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Why do Pros use a P Bass...


TheGreek

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Update! After causing a near Basschat Meltdown with the 'pros use a p-bass' clip, Scott Devine posts another clip from the same interview where Sean Hurley clarifies that he uses a P-Bass with roundwounds on 90% of his sessions, but also has a P-Bass with flats, a McCartney-esque Hofner, and a 5 string in the boot of the car... So some semblance of order is restored to the universe. Or does it unleash the P-v-J-Bass war?! 💥😝
 

 

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Interesting that the area of music history this seems to be stuck in is the 60s, judging by Sean Healey's bass choices. I can't believe that is a totally representative sample but its nontheless an interesting perspective. 

So all of us who came of bass playing age in the punk, funk, disco, 80s or 90s eras are totally out of it - or those into the Rickenbacker fuelled prog era, or the active Bass fuelled late 70s on - no place for Messrs Burnel and the like! Extraordinary really!!

Ive been keeping an eye on all the pros (largely British) from the late 60s and early 70s and the Precision is by no means ubiquitous - it is represented but the EB3 appears quite a popular choice for the more punchy rock (eg Bowie) - even Dee Murray appears to use one with Elton John at times in the early 70s. 

So im guessing some people (including the recording industry) are just hung up with a rather narrow perception of the 60s currently.... no problem if that's what floats your boat - I personally find it a bit tiresome and probably inaccurate outside of the US. 

Edited by drTStingray
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The sound of a p bass with flats is part of the vocab for ‘modern’ music, same as a strat does disco, a Ludwig snare does rock or an 808 does rap. Got booked for a last minute session this morning, took 3 basses, ASAT with roundwounds for the Swiss Army knife type thing, a 5 string active jazz but as soon as the client described themselves as acoustic pop the lb100 with chrome flats came out and inside 2 notes they loved it. The other 2 didn’t even leave the case. They also asked for zero funk, which wasn’t a problem either for different reasons!

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Perhaps that's why Bass is often inaudible in modern mixes then. Too much stereotyping of instrumentation to my mind.

Take funky soul - Average White Band guitar instrumentation - Telecaster; Gretch White Falcon; Les Paul. Yes, Nile Rogers plays a Strat.......

Whatever happened to player skill? It's possible to get thumpy 60s sound using muting of the bass - no matter what the bass is and strings are.  

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6 hours ago, drTStingray said:

Interesting that the area of music history this seems to be stuck in is the 60s, judging by Sean Healey's bass choices. I can't believe that is a totally representative sample but its nontheless an interesting perspective. 

The producer got the mix just right in 1963, and he's not going to go messing with the settings now.

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  • 1 month later...

Just done a session for Rodney Bakerr of Strange Circuits, putting down bass parts for his forthcoming album and not a P-Bass in sight...

IMG-0150.jpg

From left to right - Burns Barracuda, Burns Sonic, Gus G3, all going through a Line6 Helix direct into the DAW. DI's on raw bass sound and the effected Helix sound, so he can pick which use to when it come to mix-down.

Edited by BigRedX
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38 minutes ago, Davo-London said:

Michael league's interview is a bit too brief for me.  There's very little to get stuck into.  I'm sure there will be more recorded though ...

Regards

Davo

Agreed. I’m hoping there’s more.

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7 hours ago, Davo-London said:

Michael league's interview is a bit too brief for me.  There's very little to get stuck into.  I'm sure there will be more recorded though ...

Regards

Davo

 

I suspect there’s much more of the interview/lesson available to the paid membership.

Si

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