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Why do Pros use a P Bass...


TheGreek

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There's something about a Precision though......I've been thinking of buying one, just to see/hear for myself......

 

Another interesting comparison from the same stable:

I dunno why, but I like the sound of the brown one best... maybe it's the maple fretboard... 👍

Edited by Ricky 4000
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8 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

For the non believers out there on neck wood not making a difference, there you have it. Maple stands out as different.

same applies across the spectrum 

Is it also the ash body, or the 1977 pickups? ... The others certainly sound "wooly" compared to the awesome brown one.  :swoon:

Edited by Ricky 4000
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The brown one's hot! Its just not quite right (for me) though - if the tone is turned down, I would want it sounding more subdued......fortunately, I don't think realistically I need to make the choice, I can't really justify another bass......can I.....no........eeek.........

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@Ricky 4000 yep could be, it may be the whole soup making it stand out as a cocktail, but having spent some time looking at, playing, feeling etc the tactile and density differences of a number of fingerboard materials, having previously been a skeptic it really swayed me to believing  when the other parts were equal

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26 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

@Ricky 4000 yep could be, it may be the whole soup making it stand out as a cocktail, but having spent some time looking at, playing, feeling etc the tactile and density differences of a number of fingerboard materials, having previously been a skeptic it really swayed me to believing  when the other parts were equal

But the other parts aren't equal. For a start the neck construction of the maple board bass will different to those with rosewood boards. I'm also pretty sure that you could find 4 P-basses made all out of the identical combinations of body, neck and fingerboard woods with the same tonal variations as these 4. The only thing that struck me about the second comparison, was that the tone control on the 77P didn't seem to work in the same way as the other 3 in that it was always letting a bit of the extreme top end through all the time.

And once again though, in a band mix with the appropriate EQ on the desk they would all sound so similar as to not be worth bothering with the differences.

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11 hours ago, mcnach said:

The Thunderbird wasn't bad at all. I've recently heard some clips of a Thunderbird on mostly the neck pickup and I was surprised at how good it could sound. I say surprised, because I'm more used to hearing one with both pickups on and it just gets lost in the mix too easily: all low end rumble and no definition. But the neck pickup... can be very sweet. Cool looking bass too.

I've found this is the secret with a 'bird - never run both pickups on full! The neck soloed sounds great, and you can get a slightly brighter, more piano-like sound if you bring up the bridge to a slightly lower volume. With both on 10, you end up with a big hole where the mids are supposed to be, but backing off the bridge off about 8 or so creates a fuller and richer tone which can be quite lovely and doesn't disappear in the mix.

 

(I've also found that you can get a passable Flea-esque twang by doing the reverse - neck on 8, bridge on 10 - but I have much less use for that tone personally.)

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On 29/12/2018 at 18:35, 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!!

See ya down the Jobcentre, then...

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21 minutes ago, ped said:

With all due respect I don’t think possession of a P bass is the main factor in me not being a first call LA session legend 😂

Are you sure Ped.  ??? :laugh1:

I reckon its the main reason i've never been a hugely successful session bassist. xD

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30 minutes ago, ped said:

With all due respect I don’t think possession of a P bass is the main factor in me not being a first call LA session legend 😂

Also, I have several and I'm not a first-call LA session legend. Although I'm probably the second-call in my street.

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