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What P Bass should I get?

SafeHands83

SafeHands83

Guest
Mar 21, 2016
45
115
Belfast, Ireland
#1
Ok so I play a Fender J Bass in a full time cover band. It is an absolute workhorse and caters to all genres that we play. But I recently played a friend's P bass clone and I loved it. I was warned off a P bass when buying my J bass as I was told it wasn't versatile enough to cover the genres we do. As I was new to playing bass I took the advise as gospel and opted for the J bass instead.

Anyway, now im a bit wiser I'm looking to add a P bass to the family but I'm not sure what one to get. Unfortunately there's not a big choice of P basses in our local music stores to demo before buying.

I've watched a lot of youtube reviews but I'm still no better off. I love the gritty sound of the Mark Hoppus P bass but I'm not sure how it would sit in the mix of a corporate band.

If anyone could provide some help on what type of P bass will suit all music styles for my band, I'm all ears.

Thanks
 
#2
Easy answer is a Fender P. I've owned a few and have settled on an American Standard. It definitely cuts through and finds its place in the mix. I've had a Hoppus, they are nice, but will sound pretty much like any P with SD 1/4 pounders in it. You lose some flexibility by not having a tone control as well, but great basses. Good luck!
 
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#4
get the chassis (neck/body) for ergonomic ease and fit. get the pickup for your tonal preference (i.e., 'scoopy' for slap/metal, 'traditional middy' for older pop, 'linear hi-fi' for modern/synthy/fusiony stuff). this stuff is hard to put into words....but you can get almost any p bass and roll your tone with your pickup/electronics choices.
 
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#5
IMO I'd say a Precision is more versatile than a Jazz. Yes it was fewer sounds and tones available, but it will work in almost ANY situation.

As a Mark Hoppus Precision owner, I can say from experience it can get gritty with the best of the P-basss out there when you dig in or play with a pick, but when played fingerstyle, can also sound fat and thumpy. Sounds great with slap as well. It's perfect for nearly any style of music and is my favourite bass. Since you're in a cover band a P will suit you just fine and the Hoppus looks great (I got the white blonde one) and sounds even better.

And no, I very rarely (if ever) find myself missing the tone knob.

If you have any questions regarding a Hoppus P don't hesitate to ask :)
 
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#6
yodedude2 said:
get the chassis (neck/body) for ergonomic ease and fit. get the pickup for your tonal preference (i.e., 'scoopy' for slap/metal, 'traditional middy' for older pop, 'linear hi-fi' for modern/synthy/fusiony stuff). this stuff is hard to put into words....but you can get almost any p bass and roll your tone with your pickup/electronics choices.
Click to expand...
This is good advice.

Personally I'm a bigger fan of Jazz/Jag bodies and necks so I would look for a Jazz/Jag with a P pickup. I think Standard Jags do and they're quite reasonably priced too. The p/up/electronics is the biggest factor in tone, so look for that and pick the right mix of neck/body styles to suit. Fender have produced most combinations you can think of in some iteration over the years so you can probably find exactly what you want.
 
#7
My fav P type bass is the G&L SB-1. It has a smaller, more sculpted body, and the MFD split coil is the ballsiest P pickup ever. You should listen to some clips to see what your tone preferences are. For me, every other P bass sounds anemic compared to the SB-1. I had a 2008 Fender American Standard P, it is a very nice bass, comfortable, very well made. Just not my tone preference.
 
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#9
I bought a brand new American Standard P last year and it handles anything with ease. There is simply nothing it can't do! To prove this to myself, I even engaged in a 2.5 single-bass challenge with... You guessed it, the Precision bass. You just can't go wrong with one.
 
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#10
My personal fav P type bass is the G&L SB-1. It has a smaller, more sculpted body, and the MFD split coil is the ballsiest P pickup ever. I had a 2008 Fender American Standard P - very well made, very comfortable, nice P tone of course. You could not go wrong with a Fender P, but for me, every other P bass sounds anemic now compared to the SB-1. You should listen to some clips/vids to see what your preference is I think.
 
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#11
bhunt1 said:
My fav P type bass is the G&L SB-1. It has a smaller, more sculpted body, and the MFD split coil is the ballsiest P pickup ever. You should listen to some clips to see what your tone preferences are. For me, every other P bass sounds anemic compared to the SB-1. I had a 2008 Fender American Standard P, it is a very nice bass, comfortable, very well made. Just not my tone preference.
Click to expand...

Similar experience here, as I sold off a wonderful 2004 Am. Series Precision after getting my G&L SB-2. The G&L MFD split-coil is just a monster, but I also greatly preferred the G&L's playability, because my SB-2 has a J neck 1.5" nut width, flatter 12" fretboard radius, and Plek leveled frets. If you're drawn to hotter pickups like the Quarter Pounder in the Hoppus sig, you'd probably like the SB-1 or SB-2.

Or, if you want a more vintage tone, G&L's LB-100 gives you that, along with all the options that can be ordered with all USA G&L basses. American Standard Fenders are outstanding IMO, so if you like their feel go for it, but I'd go with G&L to get my preferred neck specs a la my SB-2.
 
#12
It's not the bass as much as it's the pickups and strings. If you're lucky, the neck pickup cavity in your J bass is over sized so you can just drop a P bass pickup into it, solder it on, and buy or make a new pickguard.
 
#13
While I currently play a USA Lakland and love it, I'd also say go for an American Standard Fender. Good resale, and they're really solid, well-made these days, you sort of can't go wrong, unless of course, you somehow get one that's not a "good one". So for that reason, I'd find a shop that has a few and play them all--one will likely speak to you more than the others.
 
#16
Best thing to do for a great sounding P bass. IMO of course, go to a store play them all (regardless of price or name on headstock) plugged in and buy whichever sounds and plays the best. If ordering online I'd go Roadworn, classic series or American standard. My Classic 50's nitro P was one of the best basses I've owned (I've owned a few too). Definitely one that I regret selling.

The G&L stuff is great but I've jest never bonded with them for some reason.
 
#18
Try as many as you can, no matter where they are built (Mexico, USA, whatever), stay open minded and listen with your ears instead of your eyes. You have many options, do not limit yourself to Fender. I would check out local listings first and go from there.

Anyone in here can tell you that this or that is better, but in the end, they are not YOU. Try as much as you can and see what fits you the best.

Bass hunting is a lot of fun!
 
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