What precisely is good about Precisions?

[Tanner5382]

I'd be interested in which bass you guys think has replaced the P bass as "most recorded".

Like he said, perhaps the Jazz or some similar 2 pickup bass. Perhaps some active bass. The P very well could still be the most recorded bass, I didn't say it wasn't. In this day and age, I just find their purported usage a little overstated. Either way, I still stand by everything else I said.

 

[One Drop]

Since the first use of an electric bass in a recording up to 2016, I'd easily say a Jazz/mid-bridge pickup configuration bass

The only reasons why the P-Bass may have held that record is because its cheap to make and copy (hence the reason why you can find P-bass copies brand new for less than a $100) and its been around longer.......

I doubt the first comment and completely disagree with the second. Every studio has had a decent P available since decades and it has been a recording staple of bassists across many genres without let up. Nothing to do with price, it is a standard tool.

There are also at more cases of bassists who play Js and other 2 PUP basses live who record at least partially with Js than the other way around.

And you can't just lump all similarly configured two PUP basses together and call them one bass for comparison's sake either.

 

[Turock]

I doubt the first comment and completely disagree with the second. Every studio has had a decent P available since decades and it has been a recording staple of bassists across many genres without let up. Nothing to do with price, it is a standard tool.

Exactly.

 

[Rib 13]

I doubt the first comment and completely disagree with the second. Every studio has had a decent P available since decades and it has been a recording staple of bassists across many genres without let up. Nothing to do with price, it is a standard tool.

I made a living out of session recording as part of my income especially in the 90s and I was never requested to bring a P-Bass.....if you read my post about "the P-Bass sound" on Page 1, you will know that you dont have to have one to get that sound....the only bass I was ever requested to bring was at Titan Studio in Ocala, Florida which was a Peavey T-40 for country work

 

[One Drop]

I made a living out of session recording as part of my income especially in the 90s and I was never requested to bring a P-Bass.....if you read my post about "the P-Bass sound" on Page 1, you will know that you dont have to have one to get that sound....the only bass I was ever requested to bring was at Titan Studio in Ocala, Florida which was a Peavey T-40 for country work

But in effect you are saying you at least need to be able to get that sound, no?

 

[Rib 13]

But in effect you are saying you at least need to be able to get that sound, no?

yes, but if I had to guess, Id say only on about 20% of the work Ive done (and sometimes it was by my own choice/discretion)....almost my entire body of work back in da day required more defined articulation that can only be had by the addition of a single-coil at the bridge or a Stingray

 

[Tanner5382]

But in effect you are saying you at least need to be able to get that sound, no?

Even if that is the case, "that sound" is achievable with a multitude of basses.

 

[Turock]

Even if that is the case, "that sound" is achievable with a multitude of basses.

Even in that case, his personal experience does not reflect the whole industry.

 

[Tanner5382]

Even in that case, his personal experience does not reflect the whole industry.

I'm not sure where you got the impression that I think it does.

 

[mongo2]

As far as P basses go, I prefer the first and second generation style with the single coil pickup.

 

[Rib 13]

See the guy on the sofa? Thats Bruce Swedien (Grammy award engineer with Michael Jackson). See the bass player? thats me....Guess what bass im NOT using and never used (even tonewise) for sessions for him (See that Preamp in front of me? that was built by Craig Anderton and is the same one Louis Johnson played through ...... Talk about MOJO!! )

 

[Rib 13]

Even in that case, his personal experience does not reflect the whole industry.

never said it did...the question was posed directly at me earlier in the thread "What bass did I think was the most recorded?" in which my subjective answer (up to 2016 - at least in the last few decades) would be the "Jazz" (by "Jazz" I mean the Jazz motif in having a twin pickup mid/bridge requirement which, of course, can include non-standard P-basses). Stingrays were also highly favored in the past few decades (especially back in the 80s --and particularly the early ones) - they do sit on tracks very very well, they are easy to get to tape, and are easy to EQ/Mix for a variety of genres and, if I thought about it/reasearched real hard, somebody can easily make a really good argument that they were probably the number one go-to session bass in the past few decades.......as i also said earlier, emulators/VSTi basses/WAV-sample libraries have been replacing a LOT of the work I (and peers in my network) used to get and, therefore, I am under the impression is replacing a lot of organic bass guitar instruments industry-wide, period (except country - and im actually starting to hear a turnover there as well, reggae, and other fringe-specific genres like aspects of metal).

...but as an engineer and wearing that hat (the ADAT era 90s / Pro Tools early 00s), I think the bass that Ive personally seen go in-and-out of the studio(s) back in da day from indi-bands recording demos was Ibby Soundgears (usually with stickers all over them)

 

[chadds]

Yes. I was talking to a multi platinum engineer about does wire have a sound. Let's not go there!
He said of course there are unbelievable extremely accurate mics in studios. Yet there is a sound that is a Fender guitar through a cheap cord into a Fender amp mic'd by an SM57 that is classic. He said engineers know what to expect from it and can make magic.


I'm saying the P is undeniably a standard. It isn't "the" standard unless you only listen to certain types of music.

One thing Ken Smith said was that he was trying to make a bass that would sound as good live as Fenders sound on recordings.

All this is making me pull out the P!
I love single coil Ps! Leo's genius is evident throughout the iterations.

 

[Rib 13]

Yes. I was talking to a multi platinum engineer about does wire have a sound. Let's not go there!
He said of course there are unbelievable extremely accurate mics in studios. Yet there is a sound that is a Fender guitar through a cheap cord into a Fender amp mic'd by an SM57 that is classic. He said engineers know what to expect from it and can make magic.

this I can absolutely believe and even attest to, but that sounds like hes talking about guitars ------basses are a different animal -- In most studio applications, they aren't mic'd but recorded direct. Sometimes there is a requirement in some genres, like Rock, where speaker break-up, amp color, processing, or all of the above, are part of a player's signature sound and cabs are also mic'd in tandem with a direct track, but I can't think of a time in my personal history as a hired-player of ever using a mic'd cab track - Its always been direct

 

[chadds]

this I can absolutely believe and even attest to, but that sounds like hes talking about guitars ------basses are a different animal -- In most studio applications, they aren't mic'd but recorded direct. Sometimes there is a requirement in some genres, like Rock, where speaker break-up, amp color, processing, or all of the above, are part of a player's signature sound and cabs are also mic'd in tandem with a direct track, but I can't think of a time in my personal history as a hired-player of ever using a mic'd cab track - Its always been direct

The point was more about the classic P being a sound engineers know exactly what to do with. It is also a sound associated with "bass."
Yep, I've sat right next to the engineer behind the desk tracking. My first gen PRS would sustain so long that the engineer asked me to just hold it for grins.
They often ask me which I prefer. I would ask should I bring a rig. It would give us choices. Since my gear makes no noises the engineers don't mind. One live engineer said you spent time and money getting your sound out of the cab of your rig, I want to mic it.
Interesting that you bring up DI because that is where the P shines. It sounded way better direct than through the amps of its day, except the B-15.

Okay through a Sunn 2000s two cabs, JBL D140s.......Heaven

 

[Rib 13]

The point was more about the classic P being a sound engineers know exactly what to do with. It is also a sound associated with "bass."

sure, i can see it certainly being an audio reference benchmark for some folks, particularly for some older engineers/producers......The P has certainly been around forever and the standard single PU model has only one voice (not to be confused with tone) to deal with so thats a logical assumption to make

 

[Alexander]

As far as P basses go, I prefer the first and second generation style with the single coil pickup.

No - I have a 55P and it sucks. You can't have good bass tone with that wimpy little pickup that buzzes all over the place. Horrible, horrible, horrible...

 

[chadds]

No - I have a 55P and it sucks. You can't have good bass tone with that wimpy little pickup that buzzes all over the place. Horrible, horrible, horrible...

I'll take it off your hands. It is terrible!

A reversible change might be to swap that pu for a Rio Grande.
Your wiring has been checked? That pickup can sound like an upright.

 

[mongo2]

I'll take it off your hands. It is terrible!

A reversible change might be to swap that pu for a Rio Grande.
Your wiring has been checked? That pickup can sound like an upright.

I think it's a joke.

 

[Alexander]

I think it's a joke.

Yes - totally a joke. It's what I consider a "sweet spot" bass - perfect balance of being warm yet bright and present , fat yet articulate, can be growly aggressive or sweet and smooth, and it's deep yet well balanced. Not only that, it is the lightest and most comfortable PBass I've ever played. Made me wonder if the move to the split coil configuration was a compromise to eliminate the 60 cycle hum associated with that single coil. The first gig I did with mine was in a room with faders and stage lights. So expected to have to deal with that, but was pleasantly surprised that I didn't. The thing was dead quiet. I played the **** out of that bass that night...