Opinions on Fender vs. EBMM

[hibachiduck]

I prefer Music Man necks and their fit and finish, but I prefer Fender-alike electronics (specifically in my case Hanson.....definitely sounds like I need to buy a Lakland)

[pickles]

Originally Posted by Gasman

I've owned all three. Here's my brief take:

1. Stingray- punchiest, most aggressive of the three. BIG low end, very growly. EBMM preamp has a distinct sound that the Fenders can't copy. Love it or hate it, the preamp is going to have an effect on your tone. A fav for slap and funk guys, prog rock, punk.
Problems: As I said, it's punchy, sometimes to a fault. Might not sit in the mix as well as the Fenders. The "zing" is notable and can really only be tamed with flat wound strings. I don't think it sounds great picked (accentuates the treble), but awesome with fingers and slap.

2. Fender P- the gold standard. Just plug and play the thing. Very mid centered, lacks the full tone spectrum of the jazz as well as the big lows and highs of the Ray. However, that's actually it's charm. It sits perfectly in the mix when you want, stands out when you want. Has been used for EVERYTHING. If you've listened to any music in the last 60 years, you've heard a P bass. I like it best when picked. Not the best sound for slap of the three IMO, but it surely can be done.

3. Fender Jazz- Thinnest neck of the three, incredibly versatile sound. Great lows and treble, solid mids (although not P solid). The "prettiest" sound of the three. Sounds great picked, slapped, or finger plucked. Overall I think it's more on the Stingray side tonally, but others disagree. The Fenders are warmer sounding than the Ray. , However, Jazzes get lost in the mix the easiest of the three IMHO.

An accurate, complete, rational response on this topic ... well done!

IMHO everyone should have all 3, with the stingray in general being the lowest priority. If you like to slap, get an ash/maple J. Nothing you can't do with that.

[Wallace320]

If you regularly gig, an active bass, with a proficient electronic like MM, is not only reasonable, but highly recommended. A variety of tone and a "punch", as anybody mentioned, can help in that always changing venue/pa/resident engineer and so on.
But then again, a Fender Reggie Hamilton Jazz (3 band equalizer and active/passive switch) is more versatile and faster to adapt to each and every condition (I personally complicated lives to resident engineer and EBMM bassplayers for my Reggie was cuttier, meatier and quicker to mix up and tableturned all settings in a sec, soundin' better).
Apart from hybrids like Reggie Hamilton's or American Deluxe (with active/passive switch), in a studio or rehearsals, you cannot beat a passive Jazz or Precision down in a band mix.

It's history here, not a story, d'you get me?!

Cheers,
Wallace

[facepalmmaster]

Originally Posted by Wallace320

If you regularly gig, an active bass, with a proficient electronic like MM, is not only reasonable, but highly recommended. A variety of tone and a "punch", as anybody mentioned, can help in that always changing venue/pa/resident engineer and so on.
But then again, a Fender Reggie Hamilton Jazz (3 band equalizer and active/passive switch) is more versatile and faster to adapt to each and every condition (I personally complicated lives to resident engineer and EBMM bassplayers for my Reggie was cuttier, meatier and quicker to mix up and tableturned all settings in a sec, soundin' better).
Apart from hybrids like Reggie Hamilton's or American Deluxe (with active/passive switch), in a studio or rehearsals, you cannot beat a passive Jazz or Precision down in a band mix.

It's history here, not a story, d'you get me?!

Cheers,
Wallace

Soooo, yeah, im a teenager, barely in a band, so im doing neither yet, though if I had to guess id probably start out gigging first, not sure. But yeah, ive never used a passive bass, so im not quite clear on the difference. Less punch? Less Volume?

[PotsdamBass8]

I'm sorry I didn't have time to read the whole thread, just the first and last post. First of all, the active/passive thing really only relates to being able to control your sound from the bass (like cutting and boosting bass or treble). I've played active basses that were fairly bland and flat sounding, and I have a passive bass that is super punchy and cuts through really well.

I really can't stress enough how important it is to find a place to play these basses before you make a decision. A lot of times what you think you might like based on reviews is actually not what you will really like when you play it. If you're going to spend $1000 or more on an instrument, especially if you don't have a ton of experience playing several instruments, it's important that you get to play them first and see which ones you get drawn to and have a connection with.

[Coldmilk]

Honestly I think you should save up for your dream bass. Nothing is really going to satisfy that desire. Regardless of which bass you buy, you'll still be curious about the others. It's natural thing though, and you'll probably eventually own all three types.

That said, I think you should just look out for a used Modulus, they will eventually pop up in time and you might just get what you were looking for! Just be patient.

[facepalmmaster]

Originally Posted by Coldmilk

Honestly I think you should save up for your dream bass. Nothing is really going to satisfy that desire. Regardless of which bass you buy, you'll still be curious about the others. It's natural thing though, and you'll probably eventually own all three types.

That said, I think you should just look out for a used Modulus, they will eventually pop up in time and you might just get what you were looking for! Just be patient.

My dream bass is a music man, fender, modulus, lakland, sadowsky, and a ritter, along with many others. If I got a Fender P or J, an EBMM Stingray, a Sadowsky P or J, a Modulus Funk or Quantum, a lakland P or J, or any ritter, it would count as my "dream bass". And with the Modulus, im not ready to look for a bass yet. I dont really have the money right now, so i was going to wait for christmas/hanukkah time to look, im just getting opinions now. If one pops up then ill have to grab it

[phillybass101]

Two different flavors and sounds both developed by the same genius. If quality is an issue and it should be get one then the other. If you really want that MM sound you'll never be satisfied until you get one. An option financially would be to put your bucks on the one that would be your go to bass. Play on all kinds of each. you'll have to find THAT one. Then work on the second bass. Don't discount the used market. also the Sterling by MM series really nails the MM sound if you must buy new and don't have the funds for made MIA MM. You have several options to consider. I'd decide on which bass would be my main bass and could see myself playing most of the time. Play before you buy.

[facepalmmaster]

Originally Posted by phillybass101

Two different flavors and sounds both developed by the same genius. If quality is an issue and it should be get one then the other. If you really want that MM sound you'll never be satisfied until you get one. An option financially would be to put your bucks on the one that would be your go to bass. Play on all kinds of each. you'll have to find THAT one. Then work on the second bass. Don't discount the used market. also the Sterling by MM series really nails the MM sound if you must buy new and don't have the funds for made MIA MM. You have several options to consider. I'd decide on which bass would be my main bass and could see myself playing most of the time. Play before you buy.

Ive only ever seen myself having an EBMM as my go to bass, but ill definitely need to play them. And by that time i think ill have sufficient funds to buy a new one, though im gonna go used if its an option. If I do this, this will be my last bass for years (unless something happens to it)

[tmntfan]

Get both... Eventually.

As many ppl have commented the p-Bass is still the standard. It plays well- in my hands at least, as opposed to a jazz with a smaller neck and string spacing. It is Simple to operate so you can focus on getting the sound you want from your hands not ajusting the EQ. It is passive so you dont have to worry about batteries and sturdy so you don't have to worry too much about being super gentle to it.

All in all a great bass, the same with the jazz; in most respests, but in that having 2 pick ups it is a little more veristle but doesn't have the same tone as the P)
I would say get one of these to start and save up for the next one.

music man is the progression of the bass IMO. Leo Fender made the P bass then the Stingray. It is active, which brings more verity to tone but needs batteries and a little more care. i would watch out for only getting 1 pickup in Muiscman, it gives you that sound, but only that sound. as with having 2 Pickups lets you play around a bit more.

a note on G&L's: they are the Legacy of both fender and musicman. Adding bits of both that accumltes in something new and inbetween the three mentioned; i had one but could never really get the right sound out of it.

I play in a handful of bands: a jazz/funk groug, a pop/rock band, a R&B/hiphop thing, and in church now and then so having a bass that works in all of them is important. I have two basses: a P-bass as my back up cause i know it will never fail and will sound good, and a 5 sting HH Bongo bass for a more modern but versitle sound. so get both...

[drummer5359]

Originally Posted by Gasman

I've owned all three. Here's my brief take:

1. Stingray- punchiest, most aggressive of the three. BIG low end, very growly. EBMM preamp has a distinct sound that the Fenders can't copy. Love it or hate it, the preamp is going to have an effect on your tone. A fav for slap and funk guys, prog rock, punk.
Problems: As I said, it's punchy, sometimes to a fault. Might not sit in the mix as well as the Fenders. The "zing" is notable and can really only be tamed with flat wound strings. I don't think it sounds great picked (accentuates the treble), but awesome with fingers and slap.

2. Fender P- the gold standard. Just plug and play the thing. Very mid centered, lacks the full tone spectrum of the jazz as well as the big lows and highs of the Ray. However, that's actually it's charm. It sits perfectly in the mix when you want, stands out when you want. Has been used for EVERYTHING. If you've listened to any music in the last 60 years, you've heard a P bass. I like it best when picked. Not the best sound for slap of the three IMO, but it surely can be done.

3. Fender Jazz- Thinnest neck of the three, incredibly versatile sound. Great lows and treble, solid mids (although not P solid). The "prettiest" sound of the three. Sounds great picked, slapped, or finger plucked. Overall I think it's more on the Stingray side tonally, but others disagree. The Fenders are warmer sounding than the Ray. , However, Jazzes get lost in the mix the easiest of the three IMHO.

^THIS!

This question (or a very similar one) gets asked a LOT!

This response is so right that it could be a sticky. (Right under the one about the best bass for metal.)

I own all three, plus a Tele bass and this respone just nails it. By the way, I play the P the most...

[Emibass]

This is just my opinion. I was unable to make a stingray fit good in a mix without overprocess it. A Jazz gets glued with the kick in the mix.

it helps if you change the strings for flats on a Stingray but still not the same.

[Crabby]

You cant go wrong with any of your three options so the best thing is to try them all and decide which one feels best in your hands. P-bass has widest neck, then the Ray which is a touch narrower and then the Jazz which has a very narrow slim feel to the neck. I love the girth of a P but the playability, sheer quality and aggressive tone of a Stingray will always win out for me!

[TheRealKong]

The problem with both of the Fender basses is, that you will find a good tone, but it will be the only tone. I love my precision, but it is one tone - no matter if tone knob opened or closed. Fender Jazz Basses sound the best with both PU's wide open and toneknob wide open, too. OK, for slap tone. Bridge PU gives a nasal Jaco Pastorius-Sound, fine for Jazz or soloing. The Neck - PU is more boomy, but never Precision-like.

The active EQ on Stingray basses make you able to dial in any tone you like. Check out both preamps, two and three bands are possible. Both EQ's are realy versatile, no Fender bass can reach this. Too zingi?? Use the EQ and cut the highs a bit.

Carvin basses are often described as "Fender Jazz on steroids"". The active EQ gives you way more posibilitys than you will have with a Fender Jazz Bass. But you are bound to the two Jazz-PU's. Ever heard of Mike Lull Basses? He builts J and P-models with a fine sound. You can find them stringed with 35''-strings what gives you a better, clearer low end.

I have a fine Precision, built in 1964, a custom made Jazz Bass, made by Harry Haeussel, and a Stingray 5 I purchased at last. I love all of them and won't sell any of this three axes. But I would have only Stingrays if I found them for me before the others. And I never again found a P or a J like mine.

I think you should play as many basses as possible. A bass has to find it's owner. It is you and your taste, you have to like the tone and the playability. Go to the stores and play!

[king_biscuit]

Originally Posted by tmntfan

music man is the progression of the bass IMO. Leo Fender made the P bass then the Stingray.

I like Stingrays too (check my profile), but let's not forget Leo was just about deaf when he designed the Stingray. Sterling Ball has talked about this and how Leo would have to hold a screwdriver from the bridge up to the cartridge in his ear to hear vibration/tone of the bass. So the Stingray is different and cool, but not better or any improvement of the P or J.

[Bassmunnky]

Have all of them.

Love all of them...and mainly use the Fenders for recording.

I usually chose the MM Ray over the Fenders mostly because LIVE...it's going to work with the LEAST amount of Amp/Preamp/Eq etc...

I find my MM Ray more 'plug and play' live..whereas the Fenders 'need'..the SanSamp/Sadowsky/Bassbone..kind of boost to get up in the mix without blasting the amp and ruining the FOH mix..

But you need all of them.for sure. Now ask about 2 Band Rays vs 3 Band!

[IronLung1986]

One of the biggest advantages of a P bass is simplicity. You are never stuck fiddling with knobs wondering what minute adjustment might sound better. Dealing with onboard EQ's can be frustrating or distracting for some people. It's a bummer to find a setting you really like and then accidentally turn a knob or two. If you're picky like me it can be tough to find that setting again, especially during a gig.

[C.Linton]

Love Fenders. never played an EBMM, would love to try one, though. I'd lean more towards the two pickup model (named ?) I would think.

[SJan3]

The p bass neck is no longer wider than a stingray. P is 1.625" and stingray is 1 5/8" which is just about the same. In fact, I feel the new american standards to feel slightly narrower at the nut than the stingray.

[C.Linton]

What's the neck radius on an EBMM?