Yes, because what people are forgetting to add is that studio time back then in your big name analog studios was incredibly expensive and nobody wanted to waste time fiddling with the sound of a bass track. So producers and engineers wanted you to lay down a generic sounding track with a known, reliable instrument, for one main reason alone, and that reason was that it saved them money.
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Why do the session legends all use P basses? (SBL Video Discussion)
- Thread starter citizenchris099
- Start date
Yes, because what people are forgetting to add is that studio time back then in your big name analog studios was incredibly expensive and nobody wanted to waste time fiddling with the sound of a bass track. So producers and engineers wanted you to lay down a generic sounding track with a known, reliable instrument, for one main reason alone, and that reason was that it saved them money.
I don't think it's a "P Bass or else" in most commercial studios. One of my best friends and bass instructor is a top Nashville session bassist. He has one P Bass, a Japanese '57 reissue. He uses it on a lot of sessions, but he also frequently records with his Sadowsky 5 and Tyler 5.
I'm not a Nashville session player, but I have done session work in my field, southern gospel music, and a modern 5 string is used for those at least 50% of the time. And I've seen more jazz basses played on SG sessions than Precisions. In that style of music we are still in the bright & tight sound. That's the sound that usually works for SG songs. And a 5 string is a must on many sessions.
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People think that a clickbait video about paid professionals being told what to play means they are being told what to play.
This should be a simple concept: if it's your music and your money, you can play whatever bass (or basses!) you like. If someone else is paying, you are an employee, and you should be prepared to meet your employer's expectations. 99% of the time, this means showing up with a flexible attitude and a few standard bass options: a P-Bass, plus Plans B and C (Jazz, Stingray, flats, fretless, etc.). If your genre calls for a five-string (Modern Country, Gospel, etc.), bring one of those.
There's nothing wrong with loving the sound of your hand-carved, Cocobolo-topped six-string, with elf-wound 27-volt Unobtainium active pickups, and fretboard wood salvaged from the deck of the HMS Intrepid. Heck, if it doesn't slow down your load-in (or crowd the room...), bring it, too! There's nothing wrong with having a Plan D.
Now, if you're Bernard Edwards and they want your magic funk, show up with nothing but a Stingray, flats, and a cool hat. If you're Geddy Lee, and they want you to come in and do a "Geddy Lee" on the track, then by all means, bring your Jazz, Ric, and SansAmp and have at it. But, most of us aren't Bernard Edwards or Geddy Lee...
There's nothing wrong with loving the sound of your hand-carved, Cocobolo-topped six-string, with elf-wound 27-volt Unobtainium active pickups, and fretboard wood salvaged from the deck of the HMS Intrepid. Heck, if it doesn't slow down your load-in (or crowd the room...), bring it, too! There's nothing wrong with having a Plan D.
Now, if you're Bernard Edwards and they want your magic funk, show up with nothing but a Stingray, flats, and a cool hat. If you're Geddy Lee, and they want you to come in and do a "Geddy Lee" on the track, then by all means, bring your Jazz, Ric, and SansAmp and have at it. But, most of us aren't Bernard Edwards or Geddy Lee...
No offense but this is a bad comparison. Recording/Mixing a bass v mixing a guitar is a totally different animal.
This pbass conversation is brought up a million times here. Its pretty funny.
If you want to record in a genre where the bass is more of an afterthought or support instrument, have a pbass. Show up with that and your main player in a dual gig bag and you are good to go. If you dont want to be a session guy, play whatever you want as long as it sounds good.
The Youtube era only thinks in absolutes. We need to rid ourselves of that.
Agreed......however, on the occasions that the client, producer, engineer, or studio owner ( who sometimes double as engineer or producer) arent happy about the tone im giving them, they will usually say " thats too stringy" or "can you make that darker?" or "I want the bass to sound like an old rocking chair on a porch" or "Can you make that more lavender?" or whatever - of which im happy to oblige (because, its about them and what they want, not about me).....but with the exception of one studio at the turn of the millennium that always wanted me to use a T40 that i no longer own, bass choice is - and has always been for three decades - my discretion, no matter which studio Im at...
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As much as I love my boutique basses, this thread has me wanting to own a Fender again.
I definitely agree! Most active basses can be switched to passive. And can still have tonal versatility.
I don't like P basses. Good thinng I have a six figure salary doing something else I guess. . .
I'm no expert but I think it has a lot to do with sonic space. So to speak.
A p bass especially with flats produces a sound that carves out a distinct sonic space in the song. You can just hear a nice round focused tone bubbling along the groove.
Take your more exciting, brighter growling sounds, and they often disappear when the band gets loud and busy. Even our beloved Geddy Lee, John Entwistle, or especially Louis Johnson and Flea playing a Music Man and their sound disappears somewhere in the song.
- my 2 cents -
A p bass especially with flats produces a sound that carves out a distinct sonic space in the song. You can just hear a nice round focused tone bubbling along the groove.
Take your more exciting, brighter growling sounds, and they often disappear when the band gets loud and busy. Even our beloved Geddy Lee, John Entwistle, or especially Louis Johnson and Flea playing a Music Man and their sound disappears somewhere in the song.
- my 2 cents -
He said in absolute terms...
Sorry, couldn't resist...
But, to be serious for a moment, Adam Neely does have nuance in his vids. That's one, anyway...
Absolutely agree with this, especially the 1st paragraph.
I recall 2 interviews of 2 very good bassists. One was Chris Squire and one was Victor Wooten. Both talked briefly in their respective interviews about not getting session gigs.
Chris Squire because of what he played and how he played it; Ric with a pic.
Victor Wooten because of how he's perceived as the virtuoso soloist and nothing else.
My bass instructor has been around with a certain band since the early 80's with major and indie record contracts and also plays in at least 6 local bands ranging from hard rock to prog to Jazz to Funk to Avant Garde. He does session work at local recording studios as a gun for higher for other bands and commercial jingles, does work for local theatres for various musicals, teaches bass (electric and upright) and piano, co-hosts an open mic with a guitarist and a drummer and plays church organ at a large church where he has the gig for all the masses, including Sundays, holy days, weddings, funerals, etc. He makes his living from music and nothing else.
He uses 3 different P basses, an Upright, a Jazz, a Ric and a 5 String Pedulla The Jazz and Ric are primarily for the Rush cover band he's in. The Pedulla is used for the Avant Garde band he's in as well as one of the P-Basses.
For session work and all the other bands he's in he is playing one of the P-Basses. The major band that he's in he now plays mostly Upright Bass.
When he does session work he demands getting paid per song rather than by the hour as he usually does his job in one or two takes. He's that good. He is the areas go-to-bassist. He plays the bass he's told to play at session work and in the music pit at the local theatres.
I have 53 basses and suck at playing. I own 2 Fender P Basses and a Fender Bullet Bass. I like 'em, but I obviously like other basses too that are quite different sounding. I don't make my living from music as I'm an engineer in the Civil discipline. My basses are not tools for me...they're more dope for my addiction or escape. Like it or not the P-Bass is the go-to-standard of the recording industry.
When you do session work you do what you're told because you're a contractor or freelancer for higher, not even an employee.
When you have notoriety and your own well known band or well known solo act you can call the shots because you're doing the hiring.
This question or statement from the OP is really geared to musicians who actually make 6 figures or more from music. Not weekend warriors and bedroom bassists.
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None taken. It was just a slightly provocative comment to a rather narrow-minded video (IMHO).
There is no denying it-- the P-bass is one of the most prominent bass tones in the industry. Everyone recognizes that tone when they hear it. I started on a P-bass but in the 70's many of them had dead spots. In the 80's I moved to Ibanez. I'm a live music player, have only recorded occasionally over the years.
You just can't get THAT SOUND out of any other bass if that's what you're looking for. To play devil's advocate against myself, one of my favorite albums of all time is Boz Scaggs Down Two Then Left. That is all Jazz bass, and it has impeccable tone on every track.
I recently bought a used Ibanez P-style bass and I'm looking to buy a Bartolini pickup to attempt to get that P-tone out of bass. I don't like finished necks like Fender necks. and I find the whole P-bass concept clunky compared to streamlined hot-rodded Ibanez basses. But I am fighting the biggest gas I've had in ages to keep from ordering one of the new American P-basses for under a grand. I can cop a pretty good J-bass out of my Ibanez but I think I'll just have to have a P-bass in my arsenal to get that sound. To each their own.
You just can't get THAT SOUND out of any other bass if that's what you're looking for. To play devil's advocate against myself, one of my favorite albums of all time is Boz Scaggs Down Two Then Left. That is all Jazz bass, and it has impeccable tone on every track.
I recently bought a used Ibanez P-style bass and I'm looking to buy a Bartolini pickup to attempt to get that P-tone out of bass. I don't like finished necks like Fender necks. and I find the whole P-bass concept clunky compared to streamlined hot-rodded Ibanez basses. But I am fighting the biggest gas I've had in ages to keep from ordering one of the new American P-basses for under a grand. I can cop a pretty good J-bass out of my Ibanez but I think I'll just have to have a P-bass in my arsenal to get that sound. To each their own.
