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Played a 70's Fender P bass
- Thread starter madbassplaya
- Start date
I've been playing the blues for money since the invention of dirt. I had a Fender Jazz for a while, and I would love to play one of those big butterscotch '51 P-bass reissues, but they just don't love me back. For the last two years I've been playing a Birdsong cbass. It sounds like a P, looks like nothing else, and the neck is short enough that I don't have to worry about knocking one of the keyboard player's teeth out. (When you really play the blues for money, you work on some small goddam stages).
Really, seriously?
I had been tempted, but I couldn't find any useful samples of the tone.
I never liked p basses much, until I borrowed one for a gig, and hearing the way it sits in the mix converted me. Main ax is a P style frankenbass now, and I have a hard time seeing me switch out anytime soon. That said, if I was doing something solo, or completely bass oriented, i'd probably go with something else.
"Blues" is such a wide term...what some people call "Blues" others may call "bluegrass" or "honey tonk"...I grew up on and get/have gotten paid to play Black Gospel (Urban, traditional, etc) which obviously has strong "Blues" elements in it, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find gospel guys playing P's. Many of them play "J basses", but most of them are "super J's" (non-fender custom made). I think this is mainly due to the fact that the build quality is better overall and so is the wood selection.
No. There is music that is Blues and there is music that is not Blues. Simple.
The thread title did just that.Let's not turn this into something it's not...
I played a cool vintage P bass.
Maybe the second line above would have been more apropos...
If people are calling bluegrass "blues" they have absolutely no idea what they're talking about.
I can't disagree more with this statement...any music using a 12 bar pattern and/or the blues scale could be viewed as "blues". It's not as simple as "only this is blues and only this is not".
I was never a fan of fender either. Then recently I started working at a bar with weekly live music. And I've come to respect them more and more. And then this past year Coheed and Cambria got their new bassist. And I notice most of the time he is playing a P bass. And his tone is amazing.
I agree. I have no particular affinity to Fender or its products - particularly their guitars. It's all about tone. I have absolutely no need or love for jangling Strats or Teles. But - when it comes to bass...
The P and J basses have defined the tone of popular music over the last 50 years. Who am I to argue with that?
I have a P and a J and although there are many times when the J is preferable, the tone of the P-Bass sometimes just melts my heart.
How can anyone opt out of that?
If I saw that bass for a good price in a guitar shop, I'd take that home for sure. I like that color.
+1 that yellowed white is tough to fake well and my #1
I've played bass for money, in a band, and have used a P bass, and I have played a blues song.
I don't exclusively use P basses or exclusively play blues.
All that aside, I'm agreeing with your sentiment.
I've played bass for money, in a band, and have used a P bass, and I have played a blues song.
I don't exclusively use P basses or exclusively play blues.
All that aside, I'm agreeing with your sentiment.
I understand now, thanks.
My question was, as I said sincere. Are there bassists out there, playing blues gigs - and saying that they can do this without the P-Bass sound?
So far, there has been just one convincing response.
Tommy Shannon seems to favor a Jazz bass most of the time. I would call him a working blues bass player.
- Oct 18, 2012
- 6,683
- 5,538
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Fender, Spector, Ampeg, Curt Mangan, Nordstrand Pickups, Korg , Conquest Sound
But I played a cool one tonight...
Had no idea my buddy had this. He's a guitarist and it was his old mans. His dad bought it when he was 15. Had a good tone and was fun to jam on!
Couple of photos:
Sweet looking Precision...
Can you describe what it was about THIS particular P-Bass that made it sound/seem different from other Precisions I assume you've tried & NOT liked??
BTW- I AM a P-Bass guy!
Played a ton of blues on a Rickenbacker 4000.
Briefly owned a P, not really my thing.
There's no law (written or unwritten) that says you have to love Ps regardless of what you read here.
They'll be prying my Rick out of my cold, dead hands.
However, playing a great bass that you find feels just right and sounds like what you hear in your head = priceless no matter what the bass is.
Briefly owned a P, not really my thing.
There's no law (written or unwritten) that says you have to love Ps regardless of what you read here.
They'll be prying my Rick out of my cold, dead hands.
However, playing a great bass that you find feels just right and sounds like what you hear in your head = priceless no matter what the bass is.
I am a Fender guy and all the nice boutique variations on them (Sadowsky, Lakland, etc). And up until a few years ago, I called myself a J bass guy. I thought the thinner neck and two pickups was "better".
Then on a whim I ended up with a MIM 50's P. Maybe I just got a good sample but it is an amazing bass. Big old baseball bat neck and all. It takes a lower setup then my Sadowsky or Lakalnd. After playing fivers, I prefer the big neck and it is plug and play and easy to get the good tone.
In fact, I just picked up a Lakland 55-64. While its not exactly your dad's P bass, it has that pocket fat that is so addicting in my experience.
As for blues, some, but more gospel and country. I find that rootsy grooves and walking lines can sound good on either a J or a P. The nice thing about the P, is the plug and play fat is easy to dial in. The J sometimes takes a little more fidgeting to get the tone but if you can find the JPJ tone as on the Lemon Song, I would argue Js can do the blues just fine.
Then on a whim I ended up with a MIM 50's P. Maybe I just got a good sample but it is an amazing bass. Big old baseball bat neck and all. It takes a lower setup then my Sadowsky or Lakalnd. After playing fivers, I prefer the big neck and it is plug and play and easy to get the good tone.
In fact, I just picked up a Lakland 55-64. While its not exactly your dad's P bass, it has that pocket fat that is so addicting in my experience.
As for blues, some, but more gospel and country. I find that rootsy grooves and walking lines can sound good on either a J or a P. The nice thing about the P, is the plug and play fat is easy to dial in. The J sometimes takes a little more fidgeting to get the tone but if you can find the JPJ tone as on the Lemon Song, I would argue Js can do the blues just fine.
