Conclusion: I need all the basses

I'm not a bass player, but I can see why the P-bass is so universally admired.

I just love the fact that everyone in the comments has a different taste but we all agree each of those basses are amazing and each have their own soul attached to them.

there is just something about the Rickenbacker that just gets me everytime.

That's how you do a damn comparison vid! Yay!

The seamless video cuts are great. Absolutely the best way to do a comparison.

Back when I was in my late teens/early 20's I played bass in a couple of different bands. I wanted a Stingray so bad. A friend of a friend had one and I fell in love as soon as he let me try it out. We were dirt poor so the best I ever did was a Music Man Sub (discontinued now, but it was the poor man's Stingray back then). I drove 4 hours to buy it used from a really nice dude and gigged with that thing for so long. I was the only dude in the local scene with a Music Man. I'm in my 30's now and I still have that MM Sub as well as a gorgeous honeyburst Music Man Ray 34. Every once in a while I am tempted to get myself a Stingray just to finally have it. Anyway, that was my trip down memory lane. Thanks for reading.

The Thunderbird looks like that ancient bone weapon you get after defeating a hard-ass boss in some game (such as dark souls)

"Why does almost everyone play either a P or Jazz bass?" One minute into the video, "Ah... okay."

What brand of comfortable chair is needed for the best tone?

rickenbacker got its own super unique tone

The Precision bass is still the king of all basses due to pure versatility. It sounds 100% perfect no matter what/how you play. The Thunderbird is a really close favorite for me.

That's the reason why we need so many basses !

The Thunderbird and Rickenbaker have that “growl” that I crave in a bass. Some menacing musical instruments! 🤘

As a Thunderbird player for many years, I gotta say that I'm pretty impressed at how well it sounded with the slap in this vid. I love the T-bird but I have never thought it sounded good at all when slapped. This video is a major exception.

*Fingers* Fender Precision (USA 1979): 0:12 1:00 Fender Jazz (USA 1973): 0:20 1:06 Musicman Stingray (USA 2003): 0:28 1:12 Warwick Thumb (Germany 2006): 00:36 1:18 Rickenbacker 4001 (USA 1973): 00:44 1:24 Gibson Thunderbird (USA 2010): 00:52 1:30 *Slap* Fender Precision (USA 1979): 1:40 2:28 Fender Jazz (USA 1973): 1:48 2:36 Musicman Stingray (USA 2003): 1:56 2:44 Warwick Thumb (Germany 2006): 2:04 2:52 Rickenbacker 4001 (USA 1973): 2:12 3:00 Gibson Thunderbird (USA 2010): 2:20 3:08 *Pick* Fender Precision (USA 1979): 3:20 4:08 4:56 Fender Jazz (USA 1973): 3:28 4:16 5:04 Musicman Stingray (USA 2003): 3:36 4:24 5:12 Warwick Thumb (Germany 2006): 3:44 4:32 5:20 Rickenbacker 4001 (USA 1973): 3:52 4:40 5:28 Gibson Thunderbird (USA 2010): 4:00 4:48 5:36

3:52 to 4:00 Is my favorite part. You can clearly hear iconic Rickenbacker bass tone and no one can't imitate this like Rickenbacker.

I love the Stingray, it combines the funky spank of the j bass with the thumping low end of the p bass

I cant be the only one who adores the sound of the warwick thumb especially slapping

I’m falling in love with that thunderbird dude it looks awesome and sounds amazing in any scenario

Precision Bass = Rich Jazz Bass = Meaty Stringray = Nasal Thumb = Twangy Rickenbacker = Earthy Thunderbird = Smooth

The Thunderbird has a dark chocolate aura that none of the others quite nail.

I like the Rickenbacker, but something about the Jazz Bass just hits different, it was born for slap, and I love it.

I will always phase in and out of wanting different basses for a specific sound, but my heart will always be with a classic P bass. Can't beat its versatility and simplicity.

3:52 joy division intensifies

I was born with a Fender Precision bass in my hands and I'll die the same way.

Didn’t know I like the Thunderbird that much. Always loved the look, but that tone blew me away too!

Listening to the poor Ricky 4001 trying to do slap was the highlight of the video. P-bass: Low-mids, medium output, "utility infielder". Good for everything but excels at nothing, incredibly common tone in rock & pop music. Preferred by plain-old bassists who just want to avoid arguments with soundboard men and rhythm guitarists about who's stepping on who's portion of the mix. (BTDT) J-bass: High-mids, low output, better presence and clarity, but less bottom end "thunk". Peferred by "bass guitarists", studio session players and jazz soloists who prioritize clarity and are comfortable with their sound living in the same space as the 6-string guitar. Without good EQ and a guitarist who's willing to give you some sonic room, it's easy for a JB to get "lost in the mix". Stingray: Mids, high output, with an active onboard EQ chip that boosts treble based on how hard/fast you pluck the string. Preferred by funky slappers who get most of their tone from their fingers. In the 80s, MusicMan was the only bass with active EQ for percussive slap tone, but in the Digital Age you can get that effect from free software, so the uniqueness has kinda rubbed off the company name a little bit. Ricky 4001: Mids, mids, and more mids. Did I mention mids? Middy mids? The Ricky's EQ profile looks like Jay Leno's chin: mids on 10, everything else heavily scooped. The result is a tone that cuts through a mix better than any bass guitar in the history of the universe. Unfortunately it is without a doubt the biggest "one trick pony" in basses. Don't try to sound like any other kind of bass, you will fail. Don't have your rhythm guitarist in the same room as you while you're mixing, he'll piss himself and have a seizure when he finds out how much of his tone has to be EQ'ed away to make room for your Ricky. Seriously, you're better off making the Ricky a centerpiece of the sound and working from there. It doesn't help that the guitar itself hasn't evolved even slightly since the 50s. Geddy Lee is famous for his Ricky 4001 tone, and even he abandoned the actual instrument in the 80s once he could reproduce the tone reliably on a heavily-EQed JB. Warwick Thumb: I have absolutely no idea, I confess. I've never encountered anybody playing a Warwick Thumb in the studio, and only a few times have I seen one in practice. They're not common, and the tone's not common. I'm pretty curious why guitarbank thought it was iconic enough to warrant inclusion here. No Ibanez? No Alembic? Gibson Thunderbird: Lows, lows, and more lows. Did I mention lows? Like all Gibsons, the T-bird is all about physical mass and sustain: the thing is a mahogany monstrosity and has a terrible neck dive from the imbalance of weight between the body and the neck. This gives it a colossal low end earthquake, bigger than any bass I've ever played. The problem is clarity: 99% of bassists would describe the T-bird as muddy, and it becomes muddy very easily with that kind of low end rumble. What the Ricky does for mids, the T-bird does for lows: you'd be hard pressed to find a T-bird outside a 4-piece rock band. Good news is that rhythm guitarists love it: it cuts off just below the mids so there's no trouble with the guitars singing through clearly. Personally I love the shape and the mass but find very few songs that really benefit a ton from such a specialized instrument... and you can always just EQ a P-bass, honestly.

Am I seriously the only who’s just in love with the rickenbacker?

The J-Bass was born for slap. The Rick-not so much.

No one is gonna talk about how phenomenal his playing was? Really?

Warwick thumbs are absolutely superb basses, I got to play a German made Custom Shop thumb 5 BO at Guitar Center last month and it was the best bass I've ever played, I love the pickup placement on the 5 strings better, with both closer to the bridge and angled, nothing beats a thumb!!!! This video doesn't showcase just how well a thumb cuts through a heavy mix

Can't be the only one loving the sound of that Stingray?

The P bass sounded most awesome. Now I'm convinced more than ever that a P bass is a must-have. And this is the best comparison video ever. Thanks buddy

It's all about preferences, here are mine: Fingers - Precision Slap - Stingray Pick - Thunderbird With different tone/EQ settings these would likely be different.

I watched the video for 3 months straight, and I Just bought my first big boy bass. A Fender P-Bass

P bass - versatility. Warwick - Nu metal. Rickenbacker - old school character.

I think that the Jazz bass, Stingray, and Warwick excelled in slap and even in fingerstyle, but the Precision bass dominated in picking, an wasn't too shabby with slap either. I will forever love the Stingray the most, but the Precision bass is a formidable foe.

I'm brand new to Bass so this really helps me distinguish different types. I really like that Fender Jazz Bass sound

Thank you! I've been looking for a video like this for years.

The thunderbird sounds really cool

Spoiler: They all sound great!

Besides the helpful comparision, this video and the medley itself are absolutely amazing!

This is a really well presented / recorded video - thank you :)

I'm not a bassist, but I love the Thunderbird's sound in this video

Slap: stingray Finger: Jazz Pick: Thunderbird Chords: Thumb If you‘re on a budget and need one for everything: Precision

Excellent vid to demonstrate the basic tone differance between each bass! Perfectly executed!👍

That's why I've been a Jazz Bass dude since forever but the revelation is the warmth and power in the Gibson !

One of the best videos on KZfaq P-bass is the most versatile bass for me

P-Bass and Rickenbacker are my personal favorites. No wonder I didn't like playing my old Thunderbird.

My personal favourites are the Thunderbird, the Rickenbacker, the Stingray and the Fender P. But i really love how each and every one of these just have a unique sound.

This video is so cool probably the best comparison vid I’ve seen as far as bass goes

The thunderbird was quite something

p bass sounded awesome

Good job on the different styles, shows they all have strengths and weaknesses

Wow! Great playing! I loved the video! It is quite amazing to see that there are so many different nuances in different Bass-Types. My favourites werer the Fender P-Bass and the Thunderbird. My least favourite was the warwick. It sounded unexpectedly flat, given its high price and premium appearance.

I fell in love with the musicman

No more government subsidies for active basses!

Dude ,one of the best comparisons I’ve heard

LOVE THIS VIDEO!! So helpful! Thank you!

P Bass is where it's at...

Wow! I’m sold on the P bass. It sounds good on everything you throw at it. The Gibson impressed me.

This is awesome! Thank you!

Thanks, great playing and comparisons!

I once read an article about how Roger Waters said he switched to a P bass because his Rickenbacker sounded too thin. Back then I couldn't imagine what he was talking about. Today you showed me why he thought that. I still love that bass though. But for me, the P bass won this.

20 best basses of all time 20. You 19. Can't 18. Rank 17. Bass 16. Guitars 15. Based 14. On 13. Anything 12. Since 11. Each 10. Of 9. Them 8. Is 7. Unique 6. In 5. Its 4. Own 3. Different 2. Way 1. Fender Precision

The Rickenbacker came off rather poorly here. Loved the Jazz, but then I'm a Jazz player. Thunderbird was surprisingly impressive.

Killer playing. Perfect demo. Thank you.

If I could only pick 3 it would be these: - '73 Rickenbacker - '79 Precision - '10 Thunderbird

Precision bass is my pick.

The comparisons in this video are so damn awesome. 👌 The Rickenbacker 4001 among other guitars were the sweetest in my opinion, holy shit. 😍

Phenomenal playing and comparison. Thanks for making this! I thought the P bass overall was the best.

I'm drawn to the Thunderbird for some reason...

His technique is outta control. Especially his pick..goddamn what skill

Great video all around. As a pick guy, I'm happy you played such sick riffs for your demonstration.

That’s the best bass comparison video I’ve seen! P Bass for the win! Rickenbacker, for everything but slapping, and the Thunderbird sliding in at 3rd place:)

personal favorites in each category ( _totally_ unbiased ) fingers: precision slap: precision pick: precision (but the jazz and thunderbird not far behind)

I'm a guitar player, but I want to be in the band with the bassist playing the Rickenbacker!

That thunderbird sounds gorgeous. Surprised at how good it sounds when slapped.

Excellent comparison video. Thanks for sharing

Finger: Stingray Slapp : Jazzy boy Pick : Thumb Being cool: Rick

I loooove the sound of the Bass Guitar so much. And this video is very nicely done.

That Stringray...... It excels at everything you throw at it IMO. It's by far the best bass ever made in my opinion.

Finally a perfect video-demo. Thank you

"Let's do a bass guitar comparison video!" ~ Someone / "Ok. Make sure you cut out all the low end in the mix so it's absolutely pointless" ~ Someone else

That poor 4001 getting slapped

People who say the Rickenbacker doesn't sound good or sounds thin/quiet need to grab a better pair of headphones that has very low end BASS and crank up the volume. With proper audio you can hear this magnificent low end growl of Rickenbacker. That is why many people are saying it sounds quite; they don't have the audio to hear all the low end growl of the Rickenbacker which gets cut out the most without high quality audio. I had the same impression when I first listened with my speakers then I got my beat headphones, turned up the volume a bit, and it was a totally different video.

I appreciate the effort that went into this comparison vid. I must say this: mostly none of these basses sound quite like that when played through a proper head and cabinet. Plus, I wonder if they all had the same strings.

I think the thundebird design is the only guitar design that is more iconic in base form

Cool comparison but, as others have commented, it sounds like there's something wrong in the signal chain. A Ric is typically very bright & punchy, but not that thin and fizzy. Maybe tone or volume knobs are in weird spots, or there is an issue with one of the pickups? Used the wrong output? (Many Rics have 2 output jacks that are meant to be used in a specific way.) It kinda affects the Jazz, too, though to a lesser extent, so perhaps something in the signal chain is just not friendly to brighter basses. I play Rickenbacker and Jazz basses, and that's not necessarily what they sound like, especially the Ric.

I love Rickenbacker so much man, great tone for almost everything

this is awesome !.Nice bits !

Logan is 100% spot on, the P Bass is best hands down!

Great demo! The StingRay tone never gets old!!!

This really gave me an idea on what tone I want, that precision and Thunderbird gonna be it.

Great vid. Fantastic playing.

Damn that was awesome! Love the Fender’s, both P and J fenders are definitely number one spot to my taste then close next the MM Stingray love the sound as well, then maybe Warwick, then goes down from there. they are all awesome basses in there own right to each individuals taste.

Nice. Interesting how the pick brought out the differences more than the other styles.

THANK YOU. This video is perfect.

I play a fretless p-bass so this interesting , they all sound great in their own way. Thanks for sharing.