I have some friends sharing our practice space who are in a band consisting of singer/guitarist, bass and drums. They play originals in a really eclectic rock-based style, perhaps somewhat in the Beck vein. The bass player played an Am Stnd Jazz (I say “played” because that was about to change!). Amp is a Markbass TA501 w/ matching 4x10g, with some use of a MXR preamp/DI for distortion.
One day I said, "Man you should really try my P". I just love it love it for precisely the reason you seem to be describing -- that visceral feel in the chest when you play it. I originally bought the P because when recording my own songs at home, my only bass at the time, a Jazz, just never seemed "bassy" enough to me. Listening to recordings and such, I gradually came to hone in on the fact that the sound in my head, the sound I wanted on my own singer/songwriter-type songs, was usually (90% of the time) a P. After actually getting a P though, I also came to love that deep sound when rocking out with a band. Man, what a feeling. I ended up becaming such a dedicated P man that I eventually sold the Jazz.
So anyway, he tried it -- and freaked out a bit. Oh that feelin'! He actually ended up selling his beloved mint green Jazz a month or so after that -- I mean it really got to him how the P was putting out the thunder that his J just wasn't.
Thing was, I was also having a bit of an epiphany. Sitting back and listening, when he initially switched to the P, we were all like “Damn!" (In a good way), but then when the band joined in for a little mini-set with the P, I was shocked to find that (gasp), in this setting, I actually preferred their sound when he had been playing the J. The P with its deeper bottom end made the sound sound too spread out mix-wise, and it resultingly seemed like something was missing, like they could have used a rhythm guitarist or a keyboard or something to fill in the sonic space that had opened up -- they suddenly sounded a bit sparse. When he was playing the J, the overall mix (from treble to bass) had been "tighter", more grouped together. The bass was less disassociated from the other two instruments (I guess 3 counting voice) and the band sounded like it was making a more satisfying complete overall sound to me.
Anyway, I much prefer the deep sound of the P usually, and especially I enjoy the feeling I get when I play a P, but there are definitely musical contexts where the J sits better. Of course there are lots of other examples where a J or a P would be the preferred choice, but this one of rocking out with a 3 piece really surprised me. The two just sit differently in a mix, and neither is inherently good or bad, but there are instances where one works better than the other (sometimes much better).
Though still a P man, I eventually ended up adding a J back into my little stable. An expensive day for both of us, it turned out! Anyway, maybe this little story can be yet another thing to chew on a bit as you sort out your own thoughts
One day I said, "Man you should really try my P". I just love it love it for precisely the reason you seem to be describing -- that visceral feel in the chest when you play it. I originally bought the P because when recording my own songs at home, my only bass at the time, a Jazz, just never seemed "bassy" enough to me. Listening to recordings and such, I gradually came to hone in on the fact that the sound in my head, the sound I wanted on my own singer/songwriter-type songs, was usually (90% of the time) a P. After actually getting a P though, I also came to love that deep sound when rocking out with a band. Man, what a feeling. I ended up becaming such a dedicated P man that I eventually sold the Jazz.
So anyway, he tried it -- and freaked out a bit. Oh that feelin'! He actually ended up selling his beloved mint green Jazz a month or so after that -- I mean it really got to him how the P was putting out the thunder that his J just wasn't.
Thing was, I was also having a bit of an epiphany. Sitting back and listening, when he initially switched to the P, we were all like “Damn!" (In a good way), but then when the band joined in for a little mini-set with the P, I was shocked to find that (gasp), in this setting, I actually preferred their sound when he had been playing the J. The P with its deeper bottom end made the sound sound too spread out mix-wise, and it resultingly seemed like something was missing, like they could have used a rhythm guitarist or a keyboard or something to fill in the sonic space that had opened up -- they suddenly sounded a bit sparse. When he was playing the J, the overall mix (from treble to bass) had been "tighter", more grouped together. The bass was less disassociated from the other two instruments (I guess 3 counting voice) and the band sounded like it was making a more satisfying complete overall sound to me.
Anyway, I much prefer the deep sound of the P usually, and especially I enjoy the feeling I get when I play a P, but there are definitely musical contexts where the J sits better. Of course there are lots of other examples where a J or a P would be the preferred choice, but this one of rocking out with a 3 piece really surprised me. The two just sit differently in a mix, and neither is inherently good or bad, but there are instances where one works better than the other (sometimes much better).
Though still a P man, I eventually ended up adding a J back into my little stable. An expensive day for both of us, it turned out! Anyway, maybe this little story can be yet another thing to chew on a bit as you sort out your own thoughts
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