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Seriously, is there anything a Precision Bass Can't do?

My P Bass couldn't make me my morning tea, so there's at least *one* thing it can't do.

I love my P, but I wouldn't say that there's nothing it can't do. What it does, it goes better than anything else, but a P isn't going to sound like a J. Which I why I have more than one bass.

It bears saying, though, that my P is my main gigging bass right now.

And I wouldn't be caught dead in a Ford *or* or a Chevy.
 
Regardless of all the haters, the actual fact of the matter is that there is no genre that you can't play with a P Bass. It is better at some than others, but the only can't is in the hands of the musician.

No, it won't sound (or feel) like a Rickenbacker, nor will it sound just like a Höfner, or a Stingray, or a... but it can play every type of music that you would want a one of them for.

I really like p-basses ... but what you say about them is also true for a jazz, a Rick, a stringray, etc ...
 
Prove it.
This is funny for two reasons.

1. You have yet to supply proof of this.
So, with EQ'ing, other basses can't do anything?
It's a fair observation and something that has been stated plain as day numerous occasions on TB.
Please, show us where the dreaded "P Bass Brigade" said that other basses "can't do anything." You weren't ludicrously exaggerating now, were you?;)

2. Back when I joined TB, I (foolishly) cared about some of the more extreme criticism of P basses. I'm also blessed/cursed with a very good memory. (I blame the lack of drugs.) That type of bashing has happened many times. Just to provide one example, there was a boutique ERB guy here who ranted about the supposed shortcomings of P basses like it was his job. The funny part is that you seemed to be practically posting buddies with this guy at the time. I shouldn't even have to tell you his handle, but for the record it was "Debased." Maybe if I feel like wasting more time on this later, I'll look up one of his gems. I might even find you agreeing with his posts.;) I'm sure this reality check isn't going to change your "woe is me" posting one iota, though.
 
Yeah and you'll never get a Ford to feel like a Chevy.

If a P bass can only get bottom end through the board, as has been suggested, and if it fails to do so live, as has been stated, isn't that the fault of the sound guy? It's never ever been a problem for me. But I'm not Dave Holland.

How is this not P bashing? Seriously guys, you're free to love your non-P basses, but what are you feeling threatened by here?

Not saying it SHOULD sound like a 4001, just that sounding like a 4001 is something so far I've been unable to get a P-bass to do.

It'll still work in just about every genre of music, though. As will the vast majority of good basses.
 
Please, show us where the dreaded "P Bass Brigade" said that other basses "can't do anything." You weren't ludicrously exaggerating now, were you?;)

Feel free to ask Mr. John Turner about how many anti-boutique/ERB threads he closed for that exact reason. :ninja:

Stating in plain English that a P bass is the only way to get a gig and/or record is common. Close-mindedness makes it true in some circles.

I am merely having fun because many folks have claimed that P basses don't need to be EQ'd to do it all. When I claim that you can EQ basses to sound like other basses, I've been told I'm horribly wrong. I also will bring up that there are many threads that claim a P/J bass can't sound like a P bass, which happens monthly.

The fact of the matter is that most basses have a range of tones and you can EQ them to do many things. No bass can get all sounds, even the mighty P Bass.

2. Back when I joined TB, I (foolishly) cared about some of the more extreme criticism of P basses. I'm also blessed/cursed with a very good memory. (I blame the lack of drugs.) That type of bashing has happened many times. Just to provide one example, there was a boutique ERB guy here who ranted about the supposed shortcomings of P basses like it was his job. The funny part is that you seemed to be practically posting buddies with this guy at the time. I shouldn't even have to tell you his handle, but for the record it was "Debased." Maybe if I feel like wasting more time on this later, I'll look up one of his gems. I might even find you agreeing with his posts.;) I'm sure this reality check isn't going to change your "woe is me" posting one iota, though.

By sheer coincidence, we joined TB at the same time.

I'll give ya Debased. ;) He still owns an F-Bass with 2 P pickups, which I'm sure he has been told don't sound as good as a P Bass, hence his attitude towards the matter.

I can assure you that I don't really care what people think about my gear because they haven't played it and most are willing to make blind assumptions on how they sound. That's its' own punishment. :p Many musicians are simply too stubborn or excessively opinionated for me to take them seriously. Quite often, folks who claim that ________ is the best bass have only played a handful of basses. There are also folks who have owned hundreds of basses who still haven't found their sound and/or keep buying and selling basses in various cycles of taste.

When we joined, the answer to every question was P Bass, especially if/when the answer involved other basses doing a far better job at that particular task. There was more than a few threads where a user was asking for a bass that fit the description of a Rob Allen MB2, but the OP was assured that the P Bass was better at getting the Rob Allen sound than the Rob Allen. :eyebrow:

At the same time, one couldn't say "I like a P Bass" without openly bashing other basses as well as open statements that other basses will NOT work in the mix. I also possess a good memory from a lack of drugs. ;)
 
How can we have so many pictureless posts in a P bass thread anyway???

Here ya go.
Great for everything? Well good enough for everything I do at the moment but I have a lot of diffrerent colors in the way of basses if I need them. But most of the time for me a P bass makes a good grab and go.
 

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Not to rag on the OP or anyone else, but I think these kinds of threads are silly. The reason some folks think P basses are so versatile is because they like them. You don't hear trumpet players waxing poetic about how versatile their Stadivarius is. "My trumpet works in jazz, classical, funk, pop...etc." It would sound rather silly for one to do that. Same thing applies to basses. The P is no more versatile than a jazz or anything else. If you like the sound of a P bass, then you will probably like it in any style of music. It's really that simple.

Now, that doesn't mean others will like it in that context.
 
Not to rag on the OP or anyone else, but I think these kinds of threads are silly. The reason some folks think P basses are so versatile is because they like them. You don't hear trumpet players waxing poetic about how versatile their Stadivarius is. "My trumpet works in jazz, classical, funk, pop...etc." It would sound rather silly for one to do that. Same thing applies to basses. The P is no more versatile than a jazz or anything else. If you like the sound of a P bass, then you will probably like it in any style of music. It's really that simple.

Now, that doesn't mean others will like it in that context.

Oh I don't know, let's take a look.:D
Trumpet Discussion - Page 8