Fender Precision Vs Gibson EB3

I miced up our 1968 Ampeg B15 with a Telefunken Copperhead. I played my 1974 Pbass and my 1968 Gibson EB3 and recorded the amp and a direct signal. Check it out in headphones and let me know your favorite.
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[@Deatg-ek8rf]

The P goes undefeated! But the EB gave it a run for its money, but the P Bass reigns supreme, always.

[@whamni]

Wow this brings me back, I had a 67 EB3 and like a fool I sold it, thanks for posting and the memories.

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

We all have those ones that got away and we wish we could take back. Haha. Glad you liked it.

[@janetowens7288]

Thank you for letting these basses sound the way they really are. Most you tube guys run tons of affects and every bass winds up sounding the same. Like a jazz bass with rounds and tone rolled to 10.

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

I'm glad you liked it. Thanks.

[@lazyguy3555]

Love both basses, but if I could only have one, it would be the Gibson. As a guitarist, I like the short scale. My 2nd bass was a '66 EB-3 with flat wound strings and my current bass is a Gibson SG. To bring out the clarity of a Gibson, I think it needs to have bright strings like D'Addario EXL170S and be played with a pick.

[@kevinhughes9200]

The Precision bass is always going to sound better in anything. The Precision bass is just the bass of all basses, the bass to end all basses.

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

One bass to rule them all.

[@CassiniProjekt]

Warwick though

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

@@CassiniProjekt Even Ken Warmoth just shook his head no to that.

[@JL-bu8bz]

This is a mantra

[@chickentwisties2298]

Warwick's and Alembics are way better.

[@himester666]

I agree Pbsss is better choice but by your body language it seemed the Gibson was more fun for you 😎 I have an EB2d and B18n from the 60s looking for the right Pbass Great vid!

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

Haha. I have had the P for 30 years and have only had the EB3 for a few years so she is still a new toy. They are fun to play for sure. Sometimes they just find you so hopefully one will pop up. Good luck.

[@viniciuscomacento]

Pbass is the definite Bass sound, at least for me!

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

I second that emotion.

[@matthewbeckwith663]

Sooooo good...my favorite basses through a favorite amp

[@adamziolkowski2549]

Nice studio. As a keyboard player, I want that Rhodes and B3!

[@basstimenonfish4031]

Very cool ! I ran this on my studio monitors with a sub . The P sounds great and sits in the mix well and doesn't step all over dynamics . The EB3 sits more deep bottom as we know and starts stepping on the kick with amp but the DI tightens up on it . If that makes sense . But straight out of the gate the P wins . The P also just has that flexibility to get even fatter with added eq / compression etc to it .

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

Thanks for watching! The EB3 is definitely a more specific thing that works amazing when it works, but the P is definitely the one that just sits good in everything. I tried to play the same line so it was apples to apples, but in the end there are just so many factors that make each song different. Definitely 2 classics that I am grateful to have in my arsenal.

[@bflo1000]

@@ondecksoundstudio3950 I honestly think that the EB3 is better for hard rock, such as Cream, Mountain, and of course GFR, where Mel uses a Fender, but replaced the pups with an EBO pup. That distortion, combined with the ultra deep/thick low end of the EB3 sounds just great. Most dist / OD KILLS all your low end...but not in those bands.

[@bflo1000]

BTW, not saying a P bass wouldn't also work w the dist...it's just that you'd lose more overall low end for THAT particular sound.

[@del5582]

I already have a Mexican p-bass that I love and I am deliberating between a Vintera p-bass or spending more money for the SG. I like classic rock and I cannot be bothered with active pickups so both will probably fulfill my needs.

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

If you already have a P get the SG.

[@gary9816]

Don't get the SG, it gives you nothing but neck-dive and muddiness. A P bass is good enough.

[@kevinlewis1017]

Just picked up an older beat up mexi fender p-bass love it. Solid bass! even for mexi It's good enough for me since I'm mainly a keyboard/guitarist. Thanks for the videos

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

@@kevinlewis1017 Sometimes it's more about liking the instrument, so if it works for you that's all that matters. You are welcome.

[@kevinlewis1017]

@@ondecksoundstudio3950 agreed! I have two strats an '86 fender japanese and '90 squire and the squire blows away the fender it's practically still in tune from the day I purchased it ! Great intonation

[@Santi66]

Both basses are great, but P Bass is better on the mix. The P Bass is the choice

[@williamgwillam3908]

Got both, play my eb3 more though.

[@russellmorash3816]

For all of the technology that has come in my life speaking just in the world of music I don't think I've ever come across a bass that has very simple electronic and very few changes in desighn the fender p bass will always b the bass I love comfort playability and just volume and tone there awsome.

[@BassClubKing]

I like the Gibson SG !!! you have a great chanel

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

It's a great bass. And thanks!

[@marcpost4034]

Nice. My dad left me his 68/69 EB3. Cool to see yours has the Schaller tuners. Like mine, seems to be a rare feature.

[@johnmilhuisen2607]

Miked P Bass is the go for me.

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

Me too.

[@rrdream2400]

Great video! Especially all 4 sounds back to back at the end, that's how you best compare. EB3 has a nice sound but I feel it's competing a bit with the other instruments in the mix, especially miked. P-bass direct sounds a bit thin compared to P-bass miked which is the best sound in the mix, fills in the missing gaps, competes with nothing. Questions 1) what kind of pickup in the P? 2) tone all the way up? Amp EQ flat? I was expecting to hear more high end on a 70's maple board P. unless you dialed out some treble? It sounded great, thanks for doing this so well.

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

EQ was flat. Tone all the way up. They are dimarzio pickups. Thanks for checking it out.

[@bflo1000]

@@ondecksoundstudio3950 I like DMZ pups. I had a Washburn SB-40EQ w DDMZ pups. They are higher gain and bring the thunder.

[@jameslanclos568]

I've got a FedEx delivery coming tomorrow with a brand new Gibson SG Standard, 30" scale, ebony, electric bass. I assumed it was an EB3, but I guess that only applies to the 34" scale. I usually refer to it as an EB3 but I guess that I was wrong. After a lot of research and scrutiny, I decided to get the Gibson bass. Besides, I've been wanting this bass for a couple of decades now. I have 7 guitars at the moment and this will be my first bass guitar !!! My price range was about $400-$800+ and found a few that I liked, but I didn't like them enough. I figured if I'm going to buy a bass guitar, I might as well get one that would be with me for a long time. I can't wait until tomorrow !!!

[@sd3falco]

"Music is dumb without bass." 👍👍

[@MickeVF]

Nice comparison. But I have one question, in which position did you have the selector on the EB3? I’d guess it was in pos 4 (neck pup without the choke), but please tell. Also, how did you set up tone and volume on both basses. I own a 1966 EB3 and a 2003 P, and I can get them to sound almost similar, but also very different.

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

Thanks. Yes sorry I should have mentioned position 4. It's definitely a plus of the EB 3 having the 4 positions but I so rarely use the other positions that I consider that position the main sound. Tone all the way up, volume all the way up. There are definitely so many sounds you can pull out of each. Maybe I will do one on just the sounds of the EB3.

[@cgrovespsyd]

According to the serial number, my Gibson EB3 was made in 1964. I got it because I thought Jack Bruce was da bomb when he was in Cream. It lent itself to playing “lead bass” but I never really liked how it sounded. While it was easier to play, the Precision bass sounded better although it was kind of one dimensional. I now have a Fodera Monarch (like Victor Wooten) which has both P and J Bass pickups (that I can switch between active and passive) so I now have a fantastic playing and sounding bass.

[@duartebriz]

It's interesting that alone the basses sound better through the DI but in the mix they sound better miked.

[@petset77]

As others said, the Precision is king. ...not all are identical though. My '64 is my favorite, but my '72 has a cleaner, full low tone. The 64 is more round low-mid and warmer. The fret board on the 64 is rosewood, and neck flatter (my preference). I have a '68 Tele Bass, and it's neck is a rounder "baseball bat". Not my favorite shape, but a bass worth keeping. I always wanted a Jazz, but was disappointed once I got my '76. I hate the thin neck at the nut. I have a '65 EB-0, and I love it..... except the muddy tone (and little neck, and pretty much everything except that it looks cool). I play with my fingers, so there's nothing but booming bottom. The sound guy wasn't happy when he saw it coming, so it could show up at any moment if we weren't on the road. I have a late 80s Thunderbird I got in '92, and it's okay (looks great of course), but if you break a string and the bridge saddle drops off in a foreign country, it takes a while to get a replacement. ...editing to add: It's always a good idea to have a second instrument on stage. Worst European tour was with the T-Bird and Jazz. WTF was I thinking?

[@Spritsailor]

In the mix, the P bass mic and the Gibson direct seem very close in tone.

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

The Gibson has that natural wooly sound to it running direct that the Pbass gets through the amp, so they are similar for sure. There is still a bit more depth with the amp signal though. But definitely to grab that sound in a super hurry on a really tight budget I might grab the Gibson to save a couple minutes set up.

[@rrdream2400]

I thought those were the 2 best tones in the mix, in that order, great point. P-bass direct on the thin side, EB3 miked a little too boomy

[@henryfreeman7748]

I like the P better on this piece, the EB is by no means a slouch bass it has really good growl,but that my azhole opinion which come a dime a dozen, being a Fender lover, I wonder how a Fender mustang would bring the funk out of this joint to me good bottom is paramount, then again its all in your funky fingers.

[@Alifesalife]

Do you think the eb3 would be good for fuzzy low tuned rock?

[@paultraynorbsc627]

Excellent 👍

[@green8923]

If only recording direct, you could get the P bass to have a deeper tone by plucking a bit closer to the neck (even playing with your thumb, if the song calls for it), which is nice to have that option

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

The great thing about a P is that you can get so many sounds out of it. Pick, thumb, fingers, muted, by the bridge, closer to the neck... It is a great instrument.

[@petset77]

I always kept the pickup cover on my P basses, and mostly played on the neck side, almost exclusively with fingers. That was my tone. I'd sometimes play on the bridge side once reverb on brighter treble was a thing in the 70s.

[@dansoch3622]

Had both, 64 P bass. 76 EB3, loved them both. Each had their place. Lost them in a divorce.

[@harrybrooks8514]

According to my 67-year-old ears, the newer Gibson SG bass has a wider tone range than the EB3. I had to reconfigure my EB3 with a set of DiMarzios in order to tame down the farting buffalo 🦬 The newer SG sounds like my refitted EB3. With me short-scale is important for playability. I can live with the tonal issues of a shorter scale. It’s definitely not a Rickenbacker 4001, for goodness’s sake.

[@burrencrawler]

I'm a Gibson fanantic but until they do a full scale length bass the P will always win. Although they have the jack casady full scale length which might be a fair error comparison

[@TheBassfresh]

the gibson, as I've experienced both for 52 years, is more even all over the neck like short scales generally are, the fender speaks best in the lower register.

[@joeurbanowski321]

I’ve always thought of the Eb3 to be for songs with the bass playing more “complete “ melody lines..as opposed to outlining chords,which is IMO,the normal job of the bass guitar… There’s less reverberation with the EB3…

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

The EB3 definitely cuts really nice for melodic stuff.

[@joeurbanowski321]

@@ondecksoundstudio3950 .. I’m pretty sure that Jack Bruce used an EB-3 on Crossroad …sounded excellent.!

[@jotcarey]

You call the P bass direct sound thinner, but that's the sound you hear on most soloed bass tracks from classic recordings. "Wooly" amp sounds are fun to listen to, but they're rarely heard in pro recordings. Also, Motown used custom-made direct boxes to track Jamerson and their other studio bassists. B-15s were sometimes used for monitoring, but they were seldom used for tracking.

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

Don’t get me wrong a P bass is never really thin sounding, even direct. Haha. Personally I always lean towards the amp sound but at times definitely use a direct. I get that many classic recording used direct but plenty used an amp. Which sound did you prefer in this case?

[@1okanaganguy]

great piece, hard to suss completely each sound. extra solo would be good,

[@samross4601]

Why not combine the DI and the amp?

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

I definitely do that at times. This was more just to hear the sounds. It's always tough to demonstrate every option in these videos without them turning into 3 hours.

[@ec-hi1br]

FENDER PRECiSION BASS IS SIMPLE “ BUT “ RICH IN SOUND ! THAT’S ALL !

[@ciccioaporta3774]

Round wounds are best on that EB 3

[@michaelvaladez6570]

I miss my EB 3....you win some ,you lose some...

[@Mephilis78]

Who knew Neil Breen could play bass?

[@ricardomaldonadolaiseca5236]

Guibson!!!

[@chickentwisties2298]

EB3 for me hands down Jack Bruce baby! 🤘🔥🎸

[@ericeastman2427]

The eb3 sounds better it has more hop more detail in the bassline

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

It's a great bass for sure. I'll still always be a P bass guy, but I've been playing that bass since I was a kid as you can se by the wear marks. Haha.

[@ericeastman2427]

Im a p-bass guy to lol i liked both types of tone i was listening to in my car so i herd everything pretty clear the eb3 might have stuck out more to me the p-bass sounded great and round but very heavy bass wide bass the eb3 was more defined and dark sounding in the end its a matter of taste you can't go wrong with the eb3 or the p-bass

[@davidslater9713]

For me the P bass winds hands down on all counts. That’s not to say the EB3 isn’t a great bass.

[@RONNYMORRISMUSIC]

The Gibson bass gives so more much low end. I know we all love the P bass, but now that i have used the Gibson bass on so many rock recordings I must say it sounds much fuller, and fat on 70s rock sounding songs with a old gretch kit.

[@mixcombo50]

I pick Fender bass..have power bass sound than Gibson bass

[@MrBongoagogo]

The p bass is way superior sounding. Warmer fatter sounding there is no comparison

[@simonsmith2642]

My wife can’t tell the difference and doesn’t care lol.

[@tracywalton]

Haha. I like her style.

[@slyisabadass]

Yess! Music is dumb without bass.

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

Haha. Sometimes you just need to call it like it is.

[@TheOverlordOfProcrastination]

I would just like to say it’s a Precision Bass, not a P Bass. Call me old-school, but three syllables just isn’t a problem.

[@ondecksoundstudio3950]

Almost every comment here calls it a P bass. I think that ship has sailed.

[@TheOverlordOfProcrastination]

@@ondecksoundstudio3950 sheep.

[@rrdream2400]

@@TheOverlordOfProcrastination dude, all the so called youtube hipsters complain about the most mundane detail on a great video and complain about it, you're the one looking like the sheep here... you can do better if you try harder

[@TheOverlordOfProcrastination]

@@rrdream2400 I can infer from this that you’re hurt because you call it a P Bass and I’ve implied you’re a sheep, right?

[@rrdream2400]

@@TheOverlordOfProcrastination no, I'm not hurt at all, and I actually call it a Precision or Jazz often. I was calling to attention you finding something stupid to criticize the person who spent the time to make a really decent comparison video. I was just trying to help you see that we're all sheep. The fact you play a fretted bass instead of an upright makes you a sheep. You make negative comments on youtube just to be a dink? yeah, everyones doing that thing, sheep... So stop at red lights? And then go when it's green, just because the government says you can go? Oh man, you are a sheep and let them "control" you. It's such an overused term.