Different tone from different wood, really?

[mrjim123]

In order, the factors that affect the tone of the bass (excluding amp and mixing):
1) player technique and ability
2) pickups
3) playing environment
4) quality of construction the bass, e.g. bolt on vs neck through vs hollow vs semi hollow
5) neck wood and fretboard
6) body wood
7) connections to amp/sound board
8) audience

Not that I disagree with you, but you state this as if it were a proven fact, and not just your opinion. If it is factual then what is the proof?

 

[Robscott]

Here's another bit of evidence to add to the discussion.

I have 2 Fender Precision basses. One is MIA, the other MIM. The MIA sounds better. It also has a pickup with Alnico 5 magnets. The MIM uses Ceramic bar magnets. So could the difference be the pickups? To find out I swapped pickups keeping everything else the same. The MIA with MIM pickups still sounded better. So with the pickups still swapped, I swapped the strings on both basses. No change - the MIA still sounded better. I swapped bridges - so now I had a MIA with MIM pickups, MIM bridge and the strings from the MIM and vice versa. Still the MIA sounded better.

To be fair, the MIA sounded different than when it was all MIA parts, but the basic sound that set it apart from the MIM was still there. And the MIA parts on the MIM made some changes to the sound - not really a significant improvement, but slightly different. Still didn't compare the the MIA.

I'm not going to say what was the defining factor in the difference of these two basses, but I know what it wasn't - not the pickups, the strings nor the bridge.

That's interesting! Out of interest, how would you describe the difference, MIM to MIA?

 

[mattj1stc]

Back when I owned 18 different basses, a friend with a decent home studio and I recorded me playing the same riffs on all of them (in different ways) directly into the board. The sample included passive, active, electric upright, ABG, 4 and 5 string, most major styles (P, J, stingray, Ric, T bird, etc.) and of course, a wide variety of woods.

My main takeaway was that how/where the bass was played (fingers/pick and how close to the bridge or neck), the type of string (round or flat) and the type/location of the pickup/electronics were the main drivers by far. For example, basses with unique pickups or other construction considerations like the ABG, the electric upright, the Ric with horseshoe soloed, the stingray with its active preamp, the 12 string (octave courses), etc. had distinctive sounds. Similar basses, one with rounds and one with flats, sounded really different even when played the same way. Even a passive P bass with flats can have a pretty wide sound spectrum depending on how and where you play it and where you set the tone knob.

This was my experience - if others see big differences in tone woods, etc. then they probably have better ears than I do. I don't necessarily disagree (certain woods are definitely chosen over others for legit, non-economic reasons).

Another thought is really around how clean of a sound you run. I'm pretty clean and use a DI and minimal effects (mostly just gain and EQ). As such, I find regularly playing a passive P with flats works well for me in terms of getting the sound to fit a space, sitting in the mix, etc. On the other hand, if you run through a ton of effects and distortion, those changes to your sound will be the most influential by far, regardless of what bass you use, much less what tone wood you have. Generally, whatever touches your sound last will have the most impact on it.

Lastly, you have to think about where you sit in the mix. I loved playing a 12 string by myself or with a single guitarist who took really long solos. However, the 12 string would not work when playing in some bands with coworkers where there were 3 or more guitar players (that would be a lot of mid sound).

 

[4sight]

I have 2 basses which in ‘theory’ are practically the same (I bought the 2nd bass as a backup). Same pickups, same preamp, same strings, same tuning, same maple neck, same hardware, same setup. The difference is what the body is made of. One is Alder, the other is Poplar.
Both basses sound different.

Different in what way? Same strings/age? Have you measured the resistance of the pickups in each? Manually counted the windings in each pickup? Joking on the last one

 

[socialleper]

Without trying to sound too naive...

Surely the sound coming out of a bass is from the strings vibrating, and being picked up by the pickups.

Where does the wood of the body, or even the neck, come into this mix? as-in, realistically, and humanly-detectable.

I currently have an Ibanez active bass (SDGR) which has been great for a good couple of years now, but I'm keen on getting a p-bass (prob a special with the additional jazz pickup), and been eyeing up some Squiers on ebay.

The 2 big questions are, a) will I really notice much difference between a Squier p-bass and my ibanez active bass, and b) is there going to be much between a custom Fender and a Squier Affinity (granted I don't think you can get an affinity with a jazz pickup).

Hopefully the answer is "unless you're filling Wembley or Madison Square Garden everynight, you can get most tones out of most basses.

(I'll still get the p-bass regardless - just want to know whether I'll be blown away by the sound difference or not).

Cheers,
Rob

You are asking a couple different questions at once.

Will your Ibanez Soundgear bass sound different than a Squier P or PJ. Regardless of anything else, the answer is a flat yes. Both brands have a baked in tone that is a composite of several things. The fact that one is active and the other is passive will make a big difference all by its self.

Now, does the wood of the body, neck, or fret board make a difference? THAT is a hotly debated topic. My personal feelings are yes, they make a difference. If you had two identical basses with one different wood, you would probably hear a minute difference if you are playing solo or recording. If you have two basses, from the same brand, same pickups, with with different necks, fret boards, and bodies, I do think you will notice an appreciable difference.
Yes, the primary sound is your finger, or pick, striking the string, and the pickup capturing that vibration. However, the bridge, pickups, and frets are all drilled into the wood. The rigidity of the wood impacts how vibrations travel through those components, and passive pickups are slightly microphonic, so they will "hear" the sound of the wood. Fully active pickups are a little more focused on the strings, IMO.

 

[two fingers]

If it were ONLY pickups, and not a ton of other factors that play into your sound, you could simply slap a P bass pickup into a Soundgear bass and wire it to a volume and tone knob and it should sound exactly like a P bass. But it doesn't.

Don't believe me? Walk into your nearest store that carries basses. They will almost certainly have an Ibanez Soundgear with a P bass neck pickup. And they will almost certainly have some sort of P bass. They will not sound identical. There will be similarities, but just as many differences.

 

[lowphatbass]

......unless its neck through.

Exactly!!

 

[goldenglory18]

What most people wont do in situations like these is actually do a scientific experiment in a controlled environment with limited/controlled variables.

I recorded a record YEARS ago with two basses; a 98 MIA STD black w/rosewood and a 2001 MIM STD natural ash body/maple. Same lot number pickups (SD 1/4's bought at the same time) and EB slinky strings (green pack.) We did a dual line DI/live SVT rig. The engineer and producer HATED tracking with the MIA. From what I can remember it just didn't have the same recorded character as the MIM did. So we cut the record, and the MIA became my live player and the MIM was a studio queen.

Call it what you will, but in a non-intentional somewhat-scientific setting, it was fairly clear that there was SOMETHING different about the MIM, and the main component was wood composition/selection....

 

[Really]

I try to be as real as possible, but I assume you mean my explanation is incorrect.
Maybe you can explain to us how a Titanium body will sound just like a Styrofoam body.

Mayby i can . If you add pickups on body

 

[Killed_by_Death]

 

[Really]

 

[Killed_by_Death]

That proves nothing. The cardboard was stiff enough to sound just like wood.
My explanation stands, the hardness & stiffness influence the sound.

 

[Eminor3rd]

Yes, the pickups only pick-up signals form the strings.

But EVERY component, including the body material, affects the way that the strings vibrate.

The answer to your questions is: yes, those basses will sound noticeably different, and body wood is just one of a multitude of factors responsible. Which one sounds "best" is up to you.

 

[WardEarth]

This is some average tb foolery

But that cardboard guitar is pretty cool. Didn’t prove anything but it is cool. Can’t really hear the intricacies when the signal is distorted.

 

[Really]

View attachment 3328298

That proves nothing. The cardboard was stiff enough to sound just like wood.
My explanation stands, the hardness & stiffness influence the sound.

then you can explain it us

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I already did, far back on the first page.

 

[Really]

I already did, far back on the first page.

No you don’t. And you are not right person explain anything about anything .you dont have anything proof

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Play what you like, but like what you play.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

you are not right person explain anything about anything

An awful lot of people agree with me, that's proof enough.
Look, you either take the facts as I presented them or you don't, but I'm not going to argue with you about it.

 

[waveman]

Without trying to sound too naive...

Surely the sound coming out of a bass is from the strings vibrating, and being picked up by the pickups.

Yes.

Where does the wood of the body, or even the neck, come into this mix? as-in, realistically, and humanly-detectable.

Any part of the bass can effect sound. How much of it is detectable is up for infinite debate.

I currently have an Ibanez active bass (SDGR) which has been great for a good couple of years now, but I'm keen on getting a p-bass (prob a special with the additional jazz pickup), and been eyeing up some Squiers on ebay.

Get one You may like it.

The 2 big questions are, a) will I really notice much difference between a Squier p-bass and my ibanez active bass, and b) is there going to be much between a custom Fender and a Squier Affinity (granted I don't think you can get an affinity with a jazz pickup).

a. Yes, I think the difference will be pretty noticeable in the bedroom and small settings
b. Probably due to the quality of pickups and other little things, but there should be some similarities as well.

Hopefully the answer is "unless you're filling Wembley or Madison Square Garden everynight, you can get most tones out of most basses.

(I'll still get the p-bass regardless - just want to know whether I'll be blown away by the sound difference or not).

Cheers,
Rob

Yes, but also consider that if you are playing large stages, these differences are usually not as pronounced by the time the sound has traveled from your bass through the PA to someone else's ears due to the environmental factors the sound is traveling (including venue acoustics), the electronic equipment used to to process and amplify your signal through the PA, and the general mix.