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Club Sadowsky!!!

#28,361
PJ vs JJ...

I liked the comment that you should think of it like a P with a J pickup added, rather than a J with a P pickup added... if that makes sense.

The thing about the way these pickups work is pretty special/unique IMHO. If you solo the P, yeah, you get a pretty faithful P type tone, but when you start blending the J in, it really becomes more of a unique "modern" type tone. Big and fat on the low end, not as aggressive in the upper mids, and particularly sizzly up top. Even with a maple board, the upper mids are noticeably not as forward as the other tones.

This makes for a REALLY cool slap tone, but you might miss those upper mids for fingerstyle. Favoring the J to get some of that bite back works, but again, differently than a J.

I would always favor a J over a P, and I would always favor a JJ over a PJ. BUT, I do really like that PJ tone, and there's no other way to get it.
 
#28,363
roadkill2309 said:
I generally like it as well, but that's just because i like the way it looks. I don't think it's really as different from RW as TalkBass would have us believe.
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IMHO it is. Morado to me is very different from (true) rosewood... it's harder and denser. It's more like it's somewhere between maple and ebony, making it much brighter and more aggressive than the warmer more classic sounding rosewood.

At least that's the way I hear it, and it's very noticeable to me.
 
#28,365
roadkill2309 said:
I generally like it as well, but that's just because i like the way it looks. I don't think it's really as different from RW as TalkBass would have us believe.
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Couldn't disagree more IMO/IME. Especially when you're talking about Brazilian RW vs Morado. Extremely different. To me, and again YMMV, morado is closer to maple tonally with all the aesthetics benefits of a rosewood.
 
#28,366
Vic said:
IMHO it is. Morado to me is very different from (true) rosewood... it's harder and denser. It's more like it's somewhere between maple and ebony, making it much brighter and more aggressive than the warmer more classic sounding rosewood.

At least that's the way I hear it, and it's very noticeable to me.
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When I was sitting in Roger's shop last year and manhandling every bass I could get my hands on, I definitely noticed the diff and completely agree. But my philosophy on this stuff is that a given amp/Di and a band smooth the differences out enough that it matters a whole lot less. Every now and again, someone posts a sonic comparison to make some arcane point, and I'm not always convinced that the diffs are big enough to count. Other times, I notice what I think is a big variation and others don't hear it. It's definitely not a cut-and-dried thing.

Personally, I find that a maple fretboard on an active bass doesn't always cut through as well as RW, because IMHO what's happening on top sacrifices some of the fundamental. There are members on TB who'll go to the mats to say I'm dead wrong, but I'd say that most audience members couldn't tell the difference. I see the argument over pay ferro, rosewood, Braz and Indian to be even more granular. I buy the differences, I just think that we get tangled up over them more than is necessary. The problem lies in the vast numbers of different ears in this poor old planet of ours.

I guess I just think that your fretboard wood choice is a personal thing, and that looks can sometimes play as big a role as the wood's properties. EDIT: and of course, the band context.
 
#28,367
roadkill2309 said:
When I was sitting in Roger's shop last year and manhandling every bass I could get my hands on, I definitely noticed the diff and completely agree. But my philosophy on this stuff is that a given amp/Di and a band smooth the differences out enough that it matters a whole lot less. Every now and again, someone posts a sonic comparison to make some arcane point, and I'm not always convinced that the diffs are big enough to count. Other times, I notice what I think is a big variation and others don't hear it. It's definitely not a cut-and-dried thing.

Personally, I find that a maple fretboard on an active bass doesn't always cut through as well as RW, because IMHO what's happening on top sacrifices some of the fundamental. There are members on TB who'll go to the mats to say I'm dead wrong, but I'd say that most audience members couldn't tell the difference. I see the argument over pay ferro, rosewood, Braz and Indian to be even more granular. I buy the differences, I just think that we get tangled up over them more than is necessary. The problem lies in the vast numbers of different ears in this poor old planet of ours.

I guess I just think that your fretboard wood choice is a personal thing, and that looks can sometimes play as big a role as the wood's properties. EDIT: and of course, the band context.
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Definitely agree with you in the 'does any of this really matter in a mix live?' point. Probably not. Although, I had a good point of comparison between RW/Morado/Maple. The band I was in at the time recorded shows at the same club with the same PA/gear/recording equipment/etc, as well as the same set list. The only difference each time was on my end. I had a Metro RV5 (morado), an MV5 (Maple) and my NYC PJ5 (Braz RW) respectively. Add to that that in each case I was going through an Aguilar DB750/Whappo Jr rig and was not in the PA.

Aside from the obvious difference with the PJ5, I really noticed the difference in slap tones between the maple and morado. The morado has a certain harshness in the upper treble region when slapped, to my ears at least, that I didn't care for. Fingerstyle was fairly similar however.
 
#28,368
roadkill2309 said:
But my philosophy on this stuff is that a given amp/Di and a band smooth the differences out enough that it matters a whole lot less.
...
Personally, I find that a maple fretboard on an active bass doesn't always cut through as well as RW, because IMHO what's happening on top sacrifices some of the fundamental.
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Let's just say your experiences definitely don't mimic mine on these things. :) I definitely miss tonal aspects with different woods, and have never been able to satisfactorily compensate with amp EQ. You just have to have the "right" woods for your tastes to begin with. I refuse to own any bass that "requires" EQ to sound "good" to me.

There are members on TB who'll go to the mats to say I'm dead wrong, but I'd say that most audience members couldn't tell the difference.
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I'd say they wouldn't be able to pick out what contributed to an overall better sound (and likely wouldn't care), but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be, and that doesn't mean they can't at least tell that one band sounds a little better than the other. In other words, not always, but often enough, they may not know why, but they notice.

I see the argument over pay ferro, rosewood, Braz and Indian to be even more granular. I buy the differences, I just think that we get tangled up over them more than is necessary. The problem lies in the vast numbers of different ears in this poor old planet of ours.
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Definitely agree we get tangled up in this stuff more than we should sometimes, but that goes with the web forum territory. But that doesn't mean there's literally no tangible/significant aspects worth making purchase decisions on. At least to me, they matter enough.

Every now and again, someone posts a sonic comparison to make some arcane point, and I'm not always convinced that the diffs are big enough to count. Other times, I notice what I think is a big variation and others don't hear it. It's definitely not a cut-and-dried thing.
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Agreed, FWIW, especially on the not cut/dried point.

I guess I just think that your fretboard wood choice is a personal thing, and that looks can sometimes play as big a role as the wood's properties. EDIT: and of course, the band context.
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Truth.
 
#28,369
As per the norm, Vic gets there 5 minutes ahead of me;)

I hear diffs. They matter to me. Those may, or may not, reveal themselves more-or, less-in a studio vs live environ, but, that's dependent on a lot of variables too.
 
#28,376
Chef said:
As per the norm, Vic gets there 5 minutes ahead of me;)

I hear diffs. They matter to me. Those may, or may not, reveal themselves more-or, less-in a studio vs live environ, but, that's dependent on a lot of variables too.
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Bingo. Try boosting the bass & treble on the preamp a bit to tighten up the bottom (as a trial) - then roll off some VTC to smooth out the top. That tone will FILL the room w/a tight bass that you probably won't appreciate from beside your amp. I'll be interested to hear if your band mates or a friend in the room comment on the new bass' sound in any way.
B.
 
#28,378
You talkin' to me?

I think you're confusing the "fingerboard woods" conversation" vs "P vs J conversation".....

I can't imagine boosting bass on that P pup, but, I'll try it a little if you want...

P. Bass said:
Bingo. Try boosting the bass & treble on the preamp a bit to tighten up the bottom (as a trial) - then roll off some VTC to smooth out the top. That tone will FILL the room w/a tight bass that you probably won't appreciate from beside your amp. I'll be interested to hear if your band mates or a friend in the room comment on the new bass' sound in any way.
B.
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