Same Riff, Two Basses

[Dr. Cheese]

This is just a comparison to see how much tone is in my hands. I play the same slap riff on two basses, more or less. I can hear the difference but I certainly sound like me.
The first is my Peavey Forum V, the second is a Jazz with a Sadowsky preamp that I have been able to borrow.

I notice that I was more stiff on the Jazz, probably because it was 1:00AM, and was worried about waking my wife and kids.

 

[Exploiter8]

The second sounds cleaner, which makes me think it may get lost in the mix? Awesome playing!

 

[Flaked Beans]

That peavey sounds excellent!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I noticed that I hit the strings cleaner on the narrow spaced Peavey, which is counter intuitive. I guess it comes from being more used to Peavey, and having incorporated string muting into my style. I heard some overtones due to poor muting on the Jazz.

 

[Flaked Beans]

The jazz bass sounds great too but i think it would sound even better without the sad. preamp. Is it a mim j doc?

 

[Dr. Cheese]

The jazz bass sounds great too but i think it would sound even better without the sad. preamp. Is it a mim j doc?

No, it is an actual Sadowsky Metro. Personally, I love the active tone and the wide spacing, but the clip shows that I am very used to narrow spacing.

 

[Flaked Beans]

No, it is an actual Sadowsky Metro. Personally, I love the active tone and the wide spacing, but the clip shows that I am very used to narrow spacing.

My god, that peavey sounds better to my ears!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

My god, that peavey sounds better to my ears!

Well, the Peavey Forum V was not a budget bass at all. If they were still being made, the price would surely be north of $2K.

 

[Flaked Beans]

Well, the Peavey Fury was not a budget bass at all. If they were still being made, the price would surely be north of $2K.

Indeed, keep that peavey please or sell it to me

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Indeed, keep that peavey please or sell it to me

I will probably keep it because the Forum is rare, and buying a bass with equivalent performance would be very expensive, but if I change my mind, I will e-mail you.

 

[Ewo]

Nice riffing! Yeah, my right hand technique is sensitive to the string spacing, too. But that's just a matter of familiarization, and muscle memory. And honestly, naked solo tracks like these make very slight imperfections in muting seem more consequential than they'd be in a normal mix.

Sounded like the top end of the Peavey rolled off a bit lower than the Sadowsky, and the Sadowsky went a little deeper. Strings would be another variable...

I'm pretty familiar with the Vintage model of Metros, and the VTC (passive tone control) is handy when you want the tone a little darker.

My vote would be to keep the Peavey, and save up for a Metro!

 

[RED J]

It's evident that you and the Peavey are bonded Doc. Sounds great, and you play it well.
I think it strengthens the case to keep your Peaveys and keep your money.

 

[M Sterling]

Nice comparison. That Sadowsky sounds killer.

 

[GreatScott91]

Very nice on both, although I prefer the sound of the Peavey.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

It's evident that you and the Peavey are bonded Doc. Sounds great, and you play it well.
I think it strengthens the case to keep your Peaveys and keep your money.

My Peaveys are going no where. I am through with letting go of good basses and regretting it. The Sadowsky has convinced me that I want an active Jazz. Sadowsky has a perfect preamp, neck profile, and weight, the downside is the cost. Sire is perfect price wise, I could just order one at the end of the month. My problem with the Sire is the 18mm string spacing, and a complicated preamp. The Carvin J5 may be a compromise. One with the specs I want would run me about $1,059, which would be fairly easy to swing over a month and a half. A plus with the Carvin is that the Seventies pickup location is standard, and it is 19mm like a Sadowsky. The downside is that it seems JB5s are as heavy as real 1970s Fender Jazzes. That said, my Forum is 10.8 lbs, and I only play at church sitting most of the time. I honestly want a bass that I will keep for the rest of my playing life. If I were to get a Carvin (Keisel,) it would mean turning my back on a Metro forever. Even if I got a Sire, I would be loath to spend more money on another Jazz. I would love a Metro, and I thought I would have bought one this summer, but house repairs, a new car, and no summer school shut that down. I want to buy one, but it seems that something always snatches my money when it looks like I can buy one.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I notice that many of you prefer my Forum V, it is almost Peavey's version of the Sadowsky Modern. It is very mid focused and modern, but with bolt on punch. I love it, especially for Gospel and Funk.

 

[Jamie_Funk]

I prefer the Sadowsky tone but you are obviously more comfortable on the Forum. I also suspect that with little time you would get used to the Sadowsky and its wider spacing. Tone-wise though it sounds mostly to me the difference between humbuckers and single coils - which one is "better" is personal preference. You sound like you on both of them

 

[Bigtruck1369]

Very nice on both, although I prefer the sound of the Peavey.

Totally unrelated comment: Hat's off to your avatar pic, friend. First class!

 

[AngelCrusher]

I like Sadowsky tone better but it's more modern and bites better for slap. The Peavey was cool, it has a big tone and more mids to it. I'd go to BassJapan on youtube and watch a lot of bacchus vids because you can get one of those for a great price, and it's honestly better (and cheaper) than a Sadowsky if you like Cirrus- like necks, plus it has some mids on it. Ill have a passive one in a week and I can run it through my Sadowksy too and see how that sounds.

Personally, Im looking for a preamp pedal like a Sadowsky that has some mid boost too. I did miss that with the Sadowsky pre, especially with a maple neck. The Bacchus Jazz has more natural mids to it, so it may not matter as much - ill find out soon.

I'd also add that you will want to give the Sadowsky more play time before worrying too much about spacing. Log around 6 hours or so of good practice and you should notice your slap technique will tighten up.

 

[Bigtruck1369]

My Peaveys are going no where. I am through with letting go of good basses and regretting it. The Sadowsky has convinced me that I want an active Jazz. Sadowsky has a perfect preamp, neck profile, and weight, the downside is the cost. Sire is perfect price wise, I could just order one at the end of the month. My problem with the Sire is the 18mm string spacing, and a complicated preamp. The Carvin J5 may be a compromise. One with the specs I want would run me about $1,059, which would be fairly easy to swing over a month and a half. A plus with the Carvin is that the Seventies string spacing is standard, and it is 19mm like a Sadowsky. The downside is that it seems JB5s are as heavy as real 1970s Fender Jazzes. That said, my Forum is 10.8 lbs, and I only play at church sitting most of the time. I honestly want a bass that I will keep for the rest of my playing life. If I were to get a Carvin (Keisel,) it would mean turning my back on a Metro forever. Even if I got a Sire, I would be loath to spend more money on another Jazz. I would love a Metro, and I thought I would have bought one this summer, but house repairs, a new car, and no summer school shut that down. I want to buy one, but it seems that something always snatches my money when it looks like I can buy one.

Doc, I'm always interested to see what you have to say. I've really enjoyed reading your comments in the Sire thread, and now this one. I'm happy to see you getting those old Peaveys out and working!