SumOne

Or perhaps John Entwistle's P Bass: https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2022/09/08/rare-1966-fender-p-bass-owned-by-john-entwistle-hits-the-market/

I'm not sure what's happened there, they were working but have now gone. Basically there isn't much in it: Both black MIJ P bass with white pickguard, one is 1980s with rosewood the other is 1990s with maple (that one is slightly cheaper, lighter, more scrapes).

That is possibly a good call, it's all too easy to get carried away with thinking more ££ = better. Although, old ones seem to cost a lot. Bass Bros have a 1984 Squier P Bass for £1,249 I spent a couple of hours in the Bass Gallery a couple of weeks ago going through a lot of their P Basses and it was a relatively cheap (£699) brand new MIM Player series one that I liked the best. That probably goes to show that me starting this thread was a waste of everyone's time and I really should just try before I buy as there isn't any accounting for taste!

Yeah, if a big majority of people on here said 'definitely go for X' because that is a great deal and is technically a much better year/pickups etc and the other one looks like a fake then it would've swayed me but with the votes exactly 50/50 so it sort of confirms my indecision! I'll do the sensible thing and will wait a while to see if my current Bass sells on here, if it doesn't then I'll make the journey to Bass Bros at some point to take them up on their part-exchange offer and will try out both Basses in-person (or perhaps others will be better). So thanks everyone, (for nothing! 😀)

That's good to know, thanks. It does seem to be the general concensus that Rosewood sounds warmer - which is the tone I'm after. I once spent ages in Bass Direct trying out three or four almost identical Dingwall Combustions - all brand new with the same strings, pickups, electronics etc. the only noticable difference being maple vs rosewood fingerboards. I couldn't notice a difference in tone (perhaps there was but by the time I unplugged and put the next Bass on it wasn't enough to notice) but I prefered the feel of the Rosewood ones as they didn't seem to stick to the strings so much, although perhaps the stickyness of the Maple lacquer gradually wears off. Rosewood also psychologically feels like it'd be a warmer sound and perhaps players and audiences listen with their eyes a bit.

Some good Basschat knowledge going on. A dead heat so far though - that makes me feel better about being indecisive!

The 57 vs 62 thing confuses me as I thought there were a few differences to the originals whereby the 57 has a thicker neck profile, raised poles for the A string, different paint colours and ocasionally a metallic pickguard. I might well be wrong but as far as I can tell there isn't really any difference on MIJ re-issues other than the fingerboard 57 = Maple, 62 = Rosewood.

Yeah, you might be right - I get an idea in my head and then rush in. My current Bass is 3.3kg which I've got used to so perhaps my best choice is 'none of the above'. Edit: One thing that put me off unusually light P Basses is the risk of neck dive as I assume the weight saving is in the body and they are still using pretty much the same neck/headstock/tuners as the heavier ones. Did you notice that happening with that 8lb (3.6kg) one?

On looks alone I'd probably sway towards the Rosewood....lower cost and weight then sways be back to Maple though. First world problems!

I've been offered part-exchange from Bass Bros and have narrowed down my new Bass to these two: 1993 Fender Japan PB-57 Precision Bass Reissue MIJ. https://bassbros.co.uk/product/1993-fender-japan-pb-57-precision-bass-reissue-mij/ 3.9kg £799 + Lighter, cheaper - More scrapes, including a chunk out of the back of the headstock. 1985 Fender PB-62 Precision Bass Reissue MIJ. https://bassbros.co.uk/product/1985-fender-pb-62-precision-bass-reissue-mij/ 4.2kg £875 + Older (I guess in some ways that's a good thing, not necesserily though), fewer scrapes, Rosewood which I think I prefer the look of and if it is to be believed about it being a bit less bright sounding than Maple then that suits me better. - more expensive, heavier. Although they are a 57 vs 62 aparrently there isn't actually difference in nut width and neck profile etc on these two MIJs, they sound and feel similar and according to Bass Bros it is pretty much down to the look of maple vs rosewood. Any evidence a mid 80s MIJ being better than and early 90s? Otherwise it's a bit 'spot the difference' from the photos and I can't decide, perhaps adding some peer pressure can help persuade me one way or the other?!* I don't think it's an issue for either of them but I plan on adding a Hipshot drop D tuner. *I know the stock/sensible answer is to try them out, but it's nearly a 4hr round trip and I'd need to go in a weekday and book a day of holiday, and the petrol will be significantly more than the £20 delivery cost so postage is much more convenient. Bass Bros are trustworthy and tell me both are fine as far as frets/electronics/truss rod etc. and surely can't go too far wrong with a MIJ P Bass?

I went from 4 to 5 strings a few years ago and have always just had one Bass at a time but I'm finding that there are occasions where a 4 is better for slap: Marcus Miller, Flea, Larry Graham, Les Claypool, Mark King, Stanley Clarke etc. can't all be wrong! (I'm sure there are lots of examples of them playing 5 too, but they often choose 4). That's how I'm justifying getting a 4 string Bass anyway!

Similar to Daft Punk 'Voyager' which was probably made digitally but they are trying to sound like 70s Disco with a bass guitar. I find that a Jazz bass with more of the bridge pickup, compressed, and a mid EQ boost gets pretty close with the right technique.

I'm starting to think that after 60 years of rock there isn't far for it to go that's non-formulaic while remaining popular. Almost by definition it follows a formula of Singer(s)+guitar(s)+bass+drums structured into something along the lines of intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chours-outro, and tried and tested chord progressions. Go too hard or away from the formula and it isn't popular enough for festivals like Reading. There are performers from outside the rock genre on the Reading lineup this year that would have seemed like something completely groundbreaking if they showed up in on the stage at Reading in the 1970's though, so some popular music formulas have certainly changed.

Picked up these three for a total of £5 at the weekend, best £5 I've spent in a while! The flipside of Uptown Top Ranking:

I'm a bit late on this news - sadly, Chris Meredith died about a month ago. He had worked a lot of big names, including: Yellowman, Burning Spear, Ziggy and Stephen Marley, Dennis Brown, Israel Vibration, Gregory Isaacs. https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/guitarist-chris-meredith-is-dead/ I just learned from this interview that he played the Bass for one of my favorite tunes:

One of the best things with the Helix Stomp is when it gets sold and there's a pot of £ to re-buy individual pedals that were sold to get it!

Nice video. It has helped with my P Bass GAS! I'm mostly into Reggae and Funk and occasional low-tuned Doom/Stoner stuff so always go for 5 string J (type) Basses but I've felt for some time that I should own a P Bass at some point to see if the hype is deserved (I've tried them in shops and been un-impressed, perhaps I need longer with them though). So many people say the P has an intangable quality of being an inspiring, fun to play, go-to bass that makes you play in a certain laid back way that I'm going to have to find out for myself.........I expect going from a 5 string multiscale headless active Ibanez to a P Bass is going to be a pretty big jump!

I've usually had good experiences online and in-shop other than once when I'd made a long journey to try a specific Bass that I then found to be making odd electrical noises, I said perhaps it has a low battery, "yeah, could be" was the answer as they walked off and never tried to solve it or follow-up, so that lost them a potential sale as I talked myself out of bothering to solve it or spend £ there on alternatives that day. On the plus side, they have a good amount of Basses and let you get on trying them hassle free, and they have given me much better part-exchange rates than anywhere else a couple of times so I will be going back again.

I prefer wider spacing (19mm) on a 5 string as it gives a bit more space for slapping n popping.