P basses were meant to be 4 string

[ElMon]

Clip sounds good, but that could be any pickup under that cover.

full confession: it’s proprietary to a Russian audio-research project.

Petroglobosovavitch Bass, AKA ‘P-Bass’

 

[2F/2F]

It has nothing to do with what model of bass it is. It has everything to do with the fact that using the bridge pickup alone removes low end while retaining the midrange that P+J combinations scoop out, so you get midrange punch and high end clank, without the low end mud. That happens to work well on the B string with your rig as it is set.

Others have no problem at all getting outstanding sounding Bs, Cs, and Ds from P Basses (whether downtuned, rigged for BEAD, or five string). Geezer was doing it nearly 50 years ago, just to name the most obvious example. It's simply that playing in the lower registers like that tends to work better when your rig's e.q. settings are optimized for it. So if you largely play on E–G, you set your amp for that, and you only occasionally use the B string, then it's not surprising that the B isn't sounding good.

I'd simply try a foot-switchable graphic e.q. (in your effects loop, if you have one) that you can click on for songs on which you need the B string.

 

[two fingers]

I like p-basses. I like my Fender P5. I don't like dogmatic statements about what is "correct". Something either works for you or it doesn't. If it doesn't, that's OK.

Aaaaaaaaaaaand there it is.

 

[two fingers]

suck it!


View attachment 3640510 View attachment 3640511

That's as classic P tone as you'll ever hear.

 

[grimjim]

Big fan of the precision 5 string, but the first thing I did was change the strings.

 

[Yahboy]

How about a try with DR hi beam on B string mix with Fat Beam 4 string set ?

 

[Wasnex]

Many owners play a low B on their P basses (including Yamaha BB) with no trouble at all. So something else is going on. I see several possibilities here:

First 5-string I ever played was a Yamaha BB5000. I didn't think it sounded all that much like a P-bass, but it had a fabulous B string IMHO.

 

[oldfclefer]

Just bought a new American Precision Pro V. Most of the other 5ers I saw were active. I don't have anything against active basses, but they just don't suit me. The V was pretty much the only quality passive 5er out there. I'm no expert, but the B sounds strong on mine with stock everything and the strings that came on it. Holds up in the band mix too. Maybe Fender has made some corrections along the way. By the way, hasn't G&L made 5ers pretty much from the git?

 

[pappabass]

YES!! P basses are generally muddy. A passive p 5 string is extra muddy. I always suggest to buy a active eq 5 string

 

[Ric5]

P basses were meant to be 4 string

well back in the early 1950s the only other choice was a 4 string upright bass …

But in the 21st century a p-bass can be this

 

[tedsalt]

YES!! P basses are generally muddy. A passive p 5 string is extra muddy. I always suggest to buy a active eq 5 string

Depends on strings and what you run it thru. I have a passive Squier VM P5 loaded with DR Low Riders and run thru Effectrode LA-1A and RNDI to FOH and the B is fairly articulate.

 

[Ric5]

P basses were meant to be 4 string

The p-bass was also meant to be played by thumb plucking of with a pick … and they were designed to be played thru a 50 watt tube amp with 1 or 2 12" speakers. Back in 1951 Leo had no concept of slapping, roundwound strings, pedalboards, modern amps, big pa systems, active electronics, and all of the other modern things we now take for granted ...

 

[eddododo]

I agree wholeheartedly. I hate the airy weakness of a low B through a Pbass, and scale length doesn’t fix it.

now I DO found that it’s a little more usable than it seems, in terms of it working ‘ok’ live vs it sounding weak and lame in the practice room.. but compared to literally any other configuration I’m familiar with, it just doesn’t cut it.

Furthermore, I find the style of playing the tone and feel of a Pbass inspire doesn’t in any way require or request those low notes and the almost orchestral style of impact they bring.

Being minimally snarky , for those who like a low B with a Precision pickup, I truly don’t have any idea what you’re hearing

 

[Element Zero]

Meh

 

[ElMon]

I think a lot of you 'P5's just don't work crowd' are those effete J-Bass guys who wear scarves all season long and pronounce 'caramel macchiato' in fascinating ways.

What you need to do, to properly experience the glory that is a 5-string Pbass ... which yes, absolutely will cut a busy mix, with a foam mute and flatwounds (come at me breh, I've got hundreds of gigs under me) ... is to incorporate some hand-strengthening exercises into your routine.

In fact, go right past battle ropes and start swinging around tug-boat chains. Drink strong whiskey in a tin coffee cup and never enter or leave the kitchen without banging out at least 20 pushups and 15 squats.

Once your meathooks develop, you'll be ready to really muscle up on those flatwounds and your b-string clarity will improve.

 

[micguy]

To anyone who objects to a 5 string version of a P bass:

You can always take off the D and E strings and have a nice widely spaced 3 string.

 

[mapleglo]

 

[Al Krow]

@EIMon OR just flip the selector switch from P5 to bridge J and carry on sipping our machiatos...

 

[Altitude]

The physics here are that the string vibration is much more pronounced above the area where a P pickup is than it is at any point closer to the neck.

The subjective I’ve read is that pickups have a harder time, all else constant, “reading” the string when it’s moving a lot than when it’s moving a little. And lower strings move more than higher ones in general.

If that is true, it explains why P basses with only the one split pickup tend to sound a bit muddy down low. Adding a bridge pickup helps, because that pickup gets to read the string at a point where the amplitude of the vibration is less.

Also BTW, notice that as extended range basses became more popular in the 80s and 90s we saw some new pickup configurations emerge that moved the pickups further back in general. Presumably to address this issue.

That’s a pretty hack explanation but maybe someone can improve upon it.

 

[ElMon]

The physics here are that the string vibration is much more pronounced above the area where a P pickup is than it is at any point closer to the neck.

The subjective I’ve read is that pickups have a harder time, all else constant, “reading” the string when it’s moving a lot than when it’s moving a little. And lower strings move more than higher ones in general.

If that is true, it explains why P basses with only the one split pickup tend to sound a bit muddy down low. Adding a bridge pickup helps, because that pickup gets to read the string at a point where the amplitude of the vibration is less.

Also BTW, notice that as extended range basses became more popular in the 80s and 90s we saw some new pickup configurations emerge that moved the pickups further back in general. Presumably to address this issue.

That’s a pretty hack explanation but maybe someone can improve upon it.

Key words 'tend to'.

To be fair, my main player is a Sadowsky PJ5, and I do lean on that blended, PJ sound for most of what I do. Yes, it does clear things up down there.

However ... my Olinto P5 (in my clip) has a dynamite B-string. Low-tension Labella flats on that one (a string I'm new to) might be key to this.

The key is pickup height. One MM in either direction makes a huge difference.