You don't let the gee-tar player tell you which bass is right.
Don't let the parishoners tell you, either.
Don't let the parishoners tell you, either.
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Why no P-bass in gospel?!?
- Thread starter Billy Low
- Start date
HMMMMMM . I play a Hamer p-bass copy with flatwounds in church. Of course it's southern-ish gospel, almost blue-grass gospel. The p-bass with flatwounds works well ... even thought when we do anything outdoors, and when i occasionally rotate basses, I play a washburn B-10 ( 1980s boat anchor).
Matt
but the truth is .... a local shop has a Conklin GT5 I want real bad.
Matt
but the truth is .... a local shop has a Conklin GT5 I want real bad.
Might as well consult the ubiquitous best bass for metal threads then choose anything but that.Seriously though I would have never thought gospel bands had such stringent tonal requirements for the bass player. Sure there are a handful of mainstream guys using modern sounding active 5 or 6 but why do they need to be copied? Play thee p bass!
You guys are lucky to even be accepted playing electric bass at all. Back in the 90s I did some church gigs and just having an electric bass was enough to elicit a ton of weird glances.
I used to have a Classic Vibe and used it many times in church. My role is in the band is a mix of pocket and second guitar depending on the song. I must admit that the classic P bass with flats simply sounded out of place for my lead bass parts. If the list is heavy on wankery then I bring something else.
Quit worryin' 'bout what other people play. Just go play.
My new bass (when it gets here) will be a passive, 5-string P/J. And, it will see plenty of church service as well as community orchestra play.
My new bass (when it gets here) will be a passive, 5-string P/J. And, it will see plenty of church service as well as community orchestra play.
I think it's time to brake new ground and let the P-Bass lead the way !
They are such a classic sound.
They are such a classic sound.
I've taken my P-bass to church, and the times when I get to play it, the director loves it. Sadly, much of the material requires a 5 string. I don't see 5 string precisions very often, but I'm sure it would work just fine. An earlier post was correct. I do see a lot of Ken smith. Used to be Tobias.
Here is a clip of a Pro Gospel Bass player using a P bass and it sounds good!
But I still wouldn't use it to play in most church's because of the organ and the limited control of the sound levels in most churches
But I still wouldn't use it to play in most church's because of the organ and the limited control of the sound levels in most churches
True.
I don't think God would mind if you praise him with a P. Otherwise, why would he inspire Leo to create it in the first place?
- Nov 8, 2010
- 1,391
- 9
- Disclosures
- Unofficial Endorser: Ibanez, D'Addario, Zoom
Gospel is a lot of different things to a lot of different people but when I am asking about whether a P-Bass will work, I want to know if it can work in THIS idiom:
This is not my choir but this is very indicative of what we play and how we play it.
This is a pretty dense sonic mix and the bass player is definitely playing a Jazz (They show a shot of him in the second video.)
I believe that the real question being asked when this comes up is "Can a (passive) P cut through this dense of a sonic mix in a LIVE setting?" You can do anything in the studio -- but what about in a big church sanctuary filled with hundreds of people behind a 50-100+ voice choir?
Will the bass be clearly articulated or will it turn to thump-mud-thump-mud? (And forget about talking to the sound man about properly eq-ing the bass -- in a church, he'll have his own ideas and he really doesn't want to hear yours.)
This is not my choir but this is very indicative of what we play and how we play it.
This is a pretty dense sonic mix and the bass player is definitely playing a Jazz (They show a shot of him in the second video.)
I believe that the real question being asked when this comes up is "Can a (passive) P cut through this dense of a sonic mix in a LIVE setting?" You can do anything in the studio -- but what about in a big church sanctuary filled with hundreds of people behind a 50-100+ voice choir?
Will the bass be clearly articulated or will it turn to thump-mud-thump-mud? (And forget about talking to the sound man about properly eq-ing the bass -- in a church, he'll have his own ideas and he really doesn't want to hear yours.)
I think that maybe you just forgot to take that Megadeth sticker off your bass before church!
Seriously though, I doubt that anyone, except maybe another bassplayer, has any idea what bass you are playing.
Seriously though, I doubt that anyone, except maybe another bassplayer, has any idea what bass you are playing.
Well, a P-Bass is not all 'thump & mud'. It does have a tone knob and can give a pretty clear sound as well. You also have eq at your amp. Dial in what sounds best. You can also put try different pickups (while still keeping the bass passive).
