Why do the session legends all use P basses? Here's why.

Ever wondered why so many top session bassists use P basses?

Ever wondered why certain producers and engineers almost flat out refuse to track with anything other than a P bass?

It's weird, right?

Well, in this lesson I've got a very special guest with me... the LA session legend, Sean Hurley. Bassist for the likes of John Mayer, Robin Thicke, Idena Menzell and many, many more.

And you're about to hear his story about the P bass.

About the time when he turned up to the studio with his active 5 string, cut the track... and then was politely told...

"great playing, but errrr... that bass sound... errrr... I'm sure we'll be able to fix it in the mix"

Bass. Players. Nightmare.

Let's be serious.

Any musicians nightmare!

Obviously, check out the video... and find out what happened next, and how it was a defining moment in Sean's career.

As always, see you in the shed...

Scott :)

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[IndigoBass]

“They loved my playing but didn’t like my sound”

Same mate, but they didn’t like my playing either!

[veerchasm]

This confirms it: I need to practice less and buy more gear 😉

[yisuskane]

I love the concept of "precision bass": one pickup, one tone, one volume... for everything.

[jaco]

Short answer: P basses provide a wide background fill sound, taking up a lot of space, yet not intruding and becoming overly prominent in the mix. They’re there ... but not distractingly noticeable.

There. Just saved you 11 minutes.

[xayekim]

My brother is a session guitarist who was in LA now in Nashville and he explained to me that as a session guitarist he has experienced people simply not liking the "look" of his guitar before he would even start playing. He would be tuning it and the engineers would ask him to play something else. He learned early on you just do not bring flashy guitars to recording sessions and you stick with looks that fit the musician or band you are playing for especially if you may be asked to join a stage band.

[markvincent]

I’m actually a guitar nerd, but deep down, I love bass the most, and learning stuff like this is rad.

[midinerd]

Starts at 2:25... I hope this era of several-minute intros goes away sooner than later.

[memoulloa]

I’ve always used squire p basses since I cannot afford the real thing. And they don’t disappoint at all. New strings and having everything in place makes the magic happen. Great video. Greetings from Mexico.

[YYLegend]

i've been primarily a guitar player, but over the years i found myself gravitating towards bass more and more. it's a gift that i found your channel man thank you.

[Anonymous]

I was asked to come back and play Bass on our church Worship Team after being out of it for years. I decided to fit my Mexican P-Bass with Rotosound Flats mainly to save my fingers. The sound got great compliments from the other Bass players and the sound guys. Pretty good combination.

[DotyString]

P bass is like a tele. It just works for everything

[johnglynhughes]

It took me over 40+yrs to finally get it: simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

[petercarlson]

I could actually listen to you guys for hours. This kind of in depth knowledge is hypnotizing to me almost regardless of the subject.

[soundmanks]

This points out something most musicians just can’t get. The most important job of an engineer is to create pockets of space for each instrument, in the mix. Active basses sound really amazing, but that high end “sparkle” totally interferes with guitar, snare, and some vocals. As nice as that sound might be to the player, if it can’t be dropped into the pocket between kick and snare, it will never sound like it really belongs there, and other instruments may suffer terribly. The difference between session players and everyone else is the willingness to do what is best for the project, and leave your personal feelings and preferences at the curb, outside. In fact, why not also be considerate of your band’s sound engineer, and allow him the same opportunity? What if it really does make for a better sound for the whole band?

[JM-qzyk]

Carol Kaye set the tone for LA studio hits. That's another factor. Producers want to chase that hallowed and authoritative tone of hers that fit so well in the mix. Flatwound strings appear on many more recordings than you'd expect if all you know is music store and garage band basses strung with rounds. She also used to put a piece of foam just in front of the bridge often when she used rounds to dampen sustain and remove the bright edge. Of course, Geddy Lee, Chris Squire, John Entwistle, Mr. Larry Graham all had different ideas and their sounds worked in the mix for the styles of their band. The real lesson is the producer and the engineer will decide what sound they want you to have, not you.

[Metalbass]

I watched this video a few years back and then bought a P bass. Having many basses in my stable from moderate priced to high end customs, to my amazement, the P bass ended up being the best in the mix. My whole bad agreed and I ended up exclusively using it on our second album that will be released soon. Thank you for making this video, Scott! I've been a Jazz bass guy for about 3 decades but this thing sits so good between the 2 guitars and drums.

[carlmontney]

I've played passive P's since 1970. Strung with either LaBella flats or RotoSound RS66's. Used them for ALL types of gigs, all types of music. Live and recorded. Never once has someone said umm your bass tone in the mix isn't fitting in.

There's a reason the Fender Precision has been used in thousands of recordings since it's Inception. It gets the job done period. That thick midrange punch cuts through. Leo created a winner!

[ericmarshall]

I couldn't stop laughing! I had almost the same experience when I started doing session work in New York back in the 80's. I was fresh out of a Rush tribute band, and showed up to the studio with my brand new 4001 Rick, and my Sunn 400 head wit my Ampeg 2X15 cab, and the engineer started rolling his eyes. He even commented about how he was going to have to "fix" the bass track in post. Later, he was cool enough to take me aside, and tell me to PLEASE go buy a Fender P bass. He explained why, and I listened. He also said I needed to study Donald Dunn. I listened to that as well. Best lesson I ever learned.

[trevorgrondin]

sean hurley is amazing. not only is he a talented player, but one of the coolest musicians i’ve met after a show. i met him in 99 when he was touring with Vertical Horizon. i don’t remember the rest of the band, but he was a class act.

[pappyodanial]

Thicke was like, I need this to sound more like that Marvin Gaye song, here use this P bass.