The P Bass Growl

[68Goldfish]

I allways think of my nickel round strung p basses as having more of a grind sound more than anything.

 

[stratovani]

I play my P-Bass with flats through a GK MB115, using a pick right over that pickups. I turn down the bass on the amp, set the hi and lo mids to 2 o'clock, and the treble turned all the way up. No pedals. Growls like a mofo! Sounds a bit like Geddy's Ric!

 

[woolysock]

You want growl?
Pbass w DR Marcus Miller strings, Lollar pup, volume and tone wide open, low action, dig in, finger-style, just behing pup.

 

[pbassnut]

a big +1 w/woolysock on the DR Marcus Millers ... my absolute favorite roundwounds ... very deep and bright sounding at the same time.

I had it in spades at my gig last Friday night ... Warmoth swamp ash - maple/rosewood P w/Fender Custom Shop '59 Precision pickup strung with a new set of DR Marcus Miller Fat Rounds through a Tech 21 RPM preamp driving an Ashdown ABM 500 EVO II head and into a Schroeder 1515L. Thick & pillowy, but with growl out the ying-yang ... most festive.

 

[kander]

You want growl?
Pbass w DR Marcus Miller strings, Lollar pup, volume and tone wide open, low action, dig in, finger-style, just behing pup.

I have a Lollar pup in my P too but I prefer DR Loriders.

 

[DJJazzV]

I think the Jazz growls, but the P barks and bites.

The above statement is what I hear.
Just got a '78 P maple board, ash body, and it is so "aggressive". Lots of "bark & bite" with great note clarity, fullness, and almost a built in light overdrive.
It's almost like an opposite to my '76 Jazz. The Jazz is smooth & warmer with light growl and note definition.

 

[FaithNoMan]

I always thought of the P bass growl as more of a "bark".

Of course, the classic 3 can cover each other's ground a little, but I always felt:

P basses "bark"
J basses "growl"
Rics "grindy rattle"?

I dunno

 

[FaithNoMan]

I have a Lollar pup in my P too but I prefer DR Loriders.

Love Lo-Riders. Mine are 4 years old and it's time to change them. But they still sound aggressive:

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[BrandonBass]

P basses dont growl. It kinda grinds though, and if you roll of the tone knob it thumps.

I find P basses less present in the mix though, and not ideal if you play fast and intricate lines. Not sayin you cant do it though, they just seem less articulate than basses w a bridge p up.

I still love my pbass though

 

[AMJBASS]

Listen to Rocco Prestia(Tower of Power) who is very present in the mix with fast and intricate lines.

 

[BrandonBass]

Listen to Rocco Prestia(Tower of Power) who is very present in the mix with fast and intricate lines.

Not saying a pbass cant be present in the mix, but definitely harder to do so compared to a rick or jazz. Rocco doesnt play in a band w distorted guitars etc.

Same reason James Jamerson is present in the mix, cause the mix he plays in are usually quite sparse with lots of sonic space for him to do his fills

 

[BrandonBass]

speaking of which, u guys should check out this band called civil twilight. Their singer/bassist has a consistently sweet pbass sound

 

[Fuzzbass]

The Jazz definitely growls for sure, but I like to think of it as a different growl altogether than that of a Precision (the whole apples/oranges thing).

+1000

Growl is a vague term and the definition will vary from person to person. For some, growl only comes from a pickup close to the bridge. For others, pretty much any bass can growl. It certainly comes from mids. Which mids depend on the bass, but it can be high mids, mid mids, low mids. Unless you want to get into one of those silly arguments such as "growl" versus "purr".

 

[Fuzzbass]

As for P-bass growl specifically, well, John Entwistle's playing on Live at Leeds four decades ago is still a classic example. On that album it comes out a little better when he's playing pickstyle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZUMg6Maht4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea0759BeJ2U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg3fmZyE3cg

P.S. On that album Entwistle is panned full left and Townshend full right, so if you want to hear Ox' playing in all its glory, pan left!

 

[petrus61]

The P bass "growl" is what initially turned me off to them when I first tried them. There is a certain "throatiness" to them that can sound very harsh when played solo (and the reason I don't like them for slap). Funny enough, that gnarly bite is what puts P's above and beyond in a full band mix. In a mix, they are completely different animals. That's why it'a my main and currently only bass.

 

[Mushroo]

I find P basses to be the most responsive to subtle variations in right-hand technique. I can situate my P in the mix fairly successfully simply by altering where I pluck, how hard, and the attack/sustain/decay of the note.

 

[wolffire99]

My 98 P bass only growls with the open E string

 

[slobake]

I play my P-Bass with flats through a GK MB115, using a pick right over that pickups. I turn down the bass on the amp, set the hi and lo mids to 2 o'clock, and the treble turned all the way up. No pedals. Growls like a mofo! Sounds a bit like Geddy's Ric!

I have the same amp. I got tired of the flats on my Precision and put on some D'addario half rounds. I really like the tone with those strings. I like the GK amp, still experimenting with tones. I boost the low mods and leave the highs at or below 12 o'clock and I also roll off the bass and boost the treble. Sometimes I boost the drive and gain and lower the master volume. For a more aggresive tone I play with a pick right below the neck. Been struggling getting the best tone for the song when we play so I ordered a Zoom B3. I"m looking forward to playing with that.

 

[miles'tone]

In my experience I have come to the conclusion that the best Precision growl comes from those basses that are pretty lightweight and loud acoustically.
My current P wears Fender flats (9050CL) and growls massively!

Edit: Low action for growl, higher action for thump.

 

[marchone]

These questions always make me ask Precision single coil or Precision split coils?

Here's clip of a stock '68 Telecaster Bass (roughly '51 Reissue) through two 200 watt Marshall stacks circa 1969. Strung with Rotosound 66 Swing Bass roundwounds and played with a pick.



You could call that a growl but maybe more of a grind like said above.