Ou7shined Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Just because it's played on a nice P bass and associated with a famous "P sound" player it needn't be putting out a trad P sound. To my ears a lot of these examples could be just about almost any muddy bucker bass. For me, using the examples so far and despite the vastly differing playing styles, the trad P sound comes in somewhere between the Santana one and the Blues Brothers/Aretha Franklin one (even though the 1st Duck Dunn one didn't hit it on the nail for me). There's an almost imperceptible (yet obvious) pinched woody overtone... that to me screams trad P. my 2p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 [quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1330431271' post='1557270'] To my ears a lot of these examples could be just about almost any muddy bucker bass. [/quote] There you go, the perfect P tone description ;-) The thing is "traditional" will mean different things to different people. There is no "one, traditional P tone" as far as i can see, and its even harder to hear in a band context. As we all say, its not the bass but the player who makes the tone. Pick up a P bass and play a few notes, there you go, the P tone. What you make of it is up to you and as we have seen, a lot of people can come up with vastly different tones, all from the same bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Yep. I had a seasoned player round mine yesterday noodling on a fretless P I'd put together with an SPB-1 and a varitone. And in the 5 minutes he was playing away to himself he nailed (what to me is) the perfect P tone about a dozen or so times, lots of the time it was just "a fretless P tone" but those dozen or so times were "hair on the back of the neck moments" for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I know what you mean. Although i have a P i dont think i have ever achieved those moments where the bass just sounds unmistakeably like the perfect P tone, which for me is when its played up the neck a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftyhook Posted February 28, 2012 Author Share Posted February 28, 2012 (edited) bloody hell, sounds like nailing a P sound is as difficult as getting to see the Wizard of Oz! In readiness to be lebelled 'blasphemous"..... I continue to shake my head in confusion regarding the popularity of a bass that can sound distinctly average unless brought to life by the attack of a plectrum. I really think it's a nostalgia thing, having a 70's P bass with original this and that, genuine roadworn etc. Listened to all of the vids posted, and many more on youtube. I still think it has been super-seeded by many basses but people keep looking back a Jamerson and the likes thinking, "well if the old masters knew what was good" I feel a challenge coming on.I think I will put a decent pick up in my old beaten up Westfiled bass cos the neck plays really nice. I bet I can get it to stand up to many of your P's.......there's only one way to find out..... FIGHT! edit: Bob Babbit awesome player. that's a great documentary if you haven't seen it. . But my oh my, Joan Osborne, what a great voice. Edited February 28, 2012 by leftyhook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Tipping Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 (edited) [size=4][font=arial, sans-serif]... guess what, you just brought a gun to a bomb fight! [/font][/size][font=arial, sans-serif][size=1] [/size][/font] Edited February 28, 2012 by Dave Tipping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 [quote name='leftyhook' timestamp='1330468304' post='1558107'] I really think it's a nostalgia thing, having a 70's P bass with original this and that, genuine roadworn etc. Listened to all of the vids posted, and many more on youtube. I still think it has been super-seeded by many basses but people keep looking back a Jamerson and the likes thinking, "well if the old masters knew what was good" [/quote] I totally agree with that and i'm glad someone has finally said it. The amount of times ive heard how flats on a P are "tone heaven" astounds me. Its like nothing has changed in 50 years or whatever. There have been so many advances in bass tone yet the P bass has stuck around for all this time because people want to sound like someone who probably had no, or little choice back in the day. Saying that, i play a P and like how it sounds, but its more that im playing covers and most were recorded on a P or Jazz so for me its a tone i need to have, rather than would choose over any other tone, and, like the original recordings it just fits in nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 [quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1330428012' post='1557173'] Some more up to date, better recorded live P bass tone in the Standing in the Shadows of Motown film. Classic film IMO. This wont play here, it will open a YT link. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO4bqyTWHdA&feature=related[/media] [/quote] flip me all I could hear in my headphones was the bottom end of that kick drum. It could have been any bass in the world for all I could hear of it. I actually haven't tried flats on a P, I like my rounds on it too much. All I know is I had a p, and sold it, and bought my current one.... plugged it in... and suddenly it was 'that' tone off the records. like ou7shined said, hairs on the back of the neck stand up.... that tone.... Brilliant. it's the woody nature of the tone, the low mid thump, the pinched high mids, it's the warmth and it's brilliant. (and not what any fender you will buy in a shop will sound like in my exp, the AV 1957ri is a very very very nice bass, but somewhat modern voicing to it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftyhook Posted February 28, 2012 Author Share Posted February 28, 2012 [quote name='Dave Tipping' timestamp='1330468963' post='1558124'] [font=arial, sans-serif]... guess what, you just brought a gun to a bomb fight! [/font][font=arial, sans-serif][size=1] [/size][/font] [/quote] disagree! well....I have t prove that, dont I? Aaaaany bass can sound great with good strings in your bedroom/demo in a nice little studio on youtube. . Proof is getting through the thud of the kick and bottom end of ***** keyboards through the PA Gimme a couple of weeks, I will gig it and get back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Tipping Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 [quote name='leftyhook' timestamp='1330470597' post='1558157'] ... Aaaaany bass can sound great with good strings in your bedroom/demo in a nice little studio on youtube. [/quote] I agree .. here's a short vid from a gig last month supporting the "sex pistols experience" .. not our usual set but a really loud gig in a club and badly recorded on a mobile phone. With the tone knob cranked I never have a problem sounding full but still punching through. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOzITi45yS8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOzITi45yS8[/url] I'm sure a better player than myself could get similar ..or better results with a beaten up [font="helvetica, arial, sans-serif"][color="#282828"]Westfiled. I'm hoping you're that man. Post a quick vid of your next gig as I'm interested in seeing what a cheap bass with good strings is capable of in a live environment. I'm looking for a cheap back up bass and if you convince me I will be saving myself hundreds![/color][/font] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I'd always nominate John mc vie in the chain as the classic p bass sound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftyhook Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 [quote name='Dave Tipping' timestamp='1330523902' post='1558805'] I agree .. here's a short vid from a gig last month supporting the "sex pistols experience" .. not our usual set but a really loud gig in a club and badly recorded on a mobile phone. With the tone knob cranked I never have a problem sounding full but still punching through. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOzITi45yS8[/media] I'm sure a better player than myself could get similar ..or better results with a beaten up [font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][color=#282828]Westfiled. I'm hoping you're that man. Post a quick vid of your next gig as I'm interested in seeing what a cheap bass with good strings is capable of in a live environment. I'm looking for a cheap back up bass and if you convince me I will be saving myself hundreds![/color][/font] [/quote] your vid. bad recording, but the bass is clearly evident. now, in that full-on style music, would you really tell an expensive bass from a much cheaper one? volume aside, i dont think so! I'm a bit of a bugger for making a point and upsetting comfortable apple carts. here's the westfield. I love the thought of seeing peoples nose turn up, then raise there eyebrows when i rip the notes out of it. I almost bought a SD for it today but decided otherwise and bought a s/h Hohner B2A instead .(you see, bad taste bass,I'm a bugger!) Now you've got me wanting to get this ugly shrapnel-peppered upside-down beast on stage!! hmm...maybe 2 weeks time i will have spare funds for a pickup. or maybe just crank it up! BTW you do a fine job in the vid man. solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 [quote name='leftyhook' timestamp='1330361062' post='1556217'] er, the Jamerson sound.... not hard to replicate that! Someone said that perhaps the recording technology of way back then perhaps didn't do the P bass justice. We all know that JJ was a stubborn man when it came to changing strings. In the end his old strings lost him work. [/quote] Er, blimmin' IS hard to replicate. Not heard anyone do it. JJ is easily recognisable even though there's loads of similar sounding players, but none the same. Believe me, I am still trying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 (edited) I love the sound of a Precision, there's two 'traditional' sounds to me, there's Jamerson type and similar users, of course, and the Entwhistle type sound (ie Precision played with flats for soul/funk and rounds for rock). Burnell and Foxton developed the clanky sort of sound, also typical Precision, but I wouldn't regard that as 'traditional'. Examples would be Bob Babbit, Tears of A Clown (UK version) for the flats sound, Live at Leeds for the Entwhistle strangled cow (ox?) type sound. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fay1uk7wpnQ (With pick in this example) Edited March 6, 2012 by 4 Strings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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