Some Stupid Questions From A Bass Player

[Bass Freak]

Ive been playing bass for about 8 months now. Im getting pretty good at it *or so I think*. Im the only one out of all my friends/family that plays bass so I have no one to turn to when I need to learn. Does anyone have any little tips or hints that could help me? Like I said, no one to gather mass amounts of knowledge from....Now for the questions!!!

1: Does the gauge matter for the strings? I use GHS Boomers 55-115. Does it make that much of a difference?

2: I want to change my pick board, becuase everyone has the black and white P-Bass. Do I just take off the strings, unscrew the screws, and change it, then re-screw and re-string? Or is there some catch.

3: Are there any better P-Bass pickups out there? I guess I have stock Fender P-Bass pickups now. Will it really change the sound that much if I get different ones?

Thats all I can think of for now. Thanks for all the help
~Freak

 

[foo]

Ive been playing bass for about 8 months now. Im getting pretty good at it *or so I think*. Im the only one out of all my friends/family that plays bass so I have no one to turn to when I need to learn. Does anyone have any little tips or hints that could help me? Like I said, no one to gather mass amounts of knowledge from....Now for the questions!!!
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1: Does the gauge matter for the strings? I use GHS Boomers 55-115. Does it make that much of a difference?

Yes it matters a lot. Heavier strings will give more signal, which will change the sound significantly. Lighter strings will have th eopposite effect, and will also change the sound. Different string guages will also affect the intonation of the bass - which is crucial to it playing in tune.
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2: I want to change my pick board, becuase everyone has the black and white P-Bass. Do I just take off the strings, unscrew the screws, and change it, then re-screw and re-string? Or is there some catch.

It's called a pickguard. I'm not sure how a P Bass is set up, but if the pickups are mounted on it, then it's not quite that simple. Dont' be afraid to take it apart, you don't have to remove th estrings just loosen them should be okay.
Make sure that what you get to replace it has exactly the same screw holes.
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3: Are there any better P-Bass pickups out there? I guess I have stock Fender P-Bass pickups now. Will it really change the sound that much if I get different ones?

Yes, there are other pickups. If you have a made in US bass, it (they?) should be pretty good. If made somewhere else, there are lots of better options, and yes they will change the sound a lot.
Good makes for bass are EMG and Bartolini plus others. I would suggest that you might want to learn to play for another year or so before you start changing pickups, then you'll have a better idea of what you really want.

foo

~Freak

 

[Guernica]

Hey freak

1. Oh yeah, as mentioned above.

2. The pick guard isnt attached to the pickups on a P. You dont have to take off the strings, just unscrew the pick guard and slide it out... walla!

3. Pickups will make a drastic change in your sound. Be careful here..... If your new to this and play w/ your fingers, your "touch" probably isnt real great yet. ....Dont go active, it will be too much for you to keep under control. Get a good strong passive p/u .....like a seymore duncan 1/4 pounder....
.....I kinda preffer passives anyway, but thats prefference.

good luck


g

 

[eyeslikefire]

BTW, There are no "stupid questions" here man.
Unless of course you're asking what the best mic is for under $100.

 

[Osbick Bird]

On a P-bass, the tone/volume knobs and output jack are attached to the pickguard. Since these are attached by wires to the pickups, BF will need to be careful. This may seem elementary but given that BF is new it may save him from yanking wires loose or whatever.

Bass Freak, you'll have to remove the knobs (usually a small allen setscrew in the side of the metal knobs), then remove the nuts securing the control shafts and output jack to separate these parts from the pickguard. It's not hard to do.

Also, I have removed and replaced pickguards by just detuning the strings to where they have plenty of slack in them to allow removal of the guard--this way I didn't have to take them off.

I am using EMG actives in my Squier bass. It was a toss-up between these and a hot passive pickup, but I was hoping the stronger output of actives would help reject outside noise and interference on recordings. They sound terrific compared to the stock pickups, but I have not tried a hot passive pickup (like a SD 1/4 pounder) to compare. I'm really happy with this bass as it is right now.

Good luck,

OB