Baloney Balderdash

I'd be inclined to suggest the P Bass. That said out of those options the Hofner, according to my personal preferences at least, would be likely to sound best going straight DI to the PA without any amp or cab emulator/sim.

This beautiful Sebadoh ballad, written by Lou Barlow, the closer of their "Bakesale" album:

It is indeed, in fact one of the main reasons I think it looks so interesting and am really curious on the report of what it does and how it sounds. Just had a closer look, and it looks like it supposedly was part of the Russian space program too, however that is supposed to make sense.

What is "drive combo emulator" even supposed to mean? Looks interesting though, looking forward to your report once you have had a chance to try it out properly.

And another silly love song by Syd Barrett:

I am pretty certain I could tell the difference in a blind test, even if I probably wouldn't be able to to tell which is which (but the has more to do the fact that I am not particular familiar with these pickups in specific). Also there is quite a great amount of quite distinct and notable difference between the tone of let's say a 70's vintage voiced Alnico based P pickup and a DiMarzio ceramic based Model P, or even more pronounced, the DiMarzio Split P or new Relentless Middle P pickup, and I am pretty sure I could tell the difference even in he mix of say a power trio, and possibly even a full band (given of course that the tone hadn't been manipulated further beyond recognition, or been given the "...and justice for all" treatment). Try listening to this for example, a comparison between a vintage voiced stock Fender P pickup and the DiMarzio Model P P pickup:

100% agree with J. Mascis, one of the absolute greatest rock guitarists of all times. It's just astonishing the amount of emotion he is capable of channeling into his otherwise usually relatively shreddy solos. When it comes to jazz though Bill Frisell is unparalleled.

So this thread is for posting pictures of all those basses people own that got one or more P pickups with reverse orientation equipped. Really though it's just another excuse for posting another picture of my beloved just 28.6" scale Ibanez Mikro Bass, which I've named "Dud Bottomfeeder", with various mods, among those pulling out the stock pickups and installing an EMG Geezer Butler P pickup, wired directly to the output jack socket, instead. Currently equipped with Elixir Nanoweb guitar strings of the gauges .068 - .052 - .038 - .028, and tuned in tenor bass tuning, that is A standard tuning, as the 4 upper strings of a 6 string bass in regular B standard tuning, which really makes this little bass shine, though it does sound great equipped with thicker gauge strings and tuned in regular E standard tuning as well. Without further ado "Dud Bottomfeeder" (note that the knob closets to the neck is now red): Having the P pickup orientation in reverse does really help making the tonal balance between respectively the two thicker lower strings and the two thinner upper strings more even, which is even more pronounced on a short scale bass, because the relative difference in distance is greater, rather than emphasizing the inherent tonal difference between respectively the two thinner higher and two thicker lower strings which the traditional orientation of the two halves of a P pickup actually does.

I don't think it exactly is any well kept secret among people who actually knows anything about playing music that these types lists are pure bull crap, and that a more accurately descriptive name for them would be "Most popular [X instrumentalists]". I still think these types of lists still got entertainment value though.

Can't speak for the Tonestyler or preamp swap, as I have no personal experience with it, but my personal experience with swapping pickups doesn't match yours. Swapping pickups in my experience potentially can make a quite substantial difference, of course depending on the specific bass and not least the specific pickups in question, and might potentially take a bass from decent to amazing sounding. But of course as we all have different ears/hearing and personal taste/preferences one persons substantial difference might be another persons neglectable difference. However as always have been suggested, I would probably suggest an off board external preamp instead too.

Going to lower gauge strings shouldn't require a new nut cut, might, but most likely not necessary (speaking from experience). Other than that obviously new lower gauge strings fit for the tuning, re-setting intonation, and if there is any tension difference from the current set of strings most likely re-setting the neck relief (truss rod adjustment) as well.

Damn, sorry, I confused you with "itu", cause you replied to my reply to them.

It was you who started debating and arguing whether effects are needed or not, starting this "derail" as you chose to call it.

I would be impressed if you by only using your fingers could make your bass sound like fuzz, a phaser, envelope filter or synth e.t.c. Sometimes the effects are crucial for what is played, being more a case of actually playing the effects, as if they were instruments in their own regards, rather than merely adding a flavor or spicing up your bass tone.

The Berhinger VD400 Vintage Delay, all analog clone of the Boss DM-3, which I actually think sounds better than the otherwise more revered Boss DM-2, is about as cheap as it gets, but sounds no short of amazing. The NUX Tape Core Deluxe offers more options and longer delay, heck even features a loop mode, even without necessarily having to delve into the otherwise relatively simple software editor (if you do so though it is possible to add a beautiful emulated spring reverb too though, just like the original unit it emulates), and is a not short of amazing digital emulation of the legendary Boss RE-201 Space Echo tape delay.

But planning on eventually adding an EHX Attack Decay and the relatively recently released EHX Pico Deep Freeze (smaller version of the regular Freeze, but with more controllable parameters), as well as a TC Electronic Ditto X4 Looper, at some point, and ponder on possibly using my second TC Electronic Sub'N'Up Mini pedal, loaded with an organ Toneprint.

YOU are umami, my friend! On a more serious note though, this distortion pedal, judging from your demo as least, is not my taste. To be perfectly honest to me the distortion sounded like an undefined thin fizzy layer of absolute chaos going on underneath a clean tone. Not what I would call a massive drive tone. But then again I don't think we share the same idea of what makes a great bass tone, so might not entirely be the pedal's fault alone. As is I'll stick to my cheap Mosky Black Rat in Turbo mode, mixed with parallel clean (or very lightly overdriven) signal at about equal measures via my Boss LS-2.

I might add that I used to play the brighter and more melodic "lead" bass in a hardcore and noise rock influenced math rock band, named "Menfolk", which featured 2 bass players in the lineup, the other bass player predominantly serving a somewhat more traditional supportive role, and beside that also consisting of a guitarist/vocalist (it's a mystery, bordering to pure magic, how he could "sing"/scream the lyrics while at the same time executing the rhythmically rather complex guitar parts, despite the vocals rarely exactly following those), and an absolute monster drummer, who was kind of the unofficial band leader (and our recording technician and producer). What I wanted to say with that is just that odd time signatures/meters, and even changing meters within the same song, become kind of second nature to me, and a lot of the stuff I write on bass, well actually a lot of the stuff i compose in general, to this day is in odd meters. However I still have issues with identifying exactly what the different time signatures/meters are, but, as said, playing them is kind of second nature and not at all odd to me, so I naturally incorporate them in my compositions, and have no issues replicating or playing over them either when thrown at me in a jam/band context.

This is a really great video for this:

So it was how he used the pedals and not the fact that he used pedals that did it...

Here you go:

Don't you think the issue was that lead all along and not the fact that he had 8 pedals, and don't you think he knew perfectly well?

Danish vocals/bass/drums all girls trio, which unfortunately broke up :

Miracle - Nelson Can

The first I suppose...