Understanding the P Bass ...

[MattZilla]

Alexa, cook me mac n cheese.

 

[Ric5]

I see a TON of people make P Basses. Can it be assumed the American made Fender is the ultimate in sound and playability?
Are there any other P Basses for less, which equal a Fender? And are there P Basses even better than the Fender? Curiosity kills me. Thanks

The American ones have the best quality control

 

[bikeplate]

 

[Mushroo]

I have an SX P-bass for $150 and a Fender Custom Shop P-bass for, well, a whole lot more than $150.

They are both killer basses.

What makes P basses great is the design. The R&D took place a long time ago, so now it is just all about executing that tried & true recipe.

An analogy, if you take round dough, add sauce and cheese, and bake it, it's going to taste like pizza. Even a home cook with a modest budget and attention to detail can make a tasty pizza, because it's a time-tested recipe that was perfected long ago.

 

[cdef]

... Can it be assumed the American made Fender is the ultimate in sound and playability ... are there P Basses even better than the Fender? ...

Dozens of Japanese boutique builders have been out-Fendering Fender for years, in terms of build quality. That's just the way it went.

 

[shodan]

If you can find one, check out a Lakland 44-64. If you like a smaller Jazz neck, then the 44-64 Custom (AKA Duck Dunn model).

 

[Davbassdude]

Give me one of those Fender P basses with the "A" or 1.5 inch neck at the nut and I'll be a very happy man!

 

[two fingers]

I have played about a zillion P basses. I worked at a store that sold them. I taught as many as 32 students at a time most if whom played them. I play them in every store I go to. New ones, old ones, one made all over by all kinds if brands.


My advice? Play some. One will speak to you. And it probably won't be the one you THOUGHT would speak to you.

 

[Gizmot]

My days of playing Fender basses were over back in ‘79. I didn’t hate Fenders, but I wanted something that played easier and had a wider palette of sounds. Getting away from Fender i proved my playing and sound.

Before I’d jump on the Fender bandwagon, I’d try G&L, MusicMan, Rickenbacker and others to see if the feel and sounds speak to you.

 

[retslock]

As has been said; it’s a tried and true design that just works well but, they are all different and not every P bass is going to suit you. Play as many as you can because as two fingers says, it may be the one you didn’t expect that says “Play ME”.

 

[Maxdusty]

I think the American Fender P Bass by virtue of being the first commercially successful electric bass and one with the split pickups has earned the right to be the standard by which other manufacturers' P bass style models are measured against. It's not the "best" so to speak, there are better (and usually more expensive) P basses out there, and there are those that fall below that standard.
So it's not the ultimate, but it was the first and is the standard of measure.

My favorite P bass in my collection is not even a Fender but a Peavey Fury. Great sound and more importantly, a thinner and more comfortable neck. Hands down, I prefer it over my two MIM Fender P basses and with a pickup change and maybe the electronics, I would have a hard time choosing between the upgraded Fury and a MIA Fender P bass. I bought my used MIA Peavey Fury for $100 including a case earlier this year.

 

[Bassosaurus]

BTW, flats are the bomb on a P Bass.

True, but when I got mine, planning to put flats on, it sounded so good with RWs on it I almost hated to change it. But I did

 

[wintremute]

Choose your pickups. Get a good setup. You're gold. It's the simplistic beauty.

 

[Yahboy]

The American ones have the best quality control

Are you seriously sure ?

 

[Cullen G]

Thanks so much. Just awesome information.

So now, if anyone knows of any offhand, my one MUST is the availability of Royale Sparkle Blue. I found a company named Mooloon which makes them in that color … but I can't find pricing. I am open to any brands in that color.

 

[dkelley]

Cheap peavey axes are awesome. Best part is that elitists look down upon peavey.... but they are better than the indo, korean and Chinese axes I've played due to better finishing work (fretwork etc) and imho better pickups than cheap imports.

I don't like their headstock or logo lol.... but that's just subjective snobbery on my part.

Peavey is extremely under rated and therefore cheap.

 

[cnltb]

I see a TON of people make P Basses. Can it be assumed the American made Fender is the ultimate in sound and playability?
Are there any other P Basses for less, which equal a Fender? And are there P Basses even better than the Fender? Curiosity kills me. Thanks

Many are better in terms of materials and built quality I think but a lot of it is taste also- how someone interprets the platform, how the neck feels etc etc.

 

[BassmanM]

I see a TON of people make P Basses. Can it be assumed the American made Fender is the ultimate in sound and playability?
Are there any other P Basses for less, which equal a Fender? And are there P Basses even better than the Fender? Curiosity kills me. Thanks

Fender invented the p bass, that's all.

Regarding basses and other musical instruments, there is no such thing as "ultimate", "equal" or "better". It always depends on the player. One man's heaven is another man's hell.

 

[juggahnaught]

I see a TON of people make P Basses. Can it be assumed the American made Fender is the ultimate in sound and playability?
Are there any other P Basses for less, which equal a Fender? And are there P Basses even better than the Fender? Curiosity kills me. Thanks

To be honest, there isn't really much to understand. P basses are a standard, but they aren't "the" standard. They are, however, as simple as they come. Fender isn't the best, it was just the first.

There are great expensive Ps. There are great inexpensive Ps. Many people swear by the expensive stuff, but for a P bass I'm honestly not sure why. One of the best P basses I ever played was a Johnson P that a friend owned - pretty sure it was 100 dollars. Thing sounded killer and never went out of tune. It varies from bass to bass.

Again, not much to understand. If you want to drop a lot of cash, that's fine, but I'd drop a lot of money on a different style of bass. Check a lot of local pawn shops, and you'll find a P that you like for a good price for sure.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

The American ones have the best quality control

Not in my experience...