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

[Papersen]

I like the low end sound of the P bass, but the J neck is easier to play.

+1.
The neck profile is usually a deal breaker for me.
I also miss a bit of high end definition.

 

[Diogenes]

Seriously, does the question really need to be asked?

 

[chadds]

At the risk of flames!
I've played bass since the 60's. I loved the real '57 I had. I had a '70s Telebass I really loved. I now own a '57 reissue and a '51 reissue. I love them both for roots types of music. Newer basses can sound out of place.

I now bring up my caveat. In recording situations and around the fire, coffee house thing the Fenders are excellent. But....

....in the live real world....not so much.

When I listen to the soundtracks of new movies about the blues or roots music the bass is real deep and full. Of course the theatres have subs but they are mixing for those. Often as an upright player and listener I've noticed that a good double bass has lows that a Fender doesn't have.
My experience is that a powerful tube amp can add all kinds of character to a Fender but it's not really there by nature of it's passive electronics or the resonance of the wood. Punchy we don't have to discuss here because the P invented it!!!

So I played a gig a block from the U.S. Capital. The material was old Motown, Blues and Dylan. The Five String modern bass brought the huge wide bottom that filled out the trio and had the folks dancing their fannies off. My Fenders couldn't even compete. My band noticed the difference right away.

Again in the studio I can play with the whole side of my index finger to get big bass. Live it doesn't come easy.

 

[Ric5]

When I pick up a p-bass I get bored with it after a few minutes. First of all I need a 5th string. Then I want a 2nd pickup. Then I want a 4 band preamp. Then after all of that I still end up playing a different bass.

 

[Jimmy Stump]

When I pick up a Precision, I ask it, why can't you be a Jazz?

 

[St Drogo]

I always wonder when it comes to the versatility of P's if it's not actually due to it's simple nature. This way, you have to be creative and put the versatility in yourself. Like you said, it comes from playing style, playing position, pick or fingers and so on. When you have a bass with all these doodads like a 3band eq, twentyseven pu's, blend, sounds presets and whathaveyou, you kind of expect the versatility to come with the instrument. Maybe when that's the case, you put less effort in being a more versatile player.

 

[Fuzzbass]

When I pick up a Precision, I ask it, why can't you be a Jazz?

FAIL

 

[Fuzzbass]

I always wonder when it comes to the versatility of P's if it's not actually due to it's simple nature. This way, you have to be creative and put the versatility in yourself. Like you said, it comes from playing style, playing position, pick or fingers and so on.

Excellent point. Versatility comes from the player far more than it does from the instrument. Anyone who says that a P-bass is a "one trick pony" is a "one trick player".

 

[Nashrakh]

I always wonder when it comes to the versatility of P's if it's not actually due to it's simple nature. This way, you have to be creative and put the versatility in yourself. Like you said, it comes from playing style, playing position, pick or fingers and so on. When you have a bass with all these doodads like a 3band eq, twentyseven pu's, blend, sounds presets and whathaveyou, you kind of expect the versatility to come with the instrument. Maybe when that's the case, you put less effort in being a more versatile player.

I agree with the versatility of the P stemming from its 'simple nature', which is a kind of sound that goes along well with a lot of stuff - but I wouldn't say that it forces you to play more creatively while basses with more gimmicks make you expect versatility coming from the instrument.

It's all in the player - the bass is just an outlet for our musical ideas. I don't think this kind of 'stereotyping' applies at all.

 

[jnammy]

The P can't do a variety of sounds, but it works well with a large variety of music, unlike some other popular bass sounds, IMO. It has a unique ability to cut through electric guitars and the G string manages to remain thick sounding, even if you've got the tone knob all the way up. Also, with the tone knob down, the P sounds closer to an upright than other type of electric bass, IMO. It's also interesting to me how Anthony Jackson's epic search for his "sound" in his signature Fodera has lead to what is basically a P bass sound.

However, this all depends on if you've got a great sounding P or not, since a lot of the Ps out there just sound bassy and boomy with no definition or crunchy bite. An example of a good P sound can be found in Ed Friedland's review of the new American P5 , which is one of the few basses he purchased after reviewing it. He even made a subsequent video to defend it when a few viewers said that the B sounded weak.

 

[philtoler]

I started with a P - fantastic! Eventually curiosity got the better of me and I now have a P/J. I won't go back to just a P now - the bridge pickup sound is just as nice (in a totally different way) to the neck, and so is the P/J sound. You get three great (and completely different) sounds for the price of one!

 

[PastorofMuppets]

Yes it in fact play metal and do it Justice LOL

Link Removed

 

[David Jayne]

Excellent point. Versatility comes from the player far more than it does from the instrument. Anyone who says that a P-bass is a "one trick pony" is a "one trick player".

Right on, let me count the ways:
Fingers near pickup
Fingers near neck
Pick near pickup
Pick near neck
Slap
All of the above with different tone pot settings(rolling the Tone knob back to about 20% on a P results in a low-mid bump- most folks don't know this).
All of the above with flats. Many, many distinct tones are possible.

 

[kraigo]

For the most part I agree. But P-Basses do have something going for them with me: I can hear them in a mix better without getting complaints about my volume. That is why the P-Bass is my go to bass.

KO

Not knocking the P, they are a thing of wonder, but truth is, you can play pretty much any bass for anything. 99.9% of the world wouldn't know the difference.

All of the discussion of "this bass for that style," etc, is pretty much nonsense outside of Talkbass land. It still fun though!!

 

[ben12390]

i am a very very solid p bass user, and gosh i cant get over how much i freaking love my P

but you just cant slap on it.... it just doesnt pop like a jazz.

 

[Fuzzbass]

i am a very very solid p bass user, and gosh i cant get over how much i freaking love my P

but you just cant slap on it.... it just doesnt pop like a jazz.

The P-bass has its own special slap vibe.... I think it's sexier than J slappin! Check this guy out:

 

[Bochafish]

The P-bass has its own special slap vibe.... I think it's sexier than J slappin! Check this guy out:

+1

This is always the video I think of when someone says you can't slap on a P. The bridge J pup does add that extra pop, slaping on my p/j is a lot of fun.

 

[Munjibunga]

I've got no use for them. My first bass was a '65 P Bass. Hated it. God knew this and caused it to be stolen from me. Jazz basses rule. [/thread]

 

[Batmensch]

If you have no use for them, then why post in a pro P-bass thread? Makes no sense to me.

 

[jnammy]

I too was a p bass hater for the last 15 years, but I just became a convert earlier this year. I was mainly a jazz and modern soapbar lover, but I realized that my p bass cut through the mix better than the rest of my basses, which I never expected.