Unhappy

[Supernaut]

I'm not sure if it's all in my head but I'm just unhappy with where my tone is right now. 
 

I have two very good basses, a Sandberg TM4 SL and a Bacchus Woodline Craft Jazz, but I can't seem to gel with them. 
 

Something keeps telling me that I need a Precision. Every time I pick one up, it's the sound I'm after but I've never found 'the one'. I think subconsciously, I'm trying to make my current two basses sound more P like but that's not what they're built to do. 
 

Should I get rid and start afresh? Advice/thoughts welcome. 

[fretmeister]

I have a Sandberg SL TT4 and I really hated the stock pickups. I swapped them for a set of original EMG J as they were designed to be a 1960s jazz tone just without the noise, and Bobby Vega can't be wrong!

I also swapped the preamp while I was at it for an EMG one.

 

The EMG J does a pretty good P bass impression when soloed with a little mid bump on the EQ - but it has to be said, no J will ever sound just like a P. Even just the pickup placement is different enough.

I did get it sounding closer to a P with different strings - I put TI Flats on it as they are quite strong in the mids without too much treble and bass. It's not a sound I particularly like when playing alone, but in a mix it sounds great.

 

I do get what you mean about finding the right precision. It took me about 30 years! I've had a few but settled on an American Special from 2012/13 that had a nice low weight, a slightly slimmer neck, and felt really good to play.

 

For the first time in ages I took it to rehearsal on Saturday after taking my EHB or my Sandberg regularly and there were a few "What's changed? It's all sounding better today?" type comments. They are brass and reed players mostly so they wouldn't know what had changed, but I heard it too. Nice and thick but no unnecessary high end getting in the way, no boominess at the bottom, it just fit nicely.

 

And to think I nearly sold it!! Now I'm wondering about another one so I can have one with flats and one with rounds!

[Machines]

Contentment is never permanent, it is the human condition. 

[Steve Browning]

It sounds like an itch you need to scratch, if nothing else.

 

Generally, I would say find the one that you are most comfortable with and then do any electrical mods you feel you need (pickups/wiring). I guess the neck profile is the most critical element of that so do you have any thoughts on that? What width nut would you want? That might point you in a certain direction.

[artisan]

I've spent the last 42 years searching for my perfect bass tone & gone round the houses several times.

Until recently I had 2 Dingwalls which were beautiful basses,but just didn't give me that tone no matter how much tweaking I did.

I even swapped the pickups in my ABZ but alas to no avail.

I soon realised I was trying to get that P bass tone from basses that just can't do it,so after much deliberation I swapped my ABZ for a Modern Vintage MVP-62 at Bass Direct.

I could not be happier.

It is the perfect Pbass for me,excellent build quality & fantastic tone,my band absolutely love it,looks pretty cool too.

I soon traded my other Dingwall in for a Modern Vintage Jazz bass which is also a fantastic bass,but as mentioned above a Jazz bass cannot do a good a P bass tone.

 

Edited November 15, 2021 by artisan

[neepheid]

I wonder if it's middle age that does it.  I certainly find myself shying away from active electronics, and I do need a P more than I used to...

[Steve Browning]

There does seem to be something of a phenomenon around it. Luckily for me, I never had the imagination for d1cking about on all the available frets and so a Precision did me from day one.

[TheGreek]

I'm never happy with a Jazz, rarely happy with a P....love a PJ though - best of both worlds with less of the negatives.

[Rich]

I'm certainly finding that a P sound sits loads better in the ska band than my Sire V7 Jazz-alike ever has. Ska doesn't need finesse, just balls. My Thunder 1A really fits the bill, as does my butchered ex-Jazz which I'm sure everyone is tired of seeing by now.   If I was to get another new bass now, it would be a 5 as I do miss that fat string, but it would definitely have a P in the neck. 

 

[chris_b]

Forget this "finding the one" business.

 

Get a Precision that sounds right and then learn to love how it feels.

[fretmeister]

39 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Forget this "finding the one" business.

 

Get a Precision that sounds right and then learn to love how it feels.

 

 

You can't learn to love a bass that's too heavy, doesn't balance, has a neck so big it causes hand cramps etc etc.

 

Those things are only ever tolerated, and with hundreds of thousands of P basses made, why tolerate it at all? Several that suit will be out there.

Edited November 15, 2021 by fretmeister

[Happy Jack]

4 hours ago, artisan said:

I soon realised I was trying to get that P bass tone from basses that just can't do it ...

 

I realised this too, but I wouldn't say it happened 'soon' in my case, or cheaply! 😂

[OliverBlackman]

My third bass was a Fender P bass and I still have it. Ten or so basses have come and gone since but this P has stuck. It doesn’t cover everything but if I was gigging it’s all I’d use.

[Skybone]

8 hours ago, Supernaut said:

I'm not sure if it's all in my head but I'm just unhappy with where my tone is right now. 
 

I have two very good basses, a Sandberg TM4 SL and a Bacchus Woodline Craft Jazz, but I can't seem to gel with them. 
 

Something keeps telling me that I need a Precision. Every time I pick one up, it's the sound I'm after but I've never found 'the one'. I think subconsciously, I'm trying to make my current two basses sound more P like but that's not what they're built to do. 
 

Should I get rid and start afresh? Advice/thoughts welcome. 

 

As I'm sure you've guessed by now, everyone says "get a P bass".

 

I'd suggest selling your least used of the two you have & get an "interim" P bass. Then sell the other bass, and start looking for "THE" P bass. 

 

You'll have a P bass you can tinker with (the "interim" one), and you can take your time finding the right P bass for you.

 

Or buy a Ric. 🤣😉 (Joke)

[jd56hawk]

8 hours ago, Supernaut said:

I'm not sure if it's all in my head but I'm just unhappy with where my tone is right now. 
 

I have two very good basses, a Sandberg TM4 SL and a Bacchus Woodline Craft Jazz, but I can't seem to gel with them. 
 

Something keeps telling me that I need a Precision. Every time I pick one up, it's the sound I'm after but I've never found 'the one'. I think subconsciously, I'm trying to make my current two basses sound more P like but that's not what they're built to do. 
have 

Should I get rid and start afresh? Advice/thoughts welcome. 

Have you tried black tapewounds?

There's a reason I have them on six basses. 

[Lfalex v1.1]

I'm of the persuasion that  passive basses with a (very) limited set of features have an immediacy of delivery that some actives lack. Maybe it's the lack of components in the signal path? 

I had a Yamaha Attitude BS 10th Anniversary, which was brilliantly well-made, but I couldn't get the breadth of tones thatI was looking for. The Neck HB was great,  but the P less so. Eventually,  it was traded away.

Latterly, I've purchased a G&L SB-2 Tribute, and that does everything I want from a PJ configuration with just 2 volume controls. 

For me, a P would be too much of a one- trick(ish) pony.

 

In summary,  in your position,  I'd not sell any gear if you can avoid it. Look around at P basses, but don't rule out the (passive) alternatives from the likes of Yamaha, G&L, ibanez, Sire (?), Fender (PJs) and so on..

Edited November 16, 2021 by Lfalex v1.1

[Lw.]

Unless cash is seriously tight, I would be wary about selling any nice gear to go straight into an expensive P. 

 

I think they're a bass everyone needs one of but I'd say it's better to go in at the lower end of the market to test them out then splash the cash later. The great thing about P's is that often moderately priced ones can sound great as they're so simple! 

 

It really is worth getting one though, I wish I had years ago.

[Lozz196]

On 15/11/2021 at 13:45, chris_b said:

Forget this "finding the one" business.

 

Get a Precision that sounds right and then learn to love how it feels.

That’s a good point Chris, when I got my fave 2015 for a couple of weeks my fretting hand ached a bit as the neck was chunkier than I’d been used to, but I persisted and since then the 2012-16 Series is my preferred one. Every time I played that bass it just had THE sound I wanted and I now know exactly how to get what I want from it. 

[Jonesy]

Is it just the tone you don't like about your current bass'? And what's been wrong with the P's you've played that made them not 'the one'? 

 

If you know the answer to those then you'll be closer to finding what series P that might fit the bill, it even if it's def a new bass you need.

 

I've had a few  Precision's and always ended up thinking they're a bit boring (mostly just because everyone has one) and moved them on, I've also always hated natural finishes. Anyway, now one of my favourite basses is a natural Japanese P with a maple board 🤨 It just sounds so good with the rest of the band and always gets compliments. It's a 70s reissue, so also has a neck a lot closer to a jazz, which is a big plus for me too.

 

[Boodang]

Ahh, the perfect tone... one minute you have it, the next it's gone! I currently love my setup but sure by next year I'll wonder what I heard in it.

When I do get the itch to change tone, it'll start with strings, move on to pickups, then onboard preamps, and finally I'll change all my pedals. If I'm lucky the whole thing will extend to amp and speakers! And the whole thing will only last 12 months before starting again.

Edited November 16, 2021 by Boodang

[Munurmunuh]

7 hours ago, Boodang said:

Ahh, the perfect tone... one minute you have it, the next it's gone!

 

I read this in a Chris Poland interview: I mean, Hetfield said it himself, he said that the minute you’re satisfied with your guitar sound, you’re done.

 

If those two guys find being dissatisfied with their tone to be a life long fact....

[LukeFRC]

If you think it’s a P sound you are after look for a used BB414 or 424 or 434 - for £300 or less you can test out if that’s what you are after 

[uk_lefty]

Whatever you decide to do, change up your existing basses or buy a P I'd say now is not a good time to sell off basses second hand. Either trade or save up. 

[Steve Browning]

9 hours ago, Jonesy said:

Is it just the tone you don't like about your current bass'? And what's been wrong with the P's you've played that made them not 'the one'? 

 

If you know the answer to those then you'll be closer to finding what series P that might fit the bill, it even if it's def a new bass you need.

 

I've had a few  Precision's and always ended up thinking they're a bit boring (mostly just because everyone has one) and moved them on, I've also always hated natural finishes. Anyway, now one of my favourite basses is a natural Japanese P with a maple board 🤨 It just sounds so good with the rest of the band and always gets compliments. It's a 70s reissue, so also has a neck a lot closer to a jazz, which is a big plus for me too.

 

 

Exactly the model I always looked for (but r/w board). That's the lovely B profile neck, as it's called (the Jazz width is the A neck and the standard Pbass is C).

[LukeFRC]

10 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

 

Exactly the model I always looked for (but r/w board). That's the lovely B profile neck, as it's called (the Jazz width is the A neck and the standard Pbass is C).

Or 38mm, 41mm 44mm in metric