P vs. J vs. Ray4 vs. Yamaha BB comparison/poll

[ped]

I love these sorts of videos. I did a much worse version some time ago and even for my own sake it was great to compare basses side by side, because somehow when you’re playing it’s harder to be objective. 

[Tjhooker]

3 hours ago, ezbass said:

I love that so many folks who have commented have widely opposing opinions on the basses played. It just goes to show that producing so many different models of bass is totally justified and owning them too, at least before some engineer removes all the character from them, resulting in something generic (yes, I have an axe to grind here).

Go on ... Who's the "engineer"?

[ezbass]

41 minutes ago, Tjhooker said:

Go on ... Who's the "engineer"?

Oh, it’s not just one, although I did have an engineer reduce a beautifully, gnarly Rickenbacker grunt into a generic bass tone once. I’ve also been to plenty of gigs where this has happened too, that’s when you can actually hear the bass separated from the kick drum of course.

[Tjhooker]

I recently saw cardinal black in Bristol and the bass had been well and truly buried by the kick drum for the duration of the gig 😞

[Tjhooker]

It could have been where I was standing but others commented too from further back.

[ezbass]

43 minutes ago, Tjhooker said:

I recently saw cardinal black in Bristol and the bass had been well and truly buried by the kick drum for the duration of the gig 😞

Said bass player is a member here.

[Tjhooker]

10 hours ago, ezbass said:

Said bass player is a member here.

I was watching with great interest...

Had his new lovely new pj bass with him.

 

[Tjhooker]

What can we bass players do? 🤷

[Bolo]

13 hours ago, Tjhooker said:

What can we bass players do? 🤷

Bring a sound engineer you trust and treat them like a member of the band. 

Or, make good friends with whoever the venue provided.

[Vanheusen77]

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

[SamPlaysBass]

On 31/12/2023 at 10:03, Tjhooker said:

I recently saw cardinal black in Bristol and the bass had been well and truly buried by the kick drum for the duration of the gig 😞

You win some you lose some! That would’ve been the first gig with our sound engineer and the new Bassworks, so there were probably a few teething bits as well as discrepancies around the room. The Bassworks is much fatter and flatter than my Fender P with a Dimarzio DP122 - that’s a mid range monster. If you see us again, pop down for a chat at the end and I’ll show you the Bassworks, it’s a work of art. 
 

Brilliant video with a crazy amount of playing consistency across all basses. His style and sound come through really well on all basses. I tend to find having both the P and J pickups can get lost in a mix slightly with its natural slight mid scoop, so I generally only use the P pickup on my basses. The Yamaha sounds awesome, slightly more characterful than the Fender IMO and matches my experience with both basses. Stingray’s are Stingray’s - such a brilliant, unique sound. Stingray or Yammy P for me. 

[Tjhooker]

I'll be there when CB are playing in the south west again 👍 love the band.

Would love to see the bass.

 

Do you favour the p on the bassworks pj?

 

 

[SamPlaysBass]

Fantastic, thank you! And of course, pop down at the end of any gig and have a play and a chat. 
 

I do, playing with CB warrants a fatter, warmer p-bass tone so I’ll always favour the P pickup in that scenario. I prefer passive electronics as well because I find myself constantly adjusting the EQ on every active bass I’ve ever had - I find a single tone control to dial out the highs when I need to much more useful. That could all change in the future though! 

 

The passive Bartolini PJs are really, really nice and the whole bass is a complete slap weapon. Both pickups on, it sounds incredible and has that inherent slight mid-scoop that makes it perfect for slap. It’s just as happy being a thumpy P bass though!