I have nothing against precision bass guitars, they can play very good in the right hands. They aren't anything crazy though. I always felt like they have a very bland tone. They don't have much versitility either. I much prefer the depth and range of a jazz for example. Im just curious about everyone else's thoughts on this.
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Why the P bass obsession
- Thread starter JRuben
- Start date
No they aren't anything crazy. Just a simple comfortable, for most people anyway, easy to get along with bass.
They sound kind of boring at home practicing, but they seem to sound well live in a band situation and record well. Its versatile enough for most situations. In fact from what I read on the forum its the favorite of most
recording engineers. I prefer it over a jazz bass, but thats just me, nothing against the jazz. I like the neck,and the overall feel compared to most other basses.
They sound kind of boring at home practicing, but they seem to sound well live in a band situation and record well. Its versatile enough for most situations. In fact from what I read on the forum its the favorite of most
recording engineers. I prefer it over a jazz bass, but thats just me, nothing against the jazz. I like the neck,and the overall feel compared to most other basses.
The P bass sounds right and sits well in the mix in so many situations.
It. Just. Works.
It. Just. Works.
P basses kick ass. They have awesome tone and are extremely versatile, for me at least.
The fact that they are simpler sounding makes them easier to mix live and in the studio. Personally I've had a fender p and a peavey p copy I liked even more. The peavey had a string spacing that was much more suited to what I like. I don't currently have one but would eventually like to build a pj out of warmoth parts just for fun maybe a fretless or an 8 string something outside the box.
See that dot in the center of a bulls eye? That’s a P.
All those rings around it are where the "versatility" of other basses allows you to go.
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Phat fat tone. I didn't get it til I got one and put flats on and went to rehearsal with it. You can do anything from Maiden to Zeppelin to Mamas Briken Heart without lacking a thing. Seriously.
^That bullseye analogy wins the internet.
^That bullseye analogy wins the internet.
I switched from Rics to a 76 Precision back in the early 80s. The Fender seemed more demanding to play, but the result was worth it.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,585
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- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
This little guy doesn't understand the obsession with P-basses either. Thank goodness he's not old enough to start a thread about it.
M. M.
M. M.
I liken P Bass to Teles and J Bass to strat ...as i'm a guitar player first.
P is the original simple and effective as is the Tele. J is a supposed upgrade - like the strat. Funny thing is, I got off strats for Tele's in 2001. took a good 3-4 years to feel comfortable tonewise, i was playing a lot of chicken pickin stuff so i persevered. Now i feel the tele is the most versatile of all guitars in how it can handle so many styles.
I haven't been able to make that switch with bass thus far. The P sounds soooo bassy and unrefined compared to the J.
Facts are - the P is the most recorded bass in rock history. from my own recordings i've noticed how well it sits in a mix. I'll prolly switch someday ....like i did with strat to tele.
If i were to have to play a gig on a strat vs a tele i would feel i had my nuts cut off. I suspect P lovers would feel the same about a J.
Between strats and teles, P and J ...Leo left us lots to fret over lol!
P is the original simple and effective as is the Tele. J is a supposed upgrade - like the strat. Funny thing is, I got off strats for Tele's in 2001. took a good 3-4 years to feel comfortable tonewise, i was playing a lot of chicken pickin stuff so i persevered. Now i feel the tele is the most versatile of all guitars in how it can handle so many styles.
I haven't been able to make that switch with bass thus far. The P sounds soooo bassy and unrefined compared to the J.
Facts are - the P is the most recorded bass in rock history. from my own recordings i've noticed how well it sits in a mix. I'll prolly switch someday ....like i did with strat to tele.
If i were to have to play a gig on a strat vs a tele i would feel i had my nuts cut off. I suspect P lovers would feel the same about a J.
Between strats and teles, P and J ...Leo left us lots to fret over lol!
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I don't feel like they are bland at all. They just work. It seems like they do a ouple variations of one sound that works for almost anything.
Mine is also very light. I only play my other basses out of guilt.
If I have a housefire I'm grabbing my wife, dog, and p bass. My amps will have to survive being tossed of the balcony. My 800rb will
probably be ok.
Mine is also very light. I only play my other basses out of guilt.
If I have a housefire I'm grabbing my wife, dog, and p bass. My amps will have to survive being tossed of the balcony. My 800rb will
probably be ok.
My response to this type of posting is always... "My '63 Precision Bass is perfect for every single situation where a bass is required. For all other situations, I play a Lakland 44-14.
Here is my AV 58 working on her tan.. I got it just about a year ago, and love it even more than the day I got it..
Every Bass is only as versatile as the player holding it.
I can get many more tones out of my P bass now than of my active full-of-pickups-and-knobs Cort 10 years ago.
I can get many more tones out of my P bass now than of my active full-of-pickups-and-knobs Cort 10 years ago.
