No offense taken. I think I allowed for some variance in my comment, but the difference is so little it's hard to notice, and in a mix with flats, forget about it.
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James Jamerson on a maple neck?
- Thread starter Killspringer
- Start date
Jamerson played the Maple Board '57 early on at Motown...after that he played what looks to be a 1960 Fender Precision Bass...after that he used the 1962 Fender Precision 'The Funk Machine'. The Funk Machine was stolen in Detroit before his move to Los Angeles. All the pictures taken of Jamerson in the L.A. Studios show him with what looks to be a 1965 Fender Precision Bass.
They're Made in Mexico. They are built quite a bit better than the rest of the Mexican fare, and have better components. The only difference between this and the 50's Classic is the fretboard inlays.
Fender does offer a MIA variant, too, much higher quality, although they don't have the 70's fretboard, only the '57 and '62.
The one I saw in the store, Haight Ashbury Music Center in San Francisco, for the same price as the one in the link I posted, was Made in Japan. I'm pretty sure the one in the link, and any "70s p bass" for this price, is MIJ
I own a 2 P-basses both strung with flats, one maple the other rosewood... I can hear no discernible difference between the two that can be pegged to the fingerboard wood.
Feel is another story though... they feel quite a bit different.
I'm sure in some situations there is a touch more snap to an instrument with a maple board - but in general I think its almost completely negated by other differences such as pickups, wiring, cap values, amp settings, etc.... and certainly the differences are impossible to hear in the mix.
Feel is another story though... they feel quite a bit different.
I'm sure in some situations there is a touch more snap to an instrument with a maple board - but in general I think its almost completely negated by other differences such as pickups, wiring, cap values, amp settings, etc.... and certainly the differences are impossible to hear in the mix.
I double-checked my source, and you are correct. That is another difference between that and the 50's classic p bass. My apologies!
Blues Bass Man said:
Good eye. Yes Jamerson had a few sunburst/rosewood Precisions in the very early 60's, yup they kept getting stolen. But I don't know when the Funk Machine was stolen, if in fact it was in Det or LA. But like you I also noticed in the LA pictures he is holding what is obviously a 65/66 transitional era Precision complete with script logo as a dead giveaway.
I have Chromes on my Jazz with a maple fingerboard and can make it thump very well when I play near the fingerboard. Whatever the difference between maple and rosewood is, it can be made up for with eq and technique, in my experience. A P pickup helps, but a Jazz can do it, too.
I think we can all agree that we all hear differently. I hear a difference in the necks, specially when I slap, the notes ring differently. I have a '77 Jazz bass and when I was looking for a bass I wondered if there was a difference in the types of woods. I am a big, no huge Marcus Miller fan and I remember going to his website and there he had an FAQ section, which is still there by the way, and this is what it sais:
Would there be a considerable difference in the sound of your Fender Jazz Bass if the neck was rosewood or ebony instead of maple?
Maplewood is a good deal harder than the other common woods used for bass necks (ebony, rosewood, etc). The sound from a maple neck is harder than the others. I think my thumbing sound would be significantly different without the maple. For finger style I actually prefer a softer wood (rosewood usually) but, if I'm only using one bass, I can make do with the maple.
Long story short, I agree that there is a difference, I can hear it when I slap. I have owned Fenders with both maple and rosewood necks and I think there's a difference.
Actually, maple is softer than both rosewood and ebony. Check the Janka hardness scale to verify.
Impossible to answer without more context. If you enjoy broken in flatwounds and play out of a one way cab without a tweeter or mid driver, I would doubt that you would notice any difference.
If you enjoy relatively new nickel rounds or stainless steel rounds (or relatively new flats), and/or play through a rig with a mid driver or tweeter that puts out some sound above 2K, ON AVERAGE (lots of variation in pieces of maple and rosewood), the maple board would most likely sound brighter in the 2K-4K region, and hence the instrument (for lack of a better term) would feel a bit 'quicker and immediate' on the attack.
IMO and IME there.
Diplowmatt said:
Crispier and more clarity, is indeed what I hear on my Geddy which is the only maple fretboard bass I've.
I put Jamerson flats on my Japanese 57 RI with a maple baord and love them:
Rex and the Bass: La Bella Jamerson Flats
Rex and the Bass: La Bella Jamerson Flats
I have an 80's MIJ reissue in black with maple. Very sweet P.
It's strung with TI Flats and has a great growl. Sadly, I don't play four strings much, but she sure looks purdy decorating my practice space.
Debate the merits of maple vs rosewood boards all you want, but either way, those classic 70's P-basses with the blocks are hot!
If you liked that bass you played and it's in the right price range for you, pick it up and enjoy it. The more you love playing it, the better it sounds. You bring the soul into the equation more than the bass anyway.
If you liked that bass you played and it's in the right price range for you, pick it up and enjoy it. The more you love playing it, the better it sounds. You bring the soul into the equation more than the bass anyway.
I do believe there is a difference - but for me there is not the characteristic maple or rosewood sound - I mean, I can easily hear on a recorded track if the guitarist has used single coil or humbuckers, also if it's a strat or a les paul - I don't think anybody can say this for rosewood and meple necks. My point is: There is of course a difference, but it is neglectable in relation to other components of a bass or a bass sound. Coming back to the start of the thread: If you pick up a bass and love the sound and look and price: go get it
