Why the P bass obsession

[bass71]

Played a Stingray for yrs..tried a P bass.... sold Stingray

 

[GretschWretch]

because they're simple, sound great, and have a neck like a baseball bat

But P-bass necks are maple, and maple baseball bats shatter. So P-bass necks should be made out of ash, like stable baseball bats?

 

[JimmyM]

Ash bats shatter, too. Ask that poor gal who's in critical condition after getting hit with a shattered bat.

 

[placedesjardins]

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.

If you were in a wedding band where you are playing a wide mix of music styles, a jazz bass or P bass could work.
I would prefer a P Bass with a J bass pickup at the bridge.

 

[phillybass101]

The P-Bass is a standard for which many other basses are based on in terms of history, recorded music, how it sits in the mix, and no muss, no fuss knob tweaking. It has it's place in a lot of genre's of music and there is no denying it. I once had a nice P-Bass fretless and a fretted one. For me that all changed when I saw Larry Graham playing Fender Jazzes. The songs Can you handle it and Hair, changed my life forever. Subsequently I no longer required a P-Bass.

 

[Jazz Ad]

20 pages for a troll thread, seriously?

 

[Marko 1]

20 pages for a troll thread, seriously?

Stop exaggerating, it’s only 19.

 

[Gaolee]

20 pages for a troll thread, seriously?

We are only on 19. And, if we keep going, we can be arguing for long enough that people might start to think this is a Ric troll thread. How great is that? Only a P-Bass could deliver such a versatile stack of troll responses.

 

[DinoRock]

Let's discuss the impact of strings on a P-bass. I have 3 Fender Am Std P's. One with nickels (RS 66LDN), one with flats (RS 77LD), and one with tapewounds (La Bella). Each gives me a very different tone - when I replace the LDN with LD on that axe, I get yet another fundamentally different tone. Note that I do studio work almost exclusively these days (I do some live benefit shows here and there when necessary, but live work is not my focus).

Edit: Given the thread, I should point out I have numerous non-P's (includes several Fender J's) and numerous non-Fenders (Aria, Ric, Ibanez, Epi).

 

[axelrod]

I think it is a legit question, mainly because of the hero worship type status of the P that makes it seem more valuable than it is sometimes, which is reflected in the price (overprice) of that object, and a sameness in how a band, and it's bass player are supposed to look and sound.
When everyone does things one way I naturally want to do things a different way, but that is just me.

 

[winterburn69]

We are only on 19. And, if we keep going, we can be arguing for long enough that people might start to think this is a Ric troll thread. How great is that? Only a P-Bass could deliver such a versatile stack of troll responses.

I'd much prefer a Ric roll thread instead

 

[GreyBeard]

I have a American Standard Pbass I bought back in 1993 that I paid $575.00. Back then everybody was obsessed with slapping so the pbass sound was not the thing. I bought mine because there were times that I just needed that pbass tone and nothing else really would give me that sound. Today the P-Bass is all the rage as it was when I started playing back in 1970. There have been all sorts of basses that have come and gone (Steinberger, etc.) but the pbass never did go completely out of style and has come back strong lately. A pbass is the one bass everyone should own at least one of.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

That works out at $0.50 per week (nominal) and probably only $0.75 a week in real terms. You can barely get a mouthful of coffee a week these days for that, so it's good value.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

P bass,because....

View attachment 633406

where's the P bass?

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Carrots:
My basses:

 

[Febs]

Well, heck ... if it's good enough for Professor Snape, it's good enough for me!

 

[Herrick]

I like them because they are passive and have one pickup. Dual-pickup basses sound great too of course, but I prefer to play passive single-pickup basses. Oh and I love how they look too.

 

[Mike A]

I think it is a legit question, mainly because of the hero worship type status of the P that makes it seem more valuable than it is sometimes, which is reflected in the price (overprice) of that object, and a sameness in how a band, and it's bass player are supposed to look and sound.
When everyone does things one way I naturally want to do things a different way, but that is just me.

It's not just you.

 

[JimmyM]

I think it is a legit question, mainly because of the hero worship type status of the P that makes it seem more valuable than it is sometimes, which is reflected in the price (overprice) of that object, and a sameness in how a band, and it's bass player are supposed to look and sound.

Got news for you...if there's any sameness of sound, it ain't coming from the bass.

 

[GretschWretch]

Ash bats shatter, too. Ask that poor gal who's in critical condition after getting hit with a shattered bat.

Didn't know it was an ash bat, and a shame about the woman. But maple bats have a reputation for being shatter prone. Have for years.