I have had two Ibanez basses that felt amazing, in that they felt light, easy to play neck, perfectly balanced, and 24 frets. One small problem though, I never liked the tone from the pickups and active electronics. So I had precision pickups installed in them and most of my problems are solved (everything is passive now). The bass now sounds deeper and cleaner and I don't get any humming noises. I figure I got about 90% of the tone of a real precision but close enough. Love the simplicity and like many have said may not sound the best alone but in a mix it sounds fantastic. I have Labella flats and play with a pick and that tone sounds clear and deep in a band mix. I love that I don't have to spend time turning lots of knobs and still not having a good tone, the precision is simple but effective. Other musicians say the precision sounds much better now too. There is just something about them that works really well in a band mix.
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What precisely is good about Precisions?
- Thread starter kbr
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- fender precision bass
Not to be a nooge, but if you were a philosopher, you would know that "beg the question" doesn't mean "prompts the question". It means to ask a dishonest question that is intended to force a desired answer.
I think p basses look fantastic but they just don't have the right sound for me. I owned two a fender and a peavey clone back in the 90s. Im currently playing a stingray so you can probably imagine what I mean about not being a fan of the attack that p basses tend to have as the p bass and the stingray are at opposite ends of the spectrum on attack
Echoing what someone said earlier - don't judge a Fender 4-string bass by their 5-string versions. Very different beasts!
For me, the P-bass with a Jazz neck is a wonderful thing.
For me, the P-bass with a Jazz neck is a wonderful thing.
I recently played the new Squier Classic Vibe 70's P, and no joke that it was almost the best feeling/sounding P I've played. $379.
This is a very long thread, and this question has probably been addressed, but when you say a PBass doesn't record nearly as well as your other basses, I have to wonder a few things. Let me first assume that your bass is set up properly and as you said, sounds like it properly should.
What other basses are you comparing it to?
What kind of recordings - genre?
Pro studio gear? Home studio? Experienced Engineer?
What is your listening environment, do you ever run your basses though a quality DI and use mixing headphones to listen to them? That is very revealing when it comes to tone.
I find Pbasses are more appreciated like fine wine over time. The more sessions you do with it, the more you really tune in your listening environment and know what frequencies are good and which are not so good (but many players boost anyway), the more you will appreciate this instrument.
Or not, who knows. I prefer passive Jazz basses for my studio work, but I'm super picky about them because the low mids really make a difference. The Pbass has those in abundance, which is why they are recorded so often.
I recently directly compared a new AmStd P to my 09 AmStd P with an EMG Geezer Butler P installed. My bass blew it away tonally. Won't guarantee it'll make you like a Precision, but it definitely was an improvement.
Pickups can ruin any bass. I neglected a very nice playing bass for almost 2 years! It was my back-up. It had seymour duncan quarter pounders in it. They have a mid range tone to them that im not a fan of, nor can you get rid of it easily. Put some lollars in it, and problem solved. Fantastic sounding bass. Catches all the tones you need. Big and full up by the neck, rich and growly by the bridge, and everything in between is well...in between.
P basses are not 1 trick pony's, you just have to know what to do with one! They are more like the spork of the bass world, for a horrible analogy.
P basses are not 1 trick pony's, you just have to know what to do with one! They are more like the spork of the bass world, for a horrible analogy.
What other basses are you comparing it to?
Dingwall Afterburner II (Main bass), Assorted Ibanez Prestiges, Premiums, and Bass Workshops (I have a serious Ibanez addiction).
What kind of recordings - genre?
Rock (Hard/Metal), Pop, Christian Contemporary
Pro studio gear? Home studio? Experienced Engineer?
Home Studio with professional (i.e. way overpriced) gear and I have more experience as an engineer than as a bassist
What is your listening environment, do you ever run your basses though a quality DI and use mixing headphones to listen to them? That is very revealing when it comes to tone.
I practice through my JBL 4328s studio monitors mostly. My room is moderately treated. I'm going to switch them to Event Opals in the coming year (I hope). I use the instrument in on a Profire 610 or 2626 interface for all my comparisons. I have higher end gear now but it's what I started comparisons with and the preamps are very neutral. I may switch to using an Avalon U5 and my RME interfaces at some point if my Profires die. I have a pair of AT M40s that I trust. I also have a couple of Phil Jones Suitcases for when I want to annoy the neighbors. All in all, I'm fairly well equipped.
I find Pbasses are more appreciated like fine wine over time. The more sessions you do with it, the more you really tune in your listening environment and know what frequencies are good and which are not so good (but many players boost anyway), the more you will appreciate this instrument.
I mostly cut when it comes to mixing bass. Boosting low end gets dangerous really fast when trying to make a balanced mix (also mastering engineers will make fun of you; true story). I find having to EQ excessively to be the sign of a bad bass(player). I drastically prefer instruments that just sound good when you plug them in (DI). The more eq, effects, amps and such needed increase the likelihood of aural flatulence being amplified. Granted, I haven't done bass session work in years but, they would almost always ended up using the DI track even if I recorded an amp track as well.
Or not, who knows. I prefer passive Jazz basses for my studio work, but I'm super picky about them because the low mids really make a difference. The Pbass has those in abundance, which is why they are recorded so often.[/QUOTE]
I prefer Jazz bass tone recorded too. I forgot to record the one I had but it seemed like it would have sounded good tracked.
Dingwall Afterburner II (Main bass), Assorted Ibanez Prestiges, Premiums, and Bass Workshops (I have a serious Ibanez addiction).
What kind of recordings - genre?
Rock (Hard/Metal), Pop, Christian Contemporary
Pro studio gear? Home studio? Experienced Engineer?
Home Studio with professional (i.e. way overpriced) gear and I have more experience as an engineer than as a bassist
What is your listening environment, do you ever run your basses though a quality DI and use mixing headphones to listen to them? That is very revealing when it comes to tone.
I practice through my JBL 4328s studio monitors mostly. My room is moderately treated. I'm going to switch them to Event Opals in the coming year (I hope). I use the instrument in on a Profire 610 or 2626 interface for all my comparisons. I have higher end gear now but it's what I started comparisons with and the preamps are very neutral. I may switch to using an Avalon U5 and my RME interfaces at some point if my Profires die. I have a pair of AT M40s that I trust. I also have a couple of Phil Jones Suitcases for when I want to annoy the neighbors. All in all, I'm fairly well equipped.
I find Pbasses are more appreciated like fine wine over time. The more sessions you do with it, the more you really tune in your listening environment and know what frequencies are good and which are not so good (but many players boost anyway), the more you will appreciate this instrument.
I mostly cut when it comes to mixing bass. Boosting low end gets dangerous really fast when trying to make a balanced mix (also mastering engineers will make fun of you; true story). I find having to EQ excessively to be the sign of a bad bass(player). I drastically prefer instruments that just sound good when you plug them in (DI). The more eq, effects, amps and such needed increase the likelihood of aural flatulence being amplified. Granted, I haven't done bass session work in years but, they would almost always ended up using the DI track even if I recorded an amp track as well.
Or not, who knows. I prefer passive Jazz basses for my studio work, but I'm super picky about them because the low mids really make a difference. The Pbass has those in abundance, which is why they are recorded so often.[/QUOTE]
I prefer Jazz bass tone recorded too. I forgot to record the one I had but it seemed like it would have sounded good tracked.
I can guess you may prefer a tone with more high mids than low. That may be the issue. It could be the pickup though - no idea there unless I heard it.
I'd suggest running it through a drive pedal to give it some grind. If you can grab some monitoring headphones that will really help as well. The headphones are the secret for really hearing the details of a bass.
On DI and no EQ, I agree. I prefer passive basses DI'd whenever I track for a client, and I do have one active bass and some preamp pedals, but I'm pretty conservative with the boosts.
I think your ears are really used to that brighter Ibanez tone and you also are used to the thin, flat necks. A Pbass is a stark change from that really. It may be something that over time you will grow to like more and more - or not. Or you just need to swap out pickups. The Geezers are nice for an aggressive tone - the video here is perfect for explaining why he uses them. EMG Geezer Butler Signature P Bass Pickup Set
I'd suggest running it through a drive pedal to give it some grind. If you can grab some monitoring headphones that will really help as well. The headphones are the secret for really hearing the details of a bass.
On DI and no EQ, I agree. I prefer passive basses DI'd whenever I track for a client, and I do have one active bass and some preamp pedals, but I'm pretty conservative with the boosts.
I think your ears are really used to that brighter Ibanez tone and you also are used to the thin, flat necks. A Pbass is a stark change from that really. It may be something that over time you will grow to like more and more - or not. Or you just need to swap out pickups. The Geezers are nice for an aggressive tone - the video here is perfect for explaining why he uses them. EMG Geezer Butler Signature P Bass Pickup Set
