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P vs P-like: Can you tell the difference?

Which bass in the 1966 Fender Precision?

  • Bass1

    Votes: 47 20.4%

  • Bass2

    Votes: 58 25.2%

  • Bass3

    Votes: 54 23.5%

  • Carrots (dang, I'm tired of these P bass polls and threads)

    Votes: 71 30.9%
  • Total voters
    230
#41
My g/f left the house for a bit just now, so I have been able to re-listen to the clips and turn them up so I can really hear them. Now I would say I can hear some subtle differences in the sounds. But, I would also that I am still unconvinced (both, by my ears and by the results here so far), that you have to have a Fender Precision to get the P sound.

I wish I had my MPG P/MM here to include in the comparo. I would think an active P with Nordstrand pickup and Aguilar preamp would be much more obvious. But, I'm curious how close it CAN get. Unfortunately, it's in storage in FL at the moment.
 
#42
bretsvette said:
I'm really not familiar with the sound of Pbasses, but I'll take a shot.

#1 has hot, sensitive pickups. I vote the SB2
#2 similar tone to #1 (at least on cheap laptop speakers), but more distinct and not as hot. P(arts) Bass
#3 66 pbass, rosewood fretboard. It sounds the most distinct from the others.
Click to expand...

My guesses as well, based on my small inexpensive PC speakers (I was too lazy to set up my relatively inexpensive headphones).
 
#46
I don't have access to my studio just now (a relative is visiting and she took over the room) so could not listen to the samples with my reference monitors; just with my MBP 17" built-in monitors that actually sound pretty good.

Anyway, I was not that impressed with either of the three samples. And as someone mentioned, the third sample had a bass out of tune. Maybe the first one was the sound I tolerated the most. The third one had a very, very bassy setting. My guess, just a guess, is that sample 2 was the G&L as those have a somewhat more hollow and high-end sound. And that depends very much what the two volume control settings are.

Anyway, all three samples could have sounded much better with a better mix and mastering.
 
#54
ksandvik said:
Anyway, I was not that impressed with either of the three samples. And as someone mentioned, the third sample had a bass out of tune. Maybe the first one was the sound I tolerated the most. The third one had a very, very bassy setting. My guess, just a guess, is that sample 2 was the G&L as those have a somewhat more hollow and high-end sound. And that depends very much what the two volume control settings are.

Anyway, all three samples could have sounded much better with a better mix and mastering.
Click to expand...

What would I be mixing? There was only 1 channel.

None of these basses have any onboard EQ and the amp had the EQ section turned off. So the recording was a direct signal from bass through preamp to digital recorder. All, reasonably high quality pieces of equipment, too. So, if there's anything you didn't like about the sound, it was coming from the basses themselves.

Sure, the recordings could have been post-processed (or EQ'd or whatever you choose) to make them sound better. But, that's kind of the opposite of the point, isn't it? The point was to capture as true a rendition as possible of what each bass sounds like on its own. And then see if the "real" Fender P actually has a sound the can be readily distinguished from other "P-like" basses.
 
#57
ksandvik said:
I don't have access to my studio just now (a relative is visiting and she took over the room) so could not listen to the samples with my reference monitors; just with my MBP 17" built-in monitors that actually sound pretty good.

Anyway, I was not that impressed with either of the three samples. And as someone mentioned, the third sample had a bass out of tune. Maybe the first one was the sound I tolerated the most. The third one had a very, very bassy setting. My guess, just a guess, is that sample 2 was the G&L as those have a somewhat more hollow and high-end sound. And that depends very much what the two volume control settings are.

Anyway, all three samples could have sounded much better with a better mix and mastering.
Click to expand...

have some cheese with that whine
 
#59
And the answer is....

Bass 1 = Parts bass (maple board)
Bass 2 = 1966 Fender Precision (rosewood board - chronicled in this thread: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/66-precision-restoration-project-744456/)
Bass 3 = G&L SB-2 (maple board)

Current voting is:

Bass 1 = 23
Bass 2 = 20
Bass 3 = 25

I didn't really expect people (in general) to be able to pick the '66 out by sound. But I REALLY didn't expect the actual '66 to get the least votes of all. And the G&L to get the most!
 

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