Why no P-bass in gospel?!?

[Dr. Cheese]

Dr., I stand corrected, thank you. That post was not intended as hate for anyone. I wish it had not come across that way.

Cool, I hope I did not sound too harsh either.

 

[Staccato]

No, if anything you have enlightened some of us (as with other posts that you've written).

 

[bass4worship]

I've been playing Gospel for some time now and have seen all kinds of basses used. It's not so much the bass as it the bass player playing the bass, so let get off this thing that a 4 strings don't belong in Gospel music. I find the younger bass players prefer a five more than the older player.

 

[Billy Low]

I have not read all the replies on this thread, but if you are talking gospel (african american gospel) then the music itself has many stylistic similarities to urban smooth jazz, and for smooth jazz you want a very high tech tone with access to the low notes, and you want those low notes to be clear. Clarity, transparent highs, that's the tone that fits this music the best, INMHO.

Not always the case, and that's a pretty broad generalization in regards to smooth Jazz, as well as the tonal spectrum of a p-bass. Once again, p-bass, eq'd properly with stainless strings (especially w/a maple fingerboard) can be also more versatile than what it is being given credit for.

I guess what I'm trying to get across is that this instrument is quite capable of being used in this genre (urban gospel), but unjustly is pegged as not being able to. I truly believe that if more of the big name players in the game show up with a p-bass, you will see a shift.

 

[Billy Low]

It's not so much the bass as it the bass player playing the bass, so let get off this thing that a 4 strings don't belong in Gospel music.

Agreed!

 

[Billy Low]

You know, the more I think about it, maybe it's not a anti-p-bass thing, but maybe it's the preference for ACTIVE INSTRUMENTS! As I think back, I cant recall the last time I have caught a cat playing a passive instrument in an urban gospel setting! This could possibly be why there is such a believe that tonally a p-bass can't cut, because their is no eq section on the instrument, and most guys really aren't bothered w/eq pedal or external preamps. I will admit that one time (nearly 10 years ago) I did catch a cat subbing for Derrick Hearne (Ricky Dillard's bass player) and he was playing a hollowbody of some sort...sounded pretty good, and close to the tracks that Derrick layed in the recordings.

I wonder if this could be the case.

 

[JimmyM]

i think there are some who feel that way about active, but i think that's changing as the overall trend in music these days is gearing more toward passive and darker tones and less toward bright trebly sounds.

me personally, i think it's more that 5 and 6 string basses are often used in gospel, and there just aren't that many passive 5's and 6's compared to actives. honestly, i know maybe 2-3 bassists that have a passive 5.

 

[canadian_man_44]

I play in the Praise & Worship band in my local church. We play new gospel like Chris Tomlin and Hillsong. My only bass is a USA Fender P-Bass Deluxe. Not technically a real P-Bass in some books because of the double jazz humbucker, but it's what I play. My sound comes through great.......and it only has 4 strings!

I used to play a 5 string Washburn but to be honest with you I didn't use the low B to D# to be bothered so I sold it and got my current bass.

 

[Patrick_65]

I play for a catholic church and the music runs from contemporary to gospel to traditional hymns. I use an Epiphone EB0. Not that I am that good but it is in the player and how it mixes with the rest of the group.

Instrumentally the piano is the lead for the choir, (the other choir uses the pipe organ.) then we mix in flute, trumpet, trombone, acoustic guitar, cello, minor percussion. We need a drummer!

 

[dryheatbob]

Gibson basses are most definitely out due to the inventor of the humbucker Seth Lover obviously being an occult cover name. Seth is the ancient Egyptian god of chaos, the embodiment of hostility and even of outright evil. He is also a god of war, deserts, storms, and foreign lands. Might mean if you use anything but single coils you are of the devil. Explains why so many worship leaders use Strats.

Well played! Much funnier than the stereotypical potshots posited by earlier posters! Well done!

Though not gospel, my church uses a rotation on bassists that play, off the top of my head, Warwicks, Ibanezes, Fenders(jazz and precisions), Schecters, G&Ls, MM's and some oddball bass that I"ve never seen before. They range from 4-7 strings, active and passive. Seems the music director depends more on the players than what they play to bring the sound he wants.

 

[Billy Low]

I play in the Praise & Worship band in my local church. We play new gospel like Chris Tomlin and Hillsong. My only bass is a USA Fender P-Bass Deluxe. Not technically a real P-Bass in some books because of the double jazz humbucker, but it's what I play. My sound comes through great.......and it only has 4 strings!

I used to play a 5 string Washburn but to be honest with you I didn't use the low B to D# to be bothered so I sold it and got my current bass.

I did state that there was a difference between Praise and Worship and Urban Gospel, and with more Gospel player now playing P&W there really was not much need for the 5 string argument. So, my friend, we are on the same page.

 

[Dr_Funkdamental]

This is way off base. Tonally, Urban Gospel bassists prefer a modern tone. Many UG bassists use pretty inexpensive instruments like Ibanezes and Peaveys to get that tone.
Those who use more expensive basses tend to be working musicians, and church is often one of several gigs for them.
The pros could easily afford a highend P-bass with five strings if they wanted to use one.

This is not about dumping on someone with a Squier P-bass, so save the church hate for some other place.

You know, the more I think about it, maybe it's not a anti-p-bass thing...

/thread with both of these (as Ive been saying). Some of these assumptions are hilarious. Anyway...

I think when you all state "Praise and Worship" you really mean Christian Contemporary. There is Praise and Worship in gospel. And I dont understand why that constitutes not needing a 5 string. Its an eternal argument how many strings are needed, when the answer is how every many you feel like using. *kanyeshrug*

 

[mpdd]

maybe watch the elvis movie the way that it was and see what bass they used for the gospel numbers?

 

[Robear22]

/thread with both of these (as Ive been saying). Some of these assumptions are hilarious. Anyway...

I think when you all state "Praise and Worship" you really mean Christian Contemporary. There is Praise and Worship in gospel. And I dont understand why that constitutes not needing a 5 string. Its an eternal argument how many strings are needed, when the answer is how every many you feel like using. *kanyeshrug*

Like I stated before, I played in a christian rock band and what I played and how I played were different from the things I played with the gospel group. We did Chris Tomlin, Steven Curtis Chapman and my lines were way more laid back and simpler than with the gospel group. Gospel bass lines tend to be busier and I tend to use more fills which is at times requested by the people I play with. Like Billy Low stated a passive instrument may not give me the tonal flexibility that an active instrument can. I need a bass that can give me the tone I hear in my head and a P just won't cut it. For you it may but for me I need my EQ on the bass and a modern tone.

 

[Robear22]

maybe watch the elvis movie the way that it was and see what bass they used for the gospel numbers?

Gospel numbers back then are really a lot different by today's standard. But when we say gospel there are many variants on that style. Some think CCM is gospel. Some like the old down south traditional style. Then you have people like Israel Houghton and Fred Hammond who have infused old flavors with contemporary stylings.

 

[johndough247]

Do the best of both worlds: buy a boutique P-Bass ;-)

But in all seriousness...IMO a P-Bass with flats KILLS with gospel (although I believe Thaddeus uses rounds? still kills it either way...), nothing's wrong with the mids of a P-Bass clashing with the vocals...How many countless rock,r&b, funk etc. songs have we heard with vocal harmonies and a P-Bass over the decades? Besides, thats why we have EQ and/or a tone knob if it's a real issue...

I understand the whole Eb issue...but it's most certainly doable. If not:
1) Detune to Eb Ab Db Gb
2) Take 2 Jamerson lessons ("Ain't nothing like the real thing" and "Bernadette" are two Eb songs that come to mind) and call me in the morning :-D

 

[Dr_Funkdamental]

Like I stated before, I played in a christian rock band and what I played and how I played were different from the things I played with the gospel group. We did Chris Tomlin, Steven Curtis Chapman and my lines were way more laid back and simpler than with the gospel group. Gospel bass lines tend to be busier and I tend to use more fills which is at times requested by the people I play with. Like Billy Low stated a passive instrument may not give me the tonal flexibility that an active instrument can. I need a bass that can give me the tone I hear in my head and a P just won't cut it. For you it may but for me I need my EQ on the bass and a modern tone.

Daddy, gospel is 95% of my life playing . I guess I'm looking more at semantics, because we have praise and worship every Sunday, yet when ppl refer to like Hillsong and others as P&W, Im like, thats not necessarily ALL P&W is. I gotchu though. Me and you are on the same page. I just find alot of the comments crazy because you can look at ALOT of threads around here, ESP. in the subject of like classic rock, and see how ppl always talk about P bass is king and the countless "You gotta have a P" and "Nothing sounds better than a Pbass through a SVT" , "a Pbass is the best bass for rock", etc. Why does it all of a sudden seem so blasphemous that theres a genre where many of the players dont really care for that sound? Its not a knock, just a preference. Alot of the greats in rock, you may see Pbass/Ampeg. And because alot of guys grew up listening to that, they are drawn to that tone and combination. Alot of the greats in gospel, you will usually see MTD (Gouche, Raines, Joel Smith) or Ken Smith (Darrell Freeman, Fred Hammond, Reggie Young). Therefore that tone kind of sets the standard. As I said before, I LOVE the sound of a Pbass and plan on getting my flatwound thumpy goodness, but not for any Ernest Pugh or Dorinda Clarke Cole tunes .

Elvis? *crackin up*

 

[96tbird]

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.

Tax refunds from the money WE put in the plate on Sundays that does good work in the world.

 

[39-Bassist]

I play a 83 SQ P-bass w/ a Hipshot Drop D tuner and every loves the sound I get and have no problem...so count me on the list.

 

[canadian_man_44]

I did state that there was a difference between Praise and Worship and Urban Gospel, and with more Gospel player now playing P&W there really was not much need for the 5 string argument. So, my friend, we are on the same page.

Your OP specifically stated that you got funny looks in churches. No mention of specific types of music. Now it may have come up in one of the other 7 pages between page 1 and page 9 and I could have missed it since I was reading the posts while working....however, I have played in several churches and have never gotten a strange look because of the current bass or any other precision bass that I have played.
Now, I have noticed a number of posts(not necessarily yours) mentioning 5 and 6 string basses being popular in church band settings these days. So you see....I didn't start(or even intend to start) the old 5 string argument. I was just stating what I use and what I no longer use. To steal a phrase from a Dr_Funkdamental....Its not a knock, just a preference.

Now we're on the same page.