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FENDER vs SPECTOR vs MUSIC MAN video!!!!

#26
mongo2 said:
I disagree, through my system the P bass tone has considerably more gravitas than the Stingray in the video. Perhaps an EQ adjustment might help the 'Ray out.
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I didn't pick that up - P bass had a standard P bass sound with tone open to me - not quite but getting towards that Ampeg/p bass roar I guess. Not my favourite sound but ok. Both the other basses have the possibility of sounding in that ball park and lots of other ball parks as well.

What's all this Spector and P bass love and none for the Ray? You see lots of Rays in semi pro bands where I am. Don't think I've ever seen a Spector in the flesh but it looks v nice. The Indy bands use P basses but not many others - nice enough I guess if you like that sort of thing.
 
#27
I liked the Spector first and the Ray 2nd. Not too surprising considering I'm a Spector guy...

Sounds like the Ray is a great bare bones bass tone, but to me it just sounds like the Spector has something the Ray doesn't without any effects. Like the Spector is more 'ballsy' which is the tone I go for. Obviously playing style/amp you're playing through is going to play into that a little bit but I've kinda always felt that way about Spectors.
 
#30
OP - what are you thinking! You already have a nice P bass, it sounded great in the clips, one of the best finger tones out there, it just hangs in the pocket so nicely. Don't you dare sell that Spector, it sounded fantastic and will go to extremes on the high end grind hat the other two wont. Likewise the Stingray sounded fantastic as well and it will go to extremes on the low end the others can't without losing their top end zing.
Look at my tagline, its there for a reason... Lots of truth in that statement!
Now, save your money up until you have enough to buy a nice used Gibson SG or Fender Jazz and you'll have about all the bases covered. :thumbsup:
 
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#32
Guess I missed something. Why would the OP want to make all three basses sound alike? Why not put the strings on each one that bring out the best in that bass. Like Black Beauties on the Ray and Deep Talkin Flats on the Precision and Coccos on the Spector. They obviously won't sound alike, but then again even if they all had the same strings they wouldn't sound alike.
I say celebrate the diversity in three of the best basses ever made. :smug:
 
#33
drTSTingray said:
I didn't pick that up - P bass had a standard P bass sound with tone open to me - not quite but getting towards that Ampeg/p bass roar I guess. Not my favourite sound but ok. Both the other basses have the possibility of sounding in that ball park and lots of other ball parks as well.

What's all this Spector and P bass love and none for the Ray? You see lots of Rays in semi pro bands where I am. Don't think I've ever seen a Spector in the flesh but it looks v nice. The Indy bands use P basses but not many others - nice enough I guess if you like that sort of thing.
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I think much more than indie bands use P basses.

I don't think the eq was right for the Ray. If that's how they sound all the time, I can see why there's no love. I would have to guess they don't sound that thin and trebly all the time.
 
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#37
blue4 said:
I think much more than indie bands use P basses.

I don't think the eq was right for the Ray. If that's how they sound all the time, I can see why there's no love. I would have to guess they don't sound that thin and trebly all the time.
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Rays don't always sound like that - listen to Ed Friedland's video review of a classic Stingray to hear the breadth of sound available. And that top end sizzle helps the bass sit in the mix also.

I guess saying P basses are only in indie where I am is a slight exaggeration. However I rarely see semi pro players who've been around more than a few years with them - lots of Warwick, Musicman, Thunderbirds, Rickenbacker - and some Fender Jazz. Now televised bands - yes lots of them (although some people go for way out stuff from the 60s).
 
#38
I preferred the Fender myself, then the Ray. I've owned several Spector's in the past, and I guess it's the EQ used here (not berating, just personal preference), but I found the Spector too bright. They are great instruments, though, and if that's the sound you like and it works for you, who am I to disagree? The big question is how it sounds in the mix. Bedroom tones don't always translate to live or recorded band sounds. I will say that Spector and Stingrays, in my experience, always stands out and gets heard in the mix, although in different ways (Spector sounds more like a rhythm guitar, the Stingray has the crushing low end). The P seems to sit perfectly (not too much, not too little).

Great video, btw. I really like comparison videos, and yours is superb.
 
#39
drTSTingray said:
Rays don't always sound like that - listen to Ed Friedland's video review of a classic Stingray to hear the breadth of sound available. And that top end sizzle helps the bass sit in the mix also.

I guess saying P basses are only in indie where I am is a slight exaggeration. However I rarely see semi pro players who've been around more than a few years with them - lots of Warwick, Musicman, Thunderbirds, Rickenbacker - and some Fender Jazz. Now televised bands - yes lots of them (although some people go for way out stuff from the 60s).
Click to expand...

Stingrays do indeed have a breadth of sound. So do Spectors, maybe even more. Heck, P basses do to, although not as much as the other two. Although I guess I disagree with "sizzle helps the bass sit in the mix". I think it makes it stand out more (and sometimes undesirably so), although it is the Stingray's low end that really stands out even more. I think it's a personal and creative decision as to what is going to complement the song best. I think the P has the advantage because it has such a track record in recorded music that it is "the sound" of electric bass.

Also, very interesting point regarding semi pro players and their instrument choices. I agree. It made me think of myself a bit, and confess that at one point in my musical "career", I wanted to be different, both sonically and visually. I wanted nothing to do with Fenders or Fender-like instruments for quite a while, despite having played them for many years when I was starting out. As I've gotten older, I find myself returning to them, just because they feel like home and it's easier. I still own a Stingray, a Rick, and now 2 Thunderbirds (which are getting most of my attention lately), but I will play a Fender P exclusively in one of my bands because it's just "right". It seems like many, many pros who have much more talent and access to instruments than me do the same.
 

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