With all respect....I had a jazz bass I striped of poly and refinished it with a light oil and it sounded totally different...
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
What Makes Some P-Basses Sound Good?
- Thread starter jnammy
- Start date
With all respect....I had a jazz bass I striped of poly and refinished it with a light oil and it sounded totally different...
This is a great thread. Although this answer is a bit esoteric, I think that there are basses that fit the player. I know strings pups and setup, along with woods and finishes help, the ultimate tone comes from the player. I guess I wouldn't stress too much if you aren't finding "the" tone from a particular bass. For example, I had an mtd 535, and I just couldn't dial it in. I have had the luxury of going through a lot of basses, and when I got my 75 p, it was just like coming home. If you find a bass you connect with, then good tone will, in my experience, follow. It is more a matter of following your heart when it comes to the connection. You'll just know. Using the tire analagy, you wouldn't put mud tires on a Ferrari and expect super performance on the autobon. But more importantly if you don't like the way the Ferrari drives, you wouldn't even care to take it there. Meaning, if you don't feel it, don't expect great things. Who cares if you don't connect with the "hot thing". Find what you do connect with and you'll find your ultimate tone. Sigh... I'm weird.
What makes some P-basses sound good?
A J pickup in the bridge position...
Thanks, I'll be here all week!
A J pickup in the bridge position...
Thanks, I'll be here all week!
Well, it's a mistake to dismiss the effect of pickups and their location. Because of pickups alone, it's easy to tell a P-bass from a J-bass regardless of the woods used in construction. It can be difficult to tell a P from a J with neck pup soloed, but many can tell the difference between single coil and split-coil pickups even when all else is equal.
That aside, I strongly agree that wood makes a tremendous difference in tone, envelope, sustain, etc. For the past 5 years my #1 bass has been an alder/maple Sadowsky P5. On impulse I got a Sadowsky P5 sibling in ash/maple, but eventually realized it wasn't for me. This is because of the body wood, period: ash simply doesn't give my favorite P-bass tone. This isn't an indictment of ash, not by any means... it's simply a reflection of my own personal taste. So, I'm getting another P5 in alder.
That's awesome... thank you for the comparison of Sadowsky versus Alleva Coppola. I've never tried an A-C P-bass, but definitely agree about Sadowsky: my P5 does not give the vintage Fender tone, either. I know this well because my brother has my old 1964 Precision, so I still play it regularly! And that is fine: the Sadowsky P-bass tone is what I've been looking for... especially live, but it sounds great in the studio too.
When I get the urge for the vintage P-bass tone in a 5-string I'll look into either Fender or A-C... that'll depend on my wallet, of course!
Yeah I'd also like to know if Alleva pups can be purchased seperately for future reference lol
Fralin will custom wind their pickups to your specs.
I have long contended that the standard Fender P bass does *not* sound good at all played along - it's honky, dull, boring... But in the mix, it shines. The reverse is true, I think, with basses (as well as amps and effects) that sounds great alone but in the mix get lost. Some of the best recording EVER was done on a plain-old P-bass... But I still find the sound, outside of the mix, to be DULL.
The pups will be biggest contributor to voice char. Some mfg versions of P pups will have more growl to them due to their voicing. Body and neck woods will also contribute to this along with strings used.
I just can agree with the statement on the Alleva Coppolo.
If you want an outstanding vintage style Precision Bass stop searching, get an Alleva Coppolo.
My KBP5 sounds great with flatwounds and roundwounds.
(And if I am well informed you can get the PU's separately but that won't make a bass a Coppolo)
Regards
Jacques
If you want an outstanding vintage style Precision Bass stop searching, get an Alleva Coppolo.
My KBP5 sounds great with flatwounds and roundwounds.
(And if I am well informed you can get the PU's separately but that won't make a bass a Coppolo)
Regards
Jacques
dumb fingers do dumb things...
1)experience with your weapon of choice is the ultimate in making it effective.
its really all about knowing where to place your fingers, knowing where to strike and how to to produce the sound you want.
2) simple can be the most complex.
1 vol 1 tone..thats it. we live in a world of billion band eqs and constant noodleing where you can manipulate the tone so much its easy to get lost in it. you can become more of a knob twiddler than a bassist. with one vol and one tone theres not alot there to hide inadequacies. you need to know your bass and know just where to set it to to achieve the results for different sounds. when you think about how sensitive control is and how small your margin of error is those 2 knobs and be pretty intimidating.
3)Dont take a knife to a gun fight.
Strings make the difference especially with the afformentioned basic controls. i wouldnt bring my "flats" P to a punkrock gig. i wouldnt take my Hi beams to drop some motown. specialized equpment for specialized situations is very useful to making people say "damn that bass sounded prefect".
now ive played good Ps and bad Ps but ive found that when the first good P i owned got settled in and i learned all the things abouve and lerned how to make it exactly what i wanted it, the bad Ps started getting fewer and fewer between. i currently own 3 basses now...all P basses, all very very very different from eachother but all very much the same as well, just set for different functions and left that way.
the one thing that will make a P bad for me right away and its going to sound like blasphemy... Ball Bat necks! all of my Ps have been selected for more of a Jazz bass profile. i dont care how nice a P is if it has a log for a neck im instantly turned off.
P Plus with Hi Beams, MIJ E series P with flats
work in progress CV P will have 62ri pups and brite flats
1)experience with your weapon of choice is the ultimate in making it effective.
its really all about knowing where to place your fingers, knowing where to strike and how to to produce the sound you want.
2) simple can be the most complex.
1 vol 1 tone..thats it. we live in a world of billion band eqs and constant noodleing where you can manipulate the tone so much its easy to get lost in it. you can become more of a knob twiddler than a bassist. with one vol and one tone theres not alot there to hide inadequacies. you need to know your bass and know just where to set it to to achieve the results for different sounds. when you think about how sensitive control is and how small your margin of error is those 2 knobs and be pretty intimidating.
3)Dont take a knife to a gun fight.
Strings make the difference especially with the afformentioned basic controls. i wouldnt bring my "flats" P to a punkrock gig. i wouldnt take my Hi beams to drop some motown. specialized equpment for specialized situations is very useful to making people say "damn that bass sounded prefect".
now ive played good Ps and bad Ps but ive found that when the first good P i owned got settled in and i learned all the things abouve and lerned how to make it exactly what i wanted it, the bad Ps started getting fewer and fewer between. i currently own 3 basses now...all P basses, all very very very different from eachother but all very much the same as well, just set for different functions and left that way.
the one thing that will make a P bad for me right away and its going to sound like blasphemy... Ball Bat necks! all of my Ps have been selected for more of a Jazz bass profile. i dont care how nice a P is if it has a log for a neck im instantly turned off.
P Plus with Hi Beams, MIJ E series P with flats
work in progress CV P will have 62ri pups and brite flats
agree 100%. I know it sounds like p-bass blasphemy, but I'm sure glad I have that bridge pup back there. It really seems to liven up the tone of my bass. And, I have the cheapest MII (made in Indonesia) SQUIER PJ made. Came to me with strings sitting 1/4" off the board and the nut cut 1/8" too high, but I got me some learnin' of bass setups and now she plays and sounds awesome. Wish I knew what strings were on her, cuz I'm sure I'll have to replace them someday and I want the same ones!
i dont think its blasphemy at all. the best bass i have and probably will ever own is my P/J. thats my main because its so perfect for everything. i think 1 j pickup can really highlight the P pickup so well.
a good steak is a good steak...but a good steak with great seasoning makes a REALLY good steak...my J pickup is great seasoning to my P bass steak
It was a 72 jazz that was refinished then I refinished a few years later.
With out a doubt it sounded different. It had a woodier open sound to it if that makes any sense. I no longer have the bass so I have no proof to show you.
