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Why does TalkBass love the P Bass so much?

#61
I played Ibanez and Gibsons starting out. Played a G&L L2K for years and loved it. I got my first P about 5 years ago, I blame TB just because you guys are so gas endusing. Now I own a couple. I’m playing a G&L LB100 tonight. It’s simple, it’s solid, and I get any one-off sounds I need with pedals anyway, so having a plug and play bass is ok with me. And I found flats. Still have other instruments including a Jazz which I use for rehearsals. Amazing that one of the first basses ever created is standing the test of time as well as it is. Well, that and vinyl…don’t get me started.
 
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#66
Aussie Player said:
The P is the industry habit. Ask any sound engineer. Its an automatic response and look how many bass options we have today.
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A habit persisting over a third generation of musicians, producers and engineers.
I know quite well how many options we have today (and how many are P-bass copies more or less), but as a recording guy, I know equally well what works well, and what doesn't.
 
#69
IMG_9459.jpeg

I have literally been converted. This is a totally customized Fender parts bass with the ‘51 P baseball bat neck with one and three-quarter inch nut and a Lollar classic precision pick up. This p jazz absolutely kills!
 
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#72
buldog5151bass said:
1. It's iconic.
2. It's the ultimate in plug and play. Rounds or flats, it fits the mix/balance immediately.
3. A Jazz will NOT mimic the tone.
4. Because.
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1) i agree with 1
2) I disagree with 2 -- last time I attempted to use a P at a gig (I own two P basses and experimented twice), I had the opposite experience. Neither made it past the second set and one was out in the first. It was not very articulate in the mix (and Im a new strings guy). The more variety, genres, and time periods a band covers/plays, the less 2 is true....if I played with a pick, I'd use them more live.
3) For, 3 yes it can and Ive utilized this many times over the decades. It does depend on which Jazz bass and an active one has better tone-shaping flexibility to make that happen....as a matter of fact, on my YouTube channel, I did a "Find The P-Bass Challenge"......many people voted for the active J with the soloed front pickup
4) Always agree with that for anything

So, 2 out of 4 for me :D
 
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#73
Aussie Player said:
The P is the industry habit. Ask any sound engineer. Its an automatic response and look how many bass options we have today.

The P bass established its' sound on recordings. It doesn't carry over to live work where it booms too much and is thin on top without equal volume or tone across the strings. Easy to sound nice at home for practice but a let down on stage.

Am in my 11th lustrum playing so this is certainly not a flippant comment.

It does sound its best however, on open air gigs.
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I respectfully disagree on how the P hits at gigs, but will add that the low-mid response is possibly likens other.

To some extent, I think the Precision is a one trick pony but the trick it does is easily one of the best. If it matters, I have more Jazz basses than Precision basses. I respect what it does and will likely always have one (If we include MM/P types, I have a total of 6).
 
#74
Rib, for her pleasure. :bag:
Rib 13 said:
1) i agree with 1
2) I disagree with 2 -- last time I attempted to use a P at a gig, I had the opposite experience. The more variety, genres, and time periods a band covers/plays, the less 2 is true
3) For, 3 Oh yes it can and Ive utilized this many times over the decades. It does depend on which Jazz bass and an active one has better tone-shaping flexibility to make that happen....as a matter of fact, on my YouTube channel, I did a "Find The P-Bass Challenge"......many people voted for the active J with the soloed front pickup
4) Always agree with that for anything
Click to expand...
 
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#77
The Jazz is its own thing. It cannot mimic (not fully, at least) a P with the neck pickup. Furthermore, unless noiseless pickups are used, soloing the neck PU will lead to a hefty amount of hum.
IME, even a PJ cannot do a 100 % P sound with the P pickup soloed.
 
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#79
5StringBlues said:
Rib, for her pleasure. :bag:
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Here ya go then - If the P Bass is so special that its the only bass that sits perfect in a mix and no other basses can mimic it, you should be able to pick it right out :)
So heres 5 basses with pickups in the P position. See if you can hear which one is a P Bass
That being said, the only reason anyone should play a P Bass is because they want to, and thats a damned good reason. All the validation mumbo jumbo isnt necessary



Geri O said:
:roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao:
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I admit: it was a good one :D
 
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