My own journey has been through cheap junk (all I could afford at 14 yrs old) through cheap fenders then modern active instruments with 24 frets. Even had a Roland bass synth at one stage. I had a beautiful 5 string Belman for a while, but could never figure out what to do with the B string 
I never owned a precision until last year when I bought a MIM std at a sale. After I bought it I regretted it and thought I had made a mistake rushing in and buying something just because it was on sale. It wasn't even the "right" colour. (I wanted sunburst).
But, that bass crept up on me. There's something timeless and honest about just having four strings and two knobs. My taste in music has also switched away from technical and virtuoso playing to simple clean and solid basslines. The P has also surprised me with it's versatility. I use GHS pressure wounds and I rarely have the tone control full on. It has a lot of attack and expression. The output from the pickup is really loud. Almost like an active. I'm even starting to appreciate the black colour!
But the bass is just one part of the equation. The strings and the amp are *really* important. I think great strides have been made in both string and amp technology in the last 20 years. I think it's great that we have so many choices as bass players, but at the end of the day, it's all about the song.
I never owned a precision until last year when I bought a MIM std at a sale. After I bought it I regretted it and thought I had made a mistake rushing in and buying something just because it was on sale. It wasn't even the "right" colour. (I wanted sunburst). But, that bass crept up on me. There's something timeless and honest about just having four strings and two knobs. My taste in music has also switched away from technical and virtuoso playing to simple clean and solid basslines. The P has also surprised me with it's versatility. I use GHS pressure wounds and I rarely have the tone control full on. It has a lot of attack and expression. The output from the pickup is really loud. Almost like an active. I'm even starting to appreciate the black colour!
But the bass is just one part of the equation. The strings and the amp are *really* important. I think great strides have been made in both string and amp technology in the last 20 years. I think it's great that we have so many choices as bass players, but at the end of the day, it's all about the song.
