What precisely is good about Precisions?

[tbplayer59]

I always ask why do people like Jazz basses? I find them fussy. And there's a reason why so many of them need a pre-amp... to get a more acceptable tone, bass frequencies need to be boosted. And the pickups hum if the volumes aren't balanced. So that requires different pickups. Like I said, fussy.

Precisions, on the other hand, are workhorses. Plug and play. Punchy. Smooth. It's a BASS.

For the record, I have two P's and two J's.

 

[mpdd]

Pbass family for me
L2000, sb-2, LB100, and I'd still have the hot rodded SQ Bullet bass if I didn't need a new camera

 

[deepestend]

I just got one too. Totally agree that it's not about the solo tone. I have other basses that blow it away in that department. With a band, though, it sits in the mix just right.

 

[One Drop]

Just had a gig in a medium size bar, P with worn Roto rounds through my SVT and a Bergantino NV610.

The bass and amp owned that room, strictly rock covers from the last 50 years. Never founded out of place, from funky thick and punchy to in your face distortion to smooth fat supporting bottom. Just pure effortless visceral joy and the reason I play bass, to sound cool and have a ball while women want to be with you and guys want to be you.

 

[Buzz E]

Tone, tone, tone. I do think that a 4 string P sounds better than a 5'er.

 

[InhumanResource]

Have you played it with abandon yet?

Edited: with a band, heh. heh.

This is my question too. They aren't all that impressive in a bedroom setting, but when you play with a band everything is just right.

 

[srcTW]

I bought my first p bass last month. Found a great deal on an Xotic. The neck is thick but the tone is nice. I am getting used to the neck through practice. As others have suggested I like the tone and I like having a platform for flat wounds. Between this and my j bass with rounds I have nice variety.

 

[BassDaddy77]

I like the simplicity. One pickup. One volume. One tone. I think "that sound" has more to do with the very present mids than anything else, but YMMV.

 

[mark beem]

I love it for the tone... That juicy, thick, fatty, "T-bone steak with a baked potato on the side and an ice cold beer" tone that makes whatever I'm using it with instantly sound 300% better..

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand now I'm hungry!

Seriously, when all else fails I know I can grab one of my Ps and get a sound that will work.

 

[Grooveline]

1. A mid forward voicing that makes it sit great in a band mix (agreed not the best sounding bass solo'd)
2. Simplicity and ease of use (for the player and producer/engineer recording)
3. Different shapes (slab or cutaway) and pickup layouts (single coil, humbucking, p/j) with the ability to customize with after market parts to your hearts content (literally every part from body/neck to pots/jacks) meaning theoretically you should be able to find or make one that "fits you perfect" in feel at the very least.
4. The carrots. If you add peas it makes a vegetable medley.

 

[deepestend]

I couldn't find what I wanted in a p, so I had to make my own:


http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af348/coverbagman/IMG_2832_zpsopsc6dnq.jpg

 

[johnson79]

I've never really played a P that I love. The necks are just too fat on the one's I've tried. I like the wide nut on my Ray, but it has a shallower neck shape. Always preferred the look of a jazz, but the tone of a P, so my SX PJ seems to fit that bill.

 

[blmeier7]

After playing bass for 25 years I can't imagine not having a jazz bass, a P bass with rounds, and a P bass with flats. They all do very different sounds, and do them well. I now can't stand double humbucker or soap bar pickup basses. It's a good thing that we have so many options as bass players, and that we all don't play the same type of bass.

 

[MovingPitchers]

No! The title of "Fastest Bass Flipper" belongs to me! I will not be challenged by some underling!

 

[MovingPitchers]

I've never really played a P that I love. The necks are just too fat on the one's I've tried. I like the wide nut on my Ray, but it has a shallower neck shape. Always preferred the look of a jazz, but the tone of a P, so my SX PJ seems to fit that bill.

The American Standards have really nice necks. Same with the Nate Mendel. I think you'd like the neck on the Mendel P

 

[johnson79]

The American Standards have really nice necks. Same with the Nate Mendel. I think you'd like the neck on the Mendel P

That's good to know. I really dig that bass and would like a P at some point.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Q: What precisely is good about Precisions?

A: They are easy to get parts for.

(ducks for cover)

 

[Tanner5382]

I find the "you gotta play them with a band/in a mix"

Heres something I just wrote in a different thread, copying/pasting to save time:

"The single pickup Classic P-Bass voicing is one of the most popular recognizeable voicings in contemporary music, but its not like the StingRay MM Sound where actual physical equipment ( a Parralel wired MM as well as the proprietary nature of the Ray's PreAmp System) is coupled with pickup placement to achieve that voice. The P-Bass voicing is much simpler: A humbucking Pickup in the Mid Position -- thats it. Even a single-coil in that position will mimic the earliest P-Basses (such as soloing the mid PU on a Jazz -- it will be thin, but the voice is there). There are literally TONS of basses out there that have the P-Bass voicing (or variation of) as an option (such as G&L L-1000s, Peavey T-45s, etc) and can be further accented by passive or active electronics, EQ-shaping, techniques/playing style, to make up for the different tonal variances from type to type. Furthermore, there are many twin-pickup basses out there can have their mid pickups soloed to achieve that sound, like almost any P/J or G&Ls ( click the link in my Sig and scroll down to the last song "Old Skool Town" -- Hear that P-Bass? Its not: Its my G&L ASAT with mid pickup soloed in Series Mode).......So if your criteria is that "sound", understand that sound can be achieved on a LOT of basses that dont necessarily say "Fender Precision" on them.....Now, if you want a P-Bass because you like the way it looks, like the way it plays, you want that P-Bass "mojo", or just so you can post pics on TB to get other P-Bass lovers to "Gawk" at your new bass, those are all legitimate reasons to get one because it boils down to just making yourself happy....but get out of this mindset and stop listening to all this "A P-Bass is all you need" garbage because that mantra will vary from the needs/wants of each individual player so Im gonna' call BS as I see it....... $.02, YMMV"

For the record, I dont play with a pick, but I enjoy hearing the P-Bass voicing picked when executed correctly...Had the Go-Go's Kathy Valentine had a little more bottom-end on the Go Go's earliest recordings, I'd say her sound would be a perfect "picked" P-bass Sound

I replied to your comment in the other thread but I'm gonna do it again here.

I totally agree. I also find the "you gotta play one with a band/in a mix" comments overstated. I have many times, I still prefer other basses. P basses are not the be-all-end-all. Nobody needs/has to own a P bass. If you want one, that's great! By all means, play one. Lots of my favorite players play/played one. Yes, it's the most recorded bass of all time. However, there are other options, and somebody is not crazy for going another route or for even not liking P basses. I often wonder how many times someone thinks "Wow, great P bass tone!" on a recording that it actually turns out to be something different.

 

[pacojas]

my pbass is indispensable! the FCS makes the best ones by a country mile, ime.

 

[Rib 13]

Yes, it's the most recorded bass of all time.

Being its 2016, I question the accuracy of that stat nowadays............