P-Bass discussion. Which are the good ones?

[Jonk]

Okay,

I know I want some kind of long scale, P-bass style bass. I'm not opposed to it not being Fender. If there are good sounding copies, please, let me know.

Anyway, are there certain years, like most things, where there were crummy production values?

What year/s should I look for, or avoid, even within the Fender brand?

What copies are worth it?

New Fender P-basses seem to be about $500, but I'm skeptical.

Reccomendations?

[Lek]

Try as many as you can from all years, fender and copies.
I went to a store and tried literally 25 p-basses, from 1969 through 2005. I settled on a 1979 Fender that was freakin' magical.

[theom]

there is a late 70's ibenez p bass knockoff that is very nice and often dirt cheap.
I will try to find a pic.

P-bass wise, I think the alder body ones sound better. Some of the new ones are alder some are ash, some are something else. It seems to me the lighter the bass itself the fatter the sound.

I agree you should audition a lot of them untill you find what you are looking for.

The G&L single pickup L series is also a nice bass (also 70's 80's I think)
not quite the p bass sound because of the plasement and type of pickup.

[mml]

Well, besides the body wood, the main things that will be different aren't necessarily sound, but playability for you. The necks change quite dramatically over the years, so you should figure out what you like. Some are very shallow and "sharp" on the edges, some aren't semetrical, more teardrop shaped, some are thicker. Then you need to decide if you want a rosewood neck (warmer, more mids) or maple (more bite, more "hi fi" sounding). After that, unless you're looking for a particular finish, it's just finding the one that sounds right to you. Of course the older you go, the more you'll pay.

[Rodney Gene]

84' 85' 86' Squier P-Basses are simply remarkable...Some of the best Fenders ever made from any era.

But few folks are willing to part with them so they aren't up for sale much.
Honestly any of Japanese made Fenders are consistently good IME.

As for choosing...I will give you the same advice again as others have because it is the most important..

Go play basses...

For $500 you aren't buying a' classic' or a collectible so don't worry about if you get one from a 'good' year. There isn't really such a thing as far as 'player' basses go. Just go find a GREAT bass. They are out there, you will know it when you play it...

[Bob Olhsson]

The players I've known have always said there is wide variation between individual Fenders and that nobody is likely to willingly let go of a good one.

[JTR]

always try out a bass unplugged first; don't fire up the amp right away

listen for even response from fret to fret, and a tonal quality with dimension & depth on each note - open and resonant

that's what makes the good P-Basses so wonderfully dark and growlly, but still have punch and definition

good sounding electric instruments generally sound good acoustically

IMHO (not a player, just record 'em) nothing quite beats a really good, stock P or J bass

[69 Sound]

I have to agree with Rodney the 80's Japanese Fender & Squire P-Basses are great. If you don't want to spend a fortune and want that P-Bass tone I don't think you can go wrong. I have a '86 (I believe) Japanese P-bass that I simply love. Great neck, tone and action.

The early 90's Mexican Jazz basses are also simply wonderful

If money were no object though I'd be searching out a mid 60's P or Jazz bass.

Every one I've ever played from this period has been spectacular.

Regards,

Chris

[cdog]

If you're buying new... try the Highway 1 series.

[goldphinga]

I have a p-bass special made in mexico from 1994 and its one of the nicest p's ive ever played. As well as the p bass pickup it also has a single jazz bridge pickup and has active controls for panning/bass cut and boost. They are pretty hard to find now but many a seasoned player has said how nice it is.

[David R.]

I think one of the problems with the Mexi P-Basses is the quality control is not as tight. There are some amazing, wonderful, cheap basses out there with the Fender name on them, the trick is finding them.

Same thing with a strat or tele. A friend has a Mexi tele that he swears by, and a Gibson that he swears at.

I had an '83 American P-bass that played and sounded great, I just never used it (G&L 2000 & Stingray 5) so I sold it.

I agree with JTR, play it unplugged first. It needs to demand that you plug it in. Never buy an instrument by the year or model, it has to call you from the store after you put it down and leave it over night.

OK, Pre-CBS Fenders you can buy without playing if they are uder $1k.

[Josht]

I'm new to this forum, but not to basses. I would honestly suggest getting a mexican made, fender "standard" p bass. In fact, I just recently bought one. I have an older mexi jazz, and I feel like the quality is better in this one than my old one. And they street for much lower than the $500 asking, I would say closer to $300. Oh yeah, and I was once told to bring decent strings when you try them out too, fender puts on really crappy strings.
Josh

[84K]

Originally Posted by Jonk

What year/s should I look for, or avoid, even within the Fender brand?

What copies are worth it?

New Fender P-basses seem to be about $500, but I'm skeptical.

Reccomendations?

The one you find that stays in tune perfectly. That is the biggest thing for me. tuning. I love the P-Bass, and I can always change the electronics to fatten it up if need be... Get one with a nice straight neck. If you can find an old one that keeps pitch well, God Bless!

[max cooper]

Precision and Jazz basses are almost as diff. to me as night and day.

I love J's, but I think a P is 'square one' for basses.

There are many who prefer the Music Man/Ernie Ball basses, but I'm not one of them.

They sound great, but they don't do that classis "P" thing.

But yeah, ya gotta play thru a stack of 'em, and I agree with doing it with no amp. If the wood sounds good without an amp, you're golden; if it doesn't, there's nothing you can do to save it.

I got one of those '51 reissue P-Basses, it's a Made In Japan, and I dig it. The new MIJ ones are nice. And yeah to the early eighties MIJ Squires. Ya gotta decide if you want Rosewood or Maple, of course; it's a totally diff. animal depending on the fingerboard. After years of digging Rosewood, I went with Maple this time.

[filthyrich]

I recently picked up a late 80's, early 90's Korean made Squire P-Bass. It sounds good to my ears..but I suck at playing bass. Any ideas what pickups/strings might go best with this particular model?


thanks,
-poor rich

[RMBittner]

I have to agree with the recommendation to check out a late-model Mexican P-Bass. I've borrowed my niece's on a several occasions and have been impressed. The one place where it falls down a bit is in the bridge; without guide-slots for the screws and sometimes finicky springs, it can be challenge to get the intonation set just right. But as long as you check it before playing something critical, you should be fine.

Bass isn't my main instrument by a long shot. But I've got a fretless American Fender Jazz, a MusicMan Stingray, and a Rickenbacker 4003. And I wouldn't hesitate to add a Mexican P-Bass to the mix down the road.

Bob

[travisbrown]

Price an issue?

Sadowsky Metro

[filthyrich]

Price is a big issue. I don't play bass. It's just for the studio. I want one just in case the bass player has a real p.o.s. bass to record with. I just want something that sounds decent direct through a sansamp into a good pre/eq/comp chain.

[travisbrown]

Originally Posted by filthyrich

Price is a big issue. I don't play bass. It's just for the studio. I want one just in case the bass player has a real p.o.s. bass to record with. I just want something that sounds decent direct through a sansamp into a good pre/eq/comp chain.

Then find a used Japanese Fender P-Bass, or an Ibanez or Yamaha P-bass copy.

I've always liked Japanese Fenders.

[bluestarbass]

FENDER JAPAN HOME PAGE My guitar player used to order all his guitars through this website. I heard they stopped shipping to the states but im not sure if thats true or not. You can get models they dont sell here in the states, really cool models. They are usually in your price range and what everyone says about the japanese fenders is true, they are great deals.

[FireMoon]

Don't forget Tokai...Many of the 80s and 90s Tokais were exact replicas of a particular model/example of a P or J bass..

[lowfreq33]

my favorite...

[allencollins]

I wasn't aware that any of them were good

[lowfreq33]

Here we go. Go ahead and show us your Ibanez soundgear.

[darkswan]

I got a P Bass Deluxe Special 2006 for around $500 that fills the gap nicely, it will do muted Jazz or knarly rock.

Its a pbass body with jazz neck

the best part is the ability to blend between the two where all of the sweet tones are. Best of both worlds

[Trancetones]

Well, If you are looking for the real deal studio and touring machine in an incredible sounding long scale P-Bass I build them custom. It's going to be more than that $500- Fender though.

PM me for details.

[vernier]

Try as many as you can from all years, fender and copies.

Yep ...wood makes it lively or dead, so you're looking for a needle in a haystack ..It's worth the time and effort.

[vernier]

I wasn't aware that any of them were good

Interesting point, but there are some, i.e. the one Chris Hillman played on Byrds "So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star" ..and the other guy, Skip Battin, in later Byrds ...he got superb results with his P-bass.

[china jam]

Originally Posted by cdog

If you're buying new... try the Highway 1 series.

That's bad advice in my opinion.

Also there's something fundamentally wrong with a Precision that has a humbucker - so I'd avoid the deluxe models too although the build quality is a massive step up from the standards. The whole blending between a Jazz and Precision is not as much fun as it might seem, in my experience you never get just a Jazz or just a Precision tone, it's rather a confused mix of the two.

If I were you I'd look for a 2nd hand standard USA that feels good to you.

[mizzle]

Honestly, my 4 year old Mexican P-bass carries great bang for the buck. I have recorded and toured with it, having no thoughts of replacing it. To be picky, I would like less noise from the electronics, but with a little tweaking of the tone knobs there is plenty of leeway for eliminating the expected buzz.