Decisions - Help Required!

I’m glad you got the Aria. All the best fun with it. :+1:

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It’s completely unsurprising that you can hear a difference - they are, after all, different basses. Not all P-basses sound alike either.

The question is, does your P/J (in this case, a BB734A) sound like a P-bass when biased to only the P pickup, and the answer is yes, very much so.

Also if you want to boost for more punch and thump, I recommend boosting the mids a bit - the characteristic P-bass sound is strong and rich in the low mids, and this is what gives them a lot of their punchy power.

Both of my P/J’s sound different than exactly what my P-bass sounded like, as they are different basses with different P pickups. But my P-bass also sounded a lot different from other P-basses, which also sound different from both of your BB’s.

P-basses aren’t a single sound, but rather there are tonal characteristics you can apply broadly to them and be accurate. I can guarantee that my MIJ Fender with a DiMarzio Model P in it definitely sounds different than, say, a MIA Fender with Fender CS pickups in it.

Can I make either the BB or the SBV sound like a P-bass? Absolutely. P-basses aren’t special for tone; they are just another bass with a P pickup.

The differentiating factor for them from most P/J is more in feel and heft than in tone.

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But only a P is a true P :slight_smile:

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Yes. But again, it’s not really about the tone. Getting the P-bass tone is easy - it’s the overall feel, heft and simplicity that set them apart.

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For a straight-up short scale P bass that’s not a Fender or Squire, the Schecter Banshee is really hard to beat. Great feel and tone. Mine gets a lot of use. I restrung it with La Bella DTFs .045-.105.

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Here’s a little game - which one of these is a P-bass? I promise at least one is. Let’s get some replies and I’ll reveal. I am very curious if anyone can tell.

They all sound like P-basses to me :rofl:

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#1 and #4 sound the least P bassy to me. #2 and #3 sound the most P bassy.

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@faydout? @MikeC? @Barney? Curious to hear your takes on which are an actual P-bass.

Like I said, they all sound like P-basses to me.

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I’ve only got a P Bass because it looks cool @howard

I’m completely superficial :sunglasses:

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I agree with @TheMaartian, one and four sound the least P bassey. Two and three the most, and of those, #2 sounds the most like a P to me.

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@MikeC, care to guess? Really curious if you can tell, as you feel a P-bass has a special tone different than a P/J.

what i was thinking lol

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Getting some great takes here, thanks to everyone for chiming in :slight_smile:

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don’t have a p to compare, i like my jazz’s :sweat_smile:

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I have no problem with being wrong… :person_shrugging:

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I’m with you on that. I have 3 ex-wives. I’ve been wrong LOTS of times. :laughing:

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I wouldn’t look at it as being wrong! Like I said, these all sound very much like a P-bass to me, because effectively they all are P pickups in roughly the same place.

Here’s the reveal in a spoiler block, I think this is a really illustrative set of example tones.

Bass #1: Fender Japan Hybrid II Precision Bass, DiMarzio Model P, tone 100%
Bass #2: Yamaha BB734A, YGD v7 P pickup 100%, Passive, tone 100%
Bass #3: Yamaha BB734A, YGD v7 P pickup 100%, Active EQ flat
Bass #4: Warwick Rockbass Streamer LX4, MEC P pickup 100%, Active EQ flat

Interesting exercise :slight_smile:

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On my phone speaker, 2 and 3 sound most similar, i.e., similar instruments. I would guess 4.

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What are the results?

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