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Why no P-bass in gospel?!?

Billy Low

Billy Low

Apr 14, 2003
1,656
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Chicago
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Sandberg Guitars
#1
I started playing gospel about 9 years ago in a small church. As I visited other churches to play, I noticed the funny looks I would get when I pulled out my bass: a Squier P-bass. Now originally I thought i was due to the Squier badging. Then I attributed to the four string aspect of the instrument. I then realized that it was the fact that the instrument was a p-bass that caught such alien looks!

I have had several discussions on this topic at length with folks and no one can give me a straight answer! I have seen basses with every other pickup configuration, passive and active (very few MMSR, I can admit) but NO P-BASSES!!! I know of one professional gospel recording bassist that a years ago made folks gasps when he started showing up to gigs with a four string. He is the closest to playing a P bass that I have gotten to, with his Fender Deluxe P Special. But this is not a true P-Bass.

Is it heretical to play P-basses or what? It can't be about tone. What is the deal?
 
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#7
I use my JV Squier Precision with flatwounds.
So we are now two P-Bass players in church.
How about putting up a P-bass for Gospel Music Club?:D

Seriously, I agree with you. Most of the bass players in church I see use shiny boutique basses.
 
#11
IMO most Gospel music calls for a more scooped bass tone to fill out the band's sound, a P-Bass's mids would intrude the frequency range of the vocals & other instruments and leave a hole in the sound.

I wouldn't let that discourage me from bringing my P to a Gospel gig, you can use any bass for any kind of music.
 
#14
Because Precisions are the Devil's work, you blasted heretic!

But seriously, I've wondered the same. Church ain't exactly my deal, but with a christian family surrounding me, it's bound to happen once in a while and I have never seen a church bassist with less than 5 strings on a less than boutique instrument. What was that old Christian lesson about poverty and charity? I'm thinking a $2000 dollar boutique bass that you play once a week for an hour service doesn't exactly fit that mold.
 
#15
It depends on the style. There was plenty of P-Basses in the early days of modern Gospel especially with the quartet style. The current urban 'funk' Gospel typically uses a particular sound but honestly, a P-Bass, in the right hands would suffice. 5 & 6 strings basses get used a lot due to songs being written in Eb, D & C. Thad Tribbet plays a P but I think it's active. I don't think a cat like Freddie Washington playing a P would have a problem making it fit. Depends on the player. I think too many Gospel bassists have this idea that only high end ERB's will work.
 
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#16
Duckwater said:
IMO most Gospel music calls for a more scooped bass tone to fill out the band's sound, a P-Bass's mids would intrude the frequency range of the vocals & other instruments and leave a hole in the sound.

I wouldn't let that discourage me from bringing my P to a Gospel gig, you can use any bass for any kind of music.
Click to expand...

Some of the most popular basses in Gospel are Ken Smiths, which have a very mid heavy sound. I think the no P-bass thing is more fashion than anything else.
 
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#17
DWBass said:
It depends on the style. There was plenty of P-Basses in the early days of modern Gospel especially with the quartet style. The current urban 'funk' Gospel typically uses a particular sound but honestly, a P-Bass, in the right hands would suffice. 5 & 6 strings basses get used a lot due to songs being written in Eb, D & C. Thad Tribbet plays a P but I think it's active. I don't think a cat like Freddie Washington playing a P would have a problem making it fit. Depends on the player. I think too many Gospel bassists have this idea that only high end ERB's will work.
Click to expand...

Folks came down pretty hard on me, but I do think there is a tendency towards boutique basses in Gospel that is more about follow-the-leader than actual sonic needs.
 
#19
SMILEYSIXX said:
Because Precisions are the Devil's work, you blasted heretic!

But seriously, I've wondered the same. Church ain't exactly my deal, but with a christian family surrounding me, it's bound to happen once in a while and I have never seen a church bassist with less than 5 strings on a less than boutique instrument. What was that old Christian lesson about poverty and charity? I'm thinking a $2000 dollar boutique bass that you play once a week for an hour service doesn't exactly fit that mold.
Click to expand...

so just because we goto church we should play squiers?
 
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