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What's going to replace the Precision?

#161
Just Wrong said:
I know some of us refuse to believe it, but I think the Precision is just another fad that's bound to fade someday. It was always there, but it wasn't always there: How many basses did Sting go through before landing on his Precision? Where were they in the 80s, the 90s and the early 00s?

With that in mind, what do you think is going to replace the Precision?


** I mean on its way out in the sense that Sean Hurley says it’s a P bass world out there. Not on its way out completely.**
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lol…I saw the Police in 1980 and Sting used a fretless Precision and an EUB. Debated on posting on this thread since it’s ridiculous, but I just wanted to correct the historical record since your premise is patently false.

And hey, here he is in 1978:

upload_2024-3-29_12-3-9.jpeg
 
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#162
I think the more likely scenario is that guitar, bass guitar, and other traditional instruments will be slowly replaced by computers and pads/synths/etc.

If that doesn’t happen, then I’m pretty sure we’ll see P-Basses in the wild in perpetuity.
 
#169
Most of the music I listen to was recorded between 1955 and perhaps 2010 or so. In that time certain sounds and tones have sort of been embedded in my brain as to what various instruments sound like. Sure I can tell the difference between a snare drum recorded in the 60s versus one recorded in the 80s etc, but I usually have an idea of what one should sound like to me.

Along those same lines, generally when it comes to what my brain associates with a "good bass tone" based on decades of hearing thousands of popular songs - it invariably points back to the P bass. Even bassists that might not have used a P bass on the road or in music videos might have used one to record with in the studio because of how easy/predictable they are for recording engineers to work with. And also even basses that aren't P basses often times more or less sound like a P bass in a general sense. So is there a "next thing" for bass guitar? hmm maybe, but as long as people are trying to cop similar tones to the thousands and thousands of songs that make up the fabric of our established musical sensibilities, then I think there will always be room for the P bass to remain near the top of the heap.

In my own experience, I have a couple of P basses. But I also have a J bass and a stingray that I love. And my main player is an NS Design CR5 Radius - a pretty radical departure from the P bass (although its neck pickup solo'd does a pretty good P imitation). They each have their own purpose for me no different than how a golfer keeps more than one club in a golf bag. But no matter what, the sound in my head that says "bass" to me absolutely is derived from listening to song after song that's etched in my head that was likely recorded with a P bass. ymmv
 
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#173
fhm555 said:
I tried to love a P, but I could never get past the cordwood neck. Nothing against them and I do like the sound, but After 4 45 minute sets on Friday, my left hand is sore on Saturday, which does not happen with a slim neck like my J.
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All of my precision basses have either a jazz neck or a slim p neck with a maximum of 1.6" wide nut for the exact same reasons.
I simply can’t play some of my songs with a baseball type of p bass neck.
 
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#175
Unless someone has their sound and style down, then 90% of people should just be told to play a P Bass especially if you are coping parts and lines originally played on one.
Because that is what is needed.

However, having said that, I dont have one, but all my jazzes can do a close enough sound when I go for it.
A P Bass can be a huge lesson in nuance and touch.
 
#176
Just Wrong said:
I know some of us refuse to believe it, but I think the Precision is just another fad that's bound to fade someday. It was always there, but it wasn't always there: How many basses did Sting go through before landing on his Precision? Where were they in the 80s, the 90s and the early 00s?

With that in mind, what do you think is going to replace the Precision?


** I mean on its way out in the sense that Sean Hurley says it’s a P bass world out there. Not on its way out completely.**
Click to expand...
I get what you're saying. The P is always there, but there are periods when it isn't one of the most popular axes. For example, the 2000's we're all about variety, but the Ibanez SG's, Warwick, Musicman, Lakland and a few others were definitely filling out a lot of the pro market. That was a cool era. It feels like it's coming back, but ever so slightly. The P Bass had a serious surge the past 10 years with the rise in warmer sounds (you may have noticed how many rock albums have been recorded in Nashville since about 2015...).

Personally I love the sound of a P pickup, and loathe the P Bass itself haha!

My two main basses are P/J's, and I solo that pickup most of the time. It's just undeniably good. You can get so much from it.

However, I'm hoping more people will see the light and try different P basses (like Yamaha BB's) that are just (imo, relax ;-)) superior to Fender.
 
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#177
kbarboza4 said:
However, I'm hoping more people will see the light and try different P basses (like Yamaha BB's) that are just (imo, relax ;-)) superior to Fender.
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I finally saw the light after I tried out a Sire for the first time, and that really helped me get over the idea that Fender had some kind of secret sauce. Totally agreed with the Yamaha suggestion, too!
 
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#178
I can tell you.. I've been playing bass for decades now.. and stayed away from the P for about 90% of that time.. But in the end almost everything went bye bye and now - it's all P all the time. The tone is so incredibly satisfying at home, in the studio & Live. I do still have two Vintage G&Ls (Fretless and Fretted). But the P rules the day. If that's the case... after all these years and this is where I end up, where Sting ends up, where Hurley ends up.. This is proof that the P can't be replaced and will be discovered and rediscovered to the end of time. It just has a sound that human beings love. Period.
 
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