EQ compensation for fretboard material?

[Pat The Bassist]

I have an American Fender Jazz bass (2006) and a Mexican Fender J (2002) Both sound different and great in there own sense, but since the Mexican has a rosewood board, and the American has a maple board, the mexican sounds deeper and warmer. I'm wondering if I should compensate the EQ on my amp for the two basses to make up for the maple's lack of depth and the rosewood's lack of clarity that I seem to notice. P.S. The two both have flatwound strings on them, and no I will not change the strings. I'm a greasy handed teenager who practically melts roundwounds with his finger acid.


Too Long; Didn't read: EQ for maple vs rosewood?

[BassIan]

Nobody is going to be able to assign a frequency, Q, and amplitude boost/cut based on this information.

You have two different basses. They'd probably sound different made from the same type of wood. That's the nature of instruments, and what makes them interesting! I own multiple basses because I want them to sound different. There's no sense in trying to make one sound like the other!

That said, tune to suit your ears. If you feel the Mexican is missing some clarity, give yourself some boost anywhere above 1 or 2 khz. For adding some meat to your maple American, try a low-mid boost between 100 and 160 hz of about 3dB. Use boost sparingly! Another, probably better approach, is to cut away what you don't want. So, cut some mids and lows out of the Mexican, and cut some highs out of the American, then adjust volume accordingly. Gain matching is important, otherwise boosting always sounds better.

Good luck.

[audiomitch]

I doubt it's the fretboard that makes up the biggest difference in sound. These are two very different basses. Best plan here is to EQ until it sounds good, then remember the settings for each bass.

[Pat The Bassist]

Thanks. I have my gain set at a constant level, just enough so that the clip light only comes on when I smack the strings.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by audiomitch

I doubt it's the fretboard that makes up the biggest difference in sound. These are two very different basses. Best plan here is to EQ until it sounds good, then remember the settings for each bass.

+1. If anything the denser rosewood board will give a brighter tone and better sustain than maple, all else being the same. The body material has far more influence than the board material.

[odin70]

Originally Posted by Pat The Bassist

I'm wondering if I should compensate the EQ on my amp for the two basses to make up for the maple's lack of depth and the rosewood's lack of clarity that I seem to notice.

Call Fender. Maybe they can help you.

[MODELL]

Pat, don't rule out something as simple as playing closer to the bridge on the MIM and closer to the neck on the MIA. (If you haven't already tried this) it might just do the trick .....

[Pat The Bassist]

Thanks for the help guys. I also should mention I'm running a Markbass LM2 head. Also I guess I need to take the tweeter into account for each bass.... This is why I like upright played without amplification. because YOU are the amp.

[JTE]

I'd simply embrace the difference. I don't change my EQ when I switch from a round-wound strung Lakland 4-94 to the flat-wound strung Precision. I switch BECAUSE they sound different.

John