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Why Do We Keep Coming Back to the P-Bass?

#181
paskisti said:
For me Metallica was the best before the album Reload. 72 seasons is not my favorite album and the first 5 albums had a different twist from other band of the time because of Lars Ulrich's Danish origin bringing the British heavy metal and hard rock influence. Also, Burton had a lot of influence into melodies and harmonic contents that many trash metal on that time didn't have.

That new Overkill sounded a lot more traditional trash than modern Metallica. Question is did he played with P or something else? :)
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My favorite Metallica albums are the first three because I mainly think of them as a thrash metal band. Cliff (RIP), his songwriting, and his classical training had a lot to do with what made 1980s Metallica so special. I will only listen to songs from And Justice for All if they have enhanced bass. Lars is the same guy who did Jason Newsted dirty on that album. As much as I'm a fan of his music, he and James made a terrible decision.

Metallica became more of a traditional heavy metal band starting with The Black Album. Some of their newer songs are thrash (e.g. "Hardwired", "Spit Out the Bone", and "Lux AEterna"). But they haven't put out a true thrash album since 1988. Conversely, Overkill has stayed true to their thrash roots since they formed in 1980. That's one of my favorite things about them.

DD Verni played a Rickenbacker 4001 on the first two Overkill albums. Then he switched to a BC Rich bass with two active P pickups starting on Under the Influence. That's when he invented The Clank. This video from Rodney McG is a great intro to DD and what he played:
 
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#185
MrAB4003 said:
You're gonna love them if you like East Coast thrash metal. I recommend listening to any of their 1980s albums (Feel the Fire, Taking Over, Under the Influence, and The Years of Decay) Ironbound, and Scorched.

Scorched is their most recent album and it's amazing! It came out on the same day as 72 Seasons by Metallica in 2023. I prefer it over 72 Seasons as much as I love Metallica.
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First time I saw Overkill live was at a fairly small venue in 1986? 1987? They were opening for Slayer on the Reign in Blood tour.

Been a fan ever since.
 
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#188
MrAB4003 said:
My favorite Metallica albums are the first three because I mainly think of them as a thrash metal band. Cliff (RIP), his songwriting, and his classical training had a lot to do with what made 1980s Metallica so special. I will only listen to songs from And Justice for All if they have enhanced bass. Lars is the same guy who did Jason Newsted dirty on that album. As much as I'm a fan of his music, he and James made a terrible decision.

Metallica became more of a traditional heavy metal band starting with The Black Album. Some of their newer songs are thrash (e.g. "Hardwired", "Spit Out the Bone", and "Lux AEterna"). But they haven't put out a true thrash album since 1988. Conversely, Overkill has stayed true to their thrash roots since they formed in 1980. That's one of my favorite things about them.

DD Verni played a Rickenbacker 4001 on the first two Overkill albums. Then he switched to a BC Rich bass with two active P pickups starting on Under the Influence. That's when he invented The Clank. This video from Rodney McG is a great intro to DD and what he played:
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Very true. I like Jason a lot and he has always been my major idol, especially when I needed one. :)

BC Rich with double P pickups (one reversed) has nice sound. Also, Blackie Lawless used similar setup in his Widow bass.

Thanks for the link.
 
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#190
Well... it's the coolest, being the original from which all sorts of variants and developments have sprouted over 70+ years. Also, it's a completely different animal strung with rounds as compared to flats - something Leo Fender couldn't have anticipated, but which made it relevant all over again. I daresay, If you can play it you'll still hold your own in any contemporary context requiring electric bass.
 
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#191
Why? Because they're great basses, plain and simple.

That being said, I have other basses I like more, so I don't play my P5 anymore (I really need to sell it, it's been in it's case for about three years without seeing the light of day). But I still think it's a great bass.

THAT being said, I bought a cheap PJ earlier this year, a Yamaha BB235, that has surprised me quite a bit. I bought it specifically to live at our LS/BL's house so I don't have to take a bass back and forth for rehearsals, but I really like that bass. I mostly use the P pickup and then add the J pickup kind of like a tone control, sort of like the way people seem to run the G&L SB-2 (I *so* wish G&L had made that bass in a five string before they closed up :( ).
 
#192
I've been using a Jazz almost exclusively for the past couple years. It's versatile, though it's still got a classic Fender tone. With my particular Jazz's pickups, I can even dial up the neck and out-punch most P basses.

And yet recently, I've been taking the P to gigs again. I'm even looking to trade-up to a newer, lighter-weight P.

To answer the OP's question, I don't know why, it just feels like home.
 
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#194
Pocket Dave said:
I've been using a Jazz almost exclusively for the past couple years. It's versatile, though it's still got a classic Fender tone. With my particular Jazz's pickups, I can even dial up the neck and out-punch most P basses.

And yet recently, I've been taking the P to gigs again. I'm even looking to trade-up to a newer, lighter-weight P.

To answer the OP's question, I don't know why, it just feels like home.
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I only played Jazz Basses (when I wanted an FSO) for 12 years before I acquired my first P Bass. I realized that the P Bass was giving me the tones that I wanted out of a Jazz Bass for all those years but I couldn't quite get them.

There were times when I was wondering "why doesn't my bass sound like a bass?", especially when I was learning how to play bass (on my Squier Jazz Bass) as a teenager. The closest I got to the sound I was thinking about was isolating the neck pickup on my Jazz Bass, which was good, but not great. But that's all I had to start.

Plus, I like the simple two knobs and B width necks on a P Bass. I don't like the VVT configuration or the skinny A width necks on most Jazz Basses. The volume knobs on Jazz Basses operate in the strangest manner to me. They're either fully on (on 10) or fully off (all other settings). There's no half volume on a Jazz Bass. That's not the case on a P Bass.

I have since sold, traded, and donated all my Jazz Basses in favor of my Rickenbacker 4003s and my P Bass.
 
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#197
retslock said:
In Australia there is a late night music video tv show that I watch at times to see what younger musicians are doing. I can tell you that here is Oz lots of young bass players are using Precision basses for all kinds of music.
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Here in the US, the late night TV shows with new bands coming thru, nearly all been playing short scale basses pretty much for the last two years.
 
#199
Are we talking coming back to a Fender Precision bass here, or any bass with just one V and T knob and the iconic split coil pickup?
Chasing the sound right? Not the look I guess.
So you’d be coming back to a pbass sound, despite the obvious design differences compared to a Fender Precision with one of these. Correcto Mundo?
IMG_0561.webp
 
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#200
Prodigus Filius said:
Are we talking coming back to a Fender Precision bass here, or any bass with just one V and T knob and the iconic split coil pickup?
Chasing the sound right? Not the look I guess.
So you’d be coming back to a pbass sound, despite the obvious design differences compared to a Fender Precision with one of these. Correcto Mundo?View attachment 7342767
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I would take this one here before many F….. basses having seen and heard one in person ! 🤘
 

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