Why do Pros use a P Bass...

[TheGreek]

I don't actually own a P, though I do have basses with the p/up....I'm thinking about getting one

https://scottsbasslessons.com/blog/why-do-the-session-legends-all-use-p-basses-heres-why?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Ever+wondered+why+they+all+use+P+basses%3F+(new+lesson)&utm_campaign=Ever+wondered+why+they+all+use+P+basses%3F+(new+lesson)+(non-acad)

[Sonic_Groove]

What a load of trendy wendy poppycock. Find Your own sound if that's 80's or 90's so be it. I am sure that Scott guy is making plenty of money spouting this PARC.

[chris_b]

9 minutes ago, Sonic_Groove said:

What a load of trendy wendy poppycock. Find Your own sound if that's 80's or 90's so be it. I am sure that Scott guy is making plenty of money spouting this PARC.

Oh dear!!

[Simonsbass]

10 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Oh dear!!

why ?

[gary mac]

This thread could get messy but I won't be here to see it for a while, as mrs mac is dragging me out shopping 

[Chiliwailer]

Fender P Bass - Overrated? 🤣

🙄

I do love a good P bass. 

 

[peteb]

13 minutes ago, Simonsbass said:

why ?

Because it is a fact that a lot of producers / band leaders prefer their bass players to use a Precision. Let's not pretend that a lot to do with that isn't to do with familiarity, both in terms of sound and image, but it is a thing. Whether you like that or not is something else, but if you are a pro freelance jobbing bass player then it is a good idea to have a P bass in your armoury. 

Edited December 29, 2018 by peteb

[scalpy]

Just bought an active J 5 string. Wife- I like the sound of the other one (P with flats)

[Simonsbass]

Isn't that almost verbatim what that dweeby yank says on the video? good, I'm so sick of Scott Devine and the crap he is pedalling in the name of education ££££££££

[Al Krow]

Who cares what session players do anyway?

What are the bassists in the world's top bands playing? I suspect you'll find just as many J bass players as P bass players.

[Simonsbass]

Just now, Simonsbass said:

Isn't that almost verbatim what that dweeby yank says on the video? good, I'm so sick of Scott Devine and the crap he is pedalling in the name of education ££££££££

 

6 minutes ago, peteb said:

Because it is a fact that a lot of producers / band leaders prefer their bass players to use a Precision. Let's not pretend that a lot to do with that isn't to do with familiarity, both in terms of sound and image, but it is a thing. Whether you like that or not is something else, but if you are a pro freelance jobbing bass player then it is a good idea to have a P bass in your armoury. 

 

[gareth]

Famous top gear commentator stated "if we were all sensible we'd all drive VW golfs"

the p bass is the VW golf of basses

end of story

[peteb]

2 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Who cares what session players do anyway?

What are the bassists in the world's top bands playing? I suspect you'll find just as many J bass players as P bass players.

If you don't care then it doesn't apply to you and you are probably right about there being as many jazz bass players as P bass players (perhaps SBL's next video will be why many pros use jazz basses). 

However, if you turn up for an audition with Dave Gilmour then you will be expected to have a P bass (according to Guy Pratt). Same thing if you are on a session with many producers... 

[louisthebass]

40 minutes ago, Sonic_Groove said:

What a load of trendy wendy poppycock. Find Your own sound if that's 80's or 90's so be it. I am sure that Scott guy is making plenty of money spouting this PARC.

I don't own one but the P bass is probably one of the most recorded basses in the last 60 years... So as an instrument in the hands of a good player, it must be doing something right? From my perspective, I don't think the point of the video was "a passive P bass is the be all & end all" in the studio, it was just what some producers or engineers preferred to record with...

[PaulWarning]

I've no intention of replacing my P with anything, just like that thick lower mid tone that cuts through the mix

[Newfoundfreedom]

Now to clarify. When we talk about a P bass, are we talking about pickup configuration, i.e, any manufacturer or self builder can make a P bass. Or is it generally accepted that we would be talking about a Fender. 

Because if we're talking about pickup configuration, then yeah I'd happily have a P bass. If we're talking strictly Fender then no I'll probably never own one. But then again I'm far from a pro. I just find Fenders overpriced and generally uglier than the elephant man's ugly sister. 

I realize beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but then tone is in the ear of the be-hearer? (Let's go with listener).

The P bass is definitely "That" sound. No doubt. It's been around forever and had to be the most recorded bass in history. Therefore if you are looking to recreate "that" sound then you absolutely need to have one. Personally I'm nowhere near the level where the difference in sound between say a P and a J would make any difference whatsoever to anyone listening, or even to me. As long as I get something which sounds OK I really don't care. In fact I do own a PJ bass and I find myself almost always rolling the P pickup down or all the way off. 

[Maude]

I'd never liked P basses, the reason being that every cheap learner package in Argos, Toys'R'us and the like was always a P copy and I'd always associated them with looking cheap. Pathetic I know but there you go. After about twenty years of playing, and mainly because of this site I thought I'd give one a go, and not even a real one. Locally I'd seen an Aria STB Series P for sale for £40, I'd read that they had lovely necks and bought it, what's to lose? I put a 1/4 Pounder pick up in it and a set of Chromes, gave it a set up and it played lovely. Wasn't sure about the sound at home, first set of flats, first P and all that. Anyway took it to rehearsal and instantly with the band playing it was 'wow', the sound was just there, clear punchy and very audible in the mix. I gigged that bass for about six months until that band folded. I loved the simplicity, just plug it in to any PA and it just sounded how it was supposed to. It's at home now as my go to noddling/learning songs bass. 

Edited December 29, 2018 by Maude

[Beer of the Bass]

38 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Who cares what session players do anyway?

What are the bassists in the world's top bands playing? I suspect you'll find just as many J bass players as P bass players.

Aspiring session players care, so it's probably sound advice for people looking to work in that specific environment.  As a window on working practices in one part of the music scene what they're saying makes perfect sense, but it shouldn't be taken as a commandment for all bassists. 

[paul_c2]

Well done Scott for monetizing what is actually a not-too-complicated subject matter. Good on him.

I strongly believe there is "space" in the market for someone to offer condensed post-edits of his videos, for example this one is almost 12 minutes long - I am afraid I don't have a spare 12 minutes - and having seen some of his other content, I reckon its 2-3 mins worth of focused content. (AFAIK the YouTube algorithms that monetize it take into account length of video watched, in addition to number of views, so there is no incentive himself to shorten them???)

[Newfoundfreedom]

4 minutes ago, paul_c2 said:

Well done Scott for monetizing what is actually a not-too-complicated subject matter. Good on him.

I strongly believe there is "space" in the market for someone to offer condensed post-edits of his videos, for example this one is almost 12 minutes long - I am afraid I don't have a spare 12 minutes - and having seen some of his other content, I reckon its 2-3 mins worth of focused content. (AFAIK the YouTube algorithms that monetize it take into account length of video watched, in addition to number of views, so there is no incentive himself to shorten them???)

That was always my biggest problem with SBL, or at least the free YouTube content, which actually put me off joining his regular site. There's just too much filler and drivel, and I'm sick of hearing about his man crush on "Jaco" (who I had to Google because I'd never actually heard of). It also seems to be too Jazz focused, which to me is just noise pollution. Other opinions are available. Anyhow I suspect Scott will continue to manage well enough without my financial support. 

[Newfoundfreedom]

19 minutes ago, Maude said:

I'd never liked P basses, the reason being that every cheap learner package in Argos, Toys'R'us and the like was always a P copy and I'd always associated them with looking cheap. 

Exactly this ^^

[stingrayPete1977]

So a lot of pros play a P bass, slow news day? 

[Hobbayne]

Well, I love P basses. In fact, I have 3 of them.😋

And a Yammy BB 5 string , which has a P pickup.

Edited December 29, 2018 by Hobbayne

[ezbass]

Those who were at the SE Bass Bash will testify that it's surprising how much 'listening' is done with the eyes. 

[EliasMooseblaster]

1 hour ago, peteb said:

Because it is a fact that a lot of producers / band leaders prefer their bass players to use a Precision. Let's not pretend that a lot to do with that isn't to do with familiarity, both in terms of sound and image, but it is a thing. Whether you like that or not is something else, but if you are a pro freelance jobbing bass player then it is a good idea to have a P bass in your armoury. 

This is it in a nutshell, surely? The choice is often down to the employer as much as the musician in question - I know when I've gone along to a session with musicians or recording engineers I don't know, I'll take a Precision copy "to be on the safe side." Nobody (so far) has objected to the fact that one P copy has no brand, or that the other has "Schecter" stamped on the headstock. I've fortunately never received comments in the vein of "you should play a proper bass, like a Fender", but it seems many of us on this forum have had that experience.