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dead bass. Is it the wood?

Dudes if you think wood doesnt affect tone... check out the "Wood Matters Club" and the "Wood Doesnt matter club". This is all discussed many times with a few death threats thrown in for good measure so read up!
 
Realistically the OP is comparing two entry-level basses that are Asian copies and have a classic history (as do many budget Asian or Mexican copies) of INCONSISTENCY.

From a logical perspective, if he can't get his instrument to sound the way he wants, it would be perhaps best to cut his losses and sell - rather than put more money into what cannot be altered without major money (high quality neck,etc) because at this point it would be wasteful to put more money into a low preforming unit where he could buy something higher on the quality scale.
It's inconsistency that makes the greatest difference in low-cost copies. There are SOME exceptions in consistent quality like the G&L Tradition and the RAY but they are not in the price point bracket of the OLP.

If you win when playing poker and then start to loose; it's time to push away from the table.
 
No myth. The pickups can only translate how the strings are vibrating. That vibration is a function of the entire system. A flexible neck changes how the strings vibrate compared to a stiff neck. I'd it were all down to electronics, a Gibson SG (slab mahogany body), Les Paul Standard (mahogany body with substantial maple cap), and ES-335 (solid maple block with maple semi-hollow body) would sound the same.

Recording only tells you the difference if ALL factors are the same. Just because I can't tell Clapton's SG from his Les Paul in Cream doesn't mean HE (or Tom Dowd, Felix Pappilardi, etc. can't ).

Further, to say that a heavy ash bodied Precision sounds exactly like an alder bodied one dismisses the experience of many rational and reliable witnesses over decades.

Jihn

Do they all have exactly the same electronics.?
 
No myth. The pickups can only translate how the strings are vibrating. That vibration is a function of the entire system. A flexible neck changes how the strings vibrate compared to a stiff neck. I'd it were all down to electronics, a Gibson SG (slab mahogany body), Les Paul Standard (mahogany body with substantial maple cap), and ES-335 (solid maple block with maple semi-hollow body) would sound the same.

Recording only tells you the difference if ALL factors are the same. Just because I can't tell Clapton's SG from his Les Paul in Cream doesn't mean HE (or Tom Dowd, Felix Pappilardi, etc. can't ).

Further, to say that a heavy ash bodied Precision sounds exactly like an alder bodied one dismisses the experience of many rational and reliable witnesses over decades.

Jihn

The vibrations affect the magnetic field of the pickups....how can wood affect a magnetic field?
 
O:K first I would like to say that I certainly won´t be issuing any death threats,,,and hopefully not receiving any either...BUT..if some one can explain to me scientifically - not hearsay or faith-based opinion - how a wholly electronic sound can be affected by the wood then I might re-think...I am not stupd or close-minded, but I simply cannnot begin to understand how the type of wood can affect the electrical impulses, magnetic field etc. to me it´s like saying - eating chicken soup with a maple spoon will taste different to eating it with an alder spoon.
 
Wood affects sustain, I don't think that can be argued. Every piece of wood is unique, even within species, that is fact. So any combination of species used in a neck and body will have different sustain properties. Even between two same instuments of the same construction model; although it may be difficult to tell and some will just be dead. Sustain translates into electromagnetic signal via p'ups therefore wood affects the duration of the signal. Sometimes the wood will not sustain long: dead instrument.

Sustain is part of tone, so is the coil, mags, quality of copper in the wire could even play into it, etc. You can't just say one species is best, ridiculous to try. It has been proven that spruce lumber can sound incredible. If the lumber is wet and compared to some really dry, or with 70 knots in it, they will sustain differently and tone will be affected. But you can't just look at a species and write it off tone wise, etc.