Why THIS P-Bass is 1-in-a-Million ⚡️
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- Опубліковано 8 чер 2023
- In this video, I share the story of how I got my 1966 Fender P-bass and why it's the most special bass I own.
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I started my bass journey 50 years ago. I'm just an amateur player but I absolutely love your relaxed, melodic style - so rare nowadays when everyone thinks they are there to play solos. Rock on!
So glad to have you here. Thanks for the kind words. Greetings from Atlanta!
I just like your vibe. It just feels honest and humble. Your videos bridge the gap between the multitude of video we can see on music theorie and the end result of a music recording.
It's shows of a human lives the music. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Thank you for the kind and encouraging word; it means a lot to me. Glad to have you here.
Late 1960s Rickenbacker 4001... Is my number one dream bass to own.
because of mc cartney ?
Cool as hell basses. McCartney’s sanded 4001 looks really classy. Post-psychedelia hippie kind of vibe
1995. I was 27 and decided to get beck into bass playing. I went to every music store in Munich, Germany, where I lived and tried every Jazz Bass but none of them where what I was looking for. In the last store, while walking out, I saw a Fender hanging in a display cabinet that I had missed before. I had given up hope to find something but I tried it anyway. It turned out to be a 1994 Special Edition that had exactly the sound I wanted. I will own this bass until I die. The other thing I will keep forever is my early 90s Ampeg B-1 combo. It was only built for a few years and I finally got one some ten years ago after It had taken me six years of searching to even find one in Germany.
That’s such a special bass, man.
My best friend’s dad is a luthier and is friends with Lindy Fralin. He put some custom wound Fralin pickups in a tele he built that I ultimately bought from him and they sound stellar. Lindy also rewound the bridge pickup in my beloved Rickenbacker 4003 when it died, which is definitely the instrument I’d grab if there was a fire. The pickup came back sounding better than stock and he worked hard to do it quickly and didn’t charge an arm and a leg. That meant a lot when I was a broke young musician and that was my only bass.
Lindy is a total pro and wounds some of the best pickups in the business, and I can attest that he’s a kind dude with a great ear for tone.
My father owned and operated a recording studio for ~25 years. Growing up with him and hanging out in the studio had and still has a huge impact on my musical taste. He bought me a midnight blue, Fender, Standard P-bass on my ~15th birthday. That bass has always been special to me, but even more so after he passed away a few years ago. My wife will have to bury me with that guitar when the day comes.
🎯I've followed the rule of touch before I found out ( today) that it was a "rule".😄 Every bass I've owned just felt right first - if you listen and touch/play enough the " right" bass for you will " speak" to you. To your own self be true. Great post.
I know it's newer, but I'll never part with my USA Geddy Jazz Bass. It's light, sustains for days, is agressive in the best ways, and it is for sure the most comfy bass I've played in my lifetime. Such a good time to be a bass player. Awesome P bass, too. Thanks for the share.
Awesome story. I can somewhat relate. Bass has interested me for years (while playing guitar). This past Christmas, my wife bought me an Ibanez GSR400. It's not the most expensive instrument, but I love playing it, and love the support my wife had given me towards my playing. Who knew, at 57, I would find the instrument I feel most comfortable playing.
Glad you got your bass brother! I’m a guitar player of years and years and when my dad passed he left me his Fender Jazz bass and I immediately gravitated towards bass and started taking it a lot more seriously and very happy converting to bass! I’ve been bummed that I was 31 when I started playing Bass, but I guess I’m a sense I’m lucky I found it that young really
Excellent video & wonderful story too! As a 75 year old retiree, who does gig & rehearse on my old P-bass, I’d grab my wife & cat first & then got back in & grab my ‘29 Gibson Mastertone banjo! Loving music from ‘50’s all the way thru the ‘90’s I’ve been fortunate to appreciate & acquire vintage gear…when it was affordable…but still had to sell a prized old guitar & borrow $ to buy the banjo I’ve had since ‘74. My bass has it’s story.
Wow! Amazing. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy that Mastertone. Glad to have you here!
A while ago this channel helped me discover that p-basses are my voice. Thanks Philip for all the game-changing guidance.
Hard to get away from a good P. I have a lot of nice basses but the 3 Ps get all my play time. I even went to my tech and got all 3 set up the exact same so I can practice with one and play a different one on weekends and I can’t feel “much” difference.
The bass that's special to me is the Fender Vintera II P-Bass I bought this year. Because I have just started learning bass, coming from guitar, and it's my proper decent bass. I regret selling the first electric guitar I learned on (an MIJ Fender 60's Stratocaster reissue). Since my mother bought it for when when I teenager, and she died only two years after I sold it to buy my first decent classical guitar. I have a luthier made concert classical that I will never sell. Got me through music school, first recitals and was made and bought the same year our first daughter was born. It's also frightening how much that master luthier made guitar has appreciated in value this past decade. Master luthier market is similar to the vintage electric market, rarity makes it insane.
Another great video, Phillip. I really love the "Rule of Touch" (although I didn't know it was a rule until now!). No matter how excited you are about the features of a given instrument, if it's not a joy to play, it's a non-starter; you won't play it. Similarly, it can be a bit of a junky instrument, but if you love playing it (i.e. love the neck), your hands will make a pretty low-rent instrument sound good. It's really the best approach when shopping - although a bit challenging in the Reverb Age!
im not a musician by any means im just a guy who plays punk and metal bass riffs in his basement i only have one bass its a left handed ibanez sr300 with roto sounds on it goes through an ampeg amp i absolutely love it
I've always played a Fender Jazz for essentially everything. I still regularly use my '16 AmPro for a lot, but I recently found a '75 P Bass (all original) that's probably the smoothest playing/ best sounding bass I've ever played. It has none of the pitfalls associated with the CBS era, honestly it's a unicorn. Out of all the modern high end basses with expertly rolled frets (which are great) I have yet to play one could that's even close what 50 years of playing resulted in.
I really identify with this video. I play music as a hobby and I also enjoy making a modifying instruments with my dad. We decided to start a new project and went to a bunch of pawn shops until I found this Huntington branded Pbass that was just covered in grime and stickers. But I could tell it had potential. Had a very flaming neck. Felt great in the hand and the body was light but very balanced. Ended up paying the guy $40 for it and I thought I had the deal of my life. About a week later, I ended up adding a high mass bridge and a stingray music man bass pickup right on the bridge and this thing came alive. I used it for several gigs until I realized I needed to replace the original pickup. I ended up getting a demarzio model. P in cream and man this thing sounds amazing. Got a coil tap for the stingray pickup and every single time I plug it in I remember scuffing up the finish, routing out the body and doing all this work with my dad. This is a bass I'll never sell or give away. It means so much to me.
God Bless you for appreciating your parents...I don't have mine anymore and I miss them everyday.
I’ve had a lot of basses in my day. The one I keep going back to? My 2019 Nate Mendel Signature P Bass. I bought it more as a secondary bass to my collection as I’ve been more of a Jazz Bass guy in my life. However, the instrument started calling me more during the pandemic and lock down. I invested my time into recording more. The bass I kept going back to was this P Bass. I had a love/hate relationship with it at first. The instrument was not the best setup, but one day, I just loosened the truss rod all the way and coaxed it back into being as straight as I could get it. The thing plays like a dream and the neck itself feels like it came right from 1971. That rule of touch concept is so important.
Flash forward to today and I find myself gigging with it nearly every show that I do. Also, the thing really has some character with a pick and a slight bit of overdrive, but it can also handle a multitude of other genres. Here I am close to 30 years of playing and a simple P Bass is what has really become my tone.
For me it was a 75th anniversary Am Pro II P Bass that I picked up at a local shop. IMHO Fender really hit a home run with the newest American standard line. I’ve bought and sold so many basses in my life but that one will always be my one and only. As the saying goes “beware the man with one rifle, he knows how to use it.” I hope to be the bass player with the simple rig and stock P bass that knows how to use it as well.
My house fire bass is an Olympic white 2012 American standard p bass that I saved up for while working part-time in college. As soon as I put my hands on it I felt at home. The rule of touch is the truth! Great video as always, man!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
My spesh bass is a black USA 1999 P bass. I found it in 2005 in an advert in a print publication in Lincolnshire, UK. It cost me 400 pounds (about 600 USD). I went to pick it up with my dad; he had no interest in basses or guitars but he just liked going for drives. This is what makes the bass special as it has a nice memory attached to it. I swapped out the pickups for Seymour Duncan Antiquities and it has a black pickguard with a maple neck. Also has Thomastik flats. I would never get rid of it.
Great sounding pbass and awesome story behind it, thanks for sharing that! One of the things that pulls me toward vintage basses is hearing about their history. They are not instantly better just because they're older, but maybe such stories are something that helps you bond with them. That being said, my 72 jazz and my 74 rick are the ones I treasure the most...
Thanks for another great film, your P bass sounds fabulous! My special bass is a very battered 1960s ply double bass. It was gigged for 30 years by my best friend. He is a pro jazz player and took it all over the UK and Europe as his main bass. It sounds amazing and feels perfect in the hand... It has much mojo!
Love it bro.
My favorite is a early 2000’s 3-tone sunburst Fender Jazz. Nothing fancy about it other than the memories. It was given to me when I was in 10th grade from the worship pastor at my church. One of most unexpected gifts I’ve ever received. I grew up on this bass. I’m now 34 and I’ve played hundreds (possibly thousands) of hours on this thing. Countless gigs. Countless dings/scratches. She’s special and I’ll cherish it forever. Hoping to pass it down to my kids one day.
Crafted in Japan Mustang Bass. After starting on bass after playing guitar for 50 years I never got accustomed to a 34" scale! Never heard about SS until stumbling upon this Mustang on consignment . I picked it up because it played so easily and then learned it was SS!!! Furthermore....I extended my preference for SS by selling my Telecaster for a Mustang and a Jaguar.. Both 24" Scale. Age and arthritis made it a good decision for me!!
What is it about Japanese basses? So good! I’d love to get a Japanese Mustang some day! Thanks for sharing ⚡️
I saved and saved and saved and saved, found on a local newspaper a guy listing a white p-bass with maple fingerboard, went to his house to try it, it was it, my pbass. Got it stolen one day from my house in 1996, it still drives me mad thinking that somewhere somebody is playing my damnned p-bass.
I went into a guitar shop when I was 16 looking for something spiky looking, like a B.C. Rich (i was on a metal kick) and the guy talked me into buying a Conklin Groovetools instead. List price was 1700 and he gave it to me for 700 because he had had it on the wall for a couple years and nobody was buying. Today I periodically contemplate selling it because I really don't love the look and the active pickups leave something to be desired but I can't bring myself to do it because its the nicest feeling neck I've ever played on any instrument to date.
I am mainly a J bass player. My modded 74 is the one I love. My my Moon JB 5 is the one I get the most compliments for. So it goes to most of my gigs. I just built a P bass from parts. A loaded body with EMG passive Geezers pickups. I took a chance on a neck from China (70.-) and I got lucky. It is really well made. Hipshot brass bridge, nice tuners. Around 350.- total. This bass is very much like my first P bass ( Mid 70s) which I loved but no longer own. Except the neck pocket fit is better and the fret work is much better. So it resonates much more and the action can be set very low.
Loved hearing the story of your bass. I just bought my first 75 bass today from an older gentleman with arthritis for a great price. Original owner everything original except pick guard and everything looks 95% brand new. Apparently he just fiddled with it now and then. My story with this bass starts today. Sounds good and feels great so I'm off to a good start. cheers!
I finally got my first bass a couple of weeks ago! My uncle had a 76 P-Bass that he's had off and on since new (he just kept having to move it and it kept coming back, funny story) He asked me one day if I was interested in any of his gear and I jumped on the chance! Got it for a good price since he wanted it to go to a good home, really excited to finally start my bass journey! Will be subscribing to your course soon! Cheers Phil! Great Channel!
First jam, pure waves of warmth and sappiness. Glorious.
Thanks! I leaned into the sappiness hard on this one 😆
My favorite is a fender MIM parts bass I put together myself to learn assembly and setup techniques. I have more expensive USA basses but I’m attached to the one I brought to life.
Love the story about your parents and there support to you, that is gold👌🔥❤️
Thanks! They are pretty great
I’ve owned a lot of cool basses over the last 25 years, but I’ve never emotionally connected with any of my gear. My collection is down to three basses, and the one I’d grab is a 60s reissue Epiphone thunderbird in gloss black. Not because it’s particularly valuable, but because the bottom corners were smashed in and repaired and reshaped by a tech with clear epoxy. In the clear epoxy you can see if few white hairs that belong to one of my aging dogs. It was a total accident, the tech didn’t mean to do it, but now I have an instrument that actually means something to me beyond being just a tool. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to sell it, and for me, that’s quite a statement.
Very nice video, your parents are really nice, being that supportive, heart warming if I may say. Respect !
Your 66 P looks and sounds amazing.
Thanks so much!
I found an upright bass in the basement of my church, the head has been knocked off and was attached only by the strings. A woodworker friend made a (pretty unorthodox) repair, and it came to live in my house. A while later, my Pa came visiting, and when he saw the instrument he recognised it as the one he had found in the attic of the building the same church had bought in a different village. When I moved away from the area, the church let me buy it and it still lives with me. It sounds less than great and I have to wrestle it to play, but what makes it valuable to me is that story and the hands that have touched it before, people who mean a lot to me.
Great video! Lots of good info. Also, that P bass sounds amazing!
Thanks for watching!
My longest owned instrument has a great backstory. In maybe 2008, my uncle called me completely out of the blue and told me he had a bass that was too heavy for him to play and that he wanted me to have it. He had no clue the make or model, just that it weighed as much as maybe the sun (he wasn’t far off, it does weigh a metric ton). I told him thanks and that I’d be happy to take it off his hands. A week or so passes and the package is delivered - much to my surprise, I open the box and find a 1975 Fender Precision bass in stellar (although obviously played) condition. Sometimes things are more than just the materials used to create them. Every time I pick that bass up I am overjoyed with sentimentality and gratitude. The bass is now a family heirloom and I hope my kids’ kid’s get to continue adding to the story. I keep it strung with ancient TI Jazz Flats and a Fender Custom Shop 60’s Pickup.
That tone is sweet
Precision Bass like yours with the split coil pickup all the way is my personal favorite because of The Police. Sting played a fretless version with the split coil in the early days, playing with a pick and later gravitated toward the contoured string-through body style with the two saddles and the Telecaster style pickup, adapting to a finger style.
Sandberg TM6 buckeye burl - simply because there is just one in the world and I was lucky to track it across Europe after seeing its photos online, and then convince the owner to sell :)
New subscriber. This was a great video love this video and the bass
For me it’s a ‘23 German made Hofner 500/1. It’s been on the bucket list for a looong time and so glad I finally got it. (Been playing for 30 years)
Great story! I’ve currently got a 2015 Rickenbacker Mapleglo 4003S that has the perfect neck for me. I’ve replaced the PU’s with Rick vintage style toaster/horseshoe models, Hipshot bridge and D-tuner, and it’s been converted to stereo! It’s strung with Rotosounds, of course!
My sad story is that I once owned an Alembic Series I 8-string that had the same body shape as Greg Lake’s but it was stolen from my car in Atlanta back in ‘82 or ‘83. It was made in ‘81 and SN was somewhere in 1700-1800’s range… I really loved that bass but thieves happen, lol! It was a beautiful dark vermilion, really gorgeous.
Oh well, I still miss my that bass but I’ve since learned not to get too attached to any perfect bass just in case you lose it… I hope whoever has my Alembic now enjoys it as much as I did!
My favorite bass ever since bass hunting was a Mustang Bass. A coworker mentioned that they existed, and I was already into Mustang guitars. So I started looking into it, and the Mustang PJ was my choice. I recently just acquired one, and I couldn't be happier with it!
I recently "won" a Rickenbacker 4003 Jetglo. I had been down at the favorite local guitar shop, and saw it hanging on the wall. I asked for a cable, and they set me up with an amp. I think I played for about an hour, not even changing the amp. I gushed about it in a small online community group, and thought nothing more of it. A few weeks later I was informed that I'd won it, and needed to go down and pick it up at the store. So, yeah... That's the bass I'd grab. Probably. More likely that I'd die in the fire with all the other guitars and basses.
I'd love to get my hands on an old P-Bass. Or even a newer one. Just as long as it felt right. Haven't found that one yet, but I know it's out there.
Thanks for the video, Philip. That old P-Bass sounds fantastic.
Be good to you.
A very nice bass and a great story behind it - thanks a bunch!
I always wanted an all original 1966 P-Bass (my own year of birth 😉), and some time in the mid 1990s I've found one in a neighbouring city at a guitar shop. After some negotiating back and forth, the shop assistant and I finally agreed on a reasonable price. I didn't have the cash with me, of course, so the bass was put on hold. When I returned the very next day, it was effin' *gone* ... someone has offered more than I was supposed to pay! (Thank God karma hit, and the shop seized to exist shortly after...)
Rather frustrated, I picked up a fantastic sounding '67 at another local store, which I already had checked out but didn't buy up to that date simply because it was no '66 (crazy, I know!). All original, great condition except for a professionally re-glued small body crack (the old electronics cavity issue) - and best of all quite a bit cheaper than the aforementioned '66.
At home, I took the neck off in order to make some truss rod adjustments. Lo and behold, the date stamp read *'66* ! I immediately checked the PU and pot dates, which all were '66 as well... no doubt this was a 1966 Fender P-Bass, not a '67!
Guess who was the happiest bass player on the planet? 🙂
Wow! Great story. It was meant to be!
@@philipconradmusic Thanks, Philip!
I often wondered why the bass was thought to be (and offered as) a '67. They probably went by the neck plate # only, which as we know is not accurate enough, and never bothered to check any date stamps...
Theee years ago, I bought my last bass. It’s a white 2006 Fender Marcus Miller Jazzbass MiJ. I Love how it feels, sounds and looks. It’s special to me, since it was the first bass I recognised played by a local metal band, way before I knew I’m gonna play bass for a living. Just fell in love with the looks of it.
Then, two of my bass teachers at my music college played them as well, in a more appropriate style like jazz and funk.
So, when I got the chance of getting one, I just did. It’s a work horse!
The only problem why I don’t use it live most of the time, ist because I need a five string for all of my bands.
So I’m back on playing my first “real” bass. A natural coloured 2011 Fender American Deluxe Jazzbass V. Same vibes as the MM, but still quiet different. Love it too. But the MM is somehow more in my heart, even if I don’t play it that much.
Btw, also owning a P bass and a MusicMan. Both are great, but I don’t get the same vibes as with my Js.
The tone and groove from you and your bass... subscribed! I found an early G&L LB100 6 years ago as my 60s pbass stand-in. Best $700 I've spent on a guitar. Maybe someday I'll get the real thing, but the LB100 is a great dedication to Leo's legacy.
I moved to a city in FL and sold a Jazz Bass and Stingray to pay first/last/security. With the money left over, I bought a T-40 for $400 and gigged the hell out of it for the next decade.
My ‘84 MIJ fretless Jazz. So many memories, and it plays like a dream/
Thanks for sharing your bass history and your experience!!! I’m finishing a PBass project at the moment, 75 maple Jazz neck with Pearl block inlays, white body/pickguard (to match my all black jb with 70s rosewood neck) and my biggest doubt about the project was the pickups, and I confess I thought in the video you were about to say something like “I kept the vintage 60’s pickups to preserve the original tone” but than you said you thrown in some Fralins and that was actually the answer I’ve been searching for during all these months researching ! Since I was looking for real vintage PBass tone, Fralins and Lollar were the 2 remaining options for me but now I’m definitely inclined to acquire these Fralins pickups ! So Thanks again
Awesome! I hope you find the tone you are looking for!
my main p bass. ive had it forever and its always been by my side for every gig, recording sesh, etc. its like my version of jacos bass of doom. it has signatures on the headstock from musicians ive played with, so lots of memories .
Awesome! Hold onto that one forever.
My special bass is a 68 Hofner 500/1. I had to swap out the pickups, as the originals needed to be rewound and I couldn't get it down. So I put in reissues of the original blade pickups and it still sounds great. It was the neck that sold me on the bass, as you mentioned. No bass has felt as good in my hands as that old Hofner.
So I watched this in two bits and I've just watched the end, and you've just said exactly what I said in my first comment. 😊
This was a great video! I love the cool "hanging out" vibe to it. I have played bass since I was 15 and I am now 48, you do the math. My favorite bass is hands down one that I acquired about four years ago. After all those years of just getting a bass that will do my wife saved enough money and I bought a "Fender American Ultra Precision Bass in Mochaburst finish". After all those years buying that one high end instrument has really made me more excited to play and improved my playing. Sorry I rambled on.😂
Sounds like you have an excellent partner and bass, so you are winning! Glad to have you here and thanks for commenting.
I have a 2012 American P that hung on the wall the of the store where I taught for at least a year before I snagged it. I had played other Ps before, but this one has something special. I have other basses, but it’s my go to for most things.
Thanks Phillip, great story. It's fair to say that of all my instruments my basses are the only ones I feel an attachment to, and of those my 77 P would be the one I would rescue from a fire.
Wow I bet that sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome tones
Thanks Phillip!
I have a 99, 62 American Vintage Reissue Precision Bass I bought for $500 with a bad refinish job. I've played many "P " basses (including other 62 Reissues) but none have felt or sounded like this particular bass. It is my absolute favorite and forever bass and over the years I have owned nearly 60 basses! Lightweight, 1.75 nut width, thin, front to back, Wilde(Bill Lawrence) pickups and a refinished body in lacquer. Sweet!
Beautiful bass, and beautiful story. I'm not sure that I've found mine yet, but I hope one day that I can find that "forever bass" for myself. Closest that I probably have right now is my JMJ Mustang, but something about it being a relic'ed signature bass makes it feel less "mine", if that makes any sense.
Bought my first bass about a month ago. It’s a squier sonic p bass. I love it. Having played guitar for ages I now get what you mean about connecting with an instrument especially the neck!
Awesome! Nothing wrong with a squire. Thanks for watching!
Your an amazing and wholesome dude. I play a p bass as well and it changed my life. Much love bass fam
Thanks for the kind words and for watching!
Your Fire Scenario = My 2013 Gibson Thunderbird . It is the one . I haver 4 other basses (P (USA ),J, Ibanez, MTD kingston) but I connect the most with the Thunderbird . All stock ,sounds and plays amazing . Play it sundays on the church gig , and almost everywhere else .
Big ups to the parents and you for acknowledging them. P - bass is the best 😊
☺️
For me it's my Moollon p that i have with me, and work with for near 10 years now my workhorse for sure.
very special for me.
insane video philip as usual. thanks for your content
Man I love the way those sound, but I’ve never played one myself! Thanks for watching!
that's a great sounding bass and tasty playing!
Thanks Wally!
I was lucky early on in the bass playing world - I was told to play with my thumb on the middle back of the neck, which I did. I don't "strangle" the neck like so many do. The result is that I have never developed a neck profile, "feel" preference. This has served me well playing 4, 5 and 6 string basses!
Sounds like you’ve found a technique that works for you. I used to play with that technique as well before my thumb injury. I feel like I have lost some technical prowess but it’s forced me to simplify ideas in a good way. Thanks for watching; glad to have you here.
Just found this video. I'm torn between my '07 Fender P5 and my Fender Nate Mendel. P5 was my first real "good" bass and it's the bass that has been with me the longest. Fell in love with it since I saw Ed Friedland demoed it. Saved up for it and got one. Years later, Fender released Nate Mendel P. Foo Fighters is one of my all time favorite bands. I bought it and it's everything I've ever wanted in a bass. Though I made a mistake of selling it once (haha). And I really, really regretted it. Lucky enough, I'm able to track my old bass down and bought it back. And it became my go-to bass ever since. These are the two that I hold really dear to my heart.
But if I have to really choose. I guess it's the P5. It's been with me for a long time. But damn... I don't wanna choose.
I'd be utterly gobsmacked to make such a choice: between the Martin dreadnought my wife bought for my 50th birthday, the Eastman archtop guitar I've played for a weekly jazz gig for the past eighteen years, or the no-name (but looks like a Martin) baritone uke I inherited from my father (the first non-piano I ever learned to play), I'd probably fail, like the donkey between bales of hay. Absolutely nothing to do with any value which would matter on Reverb, just the blood, sweat, tears, and smiles I've put into (gotten out of) those instruments.
My 1976 Gibson G3 is my favorite of all time got it when I was 19
I stumbled across a 1978 P Bass online. A player, not a collector as the pickups, nut and tune pegs were all replaced. But it has that something. It’s an absolute beast. Plays great and sounds outstanding.
So cool! Thanks for sharing
Great video buddy 👏
Thanks Sean!
Really dig my Road Worn Fender P, Seymour Duncan Antiquity Pickup, Hipshot ultralight tuners, daddario flats and a mustang mute ala Sean Hurley cop...one of the best reverb finds
This bass with the ampeg sounds so classic :D You can´t beat that bass sound!
I would even say, too "classic" ... and above all: very typical! (The ampeg sound is not neutral at all, will not necessarily suit all styles of music). I have already tested personally.
The wood used and how its cut (slab, radial, quarter) - and pickups used, seems to be the most important factors influencing how an electric guitar/bass sounds. I've noticed the best sounding Fender solid body instruments tend to have slab-cut bodies and necks, even though quarter-sawn wood is more expensive and used on many expensive guitars. I only recently started dabbling in bass playing, because I felt like a bassist in a guitar players body. So I bought an Ibanez TMB-100, which is a full scale P/J bass with a 1 3/4" nut width, and chunky satin maple neck that fills my hand and feels wonderful. Johnny Long's channel inspired me to buy the TMB-100 bass - he's a crazy good player and tech. I was having a difficult time getting used to the larger neck and longer fretboard, so I started looking for a short-scale bass, which led me to the Sire U5, which "Low-end Lobster" channel inspired me to buy - he gave FIVE CLAWS. Mr. Lobster is a crazy man - like Johnny Long, which is what attracted me to them besides their talent. I'm having an easier time playing the short-scale than the long-scale, but gradually getting used to it. I've noticed the TMB-100 has a deeper thumping tone than the U5, so I'm glad I have that one too. Now I'm thinking of putting medium-gauge strings on tuned down to B-E-A-D like the first four strings on a 5-string bass. Keith Ferguson is an influential "Texas blues bass" player (read a book about him with that title), and he would use that tuning to get those deeper tones without adding another string....
I think you might be interested in watching the videos about guitar tone that Jim Lill has been making for a while now, here on YT. There's a lot of superstition out there when it comes to audio and musical instruments, and he's been doing very comprehensive tests on as many aspects as he can think of. Moreover, he doesn't have a particular result he's intending to make you believe, he simply performs the tests and lets you hear them and decide for yourself. I think you might end up surprised by just how vanishingly little difference the wood actually makes at all in an electric instrument.
My number 1 is a 2008 Fender American Standard PBass. I replaced the stock pickup with an EMG PCSX. Also put a black pick guard on it.
Great video Phil. Not a bass - but a Taylor T5 guitar. Bought it when the pandemic started off of a struggling local guitar shop. Used that same guitar to play the song I wrote to propose to my wife. Comes with me on every gig, and now is being used on my first EP being released at the end of this month.
Got a lot of guitars, cheaper and more expensive. But my Taylor is my baby
Wow what a great memory to associate with an instrument. Congrats! Thanks for sharing.
I don't know who you are but I love what you did. Musical and other kind of instruments are some of the more personal objects that a person can make or use, and I think they can store so many lives and passion in them. Right now I'm holding my aunt's guitar. She's not a musician, but she's my aunt. :)
Hi there! Thanks for taking the time to watch my video. I think you are right; so many stories and memories exist in old instruments. Glad to have you here!
My 50th Anniversary Fender P is my favorite. My mim Fender P. Jazz neck is a close second.
I own a few, about 30.
I started bass in 2003 ever since day one I was looking in a magazine for a bass and wanted an American deluxe p bass I though it was so cool. In 2009 I finally got one in a trade. And played it every day and gig since than. Ended up changing a lot on it just because it wasn’t me but still to this day it’s my number one gigging bass, studio bass and practice bass
My warwick streamer stage 2. One beast of a bass. It needs a leveling/fretting job tho, I played it that much!
Ey, Philip, thank you so much for making this video. It made me think about why I like my most-used p-bass so much (haptics & low weight) and why I loathe it (1-dimensional sounding pickup, pu/wiring prone to catch noise). Now I really feel motivated to change pickup & "electronics", but now...
Which strings were on your 66 precision, and which type of Fralin-P-Pickup (underwound / "stock" / overwound), when you recorded this video? Thanks!
I can’t recall the specs on the Fralin unfortunately. Although the strings are Stringjoy nickel medium gauge. Thanks for watching!
Something I'd be interested hearing you talk about would be, what about a 60s PBass you feel justifies the price compared to, say, a Squier Classic Vibe, or an MIM Fender, or a Sire P5, etc? I feel like it may have been as much about the feeling it gave you to have a goal and an investment in your craft, and a connection with the history of your instrument, more than it was any material difference in playability etc. But it'd be interesting to hear your feelings.
my mid 90's jackson dinky, first proper instrument i got and it lived through hard and nice times, now it looks all battered (natural aging through playing, dropping and loads of smoke) but its in nicer shape than ever. it feels that it grew with me and prbly could tell some weird stories xD
Would be quite a toss up for me. My 2013 AVRI 58' precision helped kickstart my music career. Got it for a steal, had the pickup rewound by Lindy (luckily his shop is local to me here in Richmond VA) after it died on me on a gig, and since that rewind it has sounded incredible. Being that it's a nitro finish and toured all over the world with me it looks like it's from 1958, and has the feel of a vintage instrument. Would be tough not to grab that; although my Serek Midwestern II has been my go-to roundwound bass over the last two years that I got for myself for my 30th birthday. It's a reminder to myself every day that while being a musician is work it too can be fun and rewarding. Because this instrument plays and reacts so well to my dynamics it'd be a tough one to let burn in a fire too.. decisions.. if I had to grab TWO things it'd be these two.
sounds great...cool story...take it from a 60-something bass player in Nashville
As an outsider looking in (kb player)I believe that 80% of the vintage effect is a placebo effect, yes they are some exceptional instruments out there most are just average and old, nothing special, a Few are worn in and even fewer are of exceptional temperament, odd wise most would be better with a top of the line modern instrument that will be more consistent and reliable than a vintage one, just my 2 cts, I’m glad you found a vintage instrument you bonded with
I'm definitely inclined the think that the appeal of vintage instruments is primarily the "intangibles", yeah. A feeling that the instrument is cool or just that you like it; a feeling that you have a connection with the history of the specific instrument, and with the history of your craft more broadly, when you have and play the instrument, etc etc. The tonal qualities and idiosyncrasies of vintage instruments can very readily be reproduced in new instruments and I think people who truly believe otherwise might want to look up some videos about tonewoods etc (I don't want to shill for Jim Lill in this comments section TOO much, though). So I think it really comes down to the mental and emotional factors of owning and playing a piece of history. And although that might sound dismissive, I don't think it really is. Those factors are valid factors. And Philip said this much, that he knows just as well as the rest of us that "vibes" alone probably don't warrant the ever-ballooning price of truly vintage instruments.
I tend to like used instruments more. Not necessarily "vintage." But for some reason the instruments I've owned that were most comfortable to play have been heavily used. Something about them being "broken in" works for me.
I don’t know if that intro track is an original or cover but GOD I want a full version
I’m a guitar player but I still love watching bass videos and I loved your semi hollow bass video, same with this one, it’s so good
My dream bass would be a fully roasted p-bass with a j-bass pickup in the bridge and a rickenbacker neck pickup
Thanks dude! That’s an original track. Glad you dig it!
im gonna steal it
lovely bass. my favourite is my 63 jazz bass in sonic blue with matching pick guard.
Wow! I bet that’s a beauty. Thanks for watching and sharing!
My Yamaha BB735. Nothing fancy. It just feels like home every time I play it. I replaced the stock pickups and I made it "mine" if it makes sense. I have played much more expensive basses but I always come back.
My #1 Bass is my 1972 Framus S380 (German Jazz copy). My Grandfather bought it for my as a reminder of him. At that time he been battling cancer for 15 years and he didn’t know how much time he had left. He knew I wanted to go to music school and that I was interested in this bass. So he bought it for me and that’s why I will run into a burning building to save that bass.
My desert island bass is a Fender MIA 60's reissue; the moment i put my hands on I fell in love with it!
BTW, I noticed you changed strings on your marvelous P bass!
Yes! I put some rounds on for this video ⚡️
Rule of touch is so true. That’s how I got my Fender Jazz. Brought in another bass for a set up and saw the Jazz on the way out. Decided to try it and as soon as my left hand touch the neck, I instantly loved it. But I didn’t buy it. I thought about it for weeks, researched prices and even went back to the store a few times just to play it. Finally, the seller gave the store owner a selling price and it was $200-$300 cheaper than what I saw online, I bought it. I hate the color (it’s cream) but it feels, plays and sounds amazing. Besides, I’ll spend more time playing it than looking at it.
Around 2010, I had a Fender Marcus Miller Signature bass that I sold and wish I would have kept. There is a bass I wished I owned that my friend let me use for the recordings. Rickenbacker 4003. That bass had a tone that would just cut through and stand out.
I have a P/J from the Fender Mod shop. I absolutely love it and it was most likely be the one I'd have to grab if I could only grab one. However, I just got a Nate Mendel model P Bass and I have to say it's awesome. It holds a tune better and has better intonation that my Mod Shop. It also has a punchier sound with the Seymour Duncan pick ups. Although it cost less and is MIM versus the MIA Mod shop. It may just become my number one.
A very nice instrument!
Thank you!
I have a parts p bass that has a MJT nitro cellulose finish body, Aguilar 60's era pup, flats and a Fender road worn neck. It sounds really good but does not quiet touch my '60 Fender p bass. Nice video Phillip. I found you by watching your speaker size comparison video. By the way what flat wounds do you prefer?
My favorite bass and the one I’d save in a fire is my 59’ pbass it was my grandfathers that he bought new and gigged heavily it was also a studio bass and played on a ton of stax and hi records in the 60’s.
Ohh wow yeah save that one please!! Thanks for sharing