I guess you forgot the whole point of the video where they're talking about...(wait for it)...session players. Kind of a key point to the discussion.
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Why do the session legends all use P basses? (SBL Video Discussion)
- Thread starter citizenchris099
- Start date
I guess you forgot the whole point of the video where they're talking about...(wait for it)...session players. Kind of a key point to the discussion.
There's always been the flavor of the day. It just so happens that during the earliest days of studio recording, that flavor was the P bass, because a lot of other stuff just didn't exist then. Musicians can be very conservative when it comes to the tools they choose and very traditional in terms of what they want to hear (by and large, obviously there are many exceptions to this) so what became established as the traditional studio tone was what was mainly available when those tones were becoming established. There's no magic to it, and there's nothing wrong with using a Pbass.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Also, in the early days, Fenders were the standard for everyone. You had Fender, and a lot of lesser stuff. Almost every session bassist, by default, owned a Fender.
Yep. That's what I've been saying, but you said it in a lot fewer words
I'm a working musician, and just based on past experiences, I wouldn't dream of turning up to a session without a P-bass, even if it's the last bass I'd like to play. Most recently did a 7-song session, and the P made it on 2.5 tracks. Between discussing it with the band leader, and the recording engineer, we determined which bass would be right for each of the songs. Simple, respectful, in service of the music.
On day two, the mixing engineer came by the studio, and I could just tell that he wasn't a fan of my 4003 (or any Rick, for that matter), which is on the bulk of the session. Mercifully, the band leader tends to take point on the mixing sessions, too, so my/our choices are probably safe. But I'm still waiting for the "Hey, do you mind coming in and taking another pass at this song? We have a bass for you, too!" call....
On day two, the mixing engineer came by the studio, and I could just tell that he wasn't a fan of my 4003 (or any Rick, for that matter), which is on the bulk of the session. Mercifully, the band leader tends to take point on the mixing sessions, too, so my/our choices are probably safe. But I'm still waiting for the "Hey, do you mind coming in and taking another pass at this song? We have a bass for you, too!" call....
What exactly goes both ways? Are you saying that being of equal mind about P basses “vs” other basses is as objectionable as being Hatfield vs McCoys on the topic? If so, then your primary interest seems to be to pick arguments. Knock yourself out; but, that has zero to do with playing bass, and more to do with your need to pick sides where they may or may not exist.
My opinion, a P style bass is the easiest way to fit a bass into the mix in a way that doesn't hinder other instruments. For most rock and pop styles, the bass is filling out the low end (up to around 250) and then some character and crunch around 1k. A P bass naturally has a nice low mid presence, and if you play it with a pick, provides a nice balanced tone. In the recording sessions I've done, I have always preferred the sound of my P (or PJ on neck) over most other basses I've tried.
I also think the massive drum kit rule applies. Theres less room to be flashy, more room to be solid, and less sonic range available. When I've worked with players who play 6ers or even some 5s, ive noticed that their playing is usually overlapping with either guitars, keys, or the deep end of the kick. Not saying you can't be awesome and solid on a 5 or 6 (see: Nolly), but my personal preference is that there isn't much of a need for more than 4.
I also think the massive drum kit rule applies. Theres less room to be flashy, more room to be solid, and less sonic range available. When I've worked with players who play 6ers or even some 5s, ive noticed that their playing is usually overlapping with either guitars, keys, or the deep end of the kick. Not saying you can't be awesome and solid on a 5 or 6 (see: Nolly), but my personal preference is that there isn't much of a need for more than 4.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Yep. That's what I've been saying, but you said it in a lot fewer words
Not often I've been accused of being a Man of few words...
True, I was just opining why people on this forum might take issue with being told what instrument to play.
I have relayed this story here in other threads before...
I was 19 and hated Fender basses because my band director in High-School wouldn't allow us to use anything but...it was an exciting time in the world and I bought everything but Fender basses...(had quite a few B.C. Rich at the time being a metal head, as well as Kramer, Charvel, and a couple of boutique instruments)
Phone rings...it's a buddy of mine...he has broken his wrist and his country band is finishing off a record...one track left to go...he asks me to kindly record it for him...so I show up to the studio,...a studio mind you that had 15 RIAA certified gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards (albums and singles) at the time, and that had been in business for 40 years...
Being my first real professional session work and wanting to make a good impression...I whip out my (boutique bass) and the producer instantly goes off on me...seriously berating me and acting like a two year old that just spilled his cheerios...he tried to fire me on the spot, but the original bass player and band leader insist I do the track...so I borrowed my buddy's "P" bass and record the track...once satisfied he leaves...the engineer looks at me and says want to do it again with your bass this time? I let you guess which take ended up on the record...
but after than session I bought a P bass, and a Jazz bass and added them to the arsenal...30 years later...I own 5 P/J's, two P's, Two Jazz basses, a Double P, and a Ric...
Half of them are Fender the other Half are Lakland (minus the Ric of course)
I was 19 and hated Fender basses because my band director in High-School wouldn't allow us to use anything but...it was an exciting time in the world and I bought everything but Fender basses...(had quite a few B.C. Rich at the time being a metal head, as well as Kramer, Charvel, and a couple of boutique instruments)
Phone rings...it's a buddy of mine...he has broken his wrist and his country band is finishing off a record...one track left to go...he asks me to kindly record it for him...so I show up to the studio,...a studio mind you that had 15 RIAA certified gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards (albums and singles) at the time, and that had been in business for 40 years...
Being my first real professional session work and wanting to make a good impression...I whip out my (boutique bass) and the producer instantly goes off on me...seriously berating me and acting like a two year old that just spilled his cheerios...he tried to fire me on the spot, but the original bass player and band leader insist I do the track...so I borrowed my buddy's "P" bass and record the track...once satisfied he leaves...the engineer looks at me and says want to do it again with your bass this time? I let you guess which take ended up on the record...
but after than session I bought a P bass, and a Jazz bass and added them to the arsenal...30 years later...I own 5 P/J's, two P's, Two Jazz basses, a Double P, and a Ric...
Half of them are Fender the other Half are Lakland (minus the Ric of course)
P basses track well, it's no secret. They put out a lot of mids, which an engineer can carve away to fit in almost any mix.
P Bass with rounds through an SVT with a little grit sits nice with big drive guitar mixes
P Bass with rounds and the tone rolled back through the same SVT can return a pretty sweet R&B tone.
P Bass with flats IS the Motown sound
They're crazy versatile. The only thing a P Bass can't seem to nail is the sound I strive for, but with a set of SD QPs or DMZ Splits I get damn close. Though I'm not a huge P Bass enthusiast, I'll be damned if they don't deserve all the praise they seem to get around here. P Bass for president 2020.
P Bass with rounds through an SVT with a little grit sits nice with big drive guitar mixes
P Bass with rounds and the tone rolled back through the same SVT can return a pretty sweet R&B tone.
P Bass with flats IS the Motown sound
They're crazy versatile. The only thing a P Bass can't seem to nail is the sound I strive for, but with a set of SD QPs or DMZ Splits I get damn close. Though I'm not a huge P Bass enthusiast, I'll be damned if they don't deserve all the praise they seem to get around here. P Bass for president 2020.
I listen to a wide variety of music but I'm racking my brain trying to think of a single band or artist I listen to that uses session bassists, outside of what came out in the 60's and early 70's from Motown or Muscle Shoals etc. Are they mostly doing Top-40 stuff or something?
I just saw that video yesterday. Happened to be the day I was going to bring my Pbass to rehearsal for the first time. Up to now I've been using a Spector Forte 4 w/ jazz pickups. Very scooped and growly, a sound my bandmates like. I brought my G&L LB-100 last night and it worked great. No fiddling with the knobs, just plug n play and it sounds just right. Thick and gummy with clear upper harmonics, and I was able to make it almost as punchy as my Spector with the right technique. I totally understand the whole Pbass thing now.
I've kind of lost interest in SBL and can't be bothered sitting through the whole video, but it sounds like the same old news about studios and P basses. It's easy as a bass player to forget that, in most cases, only bassists want to spend more than a minute "getting a bass sound". The engineer will spend two hours getting a drum sound but won't expect to have to do any tweaking for the bass. That's just how it is: bass is not the priority. It just has to work. Interestingly, when you get into styles where bass is more prominent the whole "must have a P bass" thing more or less goes out the window.
On another note, I will say that the YouTube comments on the SBL video highlighted the fact that bassists can be just as moronic and argumentative a bunch as anyone else in YouTube-land. Congratulations to TB members and the TB staff for keeping things as civilized as they are around here.
On another note, I will say that the YouTube comments on the SBL video highlighted the fact that bassists can be just as moronic and argumentative a bunch as anyone else in YouTube-land. Congratulations to TB members and the TB staff for keeping things as civilized as they are around here.
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There is a reason I don’t watch any of the videos by that Scott guy. I’m not going to start here.... I’ll skip this one too. Don’t get me wrong. He’s a great player and probably a great teacher, but he spends far too much time doing other things that, like this post, really don’t matter.
and alembic and wal and rickenbacker etc...
The P bass thing is a myth. It is so easy to cop a P bass tone. The only thing I could see an engineer being upset with is single coil hum...
I used to get a bit of studio work in the 80's doing jingles/radio/TV advertising work for local businesses.
One studio always had me play "their" P bass.I owned a P bass with a DiMarzio model P pickup that recorded on analog tape really well(most studios weren't digital then).I would always bring that bass.
This stuff was always done as quickly as possible. Very rarely did we spend more than an hour on a track.The producer wanted it done fast.Nobody cares about the sound quality of the bass track it was all about getting a solid tone very quickly.Usually we did a track in 30 to 45 minutes.
There were a couple of players(who were much better than me) who got this work who would bring their upscale instruments & argue about their "sound"& refuse to play the studio's bass.
They didn't last very long!
One studio always had me play "their" P bass.I owned a P bass with a DiMarzio model P pickup that recorded on analog tape really well(most studios weren't digital then).I would always bring that bass.
This stuff was always done as quickly as possible. Very rarely did we spend more than an hour on a track.The producer wanted it done fast.Nobody cares about the sound quality of the bass track it was all about getting a solid tone very quickly.Usually we did a track in 30 to 45 minutes.
There were a couple of players(who were much better than me) who got this work who would bring their upscale instruments & argue about their "sound"& refuse to play the studio's bass.
They didn't last very long!
Im no big session player but every time I have been convinced to use a p bass or seen other bassists convinced to use a p(unless it was metal).
IMO its some kind of nostalgic thing,people grew up on this so hearing a p leads to reactions like "It just sounds right".
With all the tech today you can play with the sound up to the point no one will tell what bass it was.
IMO its some kind of nostalgic thing,people grew up on this so hearing a p leads to reactions like "It just sounds right".
With all the tech today you can play with the sound up to the point no one will tell what bass it was.
