Vanheusen77

”Bite” is, like most adjectives in music very subjective. To me, a P bass with round wounds played in anger (preferably with a pick, but finger style works too) is one of the most aggressive bass sounds there is. A Stingray for example have more treble, but less of those scratchy grinding mids. Same with a J bass. A PJ might be an idea but like you said, it’s better to just buy another bass rather than mod your favourite. A lot is eq actually, so a preamp or eq pedal might do wonders. And of course roundwounds is the way to go.

Probably a lot of factors in his downfall. Ironically his sound has been very popular the last 25 years.

As a huge fan of both his sound and playing… If he would have played a Wal with stainless steel string people would have called that a “classic vintage Motown sound”. From all accounts he was not a gear nerd at all. He just got out there and bought whatever bass that was the most functional and established electric bass that he could find. Another counterfactual: If Sir Paul had not on a whim bought that Hofner, no musician today would even have heard of that brand (and I appreciate the Hofner sound).

If you really want the Sherwood green P and can afford it then I say sell the Sandberg and get it! Sandbergs are great but personally I feel they are better off being their own thing rather than trying to mod it into a vintage Fender. Then after a while if you get tired of the Sherwood green P, you can send it to me!

I would try before buy because the sound is very different from more traditional designs If this is your first stingray. I would definitely get the new series of specials because of the light weight.

I own and have played several BBP and Sandberg California TT basses (active and passive). Build quality is about the same - really good! Maybe slight advantage to the Yamahas for the generally super solid feel. The Yamahas are about the same weight as new Fenders, the Sandbergs are slightly below that I would say. The Sandberg TT’s sound a lot like classic jazz basses to me (especially the passive). The Yamaha BB sounds a bit more “unique”. Whether that is a plus or minus is a matter of taste. The necks are both very comfortable. The Yamaha neck is slightly wider, but not like a P bass.

I’ve had a lot of passive BB’s. If you are after a Fender then nothing else will satisfy that itch. Personally, I like the Yamahas as much or more. I sometimes think the BB’s get unfairly criticised for not sounding enough like a jazz or P. They have their own great sound and feel! I never felt I needed the active preamp on my passive BB’s.

Yes, having an engineer that is competent and knows the music really helps in my experience.

Looks like the P is starting to look like a winner in this poll (happens quite often in my experience). If you on top of that factor in the Yamaha BB votes that was for P pickup only, it’s starting to look like a landslide. I might have to do a new “P-off” between a BB and the Fender at some point! Thanks everyone!

I also should have made separate options for Yamaha both pickups, and Yamaha P pickup only….

I made this video a couple of years ago. Since then I have made better ones, but not with all of these basses at the same time because I have not had them in the same place (some I have sold). The Stingray special is better than the Ray4 for sure, although it’s the same type of sound. When I have comparisons between entirely different types of basses I generally play them the way I would on the track. More to get a feel for the different flavours so to speak. When I have made comparisons between the P pickup of a Yamaha and a P bass, or the PJ sound compared to jazz I have tried to play them the same way since they are within the same category to me. The fact that votes cannot be changed was by mistake and not intentional. If someone knows how to change this after posting, please let me know!

I actually ended up buying a used Stingray Special after this Ray4. I was not disappointed. It’s amazing!

BB´s are great, and that finish looks killer!

Merry Christmas everyone! I found this video I made quite a while ago. For some strange reason I did not make it into a poll here!

If you have a bass you love, play it out on gigs! Otherwise what’s the point unless you are more of a collector? Get insurance if it is expensive. I also play upright, and in that world people routinely play £1k+ instruments on bar gigs. Instruments that are way more fragile and bulky than a Wal or something. Interesting topic from another angle though… What do you guys look for from the bass itself at home/studio vs live? Personally I value things like reliability and sound that cuts while being easy to manage for front of house. This is probably why I gravitate towards passive P or Yamaha basses, especially live.