Classic 50s precision doubts

[summeralligator]

Hi guys, i'm posting because i have a lot of doubts about my classic 50s mim precision bass. The first is, the sound is very bright, this is cause of the wood of the neck? (maple) or it is cause of the wood of the body?.

The second is, that i use d'addario chromes 045 flats, the strings are new and i note that these have a lot of bright, i used them in my jazz classic 60s too, but on that bass the sound was mellow.

and third is that when i'm playing with fingers i note fret buzzes, this is rare cause i use high action. I mean, Michael league sounds great on p bass with maple necks, no fret buzzes. he use high action?

PS: It have Seymour Duncan SPB1 Pickups

 

[Slater]

Some basses sound brighter than others. It could be the neck. It could be the body. It could be both. Every piece of wood is different.

I don’t like D’Addario Chromes, so I won’t comment further on them.

It also seems like the bass needs a good set-up. Click on the link below if you need more info on that.
ALL BASIC SETUP QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE

 

[lz4005]

The first is, the sound is very bright, this is cause of the wood of the neck? (maple) or it is cause of the wood of the body?.

It is because you're using the wrong EQ settings. Turn the knobs on your amp until it sounds how you want it to sound.

 

[Marikk]

Make sure your set up is in spec. It can also be possibly the pick up in yours, your amp settings, effects?

Is it still overly bright when you start to roll tone off?

 

[Wisebass]

Hi summeralligator

The first is, the sound is very bright

That is not a problem! Your amp' s EQ can handle that!

The second is, that i use d'addario chromes 045 flats, the strings are new and i note that these have a lot of bright, i used them in my jazz classic 60s too, but on that bass the sound was mellow.

New strings will sound a lot brighter than old ones. The strings you had on your Jazz were older. To get a more mellow tone you have to play them for a while!

that when i'm playing with fingers i note fret buzzes

The neck profile of a P bass is very different from a Jazz! How long do you have your P bass?
Did you play the Jazz with the same "high action"? Your hands are not (yet) used to that?

Maybe you 're just playing too hard with your right hand,
while your left doesn' t have the required force to keep the strings from buzzing…? (just speculating here )

A "lighter" right hand and a lower action could be the solution.

Just my thoughts!

may the bass be with you

Wise(b)ass

 

[Yahboy]

Bright sounding bass need a set of Labella LTF4A which broken in sound out from pack.

Classic 50p has .1uf cap inside, try rolloff some tone.

 

[astralpen]

Try adjusting the pickups. A lot of folks overlook this very critical part of getting your instrument to sound its best.

 

[summeralligator]

Try adjusting the pickups. A lot of folks overlook this very critical part of getting your instrument to sound its best.

Hi, do you mean the pickup height?

 

[dagrev]

Chromes are the worst if you don't want bright and clank (IMO). I can imagine how new chromes and a bright bass sound! Many love them--I.... Well I won't say what I think of them for my tastes.

Early Pbasses tend to be bright and I imagine replicas are even more so. I have a 1955 that sounds best with TI Jazz Rounds. At least for now. They have good thump and no clank or bright zing. They are very light gauge. After changing cabs I had to try all kinds of strings that I previously liked but didn't work now. I ended up with the above strings. Wanted flats to work on this bass and GHS Precision flats worked best, but still lacked punch. These will really mello out the bright. (This bass has a Lawrence Q-filter installed. Not my doing. I think that might smooth things out too much and make it a little lifeless. That has been there since the 70s, but I'm going to change that and the Bourne pots.) Anyway, Previously TI Flats worked pretty well on this bass. In the 80's I used Rotos, but that's not my thing now.

I have a Regenerate Heritage Plus (think modern take on a '55 w/Nordy PUs and pre amp). GHS Pressure wounds sound fantastic on that bass. So much so I don't even consider wasting money trying something else. These will tame the bright as well but maintain a round wound sound if you want it.