First of all ..... Eric, what excellent expressive playing! And your B45 definitely has that Barker-ness to it. Love the video!
+1. I've seen it before and commented before too. I've never seen a Barker strapped on; that was cool.
Tom, it's really interesting when I see people placing an emphasis on wood. Being the non-technical knucklehead I am, I rarely think about what woods work best in different settings, but as I think back on it just about every bass I've ever owned and loved has the same wood configuration.
The B6 is the first one with a douglas fir top, and after this weekend I'll be able to speak with conviction about the tone. My other prime gigging basses all have figured maple (quilt or curly) tops with mahogony bodies, all neck through, all the same neck woods. Essentially the same electronics, too ...
Good info from you, Tom, as usual ...
I apologize in advance for how long this is going to be.
I played bass as a teenager, then gave it up for a serious career as a computer nerd, then came back to bass later in life.
When I was 17, I carefully filed down the frets of my 1976 Fender Jazz Bass. My stomach was sick the entire time, wondering if I just ruined my favorite bass, but it turned out surprisingly well.
It sounded great and my band mates loved it, but when I was alone in my room with records, I could hear it still didn't sound exactly like Jaco's bass.
At that time, I didn't know that Fender had changed the positioning of their pickups, so I attributed the difference in tone to the difference in wood.
Ever since I've believed that basically anything that affects the vibration, affects the tone.
That belief has been reinforced over the years as I've learned more, and especially after very educational conversations with luthiers, including George Furlanetto of Fbass, and Joey Fodera of, well, Fodera, about how woods affect tone -- not just woods, but other things such as single cut vs. double cut, the size of the heal as it meets the body, etc.
I have a good friend who is friends with Carry Nordstrand, and the two of them recently had an interesting conversation about how the taper of the neck affects the tone of the bass. And I totally believe it! Heck, I'm amazed at the research George Furlanetto has done with different types of finish and their affects on the tone of the bass.
It all probably matters, but the DEGREE to which it matters depends on how all the variables combine, especially our hands and playing style.
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"Q: Would there be a considerable difference in the sound of your Fender Jazz Bass if the neck was rosewood or ebony instead of maple?
"A: Maplewood is a good deal harder than the other common woods used for bass necks (ebony, rosewood, etc). The sound from a maple neck is harder than the others. I think my thumbing sound would be significantly different without the maple.
"For finger style I actually prefer a softer wood (rosewood usually) but, if I'm only using one bass, I can make do with the maple. "
I think most people, particularly non bass players and non musicians, don't really notice the differences in tone that basses can have. Then again, Marcus Miller and Nathan East have made an awful good living not just by how they play, but how good they sound. And when something sounds particularly good, most people notice, regardless of whether or not they are bass players.
But like there are a lot of great flavors of ice cream, there are a lot of great flavors of bass tone as well. In many instances, what works best is a function of the right tool for the job. In other words, in certain situations or songs, a particular bass may really hit the spot, so I like to have basses that excel at doing certain things.
For instance, here is an outdated "family photo" of my basses.
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And let's just talk about the first 3 basses going from left to right...
1. Fodera Yin Yang - Alder body (with a top made of holly and ebony), maple fingerboard, PJ pickups
2. Nordstrand Nordy VJ5 - Ash body, maple fingerboard, pickups in the 70s position
3. Fbass BN5 - Ash body, maple fingerboard, pickups in the 60s position
All three have maple finger boards, but differences in the body wood and pickups (and pickup positioning) give each of the basses very distinct voices.
Back to the two gospel music videos we've been discussing. Considering the differences in wood and pickup positions, I'd use the FBass BN5 for for "I am God," and either my Barker or my alder bodied and rosewood fingerboarded Alleva Coppolo (not pictured in this photo) for "God is my Everything."
And if there ever was one bass that could do it all, I'd probably get it, but only use it when I have to travel light, because the differences in how the basses are cut, how they play, how they sound, and even how they look affect the ideas that come to me as I play, and I make different choices as a result.
I LIKE being affected by the bass I'm playing, and playing differently as a result, so I'd prefer to have several basses (although I'm going to trim the herd to something more practical).
Phew.
Sorry that was so long winded.
But I can see why there are guys with 3 Barkers. Not only does it help them choose the best tool for the job, but the differences in the basses will affect their choices as a player and cause them to approach songs differently.
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. Gotta get used to a 34" scale again, everything I own is 35" and up, so the higher registers have been getting abused of late .... thank God I have supportive band mates ... 
