Why the First Electric Bass is Better than YOU Think!

[@davidyoung8875]

Leo Fender's first guitars and basses were made out of Pine, and that plastic bar was for anchoring your fingers to give your thumb more strength and leverage.

[@jasondorsey7110]

Pine, now there's a quality tonewood

[@chrisbatten8]

@@jasondorsey7110 Suffice to Say that there is Pine and there is Pine.....!!!!! & Slow grown Old Growth Pine is def likely to Be Significantly Superior to other Commercially Grown 'Tone Woods' Available today.....For instance I Played a Levinson Tele recently which on paper looked like it was Going to Be the absolute thing.....with Roasted maple neck stainless steel frets. But there was just something wrong with the density and hardness of the tone woods which made it So underwhelming to play it was really disappointing and I So thought I was going to be taking it home.....!!!!! Similarly for those starting to Carve their first few arch tops in the US where they do actually get proper wood a really well chosen close grained piece of pine is seen as a viable alternative to Spruce....& When Old turn of the Century Wooden Buildings are taken down in the US Quite often Guitar Builders are the first in the Que....For the Old Growth Very Slow Growing Pine taken from Primary forrest at the turn of the Century which simply isn't Available Any more....!!!! :)

[@andrewpappas9311]

I always loved the look of the early 50s P-Basses and the Telecaster Bass, they just look so cool and sound incredible. Plus I gotta give props to dudes like Mike Dirnt, Dusty Hill (RIP) and Sting for popularizing them in rock bands over the years

[@jameschristiansson3137]

Even Kenny Rogers, before he went schmaltz, played a Telecaster Bass. And really well.

[@andrewpappas9311]

@@jameschristiansson3137 Cool

[@hoagie73]

My favourite too! I currently have 2.....

[@andrewpappas9311]

@@hoagie73 Nice

[@murthisrikanth]

@@jameschristiansson3137is yfiy y

[@matthewellwood979]

I played the Sire D5 yesterday. It blew me away. I loved the feel and the tone. I nearly bought it on the spot. I am going to save up and buy it soon!

[@WS102]

I picked up the Squier Classic Vibes P-Bass shown in the video awhile back in Butterscotch clear stain and put on Dunlop flat wounds. I love that bass, it's awesome. The Fender Professional II Jazz Bass now sits in the rack most of the time. I really prefer playing the Squier and the tones it puts out.

[@gregedwards69]

it’s worth trying flat wounds on these basses too for that authentic 50s tone. It’s an acquired taste and doesn’t work for all genres, but it’s a great sound if you like that kind of thing.

[@ToddTheJoker]

I love the Squier telecaster bass. Great video guys and great playing as always!

[@MrLouisianaHayride]

What we call a thumb rest was originally called a Tug Bar. Leo envisioned the electric bass to be played with ones thumb while using the tug bar as an anchor for the other fingers. Heck, if bass players had not right off the bat tried using upright technique on electric, double thumb or picks maybe have become the "normal" way of playing.

[@RockandrollNegro]

Seeing as most bassists play with a pick, that is the "normal" way.

[@Dreams_Of_Lavender]

@@RockandrollNegro in what world do bassists mostly play with picks? Aside from metal, of course. Most bassists are gonna be playing fingerstyle or slap/thump.

[@chesterbe76]

@@Dreams_Of_Lavender like 99% of indie and almost all rock bands after the 70s? is joy division a metal band?

[@markmilner842]

I’ve got one of those Squiers. Great bass. Sounds better with Nathan playing it than me. 😂

[@BYLRPhil]

I played one of the Squiers yesterday and I was quite impressed!

[@totallyunrelated1292]

I started off on a Harley Benton p bass 54 clone and I can say that I absolutely love it, the thick neck gets you really good at getting proper notes and it kills fret buzz! Starting with that thick neck was a challenge, but now I barely ever get fret buzz and it makes sure your note placement is on point. Plus it looks sick.

[@philmatthews5569]

I opted for the Sire, in that same vintage white. The neck is just SWEET! And I put TI Jazz flats on it: thump, thump, thump :)

[@chrisbassman3936]

I think it was in 57 when it went to the split coil and stratocaster headstock shape. Also in 54 56 they added contours to the slab body to be more comfy like the strat. Rest was at bottom until leo noticed players moving it to the top so he made it standard on top in the 70s

[@Cam-zc2mk]

I love these two. Such a great duo

[@emichaelnd]

I don't even play bass and I watch these just for the entertainment. they're great.

[@ToddTheJoker]

@@emichaelnd Same

[@CW0123]

Step father and son vibe 🤗

[@golfinglibrarian]

RIP Nathan. Hi Cici!

[@HenryChauhanDrums1]

What amazing energy between the two of you!!

[@tomjohn3364]

It's known as a tug bar. They originally wanted you to just use your thumb to pluck the strings.

[@barclaybass2327]

Way to do your research, Andertons!

[@TheMlvswoll]

The notion was play with your thumb as you would only be hitting root notes or so they thought until a good player picked it up and ripped on it. Lol

[@rickrolli7091]

Yes. The Tug bar allows you to use your thumb so you can get those deeper tones. Which is what those classic and vintage songs sounded like.

[@stevem-h3562]

I never thought I'd say it, but I think I preferred the sound of the Squier. I'm GAS'ing for a Sire, but not this one.

[@RobCrawford23]

A lot of early Teles (and some reissues) were pine and are very highly thought of.

[@honeyyeti5292]

Bringing the funk into Friday…..just need a beer…

[@e4tm333]

I have the squier classic vibe In sunburst, it’s absolutely amazing 🤩

[@RQBassist]

Can confirm the Sire D5 feels amazing for the price tag. I personally have upgraded the electrics to a bareknuckle '52 Stagger P with CTS pots and .047 orange drop tone cap which gives the low end more control and its cuts with more punch. But that is as a left handed rock bassist with very limited choice to go at. I would say the bass is absolutely worth it 👌.

[@PhullyNo1]

The way your sentence is constructed it sounds like you’re saying the .47 uF cap gives you more low end more punch. Can you explain that?

[@RQBassist]

@@PhullyNo1 No it is more the pickup in that regard for the cut and punch. The tone cap does have an effect on how much high is there 0.047 is generally right down the middle and 'standard' for basses as far as my knowledge goes which is purely what sounds good to me. Higher value cap more high end cut off, less value more high available. Has to be said I am certainly not an electrical engineer haha.

[@PhullyNo1]

@@RQBassist I don’t have a tele bass so I really have no point of reference other than watching videos like this one. I couldn’t find a shoot out with your pickup and standard single coil they come with. But I’m a curious person by nature.

[@nooneassuch]

Bought the Squier on a whim last year cos I liked the colour. Is now amongst my fave basses. (It was a bit too shiny but I fixed that with some 800 grit wet & dry…)

[@MJuniversHD]

Show the result!

[@LouisMenotti]

Please, if you get the chance, compare the Squier CV to the new 1954 American vintage reissue. I'd love to get a grasp on the differences between those.

[@yuriyrash8398]

Had a "classic" P-Bass, had a really good Yamaha Broad Bass and now I play a Squire tele bass and it's my favourite 😌

[@michelvanbriemen3459]

That finger rest reminds me of those old old videos where bass players are holding the neck of the bass all the way up to their ear. Tonnes of people who got a bass in the 50s will have been double bass players and fairly used to the upright position.

[@robertsuggs2510]

Hey guys,,,i have the squire one with the MUDBUCKER in the neck position & it is a beautiful sunburst Monster,,,THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEO,, from Arkansas usa 🎸🤠

[@ss-gc9qq]

Tower of Power - Down to the nightclub!

[@mildmanneredjanitor0]

Absolutely brilliant track.

[@Docsjeff]

I just bought one of the Fender Vintera II Telecaster basses and Absolutely Love it! I also uncovered another little gem. I’ve been using all different brands of flat wound strings……then I bought a set of Fender flat wounds and they are like SILK. Try a set and you will be amazed how smoothe they are. This Vintera II Tele bass has 1 Humbucker pickup and it is a nice Deep Bass tone. I love mine!!!

[@Mark_Ocain]

I like this take on the old-school P bass...reminds me of why folks like Sting and the late, great Dusty Hill liked the sound from this simple setup! Plenty of snap and growl here to be had. Bill Wyman used to thump pluck in his prime so maybe he could have enjoyed the possie of that 'thumb rest'. As for the muted sound, players often stuffed rubber or something after the bridge to get that sound.

[@dukkedusse]

actually the '51 P bass only got contoured in '54 and stayed like this till '57... it's only then it got the split pickup

[@Chitosmon]

You Sir have it right! I think it’s amazing how many people just get it completely wrong! The history on the Precision is easy to find. Yet so many are just out to lunch on it.

[@MarkArandjus]

What's amazing about electric guitars is that they got them right from very early on. Cars, computers, phones, televisions, cameras, washing machines, etc. they all needed over half a century before they arrived at something we'd call 'modern' or 'sophisticated'. Meanwhile Fender and the likes were out there nailing it at the start. You can take a 70 year old instrument (if its in good condition) and nothing about it would feel primitive.

[@josephbelcher2568]

The sound of those Telecaster bass pickups stands out more than a split P-bass pickup.

[@anonymoisius]

The tug bar on Fender basses moved to the top in 1973.

[@ThinkingFaces]

that head design is still unbeatable.

[@jonnyrebb]

Aesthitics play a big part for me, so I would choose the Fender. More rounded body and pick guard, plus I gotta have that Tele headstock.

[@jerrymckenzie1858]

I have the Squier and it's great!

[@mlchaelphelps1158]

You have to keep in mind that the electric bass, not bass guitar ( what ever that is) was originally made for the lead guitar player, not the bass player which was playing upright at the time during ww2. At that time guitar players were looking for work but couldn't find it, this also was the big band error where the melody section was quite well covered with horns and piano. There would be an upright bass in the corner collecting dust( i guess the bass player was off fighting the war) the guitar player would try to play it but it was a bit of a challenge. The cry went out for an instrument a guitar player could play that was like a guitar, and Leo Fender made it happen in 1951.

[@theroadhogs6227]

1954 was when the bass was given a countoured body like the strat which was introduced that year. 1957 was when it changed to a split coil pickup, larger headstock and different scratchplate...... #nerdalert

[@sagittated]

I would love to see a video comparing the fender American performer mustang bass vs the Gibson SG Standard bass.

[@theattentionwhores2406]

Is it not a tug pull not a thumb rest ? For when you played with your thumb not your fingers

[@stanleyday3534]

According to Five Watt World the finger rest was put there because Leo Fender assumed the bass was going to be played with the thumb.

[@tosinmcboy]

I love How Nathan slapped the bass what is popularly good

[@barackmycat9448]

I have squire `50`s and `60`s classic vibe basses. I love them both. Adjust the necks and put flat strings on and it`s a party.

[@jacobgaunt2438]

I have a 2019 paranormal Fender Telecaster bass. Such a fantastic all round bass, can play anything with it and it feels brilliant.

[@mercury8180]

Great vid and review as usual guys. I prefer the sound of the squire and i also think it looks better but it would be boring if they both sound alike. I did not like the burt wood colour on the neck and head on the sire it just looked out of place. Both are reasonably priced and I am extremely tempted by the squire even though i told my self I am not buying any more squires after moving up to fenders.

[@effess8698]

It's always a good day when the guys break out the Rocco riffs

[@jfinester]

Down To The Nightclub-Tower Of Power. Great tune!

[@richmills1]

Down to the Nightclub! Love a bit of Tower of Power!

[@foxbat2549]

The Fender Telecaster Bass was Fender's 1st so called "reissue" instrument, - introduced in 1968. Verdine White, George Porter Jr., Wilton Felder, Paul Jackson Jr., and yes, Dusty Hill all played the "Tele Bass". It had a different sound and feel from the split pickup Precision Bass. I believe that the 2-saddle string thru the body bridge was (or is) a significant factor to that. It is a bit tricky to properly intonate this bridge so it's best to take it to a professional luthier or repair tech. I fell in love with the Tele Bass when I first saw the late Bobby King of the Hawaiian show band, the "Aliis" playing one back in 1973. Yes, it looked cool and different, but it had a great sound to it. If you have a Tele Bass type of instrument and looking to upgrade or replace the pickup, - get the Seymour Duncan Antiquity II model. You won't be disappointed.

[@lowtone9]

The Telecaster Bass was a sort of reissue of the 51-54 P Bass, the original design. Most of the guys you list played one of the 50s models, an exception being Porter. Another guy worth mentioning who played the single coil was Keith Ferguson, the great bassists for the Fabulous T Birds. And of course, Sting plays a 54 these days, when he plays bass. Fender built a signature model for a while. Four saddle bridges are available and inexpensive for these basses, btw.

[@robertosonzogni]

Fender and Squier are not making left hand basses anymore in new series :-( I have a Sire D5 left handed and love it !

[@joethompson79]

I'm trying to decide between the P5 and V5 right now. I'm thankful that Sire will make all their models in a left handed version.

[@robertosonzogni]

@@joethompson79 Try D5, it's passive but I like it a lot more than others

[@mober5969]

Nathan, Lee - cheers guys, great review! Been tempted by the Sire - not sure which color, BUT - It will be a Sire.. ;-)

[@stefbarral]

there was laurel & hardy , smith & wesson , body & soul , cheese & wine (french..) but that duet make my day itch time i see a youtube from them !!! i know english are the best actors in the world and i like it !!! thanks for good vibes, fun & happyness

[@samiam5557]

SQUIRE knocked it right out of the ballpark with a homerun hit on that early P--bass!

[@klapsigaarenbasgitaar1931]

Can you imagine that I'm looking at a Level 42 concert and I think hey that guitar player looks like that guy from Andertons and now I found out he is actually Mark King's brother!

[@larryburwell8550]

I'm a lead guitar player but fender p bass best of all time but I like my Rick too

[@smoothgroover00]

Preferred the growl of the Squier over the Sire's deep warm tone.

[@wmdbassplayer]

Love my Squier Classic Vibes 50s P! Gritty, growly sound. From what I hear on this demo, the Sire sounds smoother. I'd like to try one before committing. The Squier is close to the '54, first year they contoured the body. Split pickup came in '57. I also have a Fender Vintera 50s P, built to vintage specs and wired to sound like a late 50s P.

[@donnix1192]

I also have the Fender Vintera 1957-59 era P bass in sea foam green, love the wide neck and maple fretboard. I don’t have a early 50s model, I did recently get the Squier paranormal jazz bass 54, which borrows some of the aesthetics of the 1954 precision.

[@Chitosmon]

The guys should have come to you cause you are correct. They’re just guessing at everything. Don’t you think?

[@FIBONICITY]

Can you do a lot post effects on the older classic bass? My assumption is yes but I'll leave it to the masters.

[@djijspeakerguy4628]

Are those Fender Rumble 40 bass amps? That’s the one I have! Great amps for the price.

[@Thoracius]

That Sire looks beautiful.

[@jamesdavies3473]

Love a bit of Tower of Power! Rocco was a genius :)

[@trunkshope6]

these are cool but they should also do that 70s style tele bass with the big humbucker right at the neck heel.

[@spankdaplank7774]

I really appreciate the way the A/B comparisoan was done. But there was no mention of the brand of strings used. Were both basses using the same or using the strings they were shipped with? Type, brand, and age of strings can profoundly affect the tone of any bass.

[@Docsjeff]

You can remove that finger/thumb rest or put it anywhere you like.I think it just looks cool.

[@ruiseartalcorn]

Great stuff! Awesome intro jam! :) Just as a matter of interest, many bass players in the old days came to the instrument from guitar and therefore preferred to play with either a pick or their thumbs. The thumb guys needed somewhere to anchor their fingers and so Leo added the finger rest. Later, players started using their fingers and so the finger rest was moved to the top of the pick guard and became a thumb rest.

[@danfango1333]

Sting on 2008 Police tour. Tokyo "When the world is running down" see how he backs Andy's solo on this ( vintage) bass 🌴

[@MG-vo7is]

I liked both. I'd probably buy the Sire, add a high-mass bridge, and try different pickups.

[@mjolnircarlssen4211]

I like them both, but I think that the Sire just sounds a bit bigger, and a bit better, overall.

[@AllanGildea]

Excellent, cheers guys!

[@r3b0rn80]

The Level 42 guy is right… who’s going to shred on a telecaster bass ;-) Btw, it would have been interesting to compare body weight since used woods are different.

[@akaemzett]

The split-coil P-Bass came out in 57, in 54 Fender added Strat contours to the Tele bass.

[@jondiven96]

Down to the Nightclub. ToP. Great jam

[@CharlieBass5]

Looks like the thumb/finger rest was in the lower position may through the 60. Jamerson had one that way on his 63 or 62. Watch him playing with Marvin Gaye live on What's Going On.

[@b.low...101]

Squire sounds really good.

[@chrissmith7400]

The into jam Nightclub by T.O.P. KILLER TUNE!!!

[@samboliah3691]

The finger rest was placed in that location, because Leo intended for a plectrum to be used to play it. However, I've been told that it never really caught on.

[@davidslater9713]

I can’t see how the tug bar is of any use when using a plectrum?

[@BuckFlicks]

I don't recognize the tune, but I recognize the bass badassery in that jam.

[@thefilmandmusic]

They both look great

[@maakatipa4613]

The original electric bass was made by Fender and it had a pine body.

[@chenxi8633]

Wowow. Amazing bassists!

[@FIBONICITY]

DOWN TO THE NIGHTCLUB! JAM SWEET

[@alanshewitt]

It was not called the Telecaster Bass until it was reissued in the late 60’s. In 1951, that design was simply the Precision Bass.

[@ianchisholm9260]

And I think the reissued “ Telecaster Bass “ , had a big “ mudbucker “ in the neck position ..

[@vayabroder729]

@@ianchisholm9260 That was in ‘72; from ‘68 until then it was just like a ‘51 P Bass.

[@ajbassfunk5872]

Sire for me Lee an nath both sound cool tho great vid more soon pls

[@nyambe]

Early bass players played with muted palm and the thumb to sound like a double bass. I still use thaT technique. I have seen many african bases playing with their thumb to get a certain sound

[@9999plato]

I never could understand how they called it a thumb rest when it was mounted down there. I've been at this thing since the late 70s and never got that.

[@stevesmith3990]

The Squier gets my vote.

[@mrpositronia]

Dusty Hill got a great sound from his old P-bass. Had that growl.

[@jaex9617]

Now I want to go down to the nightclub. Great playing, guys!

[@ledhendrix5054]

Much appreciated.

[@telecasterbear]

Indeed. Passive, one pickup, 34" scale. Nice.

[@michaelkuzeppa7539]

I think the original ones were Pine,Alder took to paint- drying for production reasons,,,Cheers!

[@ajbassfunk5872]

Wow every time every mft I c the bass nath an Lee I'm on it sooper cool channel 😎

[@spacesloth6496]

The original black eagels are the best. Mm my first bass. But sold it. Profit 1500 € 🤘🏴‍☠️.

[@philosophicallyspeaking6463]

Bump City (Down to the Night Club), Tower Of Power!

[@ipuya]

I prefer this control panel with the smaller scratch plate

[@jazzman1954]

Try playing with just the side of your thumb only. Instant fatter than fat tone. With practice you can get all the speed you need. Anchor the fingers of the right hand to the lower body where that rest is placed. Watch the great jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery play exactly like that.

[@vicenzor3625]

I thought they were about to break out the Barney Miller theme song for a minute there

[@danilolimas]

I Love it!!!

[@kobalt_ren01]

6:45 nobody tell Roberto about that

[@LetzBeaFranque]

Down to the Nightclub - Tower of Power!

[@fortza11]

At the end of the day, I will always pick a Marcus Miller now matter of type.