The Ultimate P Bass Tone? w/ Sean Hurley, David Ryan Harris and Rich Mercurio

[@Maffy35]

Came for the bass stayed for the guitar/vocals/drums. Shit was tight

[@jbarsby1]

so true.

[@marcosnobrebass]

Me too, what fantastic group and music and bass tone sounds too, amazing. Anyone here knows the name os this group? I would love to listen more about it.

[@vintagelife6879]

same here.... some times i hear kravitz tone

[@GVIC-tm2nc]

I agree!

[@artthanos5515]

*stayed for the whole thing

[@andynelson2340]

That P bass tone so good. Sounded good in 1960's, will sound good in the 2060's and beyond.

[@drawntothefire]

On that topic, the guitar tone was really nice too.

[@BlasterJunos]

No less from David Ryan Harris himself!!

[@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney]

WAY better than the P-Bass tone, in my opinion. I mean, P-Basses always sound pretty good, but they almost always sound just like that. Nothing particularly special about that one, other than being a bit clankier than average. The guitar, on the other hand, is absolutely top-notch.

[@r.a.fiallos234]

@@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney Looks like a J Mascis signature Squier Jazzmaster. Man, Squier has stepped up their game, sounds great!

[@leoc507]

Now that the Ultra Jazzmaster came out he has to play it... It's awesome 🖤

[@MuscleDad420]

And it's a Squier plugged into a Fender Deluxe 112 solid state amp. Imagine that.

[@tomdesmet5758]

Mr Sean pbass , what a bassplayer , perfect sound , now show , doesn’t play a thousand notes like some guys , but playing exactly what’s necessary of bass into a song , bassfeeling 100%😎

[@bendintegrativecenter2311]

If you listen closely, he plays plenty of notes. He simply plays within the band and not over them. Solid musician.

[@jimmyhowe7883]

True story Tom.

[@lucasgarcia1146]

When you reach this level of mind-bending groove, you gain the ability to sit on thin air

[@freeamerica4625]

so u see him levitating too? I thought I was seeing things.

[@pandorski35000]

beeing seated on a solid is so old fashioned nowadays

[@johnhenrycurry8209]

@@pandorski35000 . . . if I groove like this would I disappear? well, if you did you came back anyway. Proceed without caution Cheers.

[@johnhenrycurry8209]

@@freeamerica4625 . . . and over-rated.

[@josephbruceryan6438]

so he's entered the void? (Legend of Korra reference)

[@och70]

That P-Bass tone + headphones = multiple eargasms.

[@Metalbass1979]

I'm sitting right now with a set of headphones and thinking the same thing. Add a cup of coffee to the scenario and it is life changing experience.

[@jarrettbrake8384]

Ironically my headphones broke right before i saw this video

[@Damsurf77]

Yep; noise cancelling bose on my ears. The world around me can fall apart.

[@lukasmarti2922]

@@Damsurf77 same here

[@ricardojmestre]

My Grado headphones agree

[@Milbrandt001]

For everyone looking for the song performed: “Yesterday Shutting Down” - but this sounds better than the album recording

[@joshrodriguez19]

Travis Milbrandt, agreed this does sound better than the album

[@seankent1807]

Travis Milbrandt thank you! And you’re 100% right: this live version is much better!

[@yohans6952]

This sound much better

[@dmcpopo4027]

What a heavy tune…..Soulful

[@ralphy3393]

This is light years better than the album version.

[@cynicalwho4039]

The bass tone is like a nice bolognese, meaty but also the right amount of sauce...

[@pitmezzari2873]

It's called ragù, not bolognese.

[@bannanapancake]

😮

[@pitmezzari2873]

@@bannanapancake yep no such thing as "bolognese" as Bologna's mayor says. It's called ragù.

[@DrFUNK-zx6gm]

On point man.

[@OttoStranger]

@@pitmezzari2873 Italian : Ragù Bolognese and English : Bolognese sauce! And he can call it the fuck he want. The word Ragù is not even Italian its Derivate from the French word Ragoût and let me tell you a ragoût it's not a Ragù it's far more than just a sauce what a Ragù bolognese is

[@BlackRootsAcademyOfSoul]

Singer/Guitarist is off the chain!! 🔥

[@WatchfulWizard]

Disappointed that I can only click “like” one time. That was next level amazing. I came for the bass and was blown away by the vocals.

[@dennyrichards108]

Sean's bass sounds fantastic and the trio is really on musically, but his tone works here because the other musicians are playing more sparsely. What I consider more "stock" Pbass tone is going to have more mids, which would be a better choice if there were more players and/or the mix was more dense. That having been said, I just figured out who Sean was earlier this year, and I'm a fan. Seems like a great guy, great player.

[@jvh8806]

I like a growlier sound with less deep

[@thescatman5029]

This is tight! Sean with the crazy P Bass tone. David channeling Marvin Gaye, Vernon Reid and Lenny Kravitz! And Rich is in the pocket!

[@devinebass]

👖🔒🔥

[@jean-francoismercier707]

This thing is infectious. Once it gets into your soul it will never get out. So good!

[@devinebass]

It's a damn tasty sound, that's for sure!

[@4deuce31]

I hadn't heard of Sean Hurley until a couple of days ago. He did a vid talking about the P bass. Since then I can't get enough of his playing, temperament, style. He's one classy dude. He's got that Jamerson tone in this video. Thanks Scott.

[@RICK-te3qh]

In this house we refer to him as Master Hurley. He is so slick and humble and follwing his tips has exploded the level of my own playing far more than I could ever say.

[@AndreaAustoni]

Sean's tone here is great but it has none of the grit that Jamerson got on the recordings thanks to the tape machines,

[@dwightdawson3578]

Why does everyone refer to Jamerson when they are referring to the First Lady of Bass Carol Kaye? She taught Jamerson, Donald “Duck”Dunn and that chick from Talking Heads just to name two. She was the fingers AND picks behind the “Motown” sound until she sent her student to fill in while she was hospitalized. No disrespect for Jamerson but Carol is the backbone for that tone. Just sayin.

[@johndough247]

@@dwightdawson3578 ...and then Carol woke up, right? LMAO (I know you're joking...or at least I hope you are lol)

[@dwightdawson3578]

@@johndough247 I met her at the NAMM show. I asked her if she is still teaching bass and she invited me to her home in N. Palm Springs and I had the honor of sitting at the feet of the Master. They don’t call her First Lady of Bass for nothing. She played the majority of the early Motown hits and she created the bass lines for many of the best songs. She had a husband at the time who got drunk and on one occasion he beat her down and she was in the hospital for two years before she could play again. The Motown people had no choice but to call her protege James Jamerson to fill in for her. Nobody knew it would take two long years for her to recuperate. Some people said that they left her for dead. Her husband definitely did. But she was the First Lady and will be until somebody comes along to take her crown away. And yes, the “Duck” and the chick that played bass in The Talking Heads were also students of hers. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[@leonardofelchnervii7905]

I would really love to see Sean’s EQ settings on his amp and Noble for this recording.

[@sherlock4791]

In interviews he says he always go all flat, rarely barely bumping the bass(if its lacking) but mostly all flat

[@bootlebeats6331]

Well golly gee whiz, that was just silly how GOOD they are. I'm an old dude who knows that bass tone well. I always called it mud whomp . In the old days the bass drum wasn't mic'ed for live gigs so that bass tone worked in conjunction with the bass drum to make a big sound for dancing. Hofners did the same thing. With the improvements in live sound with sub woofers, that all changed the role of bass tones.

[@teddownum7428]

"Mud whomp"--that's perfect.

[@jaex9617]

Another shout out for “mud whomp.”

[@davidstroble]

I love mud whomp.

[@Janisdooms]

I've always called it "rubbery" haha

[@cydrums3411]

I was like cool,then he starts to sing, I'm like damn this is good!

[@Tanglangfa]

This is a much better mix than the album version. The bass line is better too. I love the groove. These are all very talented guys with good time feel.

[@rossinisilva1302]

What a perfect singing voice. And Sean's tune, OMG, pure gold

[@devinebass]

🔥🔥🔥

[@martian9999]

what's great is that Sean gets the P-bass crunchiness without any of the unwanted upper tones, even though he doesn't use a damper. With his light touch and his use of chromatic lines, it could be close to something James Jamerson did, but his tone is quite different.

[@martian9999]

@Mike V. really? His sustain sounds a bit lengthy to be damped. Thanks for the string info!

[@bassgroove8582]

Sean make playing bass look so easy, fantastic bassist 👌🏽

[@captainsanchez4829]

i love how the sound has a nice thumpy ticky sound and then it cools down and rings out this lovely soft bassy note, i can only achieve this with a sock around my strings, but this is great

[@izzuddinzaheid6147]

Man oh man.. the bass sounds heavenly. Is this the power of bass? Then i humbly bow to it

[@matto9734]

This... just hit me like a rock by surprise. Goodness, this room in the tightness and the bass TONE!!! Not to forget David Ryan Harris, definetely no slouch either and the drummer - perfect production too.

[@Rabbit895]

Totally agreed.

[@Delboydunno]

3:05 sticks out to me as being something super simple that’s super important. The bass kind of led the rest of the band to where they were going next in a way that was very easy for the listener to follow but was still a unique harmony we hadn’t heard yet. Really cool.

[@drewlewis9412]

P Bass + La Bella Flats, a winning combination.

[@williamwharton1068]

That noble DI blended with that Aguilar cab sound helps too.

[@keithjohnston5936]

Folks who see me live (very few these days) ask how I get that thump. My secret is 20+ year old flats and I stay on the neck pup. I play a Ric 4001 and a Hofner.

[@keithjohnston5936]

@Majority of 1 Feel better? Here’s something else you didn’t ask for but really need to know. You’re an arrogant little jerk.

[@EthanolEnthusiast]

@@keithjohnston5936 Thanks Keith! Majority of 1... Name check outs.

[@nated2922]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[@DrBulbulia]

Sean Hurley has such a great, unique sound.

[@robertoyler551]

that is the best tone of a p bass that i ever heard even taking in account being recorded in a studio.

[@roberthart4160]

His tone, other than the fact he's a phenomenal player, and plays what fits a song instead of show boating just because he can , comes from his Noble pre/DI.. you can see it on the floor behind him.. simply perfection in a little box

[@bensharpe7846]

What a voice, what a groove and what a tone on both guitars! 😍

[@michaelmartins177]

Wow so great, cant believe it barely has 100k views. It deserves MUCH more, you cant get any better than this. Music at its finest form of art.

[@ggman946]

A simple "like" is not a sufficient response to the awesomeness on display here. So glad i just happened to be connected to my studio speakers when I clicked on this video. Absolutely amazing session!

[@BassMeister17]

Sean has been one of my favorite bass players, since I first listened to him with Vertical Horizon in 1999. He's always had great tones, and plays with wicked musicians, and this video is no exception.

[@btrapp37]

God I love Sean. He is so incredible. Every time I watch him play I'm blown away by his precision, his economy of motion, and his space awareness. The gaps with no playing are just as classy as the playing itself. He "plays the rest"

[@devinebass]

Absolutely. That's why he's one of the first call studio guys!!

[@thegoouch]

David Ryan Harris is the man!

[@thechad3239]

One of my favorite bassist. What a great video. I love both of you wonderful human beings.

[@wiltd001]

I play a fender jazz bass. I really like the sound of his precision bass to me this is the most beautiful sound coming out of a precision bass that's just personally what I like clean

[@megalodon9039]

Great. Need more songs of this guys!

[@marksr12]

I've only watched this video about 1000 times! This is one badass Trio!!!

[@gregorydaffin2089]

Proof that the power trio is all that's needed, when musicians play and sing on this level. The bass sounds as if it's on a majestic journey out of some epic story.

[@4deuce31]

Unbelievable talent sitting in that room. What a great song. And I'm a rock/metal bass player.

[@darwinsaye]

Love that DRH is playing through a solid state Fender Deluxe 112 from the 90s.

[@perrysar5954]

What a great bass player,drummers love these bassists!

[@rmbryan9863]

Very John Paul Jones "ish". Love the bass sound. I am a jazz bass player... I may have to get one now! Geesh! Awesome Band!

[@cmvb]

Or use flatwound strings...JPJ uses Jazz bass...

[@brent3994]

I came for the tones and I stayed for the tunes

[@la196]

I am here for a listen to the bass tone but instead I'm blown away by the awesome vocals:). Killer vocal tone! I must add, the three of you make beautiful music together. Very nice:)

[@tylerthompson1842]

Maybe the best natural round bass tone I’ve ever heard? Sounds like they’re combining a direct sound with the amp.

[@devinebass]

It is a beautiful sound!

[@sboy1955]

Yea.. 2 lines for sure

[@wpkg]

if you search for Sean Hurley + Noble you'll find a video where he talks about his set up. Hes going through the noble and a B-15 and a bunch of pedals. at least thats what I recall from that video.

[@profile2047]

@@wpkg Thanks for the info

[@dayla8634]

You can see him using a noble in the video. At the very least he's getting a very mild overdrive from tube saturation.

[@Mberdu77]

Amazing! What a voice!? I Love P bass. Thank you all. 👏🏻🇧🇷❤

[@vanpid]

This sounds so much better than the official release

[@gatoblanco5756]

It’s crazy how it sounds like an upright

[@vanpid]

I keep coming back to this video just to listen to this version of the song. I need to get this on spotify

[@RICK-te3qh]

Once again that phat & thick P bass proves its dominance and literally shines when an artist like Sean mixes his gift of talent with proven build and versatile sound. I own both the P and J and I’m obsessed with both. These gents are idols to old and young groove players. Thanks greatly for the post.

[@duckyjp17]

Just an epic 3 piece combo. Well done guys.

[@FreddysFrets]

well, you can tell the guitar player didn't mix this!

[@drew6470]

Lol was thinking the exact same thing

[@Dartania]

I wish more music was mixed like this tbh

[@ashgonza92]

​@@Dartania the EQ in my truck stereo would reflect that lol

[@alexandergriggs9934]

Truth

[@jamesrichardson3322]

This sounds great!! You don't know what the hell you are talking about!! 🤡

[@alexporter9667]

Some scrumptious tunes coming out of that bass... Just a jangleicious delight.

[@johnniedelong9322]

MR Hurley, Mr tone, foe me Sean is one of the best players in the world.

[@Blackbeard_Barbell]

Sean is also using a Noble preamp - positively amazing piece of gear.

[@kevinisaacgarcia5028]

LevinS the noble is phenomenal

[@TonyBiancoOfficial]

Just the comment I was looking for. I saw a preamp on the floor and wasn’t sure which one it was.

[@pine3737]

For me this is like the dream bass gig, really listening to each other and the difference a nuanced by anyone is significant.

[@StanleyCullerEsq.]

Thank you for sharing this, Guthrie!

[@geraldhills41]

P bass is such a deep punchy beautiful sound ,

[@rickporayko880]

I just listened/watched this video 5 times. Yes, the bass playing is incredible; the bass and drum are super tight, and the guitar playing is likewise fantastic. But the singer is mind boggling. If I had listened to this piece on an iPod I might have thought that there were three different people sharing the vocals. Incredible. And the bass, drums, guitar, and voice came together to make 1+1+1+1 equal 10! Tremendous!

[@devinebass]

You're absolute right dude, killer stuff!

[@sparklymelon3741]

I’m so proud to be a bassist right now 🤌✨

[@caseybhouse]

You know...I came here for Sean's big fat bass tone, discovered David, then discovered Rich and how utterly perfect that guy's beat is!

[@devinebass]

🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@migueljimenez1939]

The singer remind me Lenny Kravitz... The full band sounds amazing...That is the way of showing how a p bass should sound. Maybe one day I will have one

[@HiImSeanIPlayBass]

How to get a bass gig with John Mayer: 1) have blues chops 2) be a skinny white guy 3) play a sunburst fender bass made between 1962 and 1965 4) play with flat wounds and the tone rolled all the way up 5) have huge balls

[@freeamerica4625]

You also have the option to be any color and lay it down brother ... you can optionally be a genuinely badass Bass player.

[@Lion_ofJudah]

He is playing his signature model P Bass...tinyurl.com/sjzy6nf because, why not? :)

[@Schiallo]

Having a "four letters name" too could help :)

[@brosiii2558]

Play a fender AVRI or AO with mutes and Bellas and he would hire you too. But thats true, skinny and sunburst - thats important - olympic white with trotz for me...

[@vasilias2230]

Knowing how mayer hires musicians, it's about if you're a good hang mainly

[@MichaelMcMahonsf]

She's great! For myself, it's just as interesting to hear someone play the part in their own unique way rather than guess how it was played on the original.

[@alexandrekhazal5966]

Crazy mix, so much better than the recording, the bass sound is to die for, multidimensional, physical since we could almost touch it, almost like listneing to great jazz, blues, with some acoustic flavour on the bass

[@paulcochrane1028]

What a great voice! Well done all!

[@thedondeluxe6941]

That dude has a most buttery smooth voice.

[@johnryder1510]

A master class in tone, touch & time!

[@stueynyc]

That Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster really is great for such a reasonably priced guitar

[@faithbassed49]

One of the coolest songs I’ve ever heard!😎

[@mathiassalesses1635]

What a tone…! And so expressive.

[@devinebass]

Sounds soooo good right?!

[@fletcherkirkland5003]

great tune and I love listening to Hurley and that awesome tone!

[@ichouinard]

I can watch/listen this video all day.

[@LuOeAndre]

Verdadero talento,estos son ese tipo de gente que vale la pena ir a ver a qué toquen

[@mokofin5237]

My jaw dopped at the first bass note. JFC that tone puts you on a mellow cloud.

[@gessedosacramentojunior1897]

Wonderful!! The best sound in this days!!

[@nickharris9761]

Love this version.

[@patrickcalvert6705]

This is honestly motivating me to become a better musician. Wow!!

[@craigbixler1154]

Awesome jam......everyone in the moment, and feeling it. Nice.

[@absurdlyfree]

That P bass tone is insane, but the Squier Jazzmaster making an appearance is ELITE.

[@ANNIHILISTIC]

This is so smooth I forgot why I'm even watching this. Something about bass tone?

[@nikklazz]

What a groovy trio. And ooh those funky vocals...oh yes

[@gcf7175]

This promo got me pretty pumped up I tell you what.

[@aphexon.]

Still needed viagra?

[@labacostoys]

Hiii scott glad to see u again in your video

[@felipechavez4960]

Great groves especially the line bass everyone 👍🏼🎼🎶😎👏🏼

[@DeadlySpecies]

Great to show the bass in the context of the song

[@jrbaruch3011]

This could be an oficial live version !! For me, sounds Even better than The original studio version :)

[@rosewoodfretboard]

This is a go-to track. It's awesome. But the sound of that Precision. Thick as a brick! I love it!

[@mattcano2683]

Putting that P bass through that Noble though....sooooo smooth and buttery.

[@phpn99]

Beyond the tone, the subtleties in the bass line are sumptuous

[@TeeCeeBee]

Hey Scott have you ever checked out the tone of an Ernie ball Caprice? There isn't a whole lot on KZbin about them but they have an incredibly good tone.

[@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney]

Chris 70x7 Best P-Bass tone in the world. And with the bridge pickup rolled in/soloed, a whole different animal, much funkier and meatier than a normal Jazz bridge pickup. I believe it's a side-by-side humbucker, so more like another P-pickup than a Jazz, really. I have one, as well as my USA Sterling 4 H, USA Sterling 4 HS fretless, and Japanese Fender Jazz neck/Warmoth Jazz body/EMG GZR-P pickup fretless. Between them all, I can't get a bad tone, and all of them are super useful.

[@TeeCeeBee]

@@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney that's exactly what I thought when I first played the caprice- I couldn't get a bad sound out of it. I also have a 2001 Stingray H with a piezo pickup in the bridge. That's a weird combo, but rolling in a bit of the piezo adds a woody, grainy tone. They only made those for a couple of years. Definitely not a P bass tone though.

[@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney]

Chris 70x7 I briefly owned a Sterling 4 H with piezo. Not for me, my playing's a little sloppy/aggressive and the microphonics were too pronounced, but I've heard other guys make wonderful sounds with them.

[@RFToob]

Very cool. Cheers.

[@markstelmaszek9070]

Holy Shit! That is perfect! That's what music and tone is all about. Just beautiful.

[@SoCalMTNDude]

Buttery tone 🔥

[@charlieburns1385]

Yes sweet classic bass tone 👍🎶

[@spokane_vapeman8711]

wow, great tune! each player is amazing. signed up today for the course!

[@devinebass]

Nice dude! Enjoy the journey! 👊🏻

[@thzrealist]

My sub dancing happily with the towers in my living room. The room is very live !

[@nakermanca2056]

Noble unit on the floor my friends!