If you could only have 5 Basses… 

Phil, just want to say thanks for being a consistent source of positivity and intelligence on the internet. I feel like your channel is the equivalent of a quiet, unknown basement bar in the middle of a loud and bustling city where everyone is yelling about their 'grindset'.

Music Man! My number 1 for over 20 years is a EBMM Sterling, and it's my favorite bass I've ever played. Keep up the good work!

P bass all day long for me on this song. What a great video, as always. Love the idea of a pick vid.

P bass sounds best imo. Great video!

I would like to see a video about stage presence and your thoughts about it. I struggle with looking like I fit in. Keep up the good work and awesome content!

Your video drops are my favorite on RU-vid. Please don’t stop doing what you’re doing, Brotha. 🙏🏼

Ooo yes! A video about different picks!

I agree on most, but I got to have a 5er. That low B in a large band brings a whole different dynamic range that when used well really helps a band. That being said, the first time I did real studio time I found that all my fancy active stuff struggled to find a mix spot and my P just instantly worked. A P is really all you need, but I like my options.

Great video and great comments, too. I’d recommend this bass channel to all bass players not matter what level, or style, of player you are!

The Dunlop Prime Tone 1.5 is my recommendation. I switched to it after struggling with all kinds of picks. I don't know why, but I always had problems with the grip, the sound they give you, the feel, and the look. Before that I played for 4 years with a pick similar to the Fender Heavy you showed in the video. I play p bas single coil with flats, and use prime tone pick, and am absolutely happy with the feel, clear sound prime tone gives me. It is just a good and modern pick for p bas as for me 👌. Highly recommended for everyone to try

I would thoroughly enjoy a deep dive on picks, thanks Philip.

I have multiple instruments. But, you only need one. The one that is consistent, reliable and (most importantly) you love to play. Options are nice to have, but you really don't need to have 10's of thousands of dollars of gear in order to successfully record in the studio or play live across multiple genres.

I was initially thinking the Jazz Bass or the Precision Bass, but when you turned the Mustang Bass way down, it instantly morphed into the sort of invisible but influential force that every bass part wants to be. The Moog sound came close to doing that as well.

I really enjoy your videos, especially the modification vids. You have a pleasant voice and vocal mannerism.

love the Big Stubby pick (Dunlop 3.0)... and yes, a video about picks is due

I just want to say that I completely disagree with the whole, "the P-bass is not versatile" argument. I see this a lot, so it's not just you. You said it's the most recorded bass ever, which is true. It may even be the most recorded guitar ever. The P-Bass has been used in every genre of music since it's inception, from pop to death metal. You can easily change the tone of the instrument with your technique. It sounds great with any string type. It sounds great with any amp type. It sounds great with pedals. The P-bass does it all.

I always enjoy your compositions on your channel, and I loved this one. I really appreciate how musical and appealing they are. All the bass choices here sound amazing…to me, a good P bass just feels like as good a sound as you can get. Maybe not the best for any possible situation, but it is at least really good for any situation. Also, as mentioned before me, thanks for your positivity - it’s always a treat to watch your videos.

great video! And yessss, do de pick differences! I'm in a pick crisis at the moment and that would be very helpful. Thanks, Philip!

Hello Philip ! What's missing is a good fretless. ^^ Fretless JB + Short Scale cover about all my needs here.

I agree with 5, but I'd choose different ones: 1) Passive longscale with flatwounds (probably a P) 2) Active longscale 5 string with rounds (something that can also come close to a J and/or a StingRay) 3) Shortscale semihollow (your Rumblekat is perfect! Alternatively something like a Guild or a Höfner) 4) Fretless, maybe one with an additional Piezo pickup, e. g. a Sandberg Custom Thinline, the Ibanez SRD900F or an Esh 5) An upright (but a synth is also something great to have/be able to play) I'm only missing the upright. And once I get one, I might also need a new flat... 😅

My ideal 5 basses would be: 1. Stingray 2. Early 80's Ibanez Roadstar with PJ pickups & active preamp 3. Jazz 4. Rickenbacker 5. Shortscale with flats

For me, the P always works. The Moog is also so nice for the track you made.

I actually only have five at the moment. '74 Rickenbacker 4001 with TI Jazz Flats, '80s BC Rich Warlock that was my stage instrument but is out of order because of a seam separation on the headstock, '89 Jackson Concert that is serving as the Warlock's backup, '00s Schecter C4-XXX that I replaced the active tone with an Underhill (Alembic style) preamp, and recent Ibanez electric upright 5-string.

this video was so so helpful, listening ur eq curves fucking helped big time man, im not a pro but im full of wonder and addicted to tone, great video

The cool thing is you make all of these basses work and they can all be excellent choices depending on what you play. I’d definitely use synth bass on this song’s bridge and/or chorus. Yes to a pick video!

Huge fan of your channel! Fellow gigging bassist here. Love your insights and commentary.

Very cool as always. Would love a pick video!

Great video! Super cool philosophy to finding the right tool for the job.

I really liked the overall feel of the P Bass, though none of them sounded bad, they all fit the mix and were interesting. Thanks for the viddy! Be good to you!

The semi-hollow almost sounded like a P with rounds! I like to use 4 basses; a P with flats and one with rounds and a Jazz with flats and rounds. Over time I found that those cover all sounds need. (Although I’d love to own a Stingray, Mustang bass etc etc haha)

This is a great video! And i wouldn't mind hearing more about picks. I've been strictly Fingerstyle but that leather looks like a good option for me to try! Might be cool to do more things along that same line too...

Me, a modern rock and metal bass player: 😶.. i think I need a 6th one. Honestly, they all sound lovely. I really like your videos and usually come here to get another perspective, and for the down-to-earth-ness and the vibe.

Excellent video tku. Love wheeling around on my J bass but I always crave that smooth “thing” and go back to my P bass. My feel and groove cleaned up and I truly relaxed after making the P bass my primary. Playing live just seems to feel better as well.

For this song i would say that short scale sounds the best but I'm betting the strings are a big part of that. Thanks for the video!

One of your best videos, yet!

Excellent content, thanks.

You ve convinced me. I need to add a short scale bass.

Great video as always! Would love a pick video!!

The 'which bass' for this song is an interesting thought - I'd go two ways but it depends on the overall picture. If this was the chorus but the song doesn't add any more drums/percussion (namely a low kick) I'd go synth as it fills out the low end. If later I knew there was going to be a deep mellow kick I'd go with the Mustang bass or the Semi. But as you say it's all about the context of what the songs about etc - lot of factors but the important thing is to know your place in the context of the track!

Yes! Pick video, please!

Love that synth bass!!! So cool! a video on that would be amazing or a vid on other "Bass Roles" as you called it would be great.

I got 5 basses. I must admit the look of a bass creates the need to covet but all 5 have a different sound. Older vibe that’s versatile, has to be my ‘78 Jazz Bass.

Current set up of 3: 1) Fender MIM Mustang PJ (flats) 2) Fender MIM Jazz (round) 3) Squier Rascal (tuned to BEAD, round) But to expand some tonal options am looking to add a proper mustang bass, potentially a Gretsch hollow body bass, and a fretless U-bass. Not sure which one I'd cut from the list to get down to 5 though.

My top 5 basses every player should own 1. P bass 2. Active Stingray style humbucker 3. Jazz bass 4. Any body with Rick style pickups 5. And lastly, I’d agree with synth.

Thank you for this nice and smooth video. Very interessting. Greetings from Germany.

Dude I've been experimenting with piccolo bass and I'm in love. Despite what the internet says, I used a 34 scale passive p bass lol. I got a new nut and saddles too

I know a lot of people are saying the P bass is the best, but honestly I think the Mustang sounds the best based off of the tone of the song without lyrics. Like you said, vocals would drastically alter that decision. Also feel like the jazz bass is almost there, with the right effects and maybe some pickup adjustments it could do what the P bass is doing with slightly more articulation. Really informative, my only playing experience has been with my jazz bass (and a cheap slap bass from back in highschool) so it's always interesting to hear different clean tones.

When it comes to basses, I have somewhat the same kind of arsenal. My semi hollow is a Guild Starfire II. And I love my Höfner Club with d’Addario tapewounds, wich supply a more airy tone (more highs and high mids) to a bass that is fairly boomy and woolly with flats. I do not own a vintage ‘66 P 😄. But I do have a bunch of great Fender P’s from a later date. That provides me with lots of extra options like having them with rounds, flats and tapewounds. Same with Jazz basses. I’m totally with you on the synths! They’re great: by themselves and for learning even more about what bass is or can be in music. (I’m just nuts about analog synths (love the Moog!) and their sounds in every way, from modular stuff to my own trusty Bass Station. I wish I was better at using them... 😆) I wouldn’t ad anything, really. Well, perhaps a long scale Fender ‘51 style bass with a single Darkstar pickup. Totally different sounds altogether and my personal favorite. Mine has flats on it. 🖖

The more airy tones comming from the gold foil pickup in the Epi are just the right addition to your arsenal of tone palettes these basses provide! With all of the upgrades you did on this bass through the years you’ve made some really great decisions. And it’s a beauty too. I’m sure the original designer of this bass you’ve made your own through the years would love it too. It doesn’t look customized at all. It just looks like it’s designed that way. 🖖

this just reinforcing my gear acquisition syndrome. thanks!

They all sound great. I'm a P-bass enthusiast but the J-bass sounds great as well. Difficult to choose 🙂 The synth bass is also really nice. To be honest I would buy all 5 basses.

Honestly, on that track and with that bassline, I'd love to hear a fretless. But out of the optipns in the video, the synth bass suited the track best.

In the words of Timothy B. Schmitt. "Bass should sound like bass". I am almost always drawn to my P Bass for most things I do. I have half flats on my P Bass and flats on my J Bass. To be a little different I have a set of dead rounds on my Hoffner which gets that thump that only it will get. Now for a real rock sound I use my Music Man with 2 P/U's and rounds. It works best if I'm going to crank the distortion. You've got an ambientesque track going on here and I would have to go with the J Bass (mix of both P/U's and tone turned down) with delay, chorus and some reverb.

I’m really into short scales for the same reasons mentioned throughout the video. I feel like they can be really great all around basses if you have a two pickup configuration

In my opinion (talking about bass guitars): 1. P bass 2. Jazz bass 3. Something modern/active (ideally with a hum-cancelling design) 4. A 5 string (with a low B please and thanks) 5. Something fun of your choice (6. A synth bass still) I will always say a P bass as it just covers so much ground so easily especially in the studio and it’s just harder to sound bad than good on them. As far as options 2,3 and 4, they can all be squeezed into 2 potentially even 1 bass for people who don’t have the money/space to buy all these instruments. As a performing bassist though a 5 string is incredibly clutch. I mostly play gospel where most musicians play by ear and they throw a lot of nonsense at you like last second key changes. A 5 gives you more flexibility to play difficult lines in more keys without messing with the shape and it will save you in a lot of cases. Active preamps are also great live in a pinch (use them sparingly though please).

I use the smaller version of that purple 3mm pick (Dunlop Stubby vs Big Stubby). It gives the pick gurgle tone without sacrificing low end.

I don't think you turned down the Mustang's Volume _too_ much! To _my_ ears, it was sitting much better in the mix like that. And really also just as a _supporting_ instrument, rather than a lead bass at that louder setting. I liked that a lot! 😍 My favourite sound was the JazzBass', though: I like that it had more definition than the P-bass and the Mustang. I would just turn its Volume down in the mix a little 🙂 Quite cool also the synth bass sound! 🤩👍

Nice video on different sounds from basses. I prefer the jazz bass i play due to the variation i can get. It has active pickup but is switchable to passive. So I can get lots of variation. For my gigs the middle between pickups works. I may try going more bridge or neck and see what that does for my sound. All of the basses you have have a place and time to shine.

A video about picks sounds like a good idea to me ;)

It's interesting that I haven't seen active basses make an appearance on this channel. Also, I want a picks video!!!!

As I watch this video, a group is playing on the today show and the bassist is coincidentally (or expectedly) holding a sunburst P bass. It’s just the standard!

I would love a different types of picks video. A guitar player buddy of mine gave me some felt pick and it completely changed the way I approach my flat strung p-bass. Never heard of a leather pick before, but will definitely check em out now

Great video! You have an awesome stable of tools (basses & synth) for a wide range of creative options. I would love for you to do a video of maybe 2 other modern synth bass keyboards of a similar or smaller physical format that would be a proper substitute to your 1979 Moog Prodigy.

Yes, i want the pick video lol. Never heard of that leather pick.

The only bass I really care about is the Jazz bass. I've had a few different basses, but the one that I could play forever is my Squier 70s Jazz bass that I bought 10 years ago. It sounds like a Jazz bass because it is, and it was professionally setup so it plays great. I have no need for another bass, this one does whatever I want.

P bass for the win. I also like the shortscale and the synth. I think the reason is that the sat in the mix best. Of course, the others could have been eq'd to sit in the mix better.

I have a Jazz Bass. How did you mod it to use it as you say you did? Cause all Jazz basses I have tried myself and watched videos of, the blend function everyone seems to praise on Jazz basses does NOT work. Each pickup is either completely off or completely on, I have not found that the pickup blending works as advertised. Does that ACTUALLY work with your specific Jazz bass?

I've been playing for about 15 years and I've actually never owned a P bass, hope to change that someday

I don’t want to but I feel the urge to argue, that despite what a beautiful and classic Pbass you have, it’s not exactly what I’d say is a studio bass. The specific pickups and strings are very much a ‘select sound’ that perhaps suit a classic 60’s tone than the versatility of other decades or genres. I’d say most, not every, studio would probably have roundwounds and potentially a new pack on to record with. A jazz bass, I feel has more tonal range than a Pbass but not always “better” as any 60 cycle hum will be heard. Short scales are very boomy! Good if that’s what you want but is a niche sound. Semi Hollow, again, for most manufacturers tend to keep to a 30/32” scale than a full scale, so back to the short scale boomy sound but enhanced tone. The flatwounds again will have its own distinct sound and influence as much as versatility. The synth, fun to play and versatile for say a pianist to pick up and play without needing to know how to play a guitar but limited playability. I find an actual guitar has more freedom of play. Then again, in the studio the synth sound can be very clean and quick to use. I suppose when you think Muse used synths for some bass parts is a good example, despite how the “bass line”

I play a Jazz bass with the neck pickup all the way up and the bridge and tone halfway. I play mostly fingerstyle, but I also use a pick if the song needs it. If I need more bite, I roll up the tone. I have tried P Basses, but I am not comfortable with the neck of a P bass.

Precision bass is the winner ☺️ Yes, Pbsss is a one trick pony, but it performs a hell of a trick!!!

As a semi-hollow bass player myself (and I mostly only play semi-hollow), I wonder what different sounds you would get out of that one. I am more inclined to a Jack Casady/Phil Lesh approach to my fuzz tone (just selecting different pickups to get one style or the other), but I wonder where YOU would take it.

My five would be P Bass, semi-hollow, fretless, StingRay, and Rick. To me, the semi-hollow and short scale are a bit redundant. Optionally, the Rick could be replaced by a jazz bass. But the first four are no-brainers, imo.

what frequency am i hearing in the semi hollow? its higher than the p bass but not as clanky as the j bass. its really nice. bloomy.

I started on a P Bass, but then I found a 5-string Stingray HH, and i feel like people are sleeping on the HH Stingrays. With the active EQ and the 5-way switch, you can dial in A LOT of tones.

I’m leaning towards the Mustang or Semi-Hollow. I think they’re more conversational with a vocal line. The J bass, in this case, is a little too ‘in your face’ and The Precision is great for a solid bed of sound, but that’s not what I’m feeling with this track. Personally, I’m all about using the melody of a song to inform what I do on the bass. I know Macca in the later Beatles years would often re-record bass lines to fit melody and arrangement changes. Recently with the Moises app, I’ve been listening to a lot of tracks with just drums, bass and vocals. You’d be surprised at how many songs work beautifully with just those elements. 5 Basses: Stingray 5 / Jazz Bass / Precision (flats) / Fretless / Semi-Hollow (tapewounds)

This track has plenty of mid and high frequency content from the drums etc. So the P bass seems to fit the best to me by filling in what’s missing.

I play a weird ovation and my only input is something fretless is really useful to have floating around too

I just keep a P, a mustang, and a synth around at recording time. Just listening here shows what I wasn’t even thinking of. I usually like to be pre-mixed and out of the way. That said, I can get a great grind out of the P with some fresh rounds, so they aren’t really one trick.

I really, really want a Moog. Should I start a GoFundMe lol

Personally I think I would go with either the P bass or the Mustang. A video about different picks for bass would be really cool!

I liked all but the synth bass.. lol. cool variations

As the bassist and keyboardist in my band, I couldn't agree more with what you said about keys. They're like two totally different interfaces for the same musical territory

I already own a JMJ Mustang, it is my only bass. What would you say should be my next bass buy?

Where does the semi-hollow sit tonally in the spectrum from P-bass to J-bass? To my ear, it might be somewhere in the middle.

Good staight shooting videos Philip. With your semi hollow I like the distinctive really low frequency fundamental that come from a pickup placed way up the neck end. In this vid you didn't use the neck boomer though ?

Interesting video & choices. Had the P & J in there as industry standards but wasn't expecting the others. A lot of bands I've seen recently have been using MusicMan Stingray versions, so was expecting one of those - maybe a version. It did make me think, glad I'm not a professional player and can get away with more eclectic choices. If I had to suggest ONE essential bass it would be a very cheap 'acoustic' like the Harley Benton HBO-850. Why? Well it doesn't annoy the neighbours, if you like playing out and about its light & doesn't need electricity, finally it works well with other acoustic instruments played thoughtfully, other deeper bodied acoustic and semi-acoustic choices are available.

as a producer, i wouldve mixed the semihollow lower. i liked the synth and the mustang the best. synth final answer.

Been trying to get into synth bass. The selection and options is so confusing though. Awesome video. I’m weird. I use flats on a jazz but rounds in a P. Though I also have a I with flats. Wonderful basses.

Very nice video. Good ideas for bass players. As always defer to the producer, and bring a PBass, preferable a Fender (ive found some people are snippy abound none Fenders).

where’s the stingray! 😂

various finger tones vs various pick tones would be interesting.

Out of curiosity Philip, do you by any chance have the ability to borrow a 5-string bass? I'm curious what your thoughts would be playing after a month, considering you're generally a 4 string player.

Hey man, have you ever had to track anything in the modern rnb/pop/theater vein? Almost every cat in these genres play a 5 string but I notice you didn't mention it as an option, and I've never seen you play one. I think it's worth mentioning; I still see our favourite 4 string players like Sean Hurley/Time Lefevbre play them a lot. For reference, my fav players are Anthony Jackson and Nathan East etc so I guess we come from slightly adjacent sides of the session bass world. Just worth mentioning I thought (and my main basses are still 4 string fender style instruments).

Phil, thanks for the great videos; I see that Rickenbacker isn't mentioned in your top 5; did it simply miss the cut or are you not a fan of Rickenbacker basses? I'd say it's used by more players than semi hollow bodies, short scales, and synth basses. No criticism, I'd just like to hear your thoughts on Rickenbacker. I have a mexican p bass and I'm looking for a 2nd bass now. Keep up the great work

Any advice for someone who is just getting started?

I agree mostly, would probably just swap out the synth bass with an Active bass or 5 string

The lack of sonic versatility of the single P Bass pickup ... forces the *player* to become versatile. finger style: near the bridge, near the pickup, near the neck, control of note length and dynamics. slap, pop, pick, cordless drill, French bow, eBow, palm muting at bridge while playing with thumb, playing with thumb near the neck. also, Rickenbacker, MusicMan, G&L L-1000.

There's a company that makes large picks called purple plectrum which I would recommend to anyone who has a hard time with traditional guitar picks

I would love more video content about synth bass using actual synths like the Moog. A lot of contemporary Christian praise music utilizes synth bass. It makes for some sweet lines you can’t do with stringed instruments. We are bass players. The tools we use to produce the bass shouldn’t matter.