TimJ Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Hi all, I am a (whisper it) 6-string player wanting to learn how to learn proper bass. However, being from the lead guitar side of the equation I am incredibly superficial and only want to learn the fun stuff. Which to me is funk bass and Motown. It seems to me that a lot of great bassists that I'm interested in (Prestia/Wooten/Graham /Verdine White) play J-style basses. Is this the best place to start? I'm looking for a bass in the 4-500 quid range. One bass I saw with decent reviews was a Yamaha: [url="http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/bass/yamaha-trbx504-589283"]http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/bass/yamaha-trbx504-589283[/url] which seems good but maybe humbuckers are more rock than funk, from a bass perspective? I don't know. Whilst I get it that, like with 6-string guitar, you can probably play any style of music with any style of instrument to an extent, I'd like to get as close to a decent starting point as possible. Anyway, any opinions gratefully received. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I suppose the name that springs to mind re Motown is James Jamerson, who played a P bass. So for funk bass and Motown you'll need a J bass [i]and [/i]a P bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Prestia actually played a Precision, and as our discreet friend above says, so did Jamerson. What else do you need :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Your main problem is that the Motown sound is the sound of flatwound strings, and most stuff '70s and later is roundwounds, so yeah if you want an authentic Motown sound you might need two basses; a J strung with rounds and a P strung with flats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 (edited) Classic Motown must be pretty much exclusively a P bass. Raise your budget a shade to £600 - £700 and you're into a decent used USA Precision Standard. It should sound reasonably authentic and they're really easy to sell on if you don't get in with it. Might be worth looking for one with slightly narrower nut width option as a classic P with a 1.75" nut might feel like a boat If you're moving from a 6 string then round wounds will feel more natural than flats (just wind the tone control all the way off) and maybe look at lighter gauge strings like 40 - 100's for comfort. You can play most Motown and funk with a pick and try palm-muting for a nice 'dead' tone. Edited April 10, 2014 by molan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 P bass! Squier CV range basses are excellent for the money and well worth the investment. With your budget you may be lucky enough to nab a US precision. You may need to sacrifice your ideal colour combination though. I'd guess the main characteristic you want for funk and motown would be passive electronics and single-coil pickups. Motown utilises the neck pickup and you can get a killer funk/slap sound from the bridge pickup of a Jazz. Hence, try a PJ! The Yamaha BB424x is, in my opinion, the best bass for the money on the market right now. Can be had second hand for less than £250, they look great, they're passive and are very well built. Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 (edited) Just to confuse matters a bit more, Jamerson referred to his P bass as 'The Funk Machine', so... Edited April 10, 2014 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I'd suggest that funk is more a playing style than a tone. Like, you can sound funky whatever you use. I think it's the Herbie Flowers and Stanley Clark connection that made people link funk with the jazz bass. Really, you can create some really funky basslines on anything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 'Funk' is such a great word. Never get tired of saying it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1397169184' post='2421544'] 'Funk' is such a great word. Never get tired of saying it! [/quote] Well I'm tired of [i]you [/i]saying it. Thhppp!! [size=4] [/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 (edited) Squier Classic Vibe, or a Japanese 62 RI Precision, and some flatwound strings. I recommend Thomastik Infield Jazz Flats or Pyramid Gold (other options are available). They're expensive strings, but will never need changing. And whack a foam dish sponge under the strings by the bridge! The Epiphone Jack Casady signature is also supposed to be great for this music, and sounds similar to a P Bass. For your money though, you could get both a used Classic Vibe Precision and Jazz. Flats on the P for Jamerson funk, and rounds on the J for slap funk! Edited April 10, 2014 by dannybuoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Precision bass. Maybe a jazz bass if you're listening to Verdine. As Samuel l Jackson said, "accept no substitute" , it's simple and it works. Mine is the best bass I've ever played anywhere, I keep trying to find a jazz bass that matches it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horizontalste Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 The ultimate funk machine for me is, dare I say, a Stingray. Maybe a EBMM Sub? Well within your budget if you buy a good used one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coilte Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 (edited) Naturally with a thread like this, you are going to get all kinds of answers. IMO flats would go a long way towards giving you the Motown sound. Personally, I would not choose a certain bass because X,Y, or Z used one, but because [i]I[/i] like that particular bass. If you really want to be good at funk it would be better to concentrate more on the nuts and bolts (technique, syncopation etc) of the music itself, and pick a bass that [i]YOU[/i] like. Having the same bass as X,Y or Z is not going to make you play or sound like them. Edited April 11, 2014 by Coilte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimJ Posted April 11, 2014 Author Share Posted April 11, 2014 Thanks all. I do agree that it's impossible just to buy any kind of instrument (bass, guitar, whatever) and just expect it to magically sound like <insert fave player>, I know that the choice of instrument is only one factor. Obviously until I can play proper bass (i.e. think like a bass player in terms of locking into the rhythm rather than my previous 6-string life widdling all over the place) then the precise gear details are a moot point anyway - I really just wanted to establish a fair starting point. I think I am veering slightly towards a P/J hybrid at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 (edited) I'd put it like this. There are times when nothing other than a precision will do. I think it's rarer (but sometimes true) to say the same for other basses. I say this as someone who currently doesn't own a P bass (but is stealthily looking ) As for a purchase option, as mentioned the Squier CV precisions are a very lovely thing indeed, I've played a few and they've all been stunning for the money. Edited April 11, 2014 by jakenewmanbass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coilte Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 [quote name='TimJ' timestamp='1397207286' post='2421717'] I really just wanted to establish a fair starting point. I think I am veering slightly towards a P/J hybrid at the moment. [/quote] Fair enough. In that case I think a G&L Tribute SB2 strung with flats would be a great choice. [url="http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/TributeSeries/basses/SB-2_new/index.asp"]http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/TributeSeries/basses/SB-2_new/index.asp[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 @ OP: Whether you go for a P or a J, you may eventually want an amp to put it through; which is another question entirely. Headphone amps and POD's are fine in their way, but you really need to be able to feel these sounds as well as hear them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drTStingray Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Motown and funk are definitely a style of playing - learning the style of playing probably being more important than the type of instrument. Indeed most Motown was played on Precisions (Jamerson's with old flatwounds - not sure about Bob Babbitt's though - he played on Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours and Inner City Blues amongst other great tracks). However in the early 70s this sound went very much out of fashion and funk bass became a more roundwound active bass type of thing (early Rose Royce tracks demonstrate this well). A Precision with flatwounds will not give the sound for this type of thing. I would suggest you try a Jazz bass (Squire or Fender) or a Sterljng by Musicman Ray 34 (perhaps a used one) - either of these should allow you to get a fuller range of sound and give you more flexibility to play a range of styles, including Motown and a range of funk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 If you want a bass for funk, this is what you want: In fairness, if you actually could work out how to isolate one of the Precision pickups, you'd probably be able to get a decent Motown sound out of it... Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coilte Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 [quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1397236785' post='2422144'] If you want a bass for funk, this is what you want: In fairness, if you actually could work out how to isolate one of the Precision pickups, you'd probably be able to get a decent Motown sound out of it... Jon. [/quote] Bootsy......All that glitter on the body ....now I know why he is always pictured wearing sunglasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Simple: Precision + flats + groove = Motown funk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 The neck pup on a Jazz sounds pretty much like a P, get a Jazz for all things. Verdine White is one of my bass heroes. Not impressed with the solos etc you see on Youtube but his recorded work is so, so good. Like 'Nard, he has that ability to play repetitively and accurately but with just enough variation to make it human, loaded with feel and creativity. A good source for inspiration! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 [quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1397245929' post='2422275'] The neck pup on a Jazz sounds pretty much like a P. [/quote] It doesn't, if it did everyone would play a Jazz and the Precision would be redundant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 [quote name='jakenewmanbass' timestamp='1397207301' post='2421718']I'd put it like this. There are times when nothing other than a precision will do. I think it's rarer (but sometimes true) to say the same for other basses. I say this as someone who currently doesn't own a P bass (but is stealthily looking )[/quote] I felt the same, but I've never liked Precisions, so I bought some cheap parts and a Fender Vintage P pickup and made one for very little money. It sounds bang on. I haven't used it since. I guess I could've probably bought a used Squier CV though. I probably should've done that but I wanted an ash one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.