Bass Comparison Price Challenge

[Mrbigstuff]

Bass Comparison.mp3

So I have found myself in a cool position where I have three different basses at three totally different price points, and I thought wouldn't it be fun to get people to try and guess which bass is which. All 3 are Fender style passive basses and the prices are for a new bass of equivalent model today rather than when i bought them.

So on the recording are the three examples back to back, the first one being bass A, second bass B and third bass C. So hopefully you can vote for which one you think belongs to which price point.

Soundcloud link: 

 

Now for the disclaimers: 1) this is just a bit of fun, I've not put too much time into this. 2) The basses have different strings of different ages. Not very scientific but again a bit of fun, 3) Yes there are mistakes in all 3 examples, especially Bass A where the timing in the middle goes somewhere else but again, its just for fun and i'm not that bothered about it. 4) Its been recorded through Garageband with not much interference on the original tone. The settings on the basses are just how I usually like them.

I'll leave it up for 48 hours before giving the answers. Obviously a lot of you will be gigging tonight.

Edited October 20, 2019 by OliverBlackman

[Mrbigstuff]

Bonus points to whoever can correctly guess what style of Fender bass each one is

[Reggaebass]

I’ve listened through 3 times and I really don’t know, 🙂 and I’ve had probably over 30 fenders at all price points,   nice bit of playing there , Oliver 👍

[TheGreek]

Sorry...bit of a numbhead...

Where is the link/click to listen to the recordings??

[Reggaebass]

2 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

Sorry...bit of a numbhead...

Where is the link/click to listen to the recordings??

At the top of Oliver’s first post 🙂

[Mrbigstuff]

2 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

Sorry...bit of a numbhead...

Where is the link/click to listen to the recordings??

It’s an attachment on the post. Didn’t really know how best to do it tbh, can try and get it on sound loud if it’s easier.

[Mrbigstuff]

now added a souncloud link

[solo4652]

*Sucks teeth*

To my deaf old ageing ears, the first recording sounds the most muted with least tonal range, so I'm going to say that's the cheapest bass. Of the remaining two - very little difference, with the last recording perhaps having the greater clarity and range. So, I'm going to say:

Bass A  = £300, Bass B = £600, Bass C = £2500.     Or possibly not.

[solo4652]

Nobody else joining in?!

[Mrbigstuff]

31 minutes ago, solo4652 said:

Nobody else joining in?!

I’m hoping it’s a slow burner and I’ll wait until the end of the week to reveal. I didn’t realise it was a bass bash as well yesterday so busy weekend for some on here.

[Mrbigstuff]

Nobody else seems to be partaking so I’ll give you the results. It seems you were fairly split except for the expensive bass not being bass B, which of course it was. 
 

A: 2006 MIM Fender Precision. This has flatwounds which gave it the really rich and deep voice. Vol on 80% and Tone 60%. I also upgraded the pickups to Lindy Fralins which has improved the tone a lot.

B: 2017 Overwater custom jazz fretless. I adore this bass and have really gone for a Jaco theme. The strings were new steels and the balance was more bridge pickup biased with low action that will have made it sound possibly too zingy. It was also hard to hide the fact it was fretless, especially with the chord at the end.

C : 2016 VM Squier Jazz. I’m not so attached to this bass and got given it when I sold my Sire. With the Dunlop steels on it does sound super funky. The playability isn’t bad and you can dial in some useable tones. For the recording I was again back pickup biased but with around 90% tone.
 

[LukeFRC]

Ahhh - I thought B sounded the nicest. I got the precision and two jazzes thing too. I went with B as the cheapest as thought, P, J and then one of the Squier fretless jazzes.... should have realised by the fact it was really well played that the fretless wasn’t your cheap instrument! 

[edstraker123]

I enjoyed that - despite getting them all wrong ! I had the dearest as the cheapest but it only goes to show how subjective opinions are. Bass A did it for me completely !

Loved your playing too Oliver - Thanks .