Bass Blindfold Challenge - Can We Tell Different Neck Woods Apart?

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Is it possible to tell the neck wood of a bass just from the tone? On this week's episode of All About the Bass, we blindfold Nathan to find out! Featuring a rather beautiful all-rosewood neck Fender limited edition Precision model...
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[@ericjohnson8322]

Should have gotten Chapman - he could have told you where the forest was where the fretboard came from and the year is was cut down.

[@davidcudlip6587]

And who the lumber jack was. And the color of his truck.

[@TrashHulk]

I think I love the editors more than the playing - and the playing is phenomenal. The editing just gets me.

[@gingataff]

More of a difference than I expected, and like Nathan I assumed the rosewood would sound darker but it didn't. Very interesting.

[@gaysquirrels6915]

I think the rosewood one was darker.

[@RaunTawn]

Rosewood has more bass. Maple has more punch but is also duller - seemingly contradictory, but true.

[@frankulawolfenstein2595]

Lee, you got it wrong when you said maple is harder than rosewood, check the Janka Hardness scale Rosewood: 1,780 lbf (7,900 N) Hard Rock Maple: 1,450 lbf (6,400 N) Peace!

[@papashuvitsskateboardforth8399]

9:49 nice work guys

[@ianrossmusic]

Just from my perspective as someone who owns two Standard P Vs, one with a maple board and one with a rosewood board, there is a minute difference. I spend the literal majority of my time with one of these basses in my hands daily. I don't think my maple bass sounds that closed off (those strings really do sound dead; mine are dead Elixirs and still much brighter at the moment) but I would recommend people start with the rosewood if they want the traditional P sound and growl. The maple is very stable because of the way it has to be finished, I believe. That's my most stable touring neck. It can go across continents for months and never need a truss rod adjustment. Great instruments no matter which you choose.

[@piratewhoisquiet]

Everyone in the comments saying that the tone is barely different, and would disappear in a mix... I mean, you're right but you're also missing the point. It's much more important how it changes the feel of the guitar, and the psychosomatic effect it has. If I think I play better using an all maple neck, or all rosewood, or combined, then I do play better using that. It's about what makes you pick the instrument up and play, not if you can plot a unique frequency response curve variation for each.

[@shaft9000]

in other words, " aesthetics rule" :D

[@piratewhoisquiet]

​@@rainvedu Well if we want to get into the linguistics of it, technically tone is a feeling. Hearing is one of the five senses, it is correct to say we feel tone. People just think our emotional feelings are disconnected from our physical ones, and this is not the case.

[@zeppelinboys]

Solid state vs Valve, bass cabs with different ports, different speaker sizes...Thanks for another video guys!

[@niklasschmid9123]

Maybe as an upcoming blindfold challenge: you geht like all different bass (or pickup) types (like Jazz, p, MusicMan, Firebird etc.) and you have to guess which is it

[@Sean_thompson_bass]

I have the solid rosewood neck P Bass and I love it!

[@MichaelBLive]

My wild guess was 3 has brighter sounding strings

[@emiljacobsen671]

Who ever edits all these video's is a genius. OOOH YYEEE OOOOOHHH YEEEEE, love it mate!

[@adele1317]

I love all about the bass videos, you always brighten my day! :)) The surf green P - bass is so nice, especially with the dark headstock.

[@Pandamasque]

Chappers looks very different today.

[@thebigeasy8609]

So so good fellas! More blindfold challenges please!!!!!!!!!

[@chrisAclaes]

Wow, I always thought the wood species effect on tone was exaggerated, but these were quite distinct. Great experiment.

[@SimonDuffy2]

Watched a podcast from Ben at Crimson Guitars who said that neck wood makes a miniscule, if any, difference to the tone. There are many more apsoects that make a significant difference, and if two professional players are struggling then I think this video sort of proves Ben's point.

[@H_Oscarsson]

It makes no difference to our ears. If you involve machines measuring it, you can pick up some difference. But yes, we can't hear that difference.

[@rafalvarezsevilla]

they weren't struggling, he clearly heard the differences

[@ColonelAngus2023]

I have a 2012 Squier Affinity P/J bass with an Indian Laurel neck. I upgraded the pots and cap to Full size 500K pots and a .022uf Orange Drop cap. I use Ernie Ball Cobalt flatwounds on it. It made a slight difference but still I hated the sound of it and I almost sold it. One day, I decided to put a 2014 Squier VM Maple Jazz neck I had lying around on it. Suddenly... Its an amazing sounding bass and I think I'm going to keep it.

[@samiam5557]

Chappers goggles chapped ol' Nathans face, LOL! Can't fool ol' Nate.

[@Daniborrero10]

13:53 What do you prefer?? The cheapest one , HAHAHA!!!!

[@NathanJEaton]

Nathan quickly mentioned the Pino custom shop, when’s that video coming out! 😁

[@andriimotsyk3018]

rosewood is a killer. Need this particular one right now.

[@stairway2000]

wonder when we'll get that Vintera offsets video.

[@FrancescoCamardo]

Well to be fair, Bass no.2 all maple neck sounded like it had either different strings or definitely older than the other 2

[@insanerotta5332]

Before I watch this to the end it's kinda obvious with rosewood vs maple cause maple has to be sealed with a lacquer ect to prevent warping due to absorbing water and rosewood being an oily wood is naturally hydrophobic as long as you oil it occasionally. The feel on a lacquer vs oil finish is quite easy to feel IMO.

[@tedbrookins]

Thanks for sharing. I’m wishing the string type and condition were similar across the basses. Seems like neck wood would only affect transient response and the upper midrange and treble frequencies.

[@lukecerritelli]

All rosewood sounds great! Glassy. But strings can make as much difference

[@Fett600]

Could you do a video on micro bass heads? (Trace Elliott ELF, TC Electronic BAM200) Thanks! c:

[@sailingmaster]

More Bass Blindfold challenges!

[@Spinbassflipbassfly]

Are they all new strings? The Maple bass strings sound dead (or flatwound), whereas the Ebony board sound new. That can completely twist the result.

[@syedijlalofficial]

OOOO YEAHHHH

[@Empyrean55]

OOOO YEAHHHH

[@JohnDSmith-po4nu]

Cool video, guys. No question... the 3 axes would sound differently, even if you'd set 'm up the same way and put on identical sets of strings. In the end it would be a matter of taste, I believe... and some minor twists of the freq knobs on your amp could probably make the 3 sounding very similar. Now... what if you made a proper 'sans bass' play along and recorded the different bass guitars on to said tracks? Would then anyone still be able to spot/hear and/or identify any of the basses in such a band context?

[@thefunkytoaster]

Do a comparison of class d amplifiers! Compact, ultra compact, I'd love to see a shootout :)

[@L.C.Sweeney]

Comparing Pau Ferro would've been an obvious choice since most Fender bass options nowadays are either maple or pau and not rosewood.

[@MrWilson-WithaPbass]

Questions for the next FAQ video . Can you guys do small bios on each of you ? From all the videos we " know" rob and "owner Lee" and Rebea and Pete. We wanna know you guys. I know Nathan plays guitar in Level 42 . (which I love that because I play guitar in one band and bass in another ). What other bands does he play in ? He's too good of a bass player to not be ...And Lee, Do you do the weekend pub thing Like I do ? Curious ... Thanks guys ,Love your playing .( Maybe the 30 second -to a minute club gig .iphone .footage like Dan and Mick do would be a good idea ?)Or rig rundowns of favorite gear . I like knowing a bit about the guys who demo the gear I end up buying . It helps to know where there coming from, when they give an opinion . Back to the video ,I like the sound of the maple the best . (I have a Maple boarded P as well .)

[@klaymeister]

I notice a little difference in the mids more than the highs. Either way it's pretty small.

[@devindickinson3903]

Epiphone vs Gibson maybe a sire version love these blindfold cHALLENGE S

[@beeftheheat]

"I've gone Deaf." nice.

[@acledfloyd]

Wow that maple neck with maple board really was a duller sound. Did they all have fresh strings? Older strings could deaden the sound, as I’m sure these guys know.

[@Mr._E_5042]

Mixed neck, mixed gage strings... at least one with flat wound... four and six strings. P and jazz are nice but the old music man's are my personal favorites for four strings.

[@fraserthrelfall9600]

i full on choked with laughter on my pot noodle at the 9:50 and 10:05 mark with all the back and forth and slow mo!

[@thedondeluxe6941]

The maple one just sounds like it has old strings.

[@SergiyHavriluk]

You have amazing humor, laughed heartily! :)

[@H_Oscarsson]

Blindfold shortscale basses please!

[@jamesford5919]

I would have put money on the all maple being the brightest. I'm quite surprised.

[@jimcamp2423]

Hearing only, he was 0-3, he said, Maple, Combo & All Rosewood in that order 1-3. Playing them, he was 1-3 as he changed to All Rosewood, Combo & Maple in that order 1-3. So it doesn't really matter beyond what is visually more appealing & what anyone would want for a life time maintenance for ownership.

[@MrValiik]

Please do it with Jazz Basses, pleeeeeeeeeeeease

[@michelvanbriemen3459]

Seeing the different neck woods, I remembered the bright-looking maple actually provides a darker timbre because it's denser and heavier than the other woods Did I misremember?

[@michelvanbriemen3459]

@@rainvedu I know it has nothing to do with aesthetics, just thought it was the case that maple has a darker sound because of it.

[@timothymckane6362]

The editing almost reminds me of Rory.

[@KyleKingGuitar]

That's weird, why would the maple sound so much more muffled?

[@wibby2143]

could the tone differences be inconsistency in the coil wrapping?

[@Saxoprane]

For a real test, you should use the SAME bass and swap the neck only.

[@kappa7365]

Saxoprane it’s the same bass. Same series, pickups and body

[@AVEEGEELIK]

@@kappa7365 No, it is not. The tolerances in electronics, production, strings and therefore differences between the basses will have an influence, most likely more than any type of wood used.

[@Burnt_Gerbil]

AVEEGEELIK - Saying the wood has influence is like saying a different type of plastic used on a microphone makes a difference... The electronics make the sounds. 🤦‍♂️

[@YTPartyTonight]

@@Burnt_Gerbil Please tell me you’re joking. Are you really complaining species of wood to plastics??? 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ Seriously? Go play your balsa wood P bass, or your Delrin Acetal one, if that’s your thing. You like high mass bridges and active electronics, too?

[@Burnt_Gerbil]

@@YTPartyTonight Yes, I am making the comparison... because the materials don’t matter to electronic instruments. It’s all marketing to make you spend more. Someone made a corrugated cardboard Stratocaster. Guess what. It sounded exactly the same as wood! There is a video on KZbin. 😬

[@alexdattel2757]

About the PJ is best of both worlds thing: For me PJ is just a more versatile P bass but it still doesn't sound like a J. You gotta decide what you want or get both. If you just play the Jazz for the bridge pickup sound PJ will get you to both sounds but you won't get that scooped slappy sound with a PJ.

[@rickc2102]

Really, doesn't one need 4 Fender bases: a Jazz, a P, a PJ Jazz, and a PJ P?

[@alexdattel2757]

@@rickc2102 As I said I think PJ and P can do the same tones if you just turn down the J.

[@ljmiller96]

9:50 and I'm laughing like a fool.

[@GazMoz78]

I enjoyed the video. But, if you didn't set all three basses up the same; pickup height, new strings (same brand and gauge) and adjusted the neck relief.... It's pointless. Also I do realise that when margins are that small the audience doesn't have a clue. But then YOU decided to do a direct comparison video. I liked the one piece maple neck best ;-*

[@davidevans1723]

I wish Nathan was my uncle

[@ivantadic5440]

Gotta love beffy p sound

[@boudicawasnotreallyallthat1020]

I never get the premise of these videos. Even if you can tell them apart, who cares? The only relevant factor is whether it sounds good.

[@johnnewton1830]

Boudicawasnotreallyallthat Smith The premise is fun. Also advertising for Anderson’s.

[@TSBASSIST]

Stingray vs. Sterling vs. G&L Kiloton

[@MikMech]

Pickup adjustments and they could all sound the same..............

[@D0tHead]

"Ehhhhhhhhhhh.....","Yeeeahhhhhhhhh".

[@R.C.Bullar]

Solid rosewood sounded great imo! bright and zingy. rosewood is harder than maple. an all maple board will sound warmer than solid rosewood because its softer. On an acoustic guitar, having maple back and sides, reflects a lot of high end. but thats not as much of a thing on an electric neck compared to a speaker cabinet on an acoustic. its more about the rigidity of the wood used. soft neck = warmer sound. Hard neck = brighter sound. in almost all situations this will be true from an acoustic standpoint. I have a Taylor 618e all flamed maple and its the warmest taylor ive ever played. listen more! and stop believing what every guitarist believes to be true.

[@R.C.Bullar]

rainvedu I mean the wood makes a difference. But it’s more about the structural rigidity of the wood.

[@wbertie2604]

the 'received' wisdom is that rosewood should sound warmer. It's probably not actually a significant factor in sound on a solid bodied instrument.

[@runicgaming2283]

All praise the captain

[@proteus2103]

Grabs popcorn

[@wademiyataki9221]

At least Nathan didn't cheat by checking how the fingerboard felt.

[@brucepiland]

I ❤️ Frost*

[@lunchpin403]

No

[@MrRatyo]

The maple neck bass had dead strings!

[@syedijlalofficial]

👍🏽

[@billybob9144]

Wait, i though the whole tone wood is or isn't nonsense was just something guitaists got all hot and bothered about. Cant you just make a bass from any material so long as it looks cool

[@alanscharrer5255]

P bass the best no matter the neck

[@marcionobrega5117]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@Charlie-hp2oh]

rosewood : more metallic sound

[@Peterw3160]

That’s shocking. That maple neck doesn’t sound like my maple neck. Not at all. I want to get rid of my maple neck P. That’s shocking.

[@alanbegg]

I didn't know that Rylan Clark-Neal could play bass 🤔

[@jackwilsonmusic1026]

Does anyone find it annoying that people always use fender when you can use other basses like music man stingrays or ibenez to make it more interesting instead of always using fender

[@sexybeardedvikingwizardthe4746]

I have a MIM Deluxe Active Precision and highly recommend it if you wanted to have a shot at a P/J configuration, the 18v preamp is quite nice on it as well, sure it's no darkglass but nice nonetheless. I don't recollect you guys doing a blindfold of the different manufacture locations so it'd be interesting to see if you could tell the difference between an American and Mexican model of both Precision and Jazz.

[@hofferr19]

What are the tattoos of the guy on the right?

[@joshuagoodger2451]

Led zep symbols.

[@hofferr19]

Joshua Goodger that’s what I thought thanks

[@hofferr19]

rainvedu lol true

[@alecalfaras5936]

More of these videos please!!! Better than porn

[@zdcyclops1lickley190]

A test that shows nothing about ow wood affects the tone of an instrument. Three different sets of pots, and capacitors equal three slightly different sounding basses. Do better tests.

[@HELLHAMMERHANDHIX]

Wow...I made it in this early !!!

[@lptomtom]

No one cares

[@HELLHAMMERHANDHIX]

@@lptomtom ...but thanks for caring enough to comment !!!.

[@cooltunesmadeeasy]

My guess is they may need another blind guy to verify it all..

[@yeahrightbear8883]

There is no way you could tell the difference. The difference in wood is not about tone it's about how it feels and plays and then how it looks.

[@avital2166]

Owwwwwww yheaaaaaaaaaaa😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@chriscuthbertson]

Bass neck woods challenge..... looking forward to hearing the wenge of a Warwick...... disappointed

[@skippityblippity8656]

.. this isnt my world....

[@zachisebi]

SPOILER No.

[@josepapiii]

No because it makes no difference

[@johnnewton1830]

José Alberto Um So they all sound the same to you?

[@DavidImrie]

Rosewood is harder than maple

[@cooltunesmadeeasy]

Lee and chappers off sick. What's up with this..?

[@masterfulyushi7402]

Clearly you haven't been here in a while

[@cooltunesmadeeasy]

@@masterfulyushi7402 yes its summer. At the beach enjoying weather. Summer is short.....sorry I missed it all..cheers!

[@markkozielec2200]

The content has been dreadful lately. I hope they’re ok.

[@cooltunesmadeeasy]

@@markkozielec2200 running out of content

[@jackwilsonmusic1026]

Does anyone find it annoying that people always use fender when you can use other basses like music man stingrays or ibenez to make it more interesting instead of always using fender

[@wbertie2604]

I think in this case it was about the only way to get the three different neck constructions on otherwise identical basses.