The basic flaw in the p-bass

[iriegnome]

Is that why you are member #483 in the P Bass club?

I own 2. My 1999 has EMG p'ups and EMG 18v Pre. Bad Ass II Bridge and a graphtech nut. Love the neck, hated the sound. My 2006 P Deluxe V I has had all the pots changed, cavity copper lined and the preamp changed and I still don't play it.. Again, Don't hate. I know there are many many people who love them and I respect that, they just are not for me

 

[JimmyM]

I own 2. My 1999 has EMG p'ups and EMG 18v Pre. Bad Ass II Bridge and a graphtech nut. Love the neck, hated the sound. My 2006 P Deluxe V I has had all the pots changed, cavity copper lined and the preamp changed and I still don't play it.. Again, Don't hate. I know there are many many people who love them and I respect that, they just are not for me

Those are hardly P basses anymore But I agree...they probably aren't for you if you're modding them to that degree. It's cool. I don't get wound up over people not liking what I like. I just get wound up when people speak total BS as if it's incontrovertible fact in order to convince you to buy the stuff that they like. Like they get a commission...LOL!

 

[maxiegrant]

I have this crazy idea. If you don't like the sound of the P-Bass, get something else.

There are like 1,000,000 different models of bass out there. Sometimes, it gets old reading about the very first one, as if it is the only one and can't be improved on (which, obviously for some of us it can).

 

[vstring3]

I have this crazy idea. If you don't like the sound of the P-Bass, get something else.

Yeah, I don't think we have that problem here. The problem is that some folks are going out and buying something else, then they come back here to declare that the P-Bass sucks.

 

[BASS4TOS]

It's all perception. It's unlikely that the tone knob is affecting the low end at all. If your hearing more upper mids and highs it may seem as if your bottom end gone.

Wow.... that's a pretty boring recording, excuse me, " capturing ".......why would you post that ?

 

[JimmyM]

Wow.... that's a pretty boring recording, excuse me, " capturing ".......why would you post that ?

Because it's true?

 

[Mark Nye]

...when people speak total BS as if it's incontrovertible fact...

So, whenever they're on the internet, then?

 

[JimmyM]

So, whenever they're on the internet, then?

Basically.

 

[Salamenster]

This has to be one of the weirdest threads I've ever been on.

 

[Echovox]

This has to be one of the weirdest threads I've ever been on.

I agree with you 100%.
How about the flaw with the P-bass is the person playing it! ;-)

 

[Mark Nye]

How about the flaw with the P-bass is the person playing it! ;-)

Whenever people ask my opinion on their tone/rig/playing, my first answer is always a light-hearted, "I think your biggest problem is somewhere between the strap and the strings."

 

[HelpImaRock]

Whenever people ask my opinion on their tone/rig/playing, my first answer is always a light-hearted, "I think your biggest problem is somewhere between the strap and the strings."

So you're saying its the pickup, right?


Help!I'maniPhone!

 

[chadds]

Sheesh...how are you going to get fuzztone, duck quack, and rocket launcher sounds? Even an "all in the hands" type like me can appreciate a good fuzz/wah/flanger.

Rocketlauncher

 

[awilkie84]

My biggest beef with this "flaw" is that it comes down to just modifying the tone circuit to one more like the Greasebucket. It's like $2 in parts and a soldering iron. Problem SOLVED.

 

[wyleeboxer]

I dont think anyone believes that you can just plug in any bass into an amp WITHOUT an EQ and think its going to sound just right. Every bass needs to be tweaked with some sort of EQing. My belief is that a P bass or just about any bass can be tweaked to sound close to something that works for just about any situation. So how can a P bass be flawed? its so basic and has the simple foundation to be manipulated to do Mettle to Punk to Funk to Dub in a matter of seconds..

 

[aborgman]

It's not dogma, its fact, a passive tone control can in no way boost any frequency.

Correct.

A passive circuit CAN reduce the load on the transducer in certain frequency ranges, allowing the transducer (not the passive circuit) to increase output.

The passive tone circuit is always sub-unity gain, but depending on how it loads the pickup the output of the entire system (pickup+tone stack) can "boost" certain frequency ranges.

 

[Salamenster]

I dont think anyone believes that you can just plug in any bass into an amp WITHOUT an EQ and think its going to sound just right. Every bass needs to be tweaked with some sort of EQing. My belief is that a P bass or just about any bass can be tweaked to sound close to something that works for just about any situation. So how can a P bass be flawed? its so basic and has the simple foundation to be manipulated to do Mettle to Punk to Funk to Dub in a matter of seconds..

I never EQ my P-bass/flats. Then again, I don't use it for metal/punk. But I do for funk/dub.

 

[cfsporn]

Sheesh...how are you going to get fuzztone, duck quack, and rocket launcher sounds? Even an "all in the hands" type like me can appreciate a good fuzz/wah/flanger.

I can get a fuzz tone with my hands (dig in. a lot) and on my basses with parametric midrange controls, I can get a wah effect. No luck with the flanger.

 

[JLY]

Jimmy M...you speak words of wisdom

 

[ggunn]

You get one tone knob, one Volume & one pickup. Not much to work with.
If it had bass, mid & treble it might be interesting but other than that it
a one trick pony and you need a good amp to make up the difference.

With passive electronics one tone knob (or maybe one per pickup) is all you get.