Precision Bass Sound

[Rib 13]

I post this vid I did PRN...this is one of those moments

 

[Lowendchamp]

Maybe he was talking about the boomy thumps sound of well worn in flats?

 

[Gervais Cote]

I just bought a Tech 21 Geddy Lee YYZ shape shifter SansAmp and there is a setup they call vintage to get that sound from the 60's.

I gave it a try with my jazz bass and quite honestly, the sound getting out of it was very similar to the famous James Jamerson's vintage p bass.

My jazz bass is very punchy and bright sounding but this "vintage" setup made it darker and softer.

I’m really not a fan of pedals but just because of this, it will be a keeper for me.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I usually play a Warwick 5string neck through thumb bass. I love the easy action, and can play faster because of it. I play a lot of different music: old rock, jazz, country, pop, and recently Chicago tribute band.
A guitar player friend keeps asking me to try to get a Fender Precision sound. I have 1977 P bass, but don’t like playing it as much. I even lowered the strings, but still not as slick as the Warwick, and I like having the low B string.
Is there a pedal or effect that can give the Fender P bass sound or close to it?

No. But, if you just play the neck pickup, and bump a little 800hz, it will sound like a P bass.

 

[Pings Bass]

I had a drummer perplexed by my L2k. ("Don't you have a fender?") And also by my lack of interest in playing through a "stack". (It was a silent stage act.) I didn't know why everybody thinks the bass player needs pointers on gear.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I usually play a Warwick 5string neck through thumb bass. I love the easy action, and can play faster because of it. I play a lot of different music: old rock, jazz, country, pop, and recently Chicago tribute band.
A guitar player friend keeps asking me to try to get a Fender Precision sound. I have 1977 P bass, but don’t like playing it as much. I even lowered the strings, but still not as slick as the Warwick, and I like having the low B string.
Is there a pedal or effect that can give the Fender P bass sound or close to it?

But, he might just not dig the gurgle that Warwicks are known for. I really don't either. But, they sound great in a rock mix regardless. 311 also makes one work in every sound scenario they got going on.

 

[KenD]

Invite your oh so helpful guitar player friend to self-procreate.

 

[GreyBeard]

I've been playing bass since 1968 and no one has ever told me I needed to get a different tone from my bass than I was getting and I've had everything from pbasses to Ken Smith's. Best advice would be to roll off the bridge pup and roll off the treble. Warwicks have a distinctive tone that is not everybody's cup of tea. (jmho)

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I usually play a Warwick 5string neck through thumb bass. I love the easy action, and can play faster because of it. I play a lot of different music: old rock, jazz, country, pop, and recently Chicago tribute band.
A guitar player friend keeps asking me to try to get a Fender Precision sound. I have 1977 P bass, but don’t like playing it as much. I even lowered the strings, but still not as slick as the Warwick, and I like having the low B string.
Is there a pedal or effect that can give the Fender P bass sound or close to it?

I don't know about a pedal, but I have a Warwick Corvette STD and with the right EQ an strings, I can get a PB type sound. No, it's not a dead on replication but when the notes are flying in the ensemble, it's pretty hard to tell the difference.

As for Chicago ( Pete Cetera) I seen plenty of film of him playing live, and saw him in concert back in the 70's, and mostly what he played early on was an EB3, and a Rick 4001. Who knows what he used in the studio.

 

[J Wilson]

People hear what they see.

 

[Shoreline Gold]

Don't get upset then when the guitar player gets another bass player.

Or just get a new guitar player if he insists.

 

[Don Carter]

Thanks again everyone. I may try the Tech 21 Geddy Lee YYZ shape shifter SansAmp. I will also try a strong mid-tones setting.

 

[GroovinOnFunk]

Thanks again everyone. I may try the Tech 21 Geddy Lee YYZ shape shifter SansAmp. I will also try a strong mid-tones setting.

And go full neck pickup. No bridge at all. You'll get most of the way there.

 

[okabass]

Passive P bass is used for a reason. Almost 70 years.
First get a pro setup. Record PB and W. in a band context, and make a honest judgement which sounds better. Taking in the account the music genre you are.

 

[Dust2Dust]

The guitarist may be focused more on the idea than reality.

That's probably it. . . . I mean, "a P bass is the quintessential bass" is said so much that I wouldn't be surprised if hearing that is what made this guy ask for a P bass

 

[Aidenn7]

I play P's tons of different sounds from it.. most just like the look.. P by themselves suck but in a band kill

 

[Munjibunga]

My first bass was an early 1965 P-bass. It got stolen in about 1980 - best thing that ever happened to me. I did not like it in any way. I don't like that "tubular" sound at all. Two-pickup basses are all I've owned since then (1977).

The guy who sold it to me, a college classmate, is doing life without parole at Corcoran Prison in California. That's a long story for another time.

 

[ChrisAlan]

Guitarists translation:

He's saying play the neck pickup and roll off some of the highs.

This is related to the sentence: You need an Ampeg.

I've heard this crap before too.

 

[GrooveCaptain]

Most of my basses have p pickups because I love the mid heavy sound I get from them. I always dreamt of owning a Warwick, and when I finally picked up a used thumb bass, I hated the tone playing with my loud hard rock band. Sounds great on it's own, but that scooped sound seems to get lost (for me anyway).
My recommendation would be to just use the neck pickup, keep your preamp flat, and dial up the low mids and high mids on your amp. That should help get the P tone.

 

[smurfco]

how about a 5 string P?