazz influence, I think of King Crimson. And when I think of King Crimson, I think of John Wetton, who mainly played a Precision Bass while he was a member of the band.
P bass almost always sounds good, in any situation, unless its too muddy. J bass is a bit more harder to dial in tones you like, but with more reward.
This is fairly insulting. I've owned 48 basses in my 40 years of playing (I have a list). About 5 of them were Ps, so I've had a LOT of experience with a LOT of basses, every type of bass there is really. I like Ps best. Sorry if that bothers you, but it has absolutely nothing to do with "lifestyle products". There is a good reason the P is the most recorded bass, and it is not lifestyle.
Leo did it right. The P is a classic and transcends genres. Took me years to realize it was all I ever needed. It just works and that is the reason why there are so many Fender clone builders out there. I love a lot of non traditional builders and own many different styles of basses but a p bass fits into anything I play from tech death metal to pop.
If I remember mine correctly, one of the middle pickup settings on your Rascal does a very good P impression, so not much. Having never really been a Precision player, I've never missed it. I've always preferred the wider tonal pallet of the Jazz if we're talking classic basses.
Depending on the neck profile, the Precision can often be more difficult to play than the Jazz. There are a lot of 'baseball bat' necks around on certain P's (particularly 1950's style models). Also, depending on your LH technique, the P fingerboards can be much wider too.
At the end of the day, there are certain producers and a lot of players who swear by the Precision and love how it blends in. As a player, I personally don't like being buried in the mix quite so much. I value being able to hear every frequency of my instrument, and strangely, singers & brass players thank me for it too, as they tend to pitch from the overtones of the bass.
Having a Precision isn't a necessity. It's a choice.
thank you very much on behalf of myself (also a non P-player) for explaining this in a very professional non-combative manner. <applause>
Sorry you were insulted. I have owned a similar number of basses with a similar number of them being P basses. I too have a list. In fact, I own a Fender P currently as well as another P style bass. It doesn't bother me that you like P basses, and that is a common argument I run in to with P bass players. Quite the contrary, it seems to bother you and P bass players that I, along with some others, am not crazy about them. Many P Bass players feel the need to tell others that they should just "get a P" or "get a real bass" or something along those lines. I don't see this with any other bass. "A P is all you need." Well, it's definitely not all I need. If it works for you, that's great. I've gigged one many times, and only about two of those times did I use it the whole show. That also goes for jamming with people in a casual setting, not live. Don't claim others are insulting P basses just because they don't agree with you or worship them. In reality, the P bass players are the ones actually telling everybody they are wrong, not the other way around.
Lastly, I am totally convinced that many people do in fact buy P basses because of the "lifestyle product" reason. I'm not saying you did, though.
You are misrepresenting what I have said. I gave my OPINION about Ps, and never said anyone else should own them or insulted people who don't.
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