Earlier, I was on my Ibanez acoustic bass on my ampeg/112 rig. Was a lot of fun. Then I switched to my Squier Mini-P. Then I switched to my Steinberger Spirit. Played a lot of the same stuff on all of them... it always sounded right.
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When is the Precision the wrong tool for the job?
- Thread starter Just Wrong
- Start date
Well lets's see......when you don't want the sound of a Pbass? Sure it fits in most any genre, and almost always works (I personally play P's 95% of the time live and in the studio) but it's the wrong sound if the music simply calls for something else!
If one has a holistic approach to the music they're playing, and how they fit into the sum of all the parts, then it's not really a dilemma (i.e. put your producer hat on).
If one has a holistic approach to the music they're playing, and how they fit into the sum of all the parts, then it's not really a dilemma (i.e. put your producer hat on).
There are a few situations where the PBass is the wrong tool for the job, but that does not mean a PBass is totally unusable for the job. It simply means there are better tools if you can get your hands on one.
Example; if you were doing a Rush tribute tour, a PBass would be the wrong tool. A Wal, Rickenbacker, or Jazz would be better, but you could use the Pbass if that was all you had. It would be harder to get a good Geddy Lee sound with a P.
Example; if you were doing a Rush tribute tour, a PBass would be the wrong tool. A Wal, Rickenbacker, or Jazz would be better, but you could use the Pbass if that was all you had. It would be harder to get a good Geddy Lee sound with a P.
I don't want to say any of the genres I play, Shoegaze, Blues, Indie-Rock a P is wrong, in fact they work perfect for all those genres, and the P can have a voice in each of them from vintage, to sitting in the mix, blending with the band.
But I think, the P is the wrong tool if you do not bond with it. Someone using an active bass with 20 knobs in a Blues band is in the right place and is use the right tool, because it works for them. Someone using a Hofner in a shoegaze band is doing the right thing, because it works for them. Someone using a Jaco sig bass in an Indie rock band is doing the right thing because again... it works for them!
So I think personally in my life and experience, it's not going work if you hate or dislike the bass. I don't like P because of the thick and wide necks, change it to a jazz neck... hmm I like it kind of more but at the end of the day I prefer my tonal options, Yamaha, Sire, Ibanez is what I will prefer for those things and also I am a short scale person as well!
But I think, the P is the wrong tool if you do not bond with it. Someone using an active bass with 20 knobs in a Blues band is in the right place and is use the right tool, because it works for them. Someone using a Hofner in a shoegaze band is doing the right thing, because it works for them. Someone using a Jaco sig bass in an Indie rock band is doing the right thing because again... it works for them!
So I think personally in my life and experience, it's not going work if you hate or dislike the bass. I don't like P because of the thick and wide necks, change it to a jazz neck... hmm I like it kind of more but at the end of the day I prefer my tonal options, Yamaha, Sire, Ibanez is what I will prefer for those things and also I am a short scale person as well!
Depends on the job.
If it's sweeping up or flying to a coven meeting, go with this instead.
If it's sweeping up or flying to a coven meeting, go with this instead.
Slap bass on jazz (think Marcus Miller). A P would sound odd in that scenario.
When is the Precision the wrong tool for the job?
When:
A Jazz Fretless is needed.
An Extended 6 active is warranted.
A Beatle is used on a song that just screams for it.
A hollow body with buckers is the correct tone for those low volumn casuals.
When:
A Jazz Fretless is needed.
An Extended 6 active is warranted.
A Beatle is used on a song that just screams for it.
A hollow body with buckers is the correct tone for those low volumn casuals.
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Well certain basses have a very specific tone. So if you want to sound like a Warwick thumb or a Wal or Ken Smith you're not going to get there with a pbass. As far as music genre goes you can probably use a precision anywhere and Itll work. Some not the best but others it can still excell. If im going to play jazz or fusion id probably not even bother. When i had my pbass rock and country sounded the best. Jazz and anything busy and progressive it just didn't do it for me. Id rather have something with a bridge pickup and blend that in so i have more focused punch.
In 1660, when consoles had 3 channels, they were recording to mono, there was no eq on the console, and the engineers had spent hours figuring out a mic placement that made a P bass through a B15 sound good, and they didn't want to change anything for fear of messing up a session, those wives tales were born.
It's no longer 1960. If you walk into any recording studio with any decent bass, and the engineer can't get a good sound out of it, it isn't the bass that needs to be changed - it's the Engineer. With the tools that are at an Engineer's disposal, there is no excuse for an engineer dictating to a musician what bass to play.
I can have a blast and rock the place regardless of whether its a P or a J ... or Stingray or Ric for that matter. Ya know about 10 minutes into it I kinda forget what I'm playing anyways. Now if I brought a Cello.... "that" would be the wrong tool for the job.
drumvsbass
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If the gig was ALL slap, a P wouldn't be my first choice. But the gig wouldn't tank if it was the only choice. Are there things can be done better on basses other than a P? Sure, but is it ever the WRONG thing. Never. This is why I feel that the PJ is the ultimate P. PJ on a P body with J neck.
And there it is, the truth of the matter. A P bass is never wrong. Some basses can be more right than others in certain circumstances, but they can still be wrong sometimes. And again, a P bass is never, ever wrong.
I couldn't afford nor justify having too many basses so I went for a custom reverse PJ. That split P gave me a flatter bottom end than a J, and I could add P or J tones, often both.
You will need a humbucker J eg a stack PU. That will give you a noiseless lower growl and upper roar that's missing from a P.
I prefer passive out direct to the amp for EQ, rather than some 9v onboard, box or pedal. They can go in an effects loop later if necessary. If your bass, preamp/amp and speaker is clean and clear then passive usually gives a more natural timbre. Check with headphones, or record from FOH.
A 4 string usually sounds 'heavier' than a 5, I think because 5ers often need a lighter string set to accomodate the extra range. I use a Hipshot Detuner and don't need my 5 string so much.
I once acquired a 67 Precision that had spent years retired in an airing cupboard. What a dog. I later saw it on a pop vid where it belonged.
Each to their own, but I love the flexibility I've now got.
You will need a humbucker J eg a stack PU. That will give you a noiseless lower growl and upper roar that's missing from a P.
I prefer passive out direct to the amp for EQ, rather than some 9v onboard, box or pedal. They can go in an effects loop later if necessary. If your bass, preamp/amp and speaker is clean and clear then passive usually gives a more natural timbre. Check with headphones, or record from FOH.
A 4 string usually sounds 'heavier' than a 5, I think because 5ers often need a lighter string set to accomodate the extra range. I use a Hipshot Detuner and don't need my 5 string so much.
I once acquired a 67 Precision that had spent years retired in an airing cupboard. What a dog. I later saw it on a pop vid where it belonged.
Each to their own, but I love the flexibility I've now got.
When I want that StingRay signature bounce to the notes, nothing else will do. A Stingray is very forward and sits differently in a mix. So if that’s what I’m after, a PBass is the wrong tool for the job.
This is Talkbass and, for the most part, we're all enthusiasts here. So it's fun to debate the minutia of how to perfectly fit the tool to the job and debate which tools are the RIGHT tools to get all the way there when getting only 99% of the way isn't enough. I have as much fun doing that as anybody.
But, in reality, put just about any bass that's reasonably set up and is reasonably well made with components of reasonable quality into the hands of a competent player and they'll get the job done with that bass. Is that true in EVERY case? Of course not. But it's true in probably a higher percentage of cases than some are willing to admit.
That doesn't make the debate any less fun, though.
But, in reality, put just about any bass that's reasonably set up and is reasonably well made with components of reasonable quality into the hands of a competent player and they'll get the job done with that bass. Is that true in EVERY case? Of course not. But it's true in probably a higher percentage of cases than some are willing to admit.
That doesn't make the debate any less fun, though.
Never.........try being so poor you had to play the same Yamaha P bass for a decade (even though I liked it) because it's what your parents got you for lessons and during that time you jammed with almost every genre of talented musicians. Technique becomes your only true tool and as long as the instrument functions it's the right tool. The bass is just a medium of expression and the output can be EQed to sound like whatever you want.
Perhaps this should be your question OP:
Could one argue that the ergonomics of the P bass be detrimental to achieving certain sounds by way of hindering technique?
Perhaps this should be your question OP:
Could one argue that the ergonomics of the P bass be detrimental to achieving certain sounds by way of hindering technique?
Here's my P bass.
As for that one-trick pony bs that pops up every once in a while, I've discovered that you can play close to the neck, right over the pickup, or close to the bridge...and it actually changes the tone!
As for that one-trick pony bs that pops up every once in a while, I've discovered that you can play close to the neck, right over the pickup, or close to the bridge...and it actually changes the tone!
