Why such fanatical love for the Precision bass?

[red_rhino]

As a self-avowed Jazz bass guy, I don't particularly like P-basses, but I "get" them. It's pretty much as others here have described; that signature midrange bump. You can also dial up a huge, thick low-end that doesn't just sit in the mix, but sits "on" the mix and takes over.

About 15 years ago I bought a '65 P because I figured I needed one. I rarely play it. It has that signature tone, it's light as a feather and plays very well.... for a P bass. Cuz at my core, I'm still a jazz bass guy. But even jazz bass guys like a little "strange" every now and then.

 

[Wisebass]

Hi BK

can I get some of you P bass fanatics to tell me what it is you love so much about them?

yes you can

let's ask Colin



that's one answer what I love about them (but what do I know, I am not a fanatic )

may the bass be with you

Wise(b)ass

 

[Freightshaker]

The P bass pick guard is larger than that of the J bass. It has more room to display the lovely tort. That is why eveyone loves the P.

 

[red_rhino]

chronologically advanced players

LOL! I feel complimented and insulted at the same time.

 

[StatesideRambler]

Talkbass isn't reality.

Aw, man! You weren't supposed to tell!

 

[ZenG]

Most recorded bass in history.

Is that really true...or just a popular myth?..I read a post here on TB just a couple days ago that said the Jazz has actually been used more times for recording in total.

 

[Grylls]

Universal acceptance and it's also what people expect a bass to sound like. Rant and rave all you want contrary to that, but nothing will change.

 

[monsterthompson]

What is it that makes the P bass so different from a J? .... I will probably end up buying a second hand one just to see for myself but in the meantime, can I get some of you P bass fanatics to tell me what it is you love so much about them?

I'm not a fanatic, but I am a convert. I started with a cheap Squier or low-end Fender P 20+ years ago. I moved on to more boutique offerings. A few years back, I had been playing a Dingwall ABZ5 and struggling with the tone of it. Around that time, I went to Mesa Hollywood to look at amps. I picked up a Nash JB-63 they had on the wall and plugged in for a test drive. The next day, I couldn't stop thinking about that bass. I ended up buying it. The next time I jammed with my friends, I couldn't believe how well it worked in a rock band setting, and I started rethinking everything I knew about my tone.

I also have a Nash JB-63, and it is an amazing player and sounds very nice solo, but it doesn't have the same vibe in the band mix for me. I like the way it records, and it does sound "similar" to the P when just using the neck pickup, but it isn't the same.

As for why, I'd have to assume the pickup and its location/placement are the biggest factors. I couldn't tell you more than that.

I will say that I don't find myself writing/improvising lines that are as melodic/busy on the P, relative to my other basses. It seems to want me to just pump root notes in eighths.

Use the right tool for the job. Whatever bass works is the right bass. My stable is a P, J, 5-string with humbuckers, a fretless J/MM, and a Ric. They all sound different and do something I like.

 

[dabbler]

The P generates that familiar tone we've all heard on rock records throughout our lives.

That recognizable sound is like mama's cookin'.

And not just rock. Probably every genre of music had many recordings done with a P bass.

I grew up with R&B, soul and funk. The Funk Brothers were Motown's house band and played on more number-one hits than the Beatles, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys combined (reference the documentary about them titled "Standing in the Shadows of Motown"). And James Jamerson, who was their primary basis (and probably all of their other bassists too), played a P. That's the bass sound I grew up with.

My primary basses are Js, but I still love me some P!

 

[Snaxster]

And you replied...again.

Yes, I did consider the downside. But I decided that this would be my activism for the year. In the real world I am wholly non-interventionist; I let nature takes its course.

 

[DavC]

it's simple and it works = people like that kinda stuff = Mongo like beans


i like a bit more versatility = Jazz or P/J or 1 of each ...!

 

[Rib 13]

Im not a P-Bass fan at all although I do have one for recording purposes (for string choice, not just for voicing -- I have many basses that will get a P-Bass voicing when the mid pickup is soloed, like my G&L ASAT in Series mode. This particular P-bass alleviates me from changing string types)

I will say this much for the P-Bass voicing: It may not be the best choice for many many things but its never a wrong choice for anything, if that makes sense -- and this is probably why P-basses are so popular

 

[JimmyM]

And not just rock. Probably every genre of music had many recordings done with a P bass.

I grew up with R&B, soul and funk. The Funk Brothers were Motown's house band and played on more number-one hits than the Beatles, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys combined (reference the documentary about them titled "Standing in the Shadows of Motown"). And James Jamerson, who was their primary basis (and probably all of their other bassists too), played a P. That's the bass sound I grew up with.

So you're saying a studio band that worked 7 days a week backing up like 150 artists for 8 or 9 years had more hit records than 4 artists who only played for themselves, wrote most of their own songs (except Elvis), and whose output varied wildly over the years due to touring and vacations? You don't say?



A worthy achievement for sure, but let's not lose perspective.

Anyway, the reason the P is so popular is because it works very well in a lot of different situations, and it has a uniqueness that doesn't obliterate your own personality. End of story.

 

[drewphishesp]

what gets me is that anytime i hear a great bass tone on a cd or song im listening too, i check the musician and the gear being used and 8 times out of 10 its a p bass. I too was always a J guy but recently got a P and havent been able to put it down

 

[David Sutkin]

Dare I ask if there is a big difference between a standard P and a PJ ? .... Recently I was looking at an Aerodyne, she's a beauty (IMO) and priced pretty reasonably.

I'll go over to the local GC later tonight and I'll play a few but I'm curious to what those who've spent some time with one thinks?

 

[David Sutkin]

what gets me is that anytime i hear a great bass tone on a cd or song im listening too, i check the musician and the gear being used and 8 times out of 10 its a p bass. I too was always a J guy but recently got a P and havent been able to put it down

I'm afraid of that exact same thing happening ... as I have a terribly difficult time of selling ANY of my basses. I always try to kid myself with the "I'll sell "X" so I can buy "Y" .... Then I buy "Y" and keep it right next to my "X"

#firstworldproblems

 

[JimmyM]

Dare I ask if there is a big difference between a standard P and a PJ ? .... Recently I was looking at an Aerodyne, she's a beauty (IMO) and priced pretty reasonably.

I'll go over to the local GC later tonight and I'll play a few but I'm curious to what those who've spent some time with one thinks?

You can get more mid-scoopy asounds with a PJ as well as the usual P tone. I usually use PJ's, and while most of the time I'm using just the P, there are times when that mid scoop is just what the doctor ordered.

 

[bassliner50]

It is simple. Gets the tone right away with no fussing. Parts are everywhere. 'Swat I played 50 years ago. 'Swat I played last night. Damn sweet tone.

 

[Joe Nerve]

It's simple, it sounds good, it looks cool, and peopple respect it.

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

It does that thumpy basement bass thing so well. Can't go wrong with it in the mix either. It sits in just the right spot.