J-Bass Blindfold Quiz | Can you hear the difference? | Thomann

Julia plays four different Jazz Basses from different price ranges and different brands. Can you guess which bass is which brand?
The J-Basses: tho.mn/fmfrr
Fender 75 Jazz Bass
Marcus Miller V7
Sandberg California II
Harley Benton JB-75
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Introduction
0:26 What Basses are being played?
1:00 Bass 1 | Neck
1:12 Bass 2 | Neck
1:25 Bass 3 | Neck
1:38 Bass 4 | Neck
1:51 Bass 1 | Bridge
2:05 Bass 2 | Bridge
2:17 Bass 3 | Bridge
2:30 Bass 4 | Bridge
2:44 Bass 1 | Blend
2:57 Bass 2 | Blend
3:10 Bass 3 | Blend
3:22 Bass 4 | Blend
4:07 Goodbye
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[@nibndj9497]

The tone of the Sandberg is so incredible compared to the other basses. So much definition and dynamic. Its neck pick-up sound is perfect !!!

[@soundman1402]

Sandberg comes strung from the factory with stainless steel strings; that probably has a lot to do with it!

[@luigi.zanini]

⁠@@soundman1402all these basses came strungs with roundwound strings, like usual…the pickups made the differences!

[@timodings]

All I can say is, that I didn‘t like Bass 2 at all. Bass 1 was my favourite followed by 4 and 3. Great video!

[@stephenhookings1985]

Same order for me. Surprised at Marcus Miller bass being so poor ... Isn't this an active bass? Maybe it helps to put batteries in it :-)

[@stephenhookings1985]

Better demo of v7 here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIHRYqOoodqUp6c ... So with EQ flat the Miller sounds like on this demo BUT can be tweaked rather a lot :-).

[@theroadhogs6227]

Exactly my order of preference too..

[@charlesdriver2402]

Very misleading demo of the Sire bass. Those things can sizzle, bark, & rumble! She made it sound like a rosewood, alder, passive bass with dead strings...

[@stephenhookings1985]

@@charlesdriver2402 but in fairness IF it was dialed in same as others it would be representative but to all practible purposes useless comparison. I got a Harley Benton B450FL and on Sunday is sounded a bit off. Ah the battery needs changing ... great again. I really fancy a Marcus Miller v2 because they sound great in the right hands .

[@matthewnations1564]

I just wanted to say that the Harley Benton headstock really nailed it for me. Close enough / different enough to the original inspired design. It’s right on the line of classic and new. Good job to whoever designed it.

[@Nordishbynaturemoin]

That was a grrrrrreat Video! I was blown away by how much I liked the JB-75....and how dull and muffled the Sire sounded.

[@2free2snakes]

Harley Benton stood above pricier basses, which is slightly surprising. It costs under 200 euros, which is almost a steal for what sound you get at that price range. Sandberg had the best sound over all of them tho.

[@CulDorcha1]

1,3,4,2. I have a few Fender J’s. This video is validation for why I put aftermarket pickups in them. And Julia is my favorite KZbinr lately!!! Thanks for being fun and relevant!

[@bennykurtmann]

Beautiful sound for Sandberg! Great bass!

[@junosensis]

OMG for a 200$ bass, the harley sounds great !

[@lukaszDPG.dupinion]

Don't be facetious, they make them sound as they want them to sound. Depends on what they need to sell at a given moment.

[@pilotreg]

@@lukaszDPG.dupinion Either way it's still a good bass especially considering the price and that you can easily mod it.

[@mv9787]

No it doesn’t, but good for you. You will save money if you want a bass

[@caramel109]

The HB needs a setup, lots of fret buzz.

[@danibiyarslanov]

@@caramel109 honestly for a 170 euro bass i expected to buzz like crazy on the 12 frets but in really amazed

[@rickenbacker40011]

Need much more Julia, she is awesome and this video is great!!

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Julia is a regular host! //Andy

[@kdogg7882]

1 was the best IMO. Such a thick meaty sound. It had more strength to it than the others.

[@TempoDrift1480]

I just got the Harley Benton and it's absolutely astounding.

[@causticgrip8329]

Sandberg had the springiest/punchiest and crisp sound. It was clear after the first round.

[@ducatimikep]

The Sandberg has a fantastic and unique sound!!

[@grahsam6670]

I picked out the Sandberg pretty easily. They are very bright. I was surprised by the Miller bass. It was the darkest and most quiet of all of them. They are known for being very articulate and punchy.

[@LionAndALamb]

This observation makes me believe that the pickup height was not optimized equally on all 4 basses.

[@soisaid9004]

Sanberg was best sounding clear and pronounced

[@arnlmndza]

thought so myself. but it seemed like the strings were set up lower than the rest.

[@nobuna2114]

I only got the Fender Bass and the Marcus Miller Bass right, well 50% still. And the Fender was also the one I liked the most while hearing

[@michealfrancis770]

Good video, quick, well played and no slapping! Number 2 sounded the most different but it surprised me how good the HB sounded next to some expensive competition. But for me it would be the Sandberg.

[@lucastperez]

I'm very impressed by how bright the Sandberg is and how mellow the Sire Marcus Miller is! Since both are active, I suppose you could change this flavor by quite a lot, though.

[@lelahel7721]

Yay I'm right. Julia is the reason I bought a California TT4 last month. It feels so much more worthy than a Fender in this price range. The entire processing pays tribute to "Made in Germany". Thanks Julia and greetings from Cologne

[@superdroneuk410]

GADDAMMIT! Ever since I tried the Sandberg in my local store I wanted it and was hoping I wouldn't be able to tell which one it was in this vid... spotted it straight away... if you think they "sound" good but haven't tried them... WOW... play like a dream they feel amazing, nicest bass I've ever played, just can't afford one atm... but as soon as I can, I'm getting one.

[@nazimsabuncuoglu2005]

For me also 1, 3 and 4 sound near to each other - I didn't like the Marcus Miller No 2, but I can imagine that this Bass sounds better & brighter in active mode and you played all in passive mode? The Sound of the Harley Benton is amazing for this Price!

[@dandaris2153]

The Sandberg is my favorite but, when it's blend pickups, I like them all lol.

[@viddev1442]

Got them all right through my mobile speaker. Will have to listen with headphones to decide which one I like better. My primary bass is a Sandberg P bass (vm4) but I bought a Marcus miller V7 5-string a couple of days ago.

[@alessandroc.6876]

I was 100% sure the first was the Marcus Miller. My list: 1 Marcus 2 Harley 3 sandberg 4 Fender Nice video, hope to see more like this.

[@Andrey.Balandin]

Exactly my list. I smell something fish you here as if they cut some tone on guitars 2 3 and 4 but not on guitar 1 and to a varying degree.

[@NeedyForMusic]

Got #2 right! You can tell it has that active sound.

[@jeffreyeagen4896]

I didn't get any right, but I liked the sound of the 75 fender the best

[@Oilid]

The Sandberg put the 3 of them to shame!

[@yvidiot]

Oilid I really like the sound of the Fender's,but my hands prefer to play a Sandberg's. Sire's could be a very good midle price bass, but neck and preamp are a bit weird for me. At last, my wallet asked me to try the HB's JB75... my wallet is a fucking genius!

[@innereden666]

In terms of Value for Money, the Harley Benton put them all to shame!

[@Oilid]

@@yvidiot 🤣🤣🤣👍

[@Oilid]

@@innereden666 he he! 😉

[@jarekify]

100%, with my studio headphones. Thanks a lot! This video prooved the value in higher rank basses to me. Nice to have lower range for beginners and such quality but still - as the skill grows your money for equipment goes to... :D :D

[@airinbone]

On these video recordings I liked the sound of the Sandgerg and Harley Benton most.

[@GOBRAGH2]

1.Sandberg 2.Fender 3. Harley Benton 4. Marcus Miller are my guesses. I only got 1 right.

[@decx0326]

I managed to get all but the Sandburg and Harley Benton right. Pretty happy about thaatt

[@BassAdvisor]

I wish Thomann released an upgraded jb75, lighter and with the quality of the Enhanced series but passive. A Sandberg ttp killer.

[@eplunk3742]

I liked the Sandberg best, closely followed by the Harley Benton. I would be incredibly happy with the HB.

[@LionAndALamb]

You have to take component quality and playability into consideration. You can make a $200 bass sound decent with a good setup, and you can make a $2000 bass sound like garbage with a bad setup. But you can rarely make a $200 bass play like a $2000 bass. To my ear, 2 of the 4 basses had the pickup height set too low.

[@funkyfurballs1078]

Nor surprising, #1 and #3 are the best!

[@wrinkleneckbass]

Man that Sandberg sounds incredible. I assume she was playing it in passive mode, which makes it that much more amazing.

[@Epiphone6ful]

The Harley Benton Sounds realy good! Thanks.

[@u_w5822]

Holy moly, i thought Bass 4 was Sandberg xD. And i thought Bass 1 must be Fender for sure. Harley Benton sounds absolutely amazing, concerning the price!

[@mjallenuk]

They all had something to offer but the Harley Benton surprised the hell out of me! I guess what it's like to play is another matter....

[@barondavis5692]

That was a pretty cool comparison. Just goes to show how close the sounds really are. I’m guessing they were played a decent amp, which will improve a guitar sound. Thanks for doing this.👍

[@LucaDigioia83]

I only got the HB right. The neck pickup seemed to have a little lower output and definition than the others and that little bit of fret buzz around 1:49 gave that away as well... With the blend only would be harder to tell, after all considering the price difference it's a hell of a bass. Anyway I really liked this video comparison! Well done

[@ultimatebasses]

Sandberg for the win! Still waiting to hear back from them. Been over a week now.

[@19max84]

I listened to it with headphones and believe that the 1st bass is of high quality. The second best is either the 3rd or 4th candidate.

[@sinianzhang]

1 sandberg 2 HB 3 Fender 4 V7? （after I saw the answer I am happy to find that I'm right with the two expensive ones. And I had to say that the sandberg is really distinctive.）

[@ColoradoDreamin]

My preference: neck: bass 1, 3, 4, 2 bridge: 3, 4, 1, 2 blend: 1, (2=3) 4 overall i liked bass 1 and 3 the best! What a great video thank you!

[@SirFuzzyLogik]

I knew the first one was the Sandberg because of it's rich definition compared to the others. A modern marvel, those things are.

[@musenw8834]

1- Sandberg 3- fender '75 2 and 4 are hard to tell apart. Never really played both before.

[@markbass354]

COOL !!! I LIKED THE FENDER BASS

[@sakondisable]

My guess is that the passive tone was rolled off a bit with the Sire

[@valendis]

Hehe, I got it all right! Damn that sandberg sound though!

[@Livsie]

I guessed right only Fender no. 3. I wrote to myself the description of each sound: bright, dark, balanced and if I liked it or not. So, the no. 2 (M. M.) was dark all the way through and I didn't like it. No. 1 (Sandberg) - neck was too bright for me, bridge was good, and the blend was very good. No. 3 (Fender) neck was the best sounding for me, bridge was good, and the blend was well balanced. No. 4 (H. B, to my amusement), neck was good, bridge was less bright (but I liked it), and the blend was very good! Wow, how strange is that! 🤔😊

[@theomitrentsis]

Same here - I liked No 4 the most. Quite funny also the fact that from all of my Jazz (type) Basses the one I like the most is a Squier VM 77 with the stock Duncan designed pickups - Go figure. It's also the cheapest of the bunch, they range from 400 to 5000 euro ...

[@brunocyclist]

Wauw. The reveal was a total surprise for me. In order of sounding good to me (through normal earphones), I had them ranked 4 - 3 - 1 - 2. I found n°2 too muffled, n°1 too bright for my taste. N°4 sounded the most to me as 'classic Fender Jazz bass'. I thought that surely was going to be the Fender. Really impressed with Harley Benton. Again.

[@arthurbrown7501]

I knew the 1st was Sandberg as I own one and know that sound. Best Bass’s in the world in my opinion.

[@myklehicks32]

Sire v7 Marcus Miller Jazz Bass is #1.

[@mrebear9758]

1 and 3 were great. 3 sounded the most expensive, most resolving and pretty even sound between the strings. The G string sounded a little weak on 1. 4 was great too, but a little too bassy for my tastes. I was not a fan of 2 at all. Strange, since my preference is for active jazz basses.

[@TuneLabPH]

I got a v7 and its not sounding like this in her demo, its sound like dead string to me 😅 try to tweak to get a sweet spot and V7 has it.

[@RogerBaysinger]

1 & 4 are my favs

[@garibassx]

I guessed the Harley Benton right away. I didn't guess the first three but I immediately thought that the most beautiful was # 2. marcus miller surprised me! I expected it to be the Sandberg or the Fender

[@criticaltheist3992]

It’s interesting the sire I voted last, however amp and music genre are important. For example in the video I kept thinking the sire wasn’t bright enough, although I had to change the strings from roundwounds to chromes to take off some off the brightness for my type of music on my sire jazz. I loved the fender, very bright growl, but it’s like I also love playing a stingray by itself but in my music it doesn’t sit well. Jazz is in the middle of precision punch and stingray growl, the sire is closer to the punch of a P and the fender is closer to the growl and sizzle of a stingray.

[@charlieburns1385]

1 my fave but l have to say the HB #4 sounded great I have that HB 75 jazz and l love it Ash body maple neck , Sounds amazing live ,l play a lot Looks great feel n plays great Only downside is it's heavy But under $200 amazing!!

[@organikdope8853]

You're super funky. I love it.

[@bripeeer2475]

Fukc me!!! i mistaken the Harley benton with Fender 😂

[@clauseclause6640]

1 Marcus Miller V7 2 Harley Benton JB-75 3 Fender 75 Jazz Bass 4 Sandberg California II

[@baptistetrumeau5123]

The Sire you used doesn't have the 70s pickup spacing! :(

[@gasparmelsiontuduri1004]

My order of preference is 1, 4, 3, 2. The number 1 stands out for sounding clear and defined. I think the Sanberg is the best and it is surprising how good the Harley Benton is. The Sire MM is the worst. I have a Sire just like that and with the preamplifier settings that sound can be greatly improved.

[@wbertie2604]

Same order for me.

[@1320alibaba]

The Sandberg is head and shoulders better than the rest, but for the bucks I really liked the HB. Hmmmmm, now thinking I'll need to check that HB out.

[@andrehammon4155]

Bass Nr. 3 was the sound I would have expected from a jazz bass. No. 1 is too brilliant for a jazz bass, a bit intrusive, but still very good sounding. No. 2 absolutely unspectacular and No. 4 furthest from what you would call a jazz bass.

[@user-er7le5cs8v]

1) v7 2) fender 3) sandberg 4) harley benton

[@vinnysilveira4685]

1 sandberg 2 sire 3 fender 4 harley benton

[@helenacoentro5510]

congrats to Harley Benton, they gotit right!

[@Pesso86]

The Sandberg was the best, but the harley benton was a close second. Considering the price difference, this is a no brainer.

[@rennehonorio]

The Sandberg was my favourite.

[@jmclen7]

1. Sandberg 2. Sire 3. Fender 4. HB Wow! I guessed them all correctly. This is the first time I’ve liked the Sandberg the most but I guessed purely based on brightness. In this case, it was the right amount of brightness. Sandberg always seems to be the brightest. Also the first time I was truly disappointed by Harley Benton. Just didn’t deliver in this example.

[@eugenemironov2919]

1. Sadberg, 2. HB, 3. Fender, 4. MM . My favourite is #3 followed by #1, absolute the worst is #2.

[@objectionable9891]

Im shocked I didn’t like the sire at all, neck pup hb was best, bridge sandberg was best, and both it was fender or hb

[@kimmorgan379]

Oh my, I got the Sandberg. Best sounding of the lot, but second was the HB!!!! That was a shock! Next best was the Fender, I'm afraid I rated the Sire as the worst.

[@mikecooper8462]

Hmm... hard to determine by just the sound. Tone controls have alot of effect on the sound, as well as the type of neck and body words. Strings as well. Nice basses though.

[@Daniel-looo]

1 HB 2 Sandberg 3 MM 4 Fender

[@cnltaf4532]

Mmmmm that groove you got in the fingers of your´s Julia, is awesome,.. much

[@savanaviolenta]

I'm sure Julia won't replace her American jazz bass for any of these,ever.The guys from Thomann just wanted her to demonstrate some of these cheap basses,cause she is a really good bass player.I recommend you check Julia's Instagram profile so you can get a better idea of what type of bass player she is and what basses she plays.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

I asked Julia and she said this: if you can play good, a lot of basses will sound pretty good.... like the video from Scotts Bass lesson. He compared a 100€ bass with a 10.000€ and both sounded good. So some people can sound really bad with a 10.000€ bass..... //Andy

[@dimayehonathankurbet8960]

1. SIRE 2. HB 3. CALIFORNIA 2 4. FENDER JB

[@thokol]

The Sandberg and the Fender sounded best to me. BTW my guess was 1.Marcus Miller 2. Harley Benton 3. Fender 4. Sandberg

[@matejgrim]

I won't even try to guess, I'm just here to hear some great bass tone😄

[@acedarkman]

In my opinion the basses sounded the best in order of 1, 4, 3 and 2. My guess was nr 1 Strandberg, nr 2 Harley Benton, nr 3 Sire and nr 4 Fender. The Stranberg was best, but the real surprice was the HB, the Fender and Sire really sounded like crap.

[@damdamdeedodam818]

1 sanderg 2 harley benton 3 sire 4 fender

[@TommyPaycheck92]

I thought 1 was the fender. Wasn't sure about the other 3. But I noted that 1 and 3 sounded the best

[@rafaelmarques1314]

1- sandberg 2-marcus miller 3- fender 4-harley benton

[@rafaelmarques1314]

Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo i got it right!!!!!!!;!;

[@64jazz]

I didn't get them all right, BUT I don't know? (to my ears) No.# 3 sounded best each and every time, and I'm glad it was the Fender 😁 I just Love that tone I suppose. 👍🏾Thanks for posting. 👊🏾 ... the Harley Benton was a close second though.😁

[@endezeichengrimm]

No idea, but the first bass was my favourite.

[@nalangda]

Same here! I like 1 & 4! because of 1. fatty clear rumbling in low notes 2. Mettalic ringy buzzing(?) sound

[@69luca_33]

1. Sandberg 2. Fender 3. Marcus Miller 4. Harley Benton

[@Saxyct]

Nice and useful video. 4 basses with the same body and neck material, played by the same person with the same style and technique. All the difference in sound you hear comes from pickups, bridge, strings and frets differences. However the huge price gap between these instruments is claimed to come from the wood quality and the body/neck construction. Worth it?

[@scottharvey7047]

The sandberg and fender for me

[@harrywhitty4704]

yay i got it

[@timhiggins8578]

I got the HB ,and the v7 the wrong way round is it possible the pickups on the v7 are to low as my one has a higher output (on passive) than either of my fenders ?

[@loeffel999]

If you've ever palyed or carefully listened to a Sandberg it's pretty obvious that #1 is the Sandberg. I was shocked by the muffled sound of the Marcus Miller Bass though

[@GreetTheSacredCow]

I only got the Sandberg correct. It sounds the best.

[@jermainelong1843]

Doesn't the Marcus Miller have that switchable pre-amp circuit? If she was playing it in passive mode that might explain the muffled tone🤔 BTW I think the Harley Benton sounded very decent overall👍

[@OfficialMarkZuckerberg]

i believe the sandberg and the marcus miller both have P/A switchability. could be.

[@MotoGreciaMarios]

I've played a lot of active basses, including switchable Passive/Active. Some of them become more muffled in Active mode because of 2 things: 1) pronounced lows and more importantly 2) compromised dynamics. The second one is like there's some degree of compression applied by the pre-amp and it destroys the snappiness and articulation. I think Marcus' Miller V7 suffers from both the above conditions, and I would really like to hear the instrument in Passive, I'm quite sure it'll sound thinner but livelier. Ever since I realised this thing about active basses, I'm very wary against cheap preamps. Articulation and snappiness for me are more important than "full" sound. Anyways, if I want to use a compressor I can buy one.

[@Skiroy]

Sansberb was great. Whats the specs on it. I want one.

[@ulash12344321]

It was the hardest for me... Only one I hit correct was the 3. the Fender. The most surprising one is the 2. I think Marcus need to sound more modern but I was wrong. Jazzbasses are always unpredictable for me. Sometimes they sound incredible in the mix but sometimes they make me say "yes there is a bass but where is it?".

[@malygin1983]

Cool!👍

[@johncollins5552]

Haha, loved the way the bass was played, 3 and 4 were my favourites. What was the amp used?