Why do Pros use a P Bass...

[drTStingray]

1 hour ago, gareth said:

I love everything Leo so can't criticise Ray's - how do rate G&Ls, meant to be the ultimate Leo bass?

Personally I don't like active basses worst of all being the active Fenders I have tried.

 

I've tried G and Ls and they're very nice basses - I probably haven't played them enough to form a proper view but I found the MFD pick ups very hot and the overall sound was quite Fenderish. I've heard other people sound great on them. I agree on active Fenders - I'm sure the latest are much better but back in the 80s I disliked the sound. 

My own personal gripe with Precisions (which were my holy grail basses as a late teen/early 20 yr old) was the playability - I remember my disappointment the first time I played one in a shop and literally the neck shape and size made it difficult to play. I hear you say, oh you should have tried one with an xyz pattern neck - wrong - you got what the shop had and even if you were super human (like some rock stars of the time) you got the one the distributor gave you. The days of ordering the one you wanted were way off!! And back then the P bass was designed for ex upright players. 

Ive played loads over years and find them much more playable these days (they must have altered the neck profile) - when I first played a Stingray in the late 70s the neck was perfect for my hands and playing and the sound was exactly what I wanted - so that's what hooked me. 

I still really like Precisions - and they are clearly an American icon. 

In terms of use in his videos, Scott Devine seems amazingly unaware of a whole range of iconic basses - Ibanez, Yamaha, Musicman, Warwick, Rickenbacker, Danelectro, Gibson, Alembic, Wal - there's a decent sized list!  As an educator it seems to me as bad as someone teaching history and ignoring anything that doesn't match their own political or religious view.

I think biased would be the description! If his focus is sixties Motown then fine but there is more to life!! 

[SteveK]

6 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Who cares what session players do anyway?

 

2 hours ago, ped said:

Just because a producer is narrow minded and would rather I use a P bass so they can go and smoke a joint doesn’t mean I’m going to pander to them!!

When in the studio there is a huge difference in being part of a group (paying the producer out of your own pockets), and being the hired hand.

If you're the artists paying the producer, you can say, "I don't care that you want a P bass - I'm using my Steinberger - deal with it!" The chances are you WON'T get fired.

If you're the hired hand and you tell the producer, "I don't care that you want a P bass - I'm using my Steinberger - deal with it!" The chances are you WILL get fired, and your number will be removed from the artists and producers contacts.

 

EDIT: FWIW Many years ago I was asked by a name producer of the day (who helped Pino on his way) to bring in a P bass. I've never since been asked to bring in any other specific bass.

 

 

Edited December 29, 2018 by SteveK

[ped]

Just like an Uber driver having to buy a Prius 😂

[ped]

1 hour ago, Dan Dare said:

I expect that's why you're so in demand as a session player...

Yes maybe, thanks. 

[jezzaboy]

I`ve just bought a P bass today! Does that make me a pro?

Mabye not as it`s a Sandberg not a Fender.

Edited December 29, 2018 by jezzaboy

[The59Sound]

2 hours ago, HazBeen said:

You must mean P morgan

I don't get it. 

[HazBeen]

23 minutes ago, The59Sound said:

I don't get it. 

Since we are talking P basses, (P)ierce 

[Roger2611]

Yodaclub's songwriter says all of the songs were written with a P bass sound in his head, personally I think it's utter tripe! Especially as I tend to gig the USA sub with the band more often than not, although, I do use the P bass for all fretted bass recordings for both Yodaclub and Saving Amy but use my Bass Collection for any fretless recordings as I don't find a fretless P cuts it for recordings...if that makes any sense?

[PawelG]

P Bass, it’s a yes from me.

I don’t get why so many people on here hate Scott’s videos. If you watched one and it whizzed you off, don’t watch another one. It is that simple. On the other hand, I bet a lot of people hating Scott would swap their job for his in a blink of an eye. And then, it doesn’t matter that they have to make a 12 minute video to put up on YT, hell, they’d probably make two!

[Drax]

4 hours ago, Bridgehouse said:

I got a P bass because it was the only thing I could afford at the time:

Intrigued to know what you paid and when, if you don’t mind sharing.  

(Wondered when a ‘64 P was the ‘cheaper’ option.. unless you were joking 🙃) 

[Drax]

This thread has managed to mesh 3 BC perennials - P vs J, Pro vs Amateur, SBL haters.

just throw in Brexit & music stands and we’ll have a full house.. 

[chris_b]

21 minutes ago, Drax said:

This thread has managed to mesh 3 BC perennials - P vs J, Pro vs Amateur, SBL haters.

just throw in Brexit & music stands and we’ll have a full house.. 

Depressing, isn't it!!!!!

[stingrayPete1977]

I bet most cyclists play P basses too, bastards all of 'em

[dlloyd]

Have no intention of watching the video but "must play a precision bass" is short hand for "must play bass lines rather than jaco noodling".

[peteb]

Just been watching a YouTube clip of a Nashville session bassist going through his recording and playing tips for guys who want to pay sessions as well as going through the gear he uses and why. 

He demonstrated five basses that he uses on sessions and discussed the relative merits of each - three were Fender Precision basses...! 

Edited December 29, 2018 by peteb

[Bridgehouse]

1 hour ago, Drax said:

Intrigued to know what you paid and when, if you don’t mind sharing.  

(Wondered when a ‘64 P was the ‘cheaper’ option.. unless you were joking 🙃) 

I was joking - it was in response to the “P basses look cheap cos of the Argos catalogue ones” comments 😂

[Ricky 4000]

4 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said:

I was joking - it was in response to the “P basses look cheap cos of the Argos catalogue ones” comments 😂

Did you get it from Argos in 1964? 😁 

[Bridgehouse]

4 minutes ago, Ricky 4000 said:

Did you get it from Argos in 1964? 😁 

Yeah and I’ve still got the little pencil I nicked at the same time 🤣

[Skol303]

From my own very limited and certainly non-professional experience of recording studios... P-basses are popular because their sound is so dependable.

And yes, of course it's all in the ruddy fingers! But aside from that, with a P-bass the sound engineer/producer generally knows what to expect. Same goes for certain brands of guitars. They're like the 'industry standard' of their instrument type. And they wouldn't have acquired such familiarity if they sounded crap, either.

They're also a doddle to fit into a mix. I record my own P-bass with the tone rolled fully off and it rarely needs much more than a few dB of compression; it just sits in the mix almost perfectly 'right out of the box'.

I'm certainly not a P-bass fanboy. I find the constant lusting over what to me essentially boils down to different colours very disinteresting ("Ooh, a red one! Like the blue one, only red! Wow!"). But they are undeniably classic instruments, in terms of both aesthetics and sound.

Edited December 30, 2018 by Skol303

[Ricky 4000]

I'd like a red one. Seems to be a deeply unpopular colour on the internet, but I like the "Woolworths" look. 😁 

[gjones]

In the end, if you are a pro musician, It's down to what the client wants.

If they want a P Bass, they get a P Bass.

End of story.

[Al Krow]

31 minutes ago, gjones said:

In the end, if you are a pro musician, It's down to what the client wants.

If they want a P Bass, they get a P Bass.

End of story.

Depends on which book you're reading.

Plenty of "pro" bass players are their own bosses and can play what instrument they like when they like - not all pro musicians are "wage slaves".

[Linus27]

7 hours ago, LITTLEWING said:

Yep. With a Jazz neck. Very near the Holy Grail.

Stop it, stop it now, GAS is building 😂

[tauzero]

Could it just be that studio engineers are flipping crap, because live engineers appear to  be able to work with everything?

I'm glad I'm not a session musician, if it would mean I had to play one of those overrated pieces of stinky poo. Let the hate begin...

[Newfoundfreedom]

Fender P bass is the iPhone of the music world.

They sell millions, the people who buy them are absolutely convinced of their superiority (the bass, not the people) and let's be honest, there is a little bit of sheep mentality going on. (Amongst some people, certainly not all) "Everyone says they're great, and everyone's got one, so I'm getting one." The reason they sell millions is because they're good at what they do and they're very good at marketing. 

The haters will never be convinced because their Samsung phone is better, or their generic brand phone is just as good at a fraction of the price. Or let's be honest, some people can't afford an iPhone or just want a bloody phone that works. 

You can go backwards and forwards all you like. They're neither great not crap. It's all subjective. If you have one and love it, great. If you don't like it and have something else, also great. 

Personally I'm not a fan of the P bass, and I'd rather have piles than have an iPhone. That doesn't make me right ot wrong. (Except on the iPhone, they really are overpriced sh@t) 😂