Ikebe Bass Comparisons (Ken Smith, Spector, MTD & Fodera)

[Symphony2040]

Just wanted to share these spectacular, long-form comparison videos posted by Japanese music store, Ikebe. I was on a hunt for high quality reviews of MTD 635-24s and came across the following livestream, which features 6 string basses for Spector, Ken Smith, MTD & Fodera.

【Spector, Ken Smith, Fodera, MTD】6 String Bass Comparison


I think all of the basses sound great, but what I was really looking out for (outside of the overall sound) was the sound of the B strings and chords played in the lower ranges with the C string. The Spector COMPLETELY shocked me. Absolutely beautiful sound with a very piano-like B string. As to be expected, the MTD has a very clear and transparent sound that I'm really starting to lean towards.

This shop also has a few other really informative, long-form comparison videos and demos (All in Japanese of course).

【Carl Thompson, Tobias, MTD, Sugi, Adamovic】6 String Bass Comparison (I had no idea Sugi made 6 string basses)


【Adamovic】The Art Of Bass Design (Adamovic seems to be very popular in Japan)


【F-bass】Demos of the BN5, VF5, and AC5

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I am surprised at the lack of participation in this thread. Anyway, in the first video, the Fodera and the Ken Smith really outshined the rest for me. But in this case I would give the advantage to the Smith. I prefer a Fodera Emperor over a Monarch. They have a deeper , fuller , richer sound to my ears. The Monarchs seem a little thin and righter in comparison. I wish he would have demoed an Emperor instead. The Smith is so grand piano like. I just hate the way they sound slapped. Too much metallic ping of ray personal taste. But finger style, and with a light touch, it's hard to beat a Smith.

I honestly did not view the 2nd or 3rd videos as they dont interest me and my time was limited.

The last video showcasing the FBass offerings was quite interesting. Wow, the fretless was twice as expensive as the other 3 basses. It sounds really nice. Maybe it was because it was new and the others were used? The 2 vintage inspired models beat out the 1st bass for me. That 60's model jazz with Madagascar Rosewood fingerboard was the winner. What a nice sounding bass. But I am more into finger style playing and I prefer the warmer tones. That 70's jazz was no slouch. If I was after that Marcus Miller slap you silly thing, id would be all over that. They were both really beauty works of art.

Thanks for posting these . Great to have some nice videos because you won't run into these builders very often.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I am surprised at the lack of participation in this thread. Anyway, in the first video, the Fodera and the Ken Smith really outshined the rest for me. But in this case I would give the advantage to the Smith. I prefer a Fodera Emperor over a Monarch. They have a deeper , fuller , richer sound to my ears. The Monarchs seem a little thin and righter in comparison. I wish he would have demoed an Emperor instead. The Smith is so grand piano like. I just hate the way they sound slapped. Too much metallic ping of ray personal taste. But finger style, and with a light touch, it's hard to beat a Smith.

I honestly did not view the 2nd or 3rd videos as they dont interest me and my time was limited.

The last video showcasing the FBass offerings was quite interesting. Wow, the fretless was twice as expensive as the other 3 basses. It sounds really nice. Maybe it was because it was new and the others were used? The 2 vintage inspired models beat out the 1st bass for me. That 60's model jazz with Madagascar Rosewood fingerboard was the winner. What a nice sounding bass. But I am more into finger style playing and I prefer the warmer tones. That 70's jazz was no slouch. If I was after that Marcus Miller slap you silly thing, id would be all over that. They were both really beauty works of art.

Thanks for posting these . Great to have some nice videos because you won't run into these builders very often.

FBass is famous getting a good Jazz Bass sound. The classic FBasses sounded like Jazz Basses without looking like Fenders. I played one of those FBasses the first time I went to Bass Central in 2006.

Thanks for sharing these cool videos. It will take some time to get through them all.

 

[ole Jason]

I'd like to see them include STR in the demos as well. I always wanted to try an STR 6 string but they are pretty uncommon in the US.

 

[Symphony2040]

I am surprised at the lack of participation in this thread. Anyway, in the first video, the Fodera and the Ken Smith really outshined the rest for me. But in this case I would give the advantage to the Smith. I prefer a Fodera Emperor over a Monarch. They have a deeper , fuller , richer sound to my ears. The Monarchs seem a little thin and righter in comparison. I wish he would have demoed an Emperor instead. The Smith is so grand piano like. I just hate the way they sound slapped. Too much metallic ping of ray personal taste. But finger style, and with a light touch, it's hard to beat a Smith.

I honestly did not view the 2nd or 3rd videos as they dont interest me and my time was limited.

The last video showcasing the FBass offerings was quite interesting. Wow, the fretless was twice as expensive as the other 3 basses. It sounds really nice. Maybe it was because it was new and the others were used? The 2 vintage inspired models beat out the 1st bass for me. That 60's model jazz with Madagascar Rosewood fingerboard was the winner. What a nice sounding bass. But I am more into finger style playing and I prefer the warmer tones. That 70's jazz was no slouch. If I was after that Marcus Miller slap you silly thing, id would be all over that. They were both really beauty works of art.

Thanks for posting these . Great to have some nice videos because you won't run into these builders very often.

I really liked the Smith as well. Amazing tone from those basses, but I'd agree that I never found the slap tone for them to be all that enticing. Strangely, I found myself liking the Fodera the least, but the B string sounded amazing.

I'd like to see them include STR in the demos as well. I always wanted to try an STR 6 string but they are pretty uncommon in the US.

Agreed! The STR basses look amazing, but they're very rare. The same also being true for the Phoenix basses (I believe the same manufacturer as Tune, but not too sure).

 

[scubaduba]

Spector sounded great! Fodera the least for me by quite a lot.

 

[burgerdj]

Beautiful basses…but the videos confirm for me that my preference in tone trends more vintage these days.

 

[Bass Viking]

Thanks for posting this! I’ll check these videos out.

 

[Bass Viking]

I think all of the basses sound great, but what I was really looking out for (outside of the overall sound) was the sound of the B strings and chords played in the lower ranges with the C string. The Spector COMPLETELY shocked me. Absolutely beautiful sound with a very piano-like B string.

Yes, the Spector was my favourite!

 

[KJung]

Ive owned and gigged a number of the basses you are interested in; Fodera, MTD, Ken Smith, FBass

Fodera: per a comment above, the difference between a Monarch and Emperor is body shape. The Monarch is a PBss body, Emperor is a J Bass offset body. These basses are for the most part quite heavy. The Pope/Trickfish preamp is very nice (sudio board vibe). Very even, modern sounding basses. Good B string, great upper neck access and beautiful sounding G string up high. So very expensive though and the weight on most of them is a deal killer for me.

MTD: Gigged the classic MTD 5 for a long time (wenge neck, swamp as body, 21 fret). The definition of a modern sound. HUGE low end and supper sizzly top end, and with the wenge, there is a dip in the upper mids that makes it sound amazing when slapped. The B string is more amazing and huge vs balanced like the Fodera. It is big and bold sounding. I liked it. Lightweight bass and beautifully balanced on the strap. I had a maple neck 24 fret for a short while. Sounded much more 'in the middle of the pack' than the over the top wenge models.

Ken Smith: Unique sound that you will love or hate. Super upper bass punchy, at least in part due to the pickup placement closer to the bridge than most. I had the classic version with ebony board. It had a HUGE ping on the treble response and with that pickup placement it was IMO tiring on the ear. A 250hz and 8K hammering of the ears! The original version was very neck heavy. Beautiful balance when sitting, but hard to play when standing. I think that symetrical body design was relabeled 'Studio' to indicate it was designed to balance perfectly sitting. I assume the newer models have fixed this issue.

FBass: the main thing about the classic version was that it set WAY to the right (for right handed models) than any other bass I've experienced. Moved the first position in toward the body quite a ways i(which many like), but I could never get used to it. I described these basses as a Jazz Bass on Satin (versus Steroids) Very sweet, silky smooth tone. Beautiful mids, very sweet and relaxed top end, a balanced by not crazy B string. Wasn't my thing. Found the top end disappearing in the busy pop type gigs I did back than. In those pop mixes it was a bit like bringing a knife to a gunfight for me!

Of course, each instrument sounds different within brands, and Fodera allows for a ton of different pickup positions and pickup brands that can change a lot, for example. However, alll four of these basses have their own unique sound

My all time favorite 'modern voiced' bass B string was on my Roscoe 5 and other Roscoes I've played. Super articulate B while still being balanced and the definition of a classic Bartolini modern sound. Clean, present top end, huge round low end, perfect balance on the strap.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Ive owned and gigged a number of the basses you are interested in; Fodera, MTD, Ken Smith, FBass

Fodera: per a comment above, the difference between a Monarch and Emperor is body shape. The Monarch is a PBss body, Emperor is a J Bass offset body. These basses are for the most part quite heavy. The Pope/Trickfish preamp is very nice (sudio board vibe). Very even, modern sounding basses. Good B string, great upper neck access and beautiful sounding G string up high. So very expensive though and the weight on most of them is a deal killer for me.

MTD: Gigged the classic MTD 5 for a long time (wenge neck, swamp as body, 21 fret). The definition of a modern sound. HUGE low end and supper sizzly top end, and with the wenge, there is a dip in the upper mids that makes it sound amazing when slapped. The B string is more amazing and huge vs balanced like the Fodera. It is big and bold sounding. I liked it. Lightweight bass and beautifully balanced on the strap. I had a maple neck 24 fret for a short while. Sounded much more 'in the middle of the pack' than the over the top wenge models.

Ken Smith: Unique sound that you will love or hate. Super upper bass punchy, at least in part due to the pickup placement closer to the bridge than most. I had the classic version with ebony board. It had a HUGE ping on the treble response and with that pickup placement it was IMO tiring on the ear. A 250hz and 8K hammering of the ears! The original version was very neck heavy. Beautiful balance when sitting, but hard to play when standing. I think that symetrical body design was relabeled 'Studio' to indicate it was designed to balance perfectly sitting. I assume the newer models have fixed this issue.

FBass: the main thing about the classic version was that it set WAY to the right (for right handed models) than any other bass I've experienced. Moved the first position in toward the body quite a ways i(which many like), but I could never get used to it. I described these basses as a Jazz Bass on Satin (versus Steroids) Very sweet, silky smooth tone. Beautiful mids, very sweet and relaxed top end, a balanced by not crazy B string. Wasn't my thing. Found the top end disappearing in the busy pop type gigs I did back than. In those pop mixes it was a bit like bringing a knife to a gunfight for me!

Of course, each instrument sounds different within brands, and Fodera allows for a ton of different pickup positions and pickup brands that can change a lot, for example. However, alll four of these basses have their own unique sound

My all time favorite 'modern voiced' bass B string was on my Roscoe 5 and other Roscoes I've played. Super articulate B while still being balanced and the definition of a classic Bartolini modern sound. Clean, present top end, huge round low end, perfect balance on the strap.

Your descriptions seem spot on for the most part. Especially with Ken Smith , MTD, FBass, and Fodera. Most of my experience has been hearing them played by others in person or quick demoes at Bass Central and Guitar Replay in Tampa.

I was blessed to find what I consider to be a lighter weight Fodera with most likely a slim carve neck at a great price 2nd hand. I mainly play seated anyway.

I have never seen , heard or played a Roscoe in person.

 

[Symphony2040]

Ive owned and gigged a number of the basses you are interested in; Fodera, MTD, Ken Smith, FBass

Fodera: per a comment above, the difference between a Monarch and Emperor is body shape. The Monarch is a PBss body, Emperor is a J Bass offset body. These basses are for the most part quite heavy. The Pope/Trickfish preamp is very nice (sudio board vibe). Very even, modern sounding basses. Good B string, great upper neck access and beautiful sounding G string up high. So very expensive though and the weight on most of them is a deal killer for me.

MTD: Gigged the classic MTD 5 for a long time (wenge neck, swamp as body, 21 fret). The definition of a modern sound. HUGE low end and supper sizzly top end, and with the wenge, there is a dip in the upper mids that makes it sound amazing when slapped. The B string is more amazing and huge vs balanced like the Fodera. It is big and bold sounding. I liked it. Lightweight bass and beautifully balanced on the strap. I had a maple neck 24 fret for a short while. Sounded much more 'in the middle of the pack' than the over the top wenge models.

Ken Smith: Unique sound that you will love or hate. Super upper bass punchy, at least in part due to the pickup placement closer to the bridge than most. I had the classic version with ebony board. It had a HUGE ping on the treble response and with that pickup placement it was IMO tiring on the ear. A 250hz and 8K hammering of the ears! The original version was very neck heavy. Beautiful balance when sitting, but hard to play when standing. I think that symetrical body design was relabeled 'Studio' to indicate it was designed to balance perfectly sitting. I assume the newer models have fixed this issue.

FBass: the main thing about the classic version was that it set WAY to the right (for right handed models) than any other bass I've experienced. Moved the first position in toward the body quite a ways i(which many like), but I could never get used to it. I described these basses as a Jazz Bass on Satin (versus Steroids) Very sweet, silky smooth tone. Beautiful mids, very sweet and relaxed top end, a balanced by not crazy B string. Wasn't my thing. Found the top end disappearing in the busy pop type gigs I did back than. In those pop mixes it was a bit like bringing a knife to a gunfight for me!

Of course, each instrument sounds different within brands, and Fodera allows for a ton of different pickup positions and pickup brands that can change a lot, for example. However, alll four of these basses have their own unique sound

My all time favorite 'modern voiced' bass B string was on my Roscoe 5 and other Roscoes I've played. Super articulate B while still being balanced and the definition of a classic Bartolini modern sound. Clean, present top end, huge round low end, perfect balance on the strap.

I know this is an old reply to this thread (that I seemed to have missed), but I just wanted to say THANK YOU for these amazing descriptions.

 

[nonohmic]

Ive owned and gigged a number of the basses you are interested in; Fodera, MTD, Ken Smith, FBass

Fodera: per a comment above, the difference between a Monarch and Emperor is body shape. The Monarch is a PBss body, Emperor is a J Bass offset body. These basses are for the most part quite heavy. The Pope/Trickfish preamp is very nice (sudio board vibe). Very even, modern sounding basses. Good B string, great upper neck access and beautiful sounding G string up high. So very expensive though and the weight on most of them is a deal killer for me.

MTD: Gigged the classic MTD 5 for a long time (wenge neck, swamp as body, 21 fret). The definition of a modern sound. HUGE low end and supper sizzly top end, and with the wenge, there is a dip in the upper mids that makes it sound amazing when slapped. The B string is more amazing and huge vs balanced like the Fodera. It is big and bold sounding. I liked it. Lightweight bass and beautifully balanced on the strap. I had a maple neck 24 fret for a short while. Sounded much more 'in the middle of the pack' than the over the top wenge models.

Ken Smith: Unique sound that you will love or hate. Super upper bass punchy, at least in part due to the pickup placement closer to the bridge than most. I had the classic version with ebony board. It had a HUGE ping on the treble response and with that pickup placement it was IMO tiring on the ear. A 250hz and 8K hammering of the ears! The original version was very neck heavy. Beautiful balance when sitting, but hard to play when standing. I think that symetrical body design was relabeled 'Studio' to indicate it was designed to balance perfectly sitting. I assume the newer models have fixed this issue.

FBass: the main thing about the classic version was that it set WAY to the right (for right handed models) than any other bass I've experienced. Moved the first position in toward the body quite a ways i(which many like), but I could never get used to it. I described these basses as a Jazz Bass on Satin (versus Steroids) Very sweet, silky smooth tone. Beautiful mids, very sweet and relaxed top end, a balanced by not crazy B string. Wasn't my thing. Found the top end disappearing in the busy pop type gigs I did back than. In those pop mixes it was a bit like bringing a knife to a gunfight for me!

Of course, each instrument sounds different within brands, and Fodera allows for a ton of different pickup positions and pickup brands that can change a lot, for example. However, alll four of these basses have their own unique sound

My all time favorite 'modern voiced' bass B string was on my Roscoe 5 and other Roscoes I've played. Super articulate B while still being balanced and the definition of a classic Bartolini modern sound. Clean, present top end, huge round low end, perfect balance on the strap.

I didn't consider that with F bass. That makes sense though, that upper horn on the AC basses is a chungus.

 

[31HZ]

I would only add this:

1) I find all Fbass models to be incredibly comfortable. They have the shortest reach to the first fret of any bass I've ever played, thanks to the "offset" that the long upper horn facilitates.

2) The newer Fbass "Deluxe" pickups are a game-changer. For example, the solo'd bridge pickup in Parallel mode is a *very* aggressive sound.

3) Not all Smith basses have that characteristic "ping" equally, IMO.

4) The MTD 35" scale makes for a very long reach to the 1st position, longer than any of the others on a strap IMO.

5) Roscoe is absolutely at the same level of quality as the other brands listed, but some models utilize less-expensive/fancy woods and their basses are generally priced MUCH lower than all of the others. They're a serious bargain, again IMO.

6) @KJung is back!