15 basses - sound test and comparison

[OliverBlackman]

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1375782058' post='2165409']
For me it just goes to show that a jazz sounds like a jazz. The only differences really are between pickup spacings.

The SX however sounds just as good as the rest, and the fodera doesn't sound like it cost 10x the amount of the SX.

For me the it's between the SX and the 62 jazz.
[/quote]
[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1375799302' post='2165777']
Fascinating. Apart from the Musicman (which sounds different), the others are so close in sound that it would only take a tweak of eq to get one to sound like another. I liked the Fodera followed by the Yammy. The SX sounded a bit thin to me.

There's a lesson in there somewhere.
[/quote]

I thought the jazzes had different sounds. For example, to my ears a maple fingerboard will always produced a slightly brighter tone to Rosewood, on a fender bass.

[hamfist]

That SX is a monster ! As good sonically as any of the others.

[Miki Groove]

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1375800808' post='2165820']
Miki, this is great! Thank you for taking the time to post. I'm going to make this thread a sticky as I think it's an invaluable resource.
[/quote]

Great man, thanks a lot, I'm gonna record more basses in the next days, so this is gonna get even better! Thanks!

[SimonQwerty]

Amazing job, Miki! Thanks a lot!

[neepheid]

It's very easy to get bass fatigue listening to all of these in one go. Rapidly flicking between neck pickups on the various Jazz basses resulted in me concluding that they all sound much and such the same, in that they have the same characteristics (which you would expect) but have subtle differences that to be honest got lost on me after a while because they're also so similar. Surprised by the variance in bass and overall output of the various bridge pickups, even with the different positioning taken into account - the MIM one sounding particularly anaemic to my ears.

Honestly I have to say that I think my favourite out of all that was the Yamaha neck pickup. A Goldilocks tone for me, not too bassy, not too middy, not too trebly - just riiiiiiiight and therefore a great place to start when EQing.

Thanks for taking the time to put this together. I've done this sort of thing before on request for particular basses and I know how tiring and monotonous it can get. Cheers!

[DolganoFF]

I liked them all !

[donkelley]

76/77 era jazz is excellent, so is the musicman. pedulla disappointed me. musicman should have (imho) recorded with very different settings on the treble control between the two finger recordings, or maybe that's what you did. love all of the stingray recordings though and the mid/late 70s jazzes.

great work!

[DolganoFF]

I've one question: was the 72 JB strung with flats?

[Miki Groove]

[quote name='DolganoFF' timestamp='1376080228' post='2169617']
I've one question: was the 72 JB strung with flats?
[/quote]

No, just old strings!

[Miki Groove]

Post updated with one more bass!

- Pensa Custom Jazz Bass:
Ash body, maple neck, birdseye maple fretboard, Pensa pickups and preamp. Value: 3500$ (new).
[url="https://soundcloud.com/mikisantamaria/pensa-custom-neck-pickup"]https://soundcloud.com/mikisantamari...om-neck-pickup[/url]
[url="https://soundcloud.com/mikisantamaria/pensa-custom-bridge-pickup"]https://soundcloud.com/mikisantamari...-bridge-pickup[/url]
[url="https://soundcloud.com/mikisantamaria/pensa-custom-slap"]https://soundcloud.com/mikisantamaria/pensa-custom-slap[/url]

[OliverBlackman]

Slight deviation from the topic, but which bass do you find easier to play? Which has the lowest action or fastest neck? Are the vintage fenders very different in feel or quite similar?

[Miki Groove]

[quote name='OliverBlackman' timestamp='1376133703' post='2170020']
Slight deviation from the topic, but which bass do you find easier to play? Which has the lowest action or fastest neck? Are the vintage fenders very different in feel or quite similar?
[/quote]

The easiest to play is the Fodera, but is so easy that reminds me more to a Ibanez than a Fender. The Sadowsky feels better IMO, it has a vintage response when you slap. For me thats the best, vintage feel with low action = Perfect.
I can feel clearly a difference between 60's Fenders and 70's Fender, I think its because of the fret type, more than the wood type.

[Fionn]

Thank you for that. Nice wee resource there. It's good to hear those Jazz Bass comparisons. That's very useful for anyone with a Jazz on their shopping list (such as moi).

It would be interesting to hear some Warwicks in there.

[Miki Groove]

[quote name='Fionn' timestamp='1376472744' post='2174291']
Thank you for that. Nice wee resource there. It's good to hear those Jazz Bass comparisons. That's very useful for anyone with a Jazz on their shopping list (such as moi).

It would be interesting to hear some Warwicks in there.
[/quote]

I will add more basses very soon!
Hopefuly some warwick too...

[nobo]

[quote name='Fionn' timestamp='1376472744' post='2174291']
That's very useful for anyone with a Jazz on their shopping list (such as moi).
[/quote]
Not so much since people seems to believe sx = jb 70, 66, etc... in real life, you can even hear differences beetween two japaneses jb.


It's interesting, thanks to miki, but don't judge or buy an instrument only with soundclips (played by another guy, with his set up, strings, etc).

Edited August 20, 2013 by nobo

[Fionn]

[quote name='nobo' timestamp='1377006436' post='2182097']
don't judge or buy an instrument only with soundclips (played by another guy, with his set up, strings, etc).
[/quote]

Thank you for your concern Nobo, I wont ... and certainly not with a Fender

[krysh]

thanks a lot, great comparison. liked the pensa and the 77jb best.

[Miki Groove]

POST UPDATED WITH PICS!!!

[Soloshchenko]

For me, there were clear differences in tone, however, none sounded particularly 'better' than the other. The Jazzes especially, all sounded like good quality basses.

[Soloshchenko]

For me, there were clear differences in tone, however, none sounded particularly 'better' than the other. The Jazzes especially, all sounded like good quality basses.

[merello]

Brilliant thread. Thanks man!

[electriccheese]

This comparision is good, but to be fair, without the same setup and strings is not much precise.


I'm the owner of two basses of these comparision (the Fodera and the 65' jazz bass), and are the only two basses with 40-100 strings, very old (one year) and with a extreme low action (E string 2mm and G string at 1,2mm at 20th fret).

All the other basses had higher action (some near 1cm at 20th fret), and a bass sounds bigger with more action.

Having said that, the diferences in the recording are subtile, with every bass you can go to a studio and sound good, in my opinion. What is very different, is the sensation, the responsiveness, the force necessary to generate sound, etc. In this aspect, the 62' was awesome, the 65 is very good, the Fodera and the 70s fenders too, and others not too much. The SX was hard to play for my taste, but is a very decent bass.

Edited September 3, 2013 by electriccheese

[fleabag]

The bridge pups on the Yamaha & Pedulla were terrific,

[Sumatra]

Very very interesting comparison.

Thank you very much for taking the time to record this and moreover sharing it with us!

Luca

[Lowender]

Really nice work! I've done similar comparisons but not as extensive. The immediate response is -- there isn't as big of a difference as one might think between any of them -- which proposes the argument "Is a $3000 Sadowsky really that much better than a $300 Squier?"

I felt the 62 J had a wee bit more character than the others. The MM is obviously hotter and it's own thing. Not surprising-- Fodera's sound thin. No offense to Fodera owners (of which I was one) they play great but don't sound like anything special. To me. And they look exotic when new but since they don't finish them, they wear quickly -- and not in a nitro way, they just look like worn wood. NOT what I want from a $7000 instrument.