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Post subject: Re: What Mods/Changes have you made to your P Bass ?
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 7:02 am
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I don't understand the latest public opinion on lightweight basses sounding better on a fretted bass. IMO the lighter weight bodies do sound better on fretless, though. Every fretted one seemed to have another term I call "dinkiness" to it's overall sound. Plus, they just feel cheap.

Dense equals tone. Lightweight = noise.


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Post subject: Re: What Mods/Changes have you made to your P Bass ?
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 7:23 am
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Dalembic wrote:
I don't understand the latest public opinion on lightweight basses sounding better on a fretted bass. IMO the lighter weight bodies do sound better on fretless, though. Every fretted one seemed to have another term I call "dinkiness" to it's overall sound. Plus, they just feel cheap.

Dense equals tone. Lightweight = noise.



I don't think that is exactly true. Weight is relative to density. Density is relative to resonance. However, It depends on the wood. Woods that are less dense, but highly resonant would be the "optimal" in the traditional Fender bass school of thought. Such as Ash. It gives you a warm, but bright tone, but also resonates well. Very midrange punchy when couple with a P bass pick up. Alder has a "darker" tone. It generally has less warmth in my experience. I'm not sure exactly how it stacks up in terms of resonance. Take Basswood for instance. A very warm and resonant wood that is also very, very lightweight. Weight and density generally are more directly tied to attack and sustain.

However, the comparison between a 58 ash body, and 62 Alder body P would suggest that Alder might resonate more, but in a different way. more low end "thump", less midrange punch. Again, there's also the difference between terms like "bright" and "dark" and how people use those words. "Warm" and "cold" are also similar words used to describe tone, but used in different ways. A very heavy (ie: dense) Alder body will give you a bass with a very resonate dark tone. Also, a lot of sustain and attack. To the extent that it can be described as cold. Coupled with a cheap cap, and very over wound pick up that you would find in a late 70's P bass you get a very harsh, very punchy cold sounding bass. This extreme amount of quick attack response coupled with high output and the darker sound of Alder is what would, in my opinion lead to the "clank".

This is not a tone sought by the more traditional Fender players of yesteryear. Cold and harsh is not something they sought, and it's not something traditionally sought in a bass sound. However, it is the natural evolution in my opinion of the P bass and it's role in popular music. As the original P sound allowed for a more edgy and upfront place in the traditional mix. This would be that taken to it's nth, especially in the early punk genre. Where the bass and drums really did the majority of "push and pull" in the arrangement and the bass really needed to lay down a thick driving foundation. Something that could both cut through the wall of distorted guitars and also still make people nod their heads and tap their feet. Driving them from the low end and rattling through on the high mids at the same time.


There are people here like Brother Dave who will no doubt correct where I used terms poorly and also could likely spend days giving you the correct breakdown of tone woods and the alchemy that goes into our different favorite Fender bass tones.

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Post subject: Re: What Mods/Changes have you made to your P Bass ?
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 9:31 am
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However, the comparison between a 58 ash body, and 62 Alder body P would suggest that Alder might resonate more, but in a different way. more low end "thump", less midrange punch. Again, there's also the difference between terms like "bright" and "dark" and how people use those words. "Warm" and "cold" are also similar words used to describe tone, but used in different ways.

Hey King,

I think you phrased it very well. I have an ash Precision and a mystery jazz that I bought used, which I believe to be alder. You described their respective tones perfectly. As mentioned, my Jazz is a mystery, I bought it used an it has been modded a lot, all in good ways.


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Post subject: Re: What Mods/Changes have you made to your P Bass ?
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:07 am
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I have a left-handed natural finished 1976 Precision with a white maple neck. I ordered from my local Fender dealer in '75. Had to pay full retail up front and wait for Fender to get around to making left-handed instruments, which I was told happened once a year.

Fast forward to 1985. I was palying in several all original material bands and recording. My amp was the very rare all tube Fender Studio Bass. During a recording session (of all times & places) my pick-up died. Much profanity ensued.

I decided to take advantage of p'up death and modify my P to my liking. Seymour Duncan had just come out with their original "Quarter-Pounder" split p'ups. I bit hard and bought TWO pair, and had the P's body routed out at the bridge for the second pair.

BADASS bass bridges were also kind of new and enjoyed a great reputation (not anymore) The BA II had just come out, so I snaged one of those to go on my new creation.

One of the big topics of the day was straight string pull ( for which Fender is famous) and steel-to-steel contact. So I had a stainless steel nut fabricated and installed.

Last but not least a mirror'd pick guard ala Phil Lynott with volume & tone controls for each p'up. Output jack was moved to the bout of the body.

And now nearly 30 years later it needs some work. Still very playable, but needs the trussrod adjusted. Thinking of going ahead and having the neck pleck'd.

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Post subject: Re: What Mods/Changes have you made to your P Bass ?
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:54 am
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IMHO, the only thing wrong with it, it's left handed. I'm a righty! :D


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Post subject: Re: What Mods/Changes have you made to your P Bass ?
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 12:26 pm
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oxfan wrote:
IMHO, the only thing wrong with it, it's left handed. I'm a righty! :D


It's a damn nice axe just the same. Also around '85 Dean Markley came out with their 'Blue Steels' cryogenically quenched roundrounds. They sounded GREAT! And I used them exclussively for many years until I went flat with Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats :wink:

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Post subject: Re: What Mods/Changes have you made to your P Bass ?
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 4:19 pm
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Dalembic wrote:
I don't understand the latest public opinion on lightweight basses sounding better on a fretted bass. IMO the lighter weight bodies do sound better on fretless, though. Every fretted one seemed to have another term I call "dinkiness" to it's overall sound. Plus, they just feel cheap.

Dense equals tone. Lightweight = noise.


My RW bass is real light and it sounds really good like an old bass-- it has nitro finish and it's alder-- maple neck with nitro --- I use it at gigs-- it is a great bass and a few years ago I wouldn't have said that about a Mex bass. My Classic 50's P bass isn't heavy. It sounds real good too. I think sometimes you just find a bass that's light and sounds just fine also.


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Post subject: Re: What Mods/Changes have you made to your P Bass ?
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 5:06 pm
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I had a Aerodyne J for a very short period of time. It could nail that classic p/j tone. Absolutely great sounding bass. It had a basswood body. It was so light that I actually weighed it. 6.5 pounds. I think tone and resonance have more to do with type of wood, and finish used. (nitro resonates more because it "breathes") Heavier pieces of each type of wood will increase sustain. Just my opinion, but I think that's how it works.

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Post subject: Re: What Mods/Changes have you made to your P Bass ?
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 5:33 pm
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My Precision weighs just under 12 pounds, but feels far heavier. My Jazz weighs in at 9 & 1/2 pounds, but for some unknown reason seems far lighter. They are two very different besties. Love them both.

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Post subject: Re: What Mods/Changes have you made to your P Bass ?
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:20 pm
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Jazzes, and Precision's bodies don't have the body mass for one thing, due to design differences of the bodies.

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Post subject: Re: What Mods/Changes have you made to your P Bass ?
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:42 pm
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Mr. Nylon wrote:
Jazzes, and Precision's bodies don't have the body mass for one thing, due to design differences of the bodies.


Oh yeah, quite right Mr. Nylon, but all good and proper excutions of Leo's designs. I love them both. No reason to choose one or the other. The proper choice is always both! :)

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2016 Rumble 200 Combo
One day they shall name a GREAT city after me, and they shall call it LINNINGRAD


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Post subject: Re: What Mods/Changes have you made to your P Bass ?
Posted: Tue Apr 02, 2013 1:59 pm
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I just put on a Pearl PG.

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Post subject: Re: What Mods/Changes have you made to your P Bass ?
Posted: Tue Apr 02, 2013 2:05 pm
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I liked the looks of the Pearl PG on the other Candy Cola posted. I almost put the black PG on.

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Post subject: Re: What Mods/Changes have you made to your P Bass ?
Posted: Tue Apr 02, 2013 2:50 pm
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I modded my 03 P bass--- I removed the S-1 switching which is useless to me, I put an after market Maple Jazz neck on it-- some Dimarzio Model P's- a volume pot and a cap on the treble pot-- a shell pick guard- new knobs- a thumb rest in the 74 position-- vintage style tuners-- Fender sticker that I had made - I like it.


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Post subject: Re: What Mods/Changes have you made to your P Bass ?
Posted: Tue Apr 02, 2013 3:27 pm
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All the best sounding Fender basses I've owned had some weight. The Jazz Plus 4 was a heavy ash, and could handle my thumb. The JP90 on the other hand was a similar design(almost the same size body, jazz neck) and would rumble out. The light poplar wood couldn't handle it.


Last edited by Dalembic on Tue Apr 02, 2013 3:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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