Let’s talk about P Basses (and my Freddie Washington Obsession)
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While Leo Fender will be forever revered for his iconic electric guitar designs, without doubt his greatest contribution to the advancement of popular music was unveiled in October 1951 – the first year of the Fender Precision. Today’s podcast is a reminder of why the P-Bass has remained the ‘go-to instrument’ for so many bass players, for so long. What can we possibly say about it that you don’t know already?
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Video Breakdown:
00:00 – Introduction
04:00 – Freddie Washington / Anita Baker – Sweet Love
05:36 – Practicing Time Feel
08:50 – Scott’s Reggae Gig Story
10:50 – SBL Reggae Bass Course w/ Danny Mo
13:00 – Derrick Hodge
14:30 – Ian’s Thoughts on Groove & Time
18:00 – Scott’s Approach to Practicing Feel
19:22 – Post-Surgery Experience
23:45 – New Music Projects & Gear
25:55 – Scott’s P Bass Thirst
28:00 – Forget Me Nots
31:00 – P Bass Hatred Phase
33:54 – P Basses With Roundwound Strings
37:32 – Scott’s P Bass History
42:30 – The Differences Between P Basses
44:00 – Neck Carves
52:00 – Scott’s P Bass Woes
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#bassguitarlessons #bassforbeginners #easybasslines
#Lets #talk #Basses #Freddie #Washington #Obsession
Originally posted by UCWTj3vCqkQIsrTGSm4kM34g at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOoi7-cN0-c
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Hated the P bass so much, even hated the look of it. But after your podcast about p bass I'm playing a bunch of stuff in our local musical ensemble on a P, and Loving it!
I got into a fight with a lady friend once because she refused to understand the virtues of Tony Levin. This intro has made me do some self reflection. New year, new me! I'm gonna find a girl that gets it.
just want to say to Ian there is a bit of US fender extreme love here always… neglecting Fender Japan : on the neck size thing ONE should never forget the Japan fender a little norrower : Afterall if it wasnt for Japan, Fender would probably not exist after 1985. so should out to possibly the BEST fender P bass and BEST Fender gtrs and Basses EVER.
hahaha this is crasy : this is contagious. Just bought yet an other a bass. and guess a P bass. I wanted a vintage Japan PB62-70US the good year- THAT is excalibur, but didnt succeed to find one and the right condition so ~I imported my second Fujigen NPB100 2024 and it is phenomenal – absolutely superb.. it really confirms I dont want nor miss Fender and the Fender headstock.
Scott, if you EVER think about selling this P Bass contact me first!!! We find a way to get us both happy ❤❤❤
So I've always (since I played in a big band jazz band in highschool) I visioned the band being in a wheel. The drummer was hitting right on the bottom (on time) the keys were laying back just "slowing the wheel" but I was balancing them out leading the wheel. But on ballads it was just the opposite…..
Holy shit….not what I expected at all. I grew up hearing this as Anita Baker was a staple in my household. I feared making the record skip for my father's wrath. I'm realizing now I should have listened closer to what became my true love, the bass line.
Nope. I started on pbass with flats in the early 90s and I thought every new bass I played in stores and the hifi bass sound was like chewing on tinfoil….
Love this conversation! Every time I was slapped around about "time feel" or where you are putting the beat was a huge moment in my understanding of being a musician and bass player. It's maybe one of the hardest things to develop.
I was the lead guitarist/singer of a band in the early 2000s. Our bassist used one of those active 5 string modern basses forever. Never sounded right. He quit and we had no bassist. A friend loaned me his backup Pbass, 70s and weighed as much as a boat, and I covered bass duties. Suddenly the bass sound was just there. We carried on as a trio for years with me being the bassist and using a 57RI Pbass I bought on that same tour. Still have it. Every other instrument has come and gone but that old P just stays.
I think the thing about bass is… the notes and movement have to feel natural. If it doesn't sound or feel like so, then it's off. Same with a drummer in a way.
It's almost like guitar soloing. Me personally, I'm a guitarist but solos ain't where it's at. But when it's a natural force that comes in, it becomes amusing.
There was a bluegrass/folk band that I went to go see once. Guitarist was all over the place and it ruined the music. Bassist and drummer wasn't even in the same groove of chaos…
It's all about the groove and timing.
I just disconnected the bridge pickup from my PJ type bass!????
I just want to say how much I love you guys man. I really enjoy these meaningful conversations and your jamming back and forth not just about bass, but about life and music. I've been playing bass for 30 years, since I was 13 years old, and I feel like when I get home after a long day and load up one of these SBL videos, that I can share in the joy and musical comraderie that you guys have and just in taking such pleasure in the electric bass and everything to do with it. You guys are awesome and thanks for sharing your good times and friendship with us all!
Get the 59!!! we only get one spin!!!
Is it the '59 P that Andy Baxter has for sale at £15k? Go on just get it. What's the worst that can happen? Your wife leaves you and takes the kids. She takes the house and kicks you out. Your living on the streets cold and hungry. No friends, no love, no hope.
BUT YOU'VE GOT A FECKIN '59 FENDER PRECISION!!!!
The passion and the joy that you guys bring to music and bass playing is unprecedented in the online world.
Theese 2 cucks blow eachother over zoom
Awesome! I recently stubbled on this interview – I was awestruck never having heard of Ready Freddie. God like – yes sir. If there was ever perfect bass playing – this man has done it. He IS the pocket! Thanks Scott. Your channel has given me SO much joy and inspiration. Much love
I wish I had a pound for every time Scott mentions Gary Willis ????????????????
Also, can Pino do anything wrong?
P bass with flats (with LA Bella 760FL ) just fits with everything I record with it!
Been learning double bass, by tracking one challenging tune every day for weeks, evaluating pics, time and feel on DAW, seems very worth while…
LOL- 'all the way back there' – I like that, but, recently playing clave, no, no, no, front side needed! Eye opener, very different than jazz, reggae, even funk… !?!?!? The Hodge story feels like it validates my jazz part of statement…. my Timbalero wants me to be aggressively in front (we have no set, kick)…
I didn’t get passive basses at all until recently. This is all pretty new to me, but I came in convinced bigger sounds had to be better. Well… I got a big of an education and ended up picking up my first American Pro passive P bass last night and I love this thing. It’s such an amazing sound and I love the simplicity, light weight, and the tone.
When I first started playing I hated the sound of a P bass. To me it was too mid forward and didn't have that big bottom end I wanted. One of the things no bass teacher ever taught me was tone and how to sit in a mix. It wasn't until I started listening to music critically when I noticed that many of the great bass lines were played on a P bass. I learned that mid forward growl is what made the bass stand out in a mix. When you're in a dense mix with guitars, keys, etc…a bass with a big round smooth bottom end will get lost…but a P bass always sits in the mix perfectly. I now own two P basses. One with flats and one with rounds. I also have a 5 string P/J which nearly always has the P pickup favored.
Yeah… my wife is a pianist, but she doesn't care for electric bass. I'll show her acoustic guitar videos though. ????
I also strongly disliked the p-bass for a years! I thought it looked amateur and sounded bad. Didn't help that a blue p-bass was the provided instrument in my high school jazz band. I much preferred a jazz bass. That is up until I discovered Pino and Tim in college and learned what a p-bass was capable of. Now it's my bass of choice. Kind of interesting how the things we hate early in life turn out to be what we gravitate towards as we get older…
I learned to play on an old sunburst Pearl (Ibanez?) 1970s/80's lawsuit P-bass. Nicest bass I've ever played and I should never have let it get away from me. Still havent found one that adequately replaces it. I did get an SX and chucked a Badass High Mass bridge and a Fender greasebucket circuit in it and put flats on but….. nah, still not there.
Maybe one day I'll have another p-bass….
Hey Ian i noticed the Deep impact pedal on your shelf. What do you think of it.
Pretty good but you could have talked about P basses for much longer. Mostly because nobody else will talk about P basses with me for longer than 2 minute. They change the topic.
In my experience, I believe the first instrument you play is usually the one you stick with or go back to. My first bass was a 90's MIJ Fender 57 reissue bass. Years later I tried a few other dozen basses, but ultimately I always went back to my P. Punk, hardcore, Soul, Alt, rock, noise, the Precision fits in with practically any music genre without looking or sounding out of place.
Is that a lightsaber on the mantle over Ian’s right shoulder?
Thanks & great hangout guys ! The P bass does sit well in the mix for sure. Glad to see you're on the mend Scott. Would you chaps, incl. Shaz, consider doing similar videos for Jazz basses & PJ basses ? Stock up on mince pies, the season approaches ! ❤
I started on an Aria Pro 2 PJ back in the early 90s and always soloed the p pickup. Years later I have a 2008 Fender American Standard Precision Bass with D’Addario Chromes on it. The feel and sound is what I always go back to.
Jamerson, Babbitt, Duck. That’s why I started on a P. Nothing else feels or sounds right to me.