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The P Bass Growl

#61
Buskman said:
Yes, another Precision thread... :rollno: LOL

Just wanted to get everyone's opinion on what components you feel make up the mystical "growl".

I'm thinking it has a lot to do with upper mids - am I correct in my assumption?

Do you find your P growls more with flats or rounds? Fingers, pick or both? What tweaking do you do (if any) to your amp to enhance it? Or do you prefer little to no growl at all & are more of a straight "thump" fan instead?

Also, feel free to give examples (songs, clips etc) that support your take on it.

Discuss... :D
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Wilde P46 + .1 capacitor + Badass bridge + Rotosound 66s = Holy crap, more growl than I know what to do with.
 
#62
Mike M. said:
To me, P basses as have a "grind" to the sound and Jazz basses have a "growl" to thier sound especially within the bridge pickup.

Just my opinion.
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I agree.

It's funny how we choose so many different adjectives to describe tones, yet, there is no clear definition for them.

Warm tones do not make me take off my coat.
Buttery tones do not taste good.
Crunchy tones do not hurt my teeth.
Growling tones do not make me fearful.

I'm sure someone else has said this before, but, I still find it amusing.
 
#64
BrandonBass said:
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
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Not to derail the thread... But Steve Harris fits the bill with a p-bass just fine - sometimes against three distorted guitars.

As far as the thread is concerned... I agree with an earlier post about Wetton's P-bass tone - just massive!
 
#65
Farley said:
Not to derail the thread... But Steve Harris fits the bill with a p-bass just fine - sometimes against three distorted guitars.

As far as the thread is concerned... I agree with an earlier post about Wetton's P-bass tone - just massive!
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Entwistle was my first P-bass epiphany, Wetton was my second. I'm referring to sequence, not rank... both are awesome.

I didn't learn about Jamerson until later, but his P-bass tone, while wonderful, didn't growl. Entwistle and Wetton were the kings of growl!
 
#72
...is overrated. It's more about the right pickups and amp.

Besides, there are MANY manufacturers out there that crush the P now...G&L, Ibanez (my BTB Prestige, for instance), and countless others.

Yep, the upper-mids give the snarl! Don't forget that the low-mids give that "authority" to anchor your sound.
 
#73
songwriter21 said:
...is overrated. It's more about the right pickups and amp.

Besides, there are MANY manufacturers out there that crush the P now...G&L, Ibanez (my BTB Prestige, for instance), and countless others.

Yep, the upper-mids give the snarl! Don't forget that the low-mids give that "authority" to anchor your sound.
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I'm sorry to disagree with you my friend...but NOTHING crushes the P bass !

Anyway...here are my definitions:

Jazz with both pickups on full = GROWL
Jazz with front pickup soloed = Smooth
Jazz with back pickup soloed = what one should avoid doing at the dinner table (i.e. burp and fart)

Precision= Bump,moan,groan thump and wallop

Stingray= Clank, squeak, sizzle and grind (and if you're plugging straight into a mixing console...FURRRRRRRR)

Rickenbacker = Croak, Clang and doop de doop

Did I miss anything?...oh yeah...

Gibson = whatever sound mud makes !
 
#74
PJ Muzikmansky said:
I'm sorry to disagree with you my friend...but NOTHING crushes the P bass !

Anyway...here are my definitions:

Jazz with both pickups on full = GROWL
Jazz with front pickup soloed = Smooth
Jazz with back pickup soloed = what one should avoid doing at the dinner table (i.e. burp and fart)

Precision= Bump,moan,groan thump and wallop

Stingray= Clank, squeak, sizzle and grind (and if you're plugging straight into a mixing console...FURRRRRRRR)

Rickenbacker = Croak, Clang and doop de doop

Did I miss anything?...oh yeah...

Gibson = whatever sound mud makes !
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Close, except the last one. Gibson = boom.
 
#77
My P basses growl when I want them to... sometimes they whisper...sometimes they scream.

Never touch the volume knob except between songs.

The P is very responsive to the right hand and sounds different with every different touch, especially if you raise the action and allow it to take a beating without fretting out.
 
#79
I know the sound you are talking about, im the lucky owner of an original 62 fender precision bass ive had for the last 30+ years. Those pickups have a ridiculous amount of growl unlike modern fenders, there are so many examples of this tone on recordings take your pick.
 
#80
lineboss58 said:
I know the sound you are talking about, im the lucky owner of an original 62 fender precision bass ive had for the last 30+ years. Those pickups have a ridiculous amount of growl unlike modern fenders, there are so many examples of this tone on recordings take your pick.
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I think you're making a broad generalization there. I own a '62 reissue P, gig it regularly, and it sounds identical...IDENTICAL to anything I hear on recordings made with a similar vintage instruments from way back when....

By and large, with post 57 'P's (the split -coil PUP era) I think one might categorize it by saying that there is a slight difference between the rosewood board (darker sound) and the maple (brighter), but not much more than that. Generally speaking, a 'P' is a 'P' is a 'P'.
 

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