Hey hows it going guys as the questions states, i am wondering what bass(jazz or precession) works best for hip hop/r&b/pop/ and maybe a little mordern rock...I am not really sure if this is too broad of a question to ask , but any help you could provide on the topic would be great...
p bass vs j bass for hip-hop/r&b/pop
- Thread starter KohnWayer
- Start date
sevendragon
Grand Master
you play with pick or fingers?
you want a darker, lower tone get the p bass. also wider neck.
you want to slap and pop like marcus miller get the j bass. slimmer neck
you can also get hybrid setups.
for modern rock get a p bass and play with pick.
for old school jamerson (motown) basslines - p bass.
for new school funk (slap and popping) j bass will give you the clarity needed.
you want a darker, lower tone get the p bass. also wider neck.
you want to slap and pop like marcus miller get the j bass. slimmer neck
you can also get hybrid setups.
for modern rock get a p bass and play with pick.
for old school jamerson (motown) basslines - p bass.
for new school funk (slap and popping) j bass will give you the clarity needed.
ok thanks for the reply mna...and then my other question is, if i am using this strictly as a production bass(no live performances) will it really have that large of an impact wether i go with a p or a j...
I mean if i get a j cant i just eq it to give it a lower fuller tone rather than buying a p or is there something i am missing...
thanks for the help
I mean if i get a j cant i just eq it to give it a lower fuller tone rather than buying a p or is there something i am missing...
thanks for the help
![[Shizo]](/forums/data/avatars/m/14/14497.jpg?1611618699){kind=avatar}
[Shizo]
New member
Just to throw in my opinion,
Tone-wise, you could EQ both to get best results. However, the actual guitar structure is a bit different, so it will sound "technically" different. Or maybe not.
In any case, seems like you're just looking to pick one up without having played one yet. If that is true, then may I suggest you just go and pick up the one that feels most comfortable to you?
Tone-wise, you could EQ both to get best results. However, the actual guitar structure is a bit different, so it will sound "technically" different. Or maybe not.
In any case, seems like you're just looking to pick one up without having played one yet. If that is true, then may I suggest you just go and pick up the one that feels most comfortable to you?
M
matti-san
Guest
imo, jazz bass all the way.
J
juicemalone
Guest
Well a jazz bass will always give you versatility. For hip hop many bassists use jazzes, you can hear alot of live jazz bass on some of lil jon's cuts (a 5 string Sadowsky played by LaMarquis Jefferson, hes playing midi bass on lil jon's latest album though i think) and also the bass player on All Eyez On Me by 2pac played a jazz bass i believe. It can go from smooth to agressive pretty easily. The slap sound is also very clean and snappy which would definately come in handy at times in r&b and hip hop too.
A p-bass is not as versatile, but the one sound it makes has a way of just sitting right in the mix. Some producers dont care for the heavy, raw old school sound and feel that a jazz bass is easier to work with, but like all basses it really depends on your technique and style. Some of Jill Scott's tracks have p basses on them. "Whatever" is the best example i can think of for her. Another fan of the pbass is D'angelo its on quite a few his songs from Voodoo. Chicken Grease and just about all the other old school sounding bass sounds are a p-bass. Pino Palladino is the player D'angelos voodoo album and Whatever by Jill scott. He uses flatwounds on his p-bass.
a 3rd option would be a p/j bass with a precision pickup at the neck and a jazz pickup at the bridge. This will give you the most versatility. Its easy to get a deep sound that is still clear. Check out Stankonia by Outkast. lots of tracks with a p/j including Ms. Jackson and So Fresh So Clean, both played by a dude using a p/j (Preston Crump)
So it really comes down to what bass will emphasize the particular style you are going for, but you cant go wrong with either. The tracks i mentioned above should help you understand some of the capabilities of each of thhose basses.
This is good advice too, go to your music store and try both. The feel of a bass can be more of a deciding factor than the sound. Jazz basses have slimmer necks and pbasses feel chunkier.
You can eq the hell out of it but what really makes those basses sound like that is where the pickups are located, the type of pickups they use, and the type of wood too. Thats something you wont really be able to influence, but you can do some crazy things to the tone of a bass. Just dont expect to always be relying on eq to give you the tone you want or make one bass sound like another.
If the bass is just for studio i would reccomend a passive bass with just volume and pickup tone/blending controls. An active bass with an eq on it tends to give a much hotter signal and if you have not dealt with mixing live bass alot it can be a pain. Also the pickups tend to be much more sensitive to stuff like string squeaking and your fingers hitting the pickup, so unless your technique is on point you may find yourself doing alot of takes. On a passive bass string noise isnt as noticeable and it can even enhance the "live" feel of a bass track. These are some of the reasons that hip hop producers prefer passive basses and that alot of their samples are simple, old school ones. Some producers do use active basses though, Lil Jon's bassist uses an active 5 string jazz bass and Dr. Dre has had active basses on some cuts. They can be useful when you want the bass to really dominate the mix and influence the direction of the beat.
A p-bass is not as versatile, but the one sound it makes has a way of just sitting right in the mix. Some producers dont care for the heavy, raw old school sound and feel that a jazz bass is easier to work with, but like all basses it really depends on your technique and style. Some of Jill Scott's tracks have p basses on them. "Whatever" is the best example i can think of for her. Another fan of the pbass is D'angelo its on quite a few his songs from Voodoo. Chicken Grease and just about all the other old school sounding bass sounds are a p-bass. Pino Palladino is the player D'angelos voodoo album and Whatever by Jill scott. He uses flatwounds on his p-bass.
a 3rd option would be a p/j bass with a precision pickup at the neck and a jazz pickup at the bridge. This will give you the most versatility. Its easy to get a deep sound that is still clear. Check out Stankonia by Outkast. lots of tracks with a p/j including Ms. Jackson and So Fresh So Clean, both played by a dude using a p/j (Preston Crump)
So it really comes down to what bass will emphasize the particular style you are going for, but you cant go wrong with either. The tracks i mentioned above should help you understand some of the capabilities of each of thhose basses.
[Shizo] said:
This is good advice too, go to your music store and try both. The feel of a bass can be more of a deciding factor than the sound. Jazz basses have slimmer necks and pbasses feel chunkier.
KohnWayer said:
You can eq the hell out of it but what really makes those basses sound like that is where the pickups are located, the type of pickups they use, and the type of wood too. Thats something you wont really be able to influence, but you can do some crazy things to the tone of a bass. Just dont expect to always be relying on eq to give you the tone you want or make one bass sound like another.
If the bass is just for studio i would reccomend a passive bass with just volume and pickup tone/blending controls. An active bass with an eq on it tends to give a much hotter signal and if you have not dealt with mixing live bass alot it can be a pain. Also the pickups tend to be much more sensitive to stuff like string squeaking and your fingers hitting the pickup, so unless your technique is on point you may find yourself doing alot of takes. On a passive bass string noise isnt as noticeable and it can even enhance the "live" feel of a bass track. These are some of the reasons that hip hop producers prefer passive basses and that alot of their samples are simple, old school ones. Some producers do use active basses though, Lil Jon's bassist uses an active 5 string jazz bass and Dr. Dre has had active basses on some cuts. They can be useful when you want the bass to really dominate the mix and influence the direction of the beat.
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Y
youngjboy
Guest
great info
All these answers suck. The only way to know is to go the the shop and play them both. Decide for yourself what sound you like better. If you're trying to capture a sound that someone else is already doing...then you're gay. if you're trying to make YOUR sound, then listen to your ear. Easy peazy.
P Bass with the pickup on the bridge. Sometimes you could need of that bridge sound in your Hip Hop (R&B as well) tracks, blended with the Precision sound.
I have a Jazz with a '75 neck into a Line6 Bass Pod and it sounds great, but the P Bass bottom end is another story IMHO.
I have a Jazz with a '75 neck into a Line6 Bass Pod and it sounds great, but the P Bass bottom end is another story IMHO.
TWJMusic
New member
I've gotten good p/j results with a Line 6 Variax 5. But mainly for that 'duller' type of tone. And they're pretty darn cheap now.
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juicemalone
Guest
TWJMusic said:
Yea like $400 new right? Its a great deal. If i didnt like my steinberger spirit so much i would hit one of those up. Never got the chance to try one in person though. I could never find one in FL even when they had just come out and line 6 was marketing them hard.
I had a link somewhere to an r&b bassist that made a custom bass from scratch himself and threw the variax electronics in there.
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Filo
New member
If you're looking at buying one, the most important thing is whether it feels right for you. Go to your nearest guitar shop and try a few to see which you're most comfortable with - give the Musicman Stingray a whirl too, they're immense.