Which Bass For Primus Sound and Feel

[KOLINAHR]

I am lucky to play in a Primus Cover band. We are playing all the old songs, up to the Pork Soda.


I know "it is all in the fingers..." but I want to get closer to the tone and feel of the great Claypool. I am only talking about his work with the 4-string Carl Thompson bass.


With my Warwick Streamer Stage 2 I get quite close, but I simply don't enjoy playing this bass anymore. I also have a Fender P bass, which works surprisingly great in this context. But my drummer wants me play a more "modern" bass


Currently, I am thinking about getting one of the following basses:

a) Alembic Stanley Clarke

b) Nash Jazz bass

c) Fender P bass modified with EMG and Kahler tremolo

d) Asking a local luthier to build a medium scale bass with whammy bar...


What would you do?

 

[Zentner]

I would buy a Carl Thompson if I wanted to make Les sounds.

 

[Dave W]

I'd say pickup type and placement would be a big thing and I doubt you're going to get what you need out of a P or a J.

 

[Dug2]

How do you not enjoy a Warwick?

 

[jasmangan]

I use a passive jazz with the MXR 81 with bright strings to cop that sound. I get pretty close.

 

[hemmerlinj]

Just buy a Carl Thompson bass.

 

[Gorn]

I would buy a Carl Thompson if I wanted to make Les sounds.

Just buy a Carl Thompson bass.

Seems like the best bet. If you can afford an Alembic....
Are they in the same price range? I don't know.

 

[Mushroo]

Fender Jazz bass would be the most available/affordable/consistent option for the Claypool Sound.

 

[mwbassace]

How do you not enjoy a Warwick?

Some people don't care for a sawed-in-half Louisville Slugger for a neck.

Just buy a Carl Thompson bass.

I'd buy 2 & mink lined, gold handled cases for each.

Sorry in a smart-aleck mood. Seriously are there decently priced CT's out there, I would love to own one.

 

[Photobassist]

This guy seems to make basses similar to CT without the huge price tag... Might be worth a look.

Would you sell an off rack bass to fund a custom one?

 

[AltGrendel]

Seems like the best bet. If you can afford an Alembic....
Are they in the same price range? I don't know.

I think it's just a case of being able to find one. I see Alembics out there all the time, rarely a used CT.

 

[kkaarrll]

This guy seems to make basses similar to CT without the huge price tag... Might be worth a look.

Would you sell an off rack bass to fund a custom one?

can be more the primus look---but with the right electronics (I don't know what that would be for les) I guess it could get the same sound also


none more wenge NBD carrigan scroll

 

[Interspace Station]

Believe it or not, I can grt a fairly close tone to his main four-string CT with my SG special. Bridge pup at 10, neck at 2 or so, strung with nickels and a bit of dirt and high end when necessary from my b3k. Slap over that huge neck pup (acts kind of like a ramp, helps with speed) and plucking over bridge pup for nice mid range sounds. Not quite the same visual aesthetic but it seems to work.

 

[Interspace Station]

...and yes, it's very much in the fingers.

 

[wraub]

I have been able to get pretty darn close to that sound with an ancient Ibanez Roadstar 2 5 string fretless.

 

[DDXdesign]

I'm surprised so many votes for a Jazz, since I always thought Jazzes were slightly mid-scooped, and when I think Primus I think of a tone that is burpy, rubbery, and has lots of midrange. That said, my bass is essentially a Jazz and I agree I like the sound when I play primus tunes (even if it's not perfect), so YMMV.

 

[Mushroo]

I'm surprised so many votes for a Jazz

I always thought Jazzes were slightly mid-scooped

Only if you turn both pickups on equal volume. If you know how to dial in the individual pickup volumes, jazz basses have tons of mids.

 

[DDXdesign]

Only if you turn both pickups on equal volume. If you know how to dial in the pickup volumes, jazzes have tons of mids.

This is true; I hadn't thought of that because I do that so rarely (I just play both pups full and adjust the tone knob, most of the time)

 

[Zentner]

How do you not enjoy a Warwick?

Heavy, unbalanced, huge neck, and too short of a scale for starters...

 

[Mvilmany]

I think that the bridge pickup on a G&L L2000/L2500 with roundwounds and the (series and active+treble boost enabled) comes really close.