I finally give up trying to get attached to my last J. I traded it for something different. Of all the many different basses I've owned, the J is my least favorite.
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Why does my P-bass sound so good?
- Thread starter stefaniw80401
- Start date
I agree totally. I have a bunch of P basses and one Spector USA NS-2. The Spector sounds, plays and looks beautiful. But, the tonal spectrum and fullness of a P can never be denied. Leo got it right.
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Because a Precision bass is the best sounding bass. Other sounds are very cool too, but the Precision rules.
As long as I don't try to make it sound like a P (of which I have several already), I dig the J sometimes. But man, when the P works so well, it can be a little hard to diverge from it for sure.
Sell all three of them and get one Fender P Custom Shop.
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I bought my Jazz thinking I'd sell it later and get a profit. It's gone up nearly four hundred pounds in the last three years but I've bonded with it in that time. Great bass but it did take a couple of years to grow on me. I bonded with the Precision within ten minutes of trying it - total mojo! I work away from home so the Jazz comes with me while the Precision stays at home. If I'm away for a long time I start thinking "maybe I don't need the P". Then I get home and think "what the hell was I thinking?!"
Glad you like the p bass sound. Me on the other hand. Can’t make one sound good. I am on my 3rd fender p. 2nd one had more mods than what it probably cost. My current one is stock, about to try some swing 66’s on it. I like a p for its simplicity, but the sound maybe too simple. But as lynyrd skynyrd said “I’m a simple kind of man” PS: I saw the original group in concert
I am kinda the same but not a jazz,
That is also why Leo also made the Musicman. (Which lead to the really good aftermarket ray4’s & 34’s)
If it's got dual J pickups, a push/pull series/parallel switch is a popular option to beefing up a Jazz styled bass.
*Edit*
Just saw it's a J/MM.
A bit of a spin, but maybe swap the neck pickup with one of these,
51J4S
No, it's not a split-P, but it is a split design based on the OG Precision pickup, which I always thought was fantastic.
Yeah, it'll cost you some dough, but it's a reversible mod.
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Only on TalkBass will you find someone complaining about their Fender Precision bass sounding too good! ;-)
drumvsbass
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Ubiquity. How many P-basses have you heard on recordings? Live? That's why it sounds good. They bark in the right frequency in the right way for ensemble performance. Not sure I would use a Pbass on a solo gig... but for playing in a band.... nothing really beats it.
They're not wrong.
They're not wrong.
If you are a bass player a Fender Precision Bass is a necessary arrow in your quiver. It’s like chicken soup. Or a warm bed. Choose any comfort analogy.
I recently swapped the neck on mine for a J size and strung it with Jamerson bridge cables. It’s very soothing. Can’t explain it any other way.
I recently swapped the neck on mine for a J size and strung it with Jamerson bridge cables. It’s very soothing. Can’t explain it any other way.
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I had a similar revelation after avoiding P bases for 25+years. I’m really curious to figure out if it is the location of the pick up, the split pick up configuration itself, or a combination of the two factors. Would a bass with a different passive pickup in the P position sound the same or as good?
I think they would have very similar characteristics, though the wind and magnets of the pickup will affect the tone as well.
Same reason that my Stingray sounds way mo bettah than my Fodera.
One thing to ponder: When you mention that your P has "balls" - pickups don't have more or less bass - all magnetic pickups are flat from the lower mids down - it's just inherent in the physics of such things. How does one bass sound "ballsier"? A few reasons:
1) Pickups pick up different things depending on location - a pickup location closer to the neck gives you more low end in the signal.
2) Active circuits can be non - flat - your Carvin (assuming it's active) might be working against you, in which case, you'd need to adjust its eq controls.
3) Your perceptions of how much low end there is in the signal is influenced by what else is there - if the pickups or electronics on a bass accentuate the upper mids and/or treble, your attention gets grabbed there, and you notice the low end less.
So, suggestions:
1) Don't mess with the P bass, as it sounds good (duh!)
2) Mess with the eq on your Carvin - can you take off some top end, thus making is "ballsier"?
3) Use the neck pickups on the other basses - use position to your advantage.
4) Try strings that are less bright (pressure wounds if you're using rounds, or flats if you're using pressure wounds) on the basses with less low end.
1) Pickups pick up different things depending on location - a pickup location closer to the neck gives you more low end in the signal.
2) Active circuits can be non - flat - your Carvin (assuming it's active) might be working against you, in which case, you'd need to adjust its eq controls.
3) Your perceptions of how much low end there is in the signal is influenced by what else is there - if the pickups or electronics on a bass accentuate the upper mids and/or treble, your attention gets grabbed there, and you notice the low end less.
So, suggestions:
1) Don't mess with the P bass, as it sounds good (duh!)
2) Mess with the eq on your Carvin - can you take off some top end, thus making is "ballsier"?
3) Use the neck pickups on the other basses - use position to your advantage.
4) Try strings that are less bright (pressure wounds if you're using rounds, or flats if you're using pressure wounds) on the basses with less low end.
