So what is it about the Fender P...

[topcat2069]

Very well said I just didn't want the OP listening to people who say get a different bass because his Ric is not "sitting in the mix" and I'm sure as a recording professional before you went to that extreme you would suggest maybe a different playing style? and with all of the technology digital and analog available to today's engineers I agree with you that it comes down to laziness. I just get so tired of people talking about "sitting in the mix" if one bass sounds the best on recordings please lets identify it so we can all sound awesome.

Like I said [I'll] more likely than not use radical low end EQ on the instruments that are conflicting with the Bass sound, I've been known to high pass the piano at 250+hz. But hey .... that's just me...

 

[Maxdusty]

I have 16 basses, but only my P bass and the basses with the P and Jazz pickup configuration can get that distinct P-bass sound. Nothing else can get that sound, I've tried with the other basses I have with different pickup configurations on it.
So my answer is the type of pickup absolutely makes for the distinct sound. Placement of the pickup has about 10% to do with getting that true classic sound.
I would recommend having at least one bass with the split pickups in any collection, really there's no other way to emulate it.

 

[SirMjac28]

Like I said [I'll] more likely than not use radical low end EQ on the instruments that are conflicting with the Bass sound. But hey .... that's just me...

Now you're somebody I would love to record with as opposed to someone telling me" Your Ric may not sound good in the mix you may want to borrow something else like a P bass?" is any engineer going to tell Geddy that? or are they going to make it work? I would say the latter is true most of the time.

 

[Boot Soul]

Here is another great ad from 1958.

And this one from 1953.

 

[Happynoj]

All good replies here. But Fender already answered this question very eloquently in this ad from 1972. I like the ad so much that I have a framed 8 x 11 copy of it hanging in my practice space. And I own three P Basses.

Because of where the line break was on my monitor, I initially thought that you had 11 copies hanging in your practice space. Possibly slightly excessive.

 

[Boot Soul]

Because of where the line break was on my monitor, I initially thought that you had 11 copies hanging in your practice space. Possibly slightly excessive.

Yes, but only slightly. Ha.

 

[kevteop]

I just get so tired of people talking about "sitting in the mix" if one bass sounds the best on recordings please lets identify it so we can all sound awesome.

If it was true then there wouldn't be a need for bass guitar marketing at all, and certainly no market for 'super-Fenders' that numerous luthiers (and numerous questionable chancers) have been milking for decades.

 

[eff-clef]

In a live(rock) band setting, I find the P Bass(I use a G&L SB-2) and Stingray basses cut through the best.
And cover a lot of sonic territory. I tried a Jazz style(G&L JB-2) and unless I favored
one of the two pickups, it got buried. I think both of those single pickup designs are in the perfect harmonic
sweet spots.

 

[topcat2069]

Now you're somebody I would love to record with as opposed to someone telling me" Your Ric may not sound good in the mix you may want to borrow something else like a P bass?" is any engineer going to tell Geddy that? or are they going to make it work? I would say the latter is true most of the time.

With a Band that has a sound that the Geddy tone works.. (like almost ANY trio) there is plenty of sonic real estate available....

The right player with the right material and the right Bass lines in the right Band can make ANY Bass work I LOVE the sound that Mick Karn got on the Japan CDs or with Gary Numan, it fits.........

I have recorded with many different Basses, I always choose the one I think fits best..... but.... if all else fails... "where IS that P Bass ?"

 

[REV]

For years I resisted getting a P bass. Everyone told me that's what I needed and should be playing and this made me resist even more. When I finally started playing them they gave me the sound I had been looking for. Rock n Roll grew up with the Fender bass, so a lot of what we hear on recordings has that P sound. It's in us.

 

[hintz]

I prefer the 80's MIJ fenders over any other I've played for the feel of the necks, and I always swapped the pickups and bridge out, but as I've done recordings since then, (imo) find that neckthru's sit better in the mix, a more even tone requiring less compression, so I own no fenders now, and I don't buy the whole "needs to be a fender" thing

 

[REMBO]

It's just what a lot of people are used to. There's nothing special about it.

Sorry.....disagree.....i never wanted a Fender! started on a hagstrom.....bought a rickenbacker.... then, by chance, bought a 78 Fender "P" at a used shop for $400 .....and, my life changed! ....now, that's all i play!

 

[REMBO]

All that is needed is:

A Fender P Bass

A Fender Jazz Bass

A Musicman Stingray

and,

A G & L A.S.A.T. or L1000!!

that's it!

you can throw a Rickenbacker & a Gibson Thunderbird in there too if you'd like!

 

[Maxdusty]

Sorry.....disagree.....i never wanted a Fender! started on a hagstrom.....bought a rickenbacker.... then, by chance, bought a 78 Fender "P" at a used shop for $400 .....and, my life changed! ....now, that's all i play!

Was in the same boat. I did not own a Fender till pretty recently. Always resisted as I didn't want a bass that everybody else played, so for 30 years, I've played every other bass but a Fender, usually Ibanez basses.
Once I bought the P, I realized how utterly silly and pointless it was trying to resist playing Fender basses for oh so long. It really opens up a new avenue to my bass playing - so now I'm making up for lost time.
I love having the P bass pickups, but I have to say, I like the added flexibility of having the extra Jazz pickup on there on a PJ bass. While I love using my P-bass, I tend to go with my Fender JP-90 with the PJ. My Jazz gets some love, but not as much right now.

 

[MovingPitchers]

Now you're somebody I would love to record with as opposed to someone telling me" Your Ric may not sound good in the mix you may want to borrow something else like a P bass?" is any engineer going to tell Geddy that? or are they going to make it work? I would say the latter is true most of the time.

The difference is is because Geddy has his own signature sound that only comes from whatever he uses. No engineer is gonna DARE challenge a god to "change basses".

They can do that to local recording musicians because they have the ability to completely make your bass sound like a POS if you confront them. Just my 2 cents

 

[God's Favorite Bass]

I think it's about 90+ % the pickup. The split design, wide flat coils that are wired in series.
Then comes the placement, some non Fender P Basses vary from the traditional position and that's why they have a slightly different "flavor profile" than the Fenders, but not too much.
I've owned many P Bass variants over the last 48 years and as long as they hold to the pickup tradition they all had the P Bass "Thing"

As to the Mix question, P Basses have a sort of double O sound like Look or Book where as the Jazz Bass has a sort of short A type sound, like in the word Awesome, which, I believe, is due to the single pickup . Being wired in series there are more low mids, where as a 2 pickup Bass will have cancellation of the strings common frequencies.

Though I have owned String Rays which don't have that Basic single pickup tone flavor, but due to the active electronics the comparison is moot.

This phenomenon makes it more difficult but not impossable for [me] to mix a 2 pickup Bass, the denser the mix the less bass tone comes through.... Of course there are ALWAYS exceptions to any given situation during a mix session. (the wood the bass is made from contributes a bit but not as much as the strings) I may just raise the volume of the bass until it can be heard but more likely than not I'll use radical low end EQ on the instruments that are conflicting with the Bass sound.

As a player and recording engineer, I will almost always record with a P Bass or variant before I reach for a Jazz or any other Bass.

I've owned everything from an Fender American Deluxe P Bass to a SX P style and many Fender American Standards, MIM, MIJs & CIC and even the ones that have a bridge pickup still have that P Bass thing going on.

I just bought a Squire Vintage Modern PJ and it's great sounding and VERY well made, I would hazard to say it's as good as my last Fender Am. P Bass Standard though I do prefer the graphite neck rods and better wood but for the $$ the Squire is great.

"Double OO" sound and "short A sound"....I like that!! I've always said one goes "BOOOM" and one goes "Quack". I like your analogy.

 

[davy4575]

As someone who doesn't own a P I've got a bunch of questions. As I've documented elsewhere on this forum I've had a little trouble getting the tone I want from my 4003 on some recent recordings. Now nearly everyone I speak to says 'use a P' and they seem to have a reputation for sitting in amix better than anything else, so:

What exactly is it about a P that makes it stand out in the mix? is it the placement of the pickup in the 'sweetspot'? This seems to me to be the only consistent factor across all different P's (and as we know there are many many different models).

alternatively is it only the higher end American mades that have this quality. Is a Mex P or a Squier P or a Lakland going to stand out in the same way. These are undoubtably made of different components with different pickups etc not to mention the multitude of strings people use. When I asked in a shop I go to regularly the salesmen told me not to blow loads on an expensive Am as a cheap MiM or Squier would do the studio job just fine.

I see guys on here swapping out the pickups on their P's does this not lose some of that P magic?

Forgive me if I am asking some ignorant and basic questions, I'm just trying to crack some of this P-Bass Mystique.

Not to quote myself....but to quote myself....because this sums it up about a P from myself as I used to hate em....from an earlier post of mine...

"So for years, Ive never liked P Basses, not because i want to be a hipster and buck the trend or anything like that. They just didnt fit my hands, always felt awkward, couldnt reach the high frets comfortably, meh on the tone. I learned to play them well enough if forced to but hated it...til the other night, picked up my brothers cheap mim, adjusted the neck, intonation, etc. played it......damn it felt good, sounded right. Just fit....like a slightly chubby kinda nice slutty girlfriend who cooks good. Just felt right in my hands, sounded warm and full yet still bright enough for me, mr. modern hifi guy....now im screwed, I like the thing....enough to make it a regular go-to in the bass stable....damn it."

 

[jj4001]

I got a cheap P bass (cheaper than MIM) expecting it to be a beater and backup to my 4003. I eventually discovered that I absolutely do like the P sound better while playing with the band. It's just so damn... audible? I feel kinda stupid gigging a bass that's worth only a tiny fraction of my 2 Ricks but it just sounds so good to me. Just like many others here have said, the mids just make it more punchy. I always played over the neck pickup on the Ricks, so my playing style made them more boomy with less note definition. Getting used to the P-bass made me want to start playing the Ricks on the bridge side of the pickup cover. It's more like the P tone I dig recently but then it's a huge pain because now I'm always accidently unscrewing the bridge mute assembly when I play the E-string. Very annoying on gigs! I can't really blame that on the bass though. It's just user error.

I can't speak for recording studios, however. I've only recorded with Ricks.

 

[maves75]

The Amp I feel like I have the correct one for me.What's not to like about an Ampeg Portaflex? Never played a P bass. I do want one though. The older, the better! They may lose their pretty,but won't lose their good if they were good to start with is what I believe. I can't get on board with the idea that if it isn't a P bass, it isn't a bass. To each their own.

 

[MovingPitchers]

Well, we must consider amps too. You can have a fantastically made and good-sounding P-bass, but if you have a crappy amp, then the bass will sound crappy too. Vice versa.

Those things go hand in hand. You want the best sound out of your P-Bass? You need a decent amplifier that can handle all that punch and thump. You need both to have a good sounding P. Just saying. And this is what I truly believe. An MIA Std. P I played at L&M sounded like crap through a BA-110 but through a Fender Rumble 40 or even a top end Ampeg.....I had to turn myself down to 1 because it literally shook the walls.

The store, by no means, was a small store...