Searching a snappy, modern Pbass

[Basspaolo]

The bass I use the most is a fender precision "partcaster" with alder body, rosewood fingerboard, Di Marzio model P pickup and a weight of 3,5 kg. I use it with Fender 9050 or EB Cobalt flat strings.
I really like the sound, old school but (both with flats and rounds) with a nice emphasis on the mid frequencies between 500 and 800 Hz.
Now I'm in search of an another 4 string bass, not necessarily a Fender, P or PJ, in any case with a "split" neck pickup or sort of it, with a more modern, open and brighty sound and with a "snappy" feeling and a general emphasis on hi mids.
I thought about another precision with an ash body and maple fingerboard but I'm very scared of the excessive weight (I wouldn't use basses heavier than 4kg for my 3/4 hours sets) and I've seen that it's not an easy combination to find on the market for a precision.
So what bass would you recommend considering that I don't want to spend more than 1,000/1,500 dollars?

 

[Slevage]

String choice makes a big difference.

I once owned 2 P's. One sported flats, the other sported very bright rounds.

I eq'd them differently and PLAYED them differently.
In a blind test, they were easily identified as different basses.

 

[Basspaolo]

I know what you mean but I'm searching a different character that even with the rounds I can't have on my precision.
And I need to have two different basses and not one in which constantly change the strings

 

[shadven]

You might want to check out a J-bass as a 2nd bass. I'm a P-bass player, but I have a J is a nice articulate addition.

 

[Geogio]

You want a Snappy Bass?

Have you tried a 7band bass EQ?

It might be a good idea to get that second bass and string one with flats and the other with rounds.

Go for the mid-range price, and maybe something with humbuckers rather than single coils, you know... mix it up. I have four or five basses and none of them are the same I did that on purpose. Two fretless (J-slab & PJ-slab), a P-slab, a hollow with f-holes, a Beatle, and a 6-string active slab.

Good hunting!

 

[AncientNoob]

Sandberg. Even the "low" line (still outstanding quality) Electra series VS4. Looks like a nice P Bass. Feels like one too. Tonally, it's a completely different animal. Much more modern sounding than any Fender I've ever heard.

 

[groooooove]

The bass I use the most is a fender precision "partcaster" with alder body, rosewood fingerboard, Di Marzio model P pickup and a weight of 3,5 kg. I use it with Fender 9050 or EB Cobalt flat strings.
I really like the sound, old school but (both with flats and rounds) with a nice emphasis on the mid frequencies between 500 and 800 Hz.
Now I'm in search of an another 4 string bass, not necessarily a Fender, P or PJ, in any case with a "split" neck pickup or sort of it, with a more modern, open and brighty sound and with a "snappy" feeling and a general emphasis on hi mids.
I thought about another precision with an ash body and maple fingerboard but I'm very scared of the excessive weight (I wouldn't use basses heavier than 4kg for my 3/4 hours sets) and I've seen that it's not an easy combination to find on the market for a precision.
So what bass would you recommend considering that I don't want to spend more than 1,000/1,500 dollars?

the yamaha billy sheehan bass would do that and a lot more - i've owned three of them. they're out of your price range, and you may not need all the cool option -

i'd just do a P bass with that dimarzio pickup. it has such a crisp, intense sound. i really love it.

 

[Ritter667]

Stainless Steel rounds, a bit of overdrive, and a pick.

Eventual boost the frequency band around 1kHz or so (800Hz to 1.2kHz) with a relatively narrow Q/Bandwidth a bit.

An EMG Geezer Butler P Pickup, or similar pickup based on a vintage 60's P pickup, would help too.

DiMarzio Model P for less snap and more punch, and an overall more modern tone.

 

[Phaidrus]

The bass I use the most is a fender precision "partcaster" with alder body, rosewood fingerboard, Di Marzio model P pickup and a weight of 3,5 kg. I use it with Fender 9050 or EB Cobalt flat strings.
I really like the sound, old school but (both with flats and rounds) with a nice emphasis on the mid frequencies between 500 and 800 Hz.
Now I'm in search of an another 4 string bass, not necessarily a Fender, P or PJ, in any case with a "split" neck pickup or sort of it, with a more modern, open and brighty sound and with a "snappy" feeling and a general emphasis on hi mids.
I thought about another precision with an ash body and maple fingerboard but I'm very scared of the excessive weight (I wouldn't use basses heavier than 4kg for my 3/4 hours sets) and I've seen that it's not an easy combination to find on the market for a precision.
So what bass would you recommend considering that I don't want to spend more than 1,000/1,500 dollars?

An American Professional I or II Pbass is a modern snappy Fender Pbass, with its thin neck and narrow tall frets. You could also replace the stock pickup with an Original 62 or a DiMarzio Model P, or perhaps an even wilder choice, and with the appropriate set of strings it'll be as snappy and modern as it gets.

 

[sethlow3]

Sandberg California VS passive 5
Used $1500

 

[gruidl]

I'll second the jazz bass idea. I avoided them for the longest time for no good reason, finally played one and thought "there's that sound I was never able to get with my P!" I've got two, and while they both sound different, they're both pretty snappy sounding. If you've got a place you can go try one, I'd say sit down with one for a bit and see what you think. One of the benefits is that you can always find some type of jazz bass in a local store.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

G&L SB1 those MFD pickups are like nothing else.

 

[FugaziBomb]

thought about another precision with an ash body and maple fingerboard

That probably won't matter at all. it's really gonna come down to pickups and wiring.

This is something I threw together with a Squire Affinity body. It's SUPER lightweight. I used 1meg pots in it with the DiMarzio Split P and the sound is very balanced. It's got all the high end I could ever need to make my overdrive pedals sing and it still retains the P Bass vibe. You might be able to do something similar - score a cheap Affinity P as the foundation for building a great player. Be warned that the neck that came on this thing was one of the worst feeling necks I've ever put my hands on, but luckily I had an MIM neck I really liked sitting unused.

 

[pepj]

I'd be thinking of adding a J pickup to make a PJ config.

I prefer Alder over Ash myself soundwise, but if you are going Ash, then Ash can be found at the right weight but tends to come at a premium.

 

[mellobud]

G&L SB-1 or SB-2

I found the LB-100 to be a little bit brighter at full tone than fender as well but it was subtle.

I think the Lakland 44-02 pickups are all split coils in single and humbucker housings. Weird suggestion but I can get a modern pbass tone out of it. The preamp also has dip switches to change the midrange voicing center. They sell demo/bstock units direct for around 1200$ in the US.

 

[JenderBazzFass]

Would any of the various active P-Bass options available fit the bill, or adding active electronics to an existing P?

I generally think of active basses as having a tighter, more direct, more modern sound. Paired with some steel rounds, one would expect more upper mid content.

For me I like the sound you're describing as far as I can surmise, and I find that an amp with parametric EQ helps direct the mid bump, or pedals like the MXR 6-band and 10-band EQs may be options that would be easy and inexpensive to try out.

 

[mellobud]

I like the suggestion above. Try a preamp pedal with your current gear. See if that scratches the itch first.

 

[Bag of Lazers]

My Sire P5 is exactly this, but I bet a Sansamp VT pedal will get you there for less.

 

[jasper383]

The Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder has a reputation for being a bit hotter and more scooped than the usual P Bass pickup. "Scooped" often reads as more snap on the high end.

Regular P Bass with a QP pickup might be worth looking into.

 

[antfarm]

Maybe an active bass could work for you, like this one: Sadowsky MetroExpress 21-Fret Hybrid P/J Bass, Roasted Maple Fingerboard, 4-String

Or look into what Sire has to offer: Sire Marcus Miller P8 4-String

Meets your price target, but probably not the weight...