Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
Welcome to TalkBass! Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Advice needed: Gassing for the Precision vibe but can't play them
- Thread starter ru32day
- Start date
You might try a Yamaha RBX 170 if you can find one. 42mm nut. It's a P/J but you can still just use the P pup by itself.
This bass isn't expensive by any means.
Really nice neck, lovely to play, not all that heavy.
Mine is pretty close to that P-bass tone (that little extra nice something in the low end). I like a warm,woolly and cozy tone. Which is what I am always trying to achieve.
I put Seymour Duncans in it. Took those out and put the stock pups back in because the stock ones sound better for that kind of tone.
Even with GHS Pressurewounds on it, it still sounds pretty sweet. (Waiting for the GHS to age further).
The newer Yamahas went to a 38mm nut.
(Edit:- If you like shortscales, the RBX 170 is a good "crossover" choice". It's a 34" longscale but feels a lot shorter when actually playing unlike some other longscales.
I have a pic in another thread where you can see that, overall, the RBX170 is the same length as a Jag SS. This is one of the the things I liked about it from the start.
The neck is very comfortable but has more meat on it than Ibanez skinny necks.
So you don't get that sometimes "waivering note" that you get on certain Ibby SR's due to neck flex.)
This bass isn't expensive by any means.
Really nice neck, lovely to play, not all that heavy.
Mine is pretty close to that P-bass tone (that little extra nice something in the low end). I like a warm,woolly and cozy tone. Which is what I am always trying to achieve.
I put Seymour Duncans in it. Took those out and put the stock pups back in because the stock ones sound better for that kind of tone.
Even with GHS Pressurewounds on it, it still sounds pretty sweet. (Waiting for the GHS to age further).
The newer Yamahas went to a 38mm nut.
(Edit:- If you like shortscales, the RBX 170 is a good "crossover" choice". It's a 34" longscale but feels a lot shorter when actually playing unlike some other longscales.
I have a pic in another thread where you can see that, overall, the RBX170 is the same length as a Jag SS. This is one of the the things I liked about it from the start.
The neck is very comfortable but has more meat on it than Ibanez skinny necks.
So you don't get that sometimes "waivering note" that you get on certain Ibby SR's due to neck flex.)
Last edited:
Yes that is my Peavey Fury with Chromes. Those Chromes were really ringing when they were new.
Oh, Jazz width isn't a problem for me - I also have a couple Fender Jazz basses I like and play... I just prefer 1 and 5/8" nut width if I have a choice - my new to me '83 L2k is 1 and 11/16" at the nut, and I like that, too... My hands aren't particularly big, but I play 5 strings a fair amount - so narrower necks just feel a little odd to me, although nothing I can't overcome...
The stock pups on my Fury are comparable to Duncan SPB-1s, so I left them in - I've owned a few USA Peaveys, and every one of them had nice necks with excellent fretwork...
Maybe so, but the total price still may be your best value - taking your specs into consideration...
Not everyone gets along with wider necks, so why buy something if there are more preferrable options for the OP? Also, a Jazz width P bass to some is more than "sort of like a P" - just sayin'... I do agree that anything can be gotten used to, but maybe the OP doesn't want to deal with that - his money, his choice... Lots of outstanding players have put Jazz necks on P bodies for years - nothing wrong with that, IMO...
Yeah, my Highway One and American Special P basses have slightly slimmer necks than a typical American Standard P does - and I prefer those slimmer necks...
Get a Fender Am Std P bass, Lakland Skyline P bass or Mike Lull P bass. My choice in ascending order. All with regular necks.
Get a strap that lets the bass hang correctly and get some lessons so you won't have to worry about how you can't play a P bass because of your fingers are too short.
Enjoy every moment of your new best bass.
Get a strap that lets the bass hang correctly and get some lessons so you won't have to worry about how you can't play a P bass because of your fingers are too short.
Enjoy every moment of your new best bass.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Yes that is my Peavey Fury with Chromes. Those Chromes were really ringing when they were new.
Can you still get a decent slap tone when they are a little more settled in? I am in a situation where I play with a band that does mostly modern and some classic (ie Boston) rock. I've been playing rounds, and would like to experiment with flats, but need that kind of ring for a few tunes.
Thanks.
Can you still get a decent slap tone when they are a little more settled in? I am in a situation where I play with a band that does mostly modern and some classic (ie Boston) rock. I've been playing rounds, and would like to experiment with flats, but need that kind of ring for a few tunes.
Thanks.
The slapping you heard from was on two month old strings, and my Fury is my main bass for lessons.
A suggestion for the OP:
You might go through 3 or 4 Precisions before you find "the one".
Especially if you're buying them new and taking a bath on depreciation each time you trade them in, you could lose thou$and$ of $$$ in the process.
Famous tech Rick Turner (Alembic!) used to do a nice side business in removing the low quality preamps from cheap active basses. He said that 90% of factory pickups sound fine, if you wire them up for normal passive operation.
Knowing how expensive everything is in Oz, why not pay a tech to make your Yammy passive?
If you get a good guy, he may even wire you up a bypass so you can go passive or active.
Dollars to donuts, if you put a set of flats or tapes on it, put it on the neck pickup and roll back the passive tone control about half-way, you'll get fat, warm tones that will more than satisfy.
Meanwhile, you've already gone through the depreciation cycle on the Yamaha, it's already paid for, and you're comfortable with it.
You might go through 3 or 4 Precisions before you find "the one".
Especially if you're buying them new and taking a bath on depreciation each time you trade them in, you could lose thou$and$ of $$$ in the process.
Famous tech Rick Turner (Alembic!) used to do a nice side business in removing the low quality preamps from cheap active basses. He said that 90% of factory pickups sound fine, if you wire them up for normal passive operation.
Knowing how expensive everything is in Oz, why not pay a tech to make your Yammy passive?
If you get a good guy, he may even wire you up a bypass so you can go passive or active.
Dollars to donuts, if you put a set of flats or tapes on it, put it on the neck pickup and roll back the passive tone control about half-way, you'll get fat, warm tones that will more than satisfy.
Meanwhile, you've already gone through the depreciation cycle on the Yamaha, it's already paid for, and you're comfortable with it.
Have you tried or heard about the Fender PJ Mustang? Made in Mexico. Has a great Fender sound. Of course it is a 30" neck. But sweet! I use it for a lot of my gigs! And they are reasonably priced!
Hi wise ones (and opinionated ones) of TB forums. Hoping you can give me some advice so I can start getting some sleep as the more I research and listen the more confused I'm getting. I'd even settle for "get your head out of your A.... - the problem is you and gear won't fix it!" if that's the right answer.
I have been playing bass on and off for about five years now, having been introduced to the instrument via a UBass and then a short scale Squier VM Jag. More recently I "graduated" to a full scale Yamaha TRBX304.
I love my Jag - light, easy to play and I think it sounds amazing (I've strung it with tapewounds). But lately I've been desperate for that Fender Precision vibe. I won't call it a sound (I've read the threads about what is a Precision these days anyway). The best way I can describe it is that hearing a Precision makes me feel like I'm lying on a thick sheepskin rug - supported by woolly softness, but not woolly sound. There's just something warm and wonderful about the vibe that this family of basses gives me and now I can't rest until I achieve "IT". I thought it was a matter of the right scale and a split pick-up in the middle, but the TRBX304, while it is beautifully balanced, great to play and also sounds lovely, also doesn't have "IT" (or maybe it does and I'm just not doing what's required to bring "IT" out of this instrument).
Significant issue is that chunkier necks and I just don't play nicely together. A few weeks ago I bought my partner one of the redesigned Yamaha BB's and I think it has "IT", but I'm not wholly comfortable playing it (it's close though).
I've tried various effects and multi-effects, but that hasn't worked out for me either.
So I'm thinking maybe I need a different instrument. I'm not flush with funds - this is more an act of desperation than a considered decision. So I'm looking at the low end of the market. Often there aren't options for me to demo (eg I had to order the TRBX by mail) and I'm not in the US or Europe so some stuff just isn't readily available here. Here are the options that I'm considering (mostly based on slimmer neck profiles and assuming that a key issue with the TRBX is the active vs a passive pickup), and any specific concerns about them:
- Squier affinity PJ (concerns - is it really a 1.5" neck? in some ads it says it's 1.625" ... with the affinity quality of electronics, will it "do" the sound I'm looking for, or will it be a bit thin?)
- Squier Eva Gardner precision bass - the only Squier PBass I could find that definitely has a jazz size neck
- Squier VM Jaguar in the full scale size (concern - will this sound any more like a P-Bass than the SS version?)
- G&L Tribute SB-2 (concern - some TB threads indicate the pickup is a lot hotter than a PBass. Does this mean it will sound more like the TRBX than a P-Bass - ie not "IT"?)
Or is there something I can do with my current instruments and EQ/effects or some other special sauce?
Anyway, sorry for the length of this - as you can maybe tell, I'm not feeling wholly rational ATM so if anyone can knock some sense into me I'd be grateful.
The SB2 sounds like a P when you solo the P pickup. The neck is fine for a jazz player.
I would suggest, however, that you just spend more time with a P neck and you will find that the nut width probably doesn't actually matter. Just like when you first started playing bass and new stuff was uncomfortable.
If you're a P-bass purist, the PJ Mustang won't give you quite the same punch as a Precision.
But with a P-bass pickup on the shorter 30" scale, this configuration gives you a slightly rounder, warmer version of a P-bass, which is exactly how most people EQ them anyway.
Since you've mentioned that you like short-scale basses and particularly your Jaguar SS, this could be a good way to go.
I can appreciate your situation. I've always loved the tone of Precisions and only in the last couple of years did I finally acquire that which I sought. I fell in love with an American Precision 5 at Guitar Center a little over 10 years ago, but couldn't justify the expenditure due to not playing out frequently. It just didn't seem right for me to drop that kind of scratch and only be a hobbyist. So, to scratch the itch, I bought a second hand Yamaha BB 415. It did a reasonable and respectable job approximating the tone I wanted for the 10 years until I bought my actual Precision.Hi wise ones (and opinionated ones
I have been playing bass on and off for about five years now, having been introduced to the instrument via a UBass and then a short scale Squier VM Jag. More recently I "graduated" to a full scale Yamaha TRBX304.
I love my Jag - light, easy to play and I think it sounds amazing (I've strung it with tapewounds). But lately I've been desperate for that Fender Precision vibe. I won't call it a sound (I've read the threads about what is a Precision these days anyway). The best way I can describe it is that hearing a Precision makes me feel like I'm lying on a thick sheepskin rug - supported by woolly softness, but not woolly sound. There's just something warm and wonderful about the vibe that this family of basses gives me and now I can't rest until I achieve "IT". I thought it was a matter of the right scale and a split pick-up in the middle, but the TRBX304, while it is beautifully balanced, great to play and also sounds lovely, also doesn't have "IT" (or maybe it does and I'm just not doing what's required to bring "IT" out of this instrument).
Significant issue is that chunkier necks and I just don't play nicely together. A few weeks ago I bought my partner one of the redesigned Yamaha BB's and I think it has "IT", but I'm not wholly comfortable playing it (it's close though).
I've tried various effects and multi-effects, but that hasn't worked out for me either.
So I'm thinking maybe I need a different instrument. I'm not flush with funds - this is more an act of desperation than a considered decision. So I'm looking at the low end of the market. Often there aren't options for me to demo (eg I had to order the TRBX by mail) and I'm not in the US or Europe so some stuff just isn't readily available here. Here are the options that I'm considering (mostly based on slimmer neck profiles and assuming that a key issue with the TRBX is the active vs a passive pickup), and any specific concerns about them:
- Squier affinity PJ (concerns - is it really a 1.5" neck? in some ads it says it's 1.625" ... with the affinity quality of electronics, will it "do" the sound I'm looking for, or will it be a bit thin?)
- Squier Eva Gardner precision bass - the only Squier PBass I could find that definitely has a jazz size neck
- Squier VM Jaguar in the full scale size (concern - will this sound any more like a P-Bass than the SS version?)
- G&L Tribute SB-2 (concern - some TB threads indicate the pickup is a lot hotter than a PBass. Does this mean it will sound more like the TRBX than a P-Bass - ie not "IT"?)
Or is there something I can do with my current instruments and EQ/effects or some other special sauce?
Anyway, sorry for the length of this - as you can maybe tell, I'm not feeling wholly rational ATM so if anyone can knock some sense into me I'd be grateful.
Depending on how much of a stickler you are for the Precision sound and what you're looking for, you could always go the Yamaha BB route (fairly inexpensive and the new model necks are supposed to be a slimmer profile), or you could go the Squire Precision route, even the Fender standard route. You can likely find either of the later two in used condition easily and for not much cash. Granted, in all of these cases, I personally hear a difference between my USA and the other options. The fundamental isn't as full and the mid range does not have the same attack, but that is where your individual preference comes in. You could go the Fender standard route, upgrade the electronics, nut and bridge and have a really, really close approximation of a classic US Precision. Who knows though, you might get one in your hands and it be just perfect for what you want/need. Can always modify or upgrade later if you want or need to.
Beat me to it. As much as I ownBBs and are nice modest "Fender killers" (some have reasonably slim necks) they're HUGE as of how they feel to play. A PJ Mustang is TOTALLY GAME ON for P tone on a short scale, to me it would totally pass a blind test. This sounds a little boxy on some settings but I've heard these in real life and there was no need dor any lowend overdo on the EQ, just solid user friendly P tone.