P-Bass, Jazz Bass, Mustang, which one?

That one always trips me up.  On a strat I like both, but am more a maple fan.

On my Jazz-style bass, I preferred rosewood, maple neck did not sound quite as full.

On my Precision style bass, the maple neck is not going anywhere, such a fat sound.

I suppose there is no easy answer to this age old question.

Some basic common things about fretboard material:


1. Both Ebony and Maple are hardwoods, (note: rosewood is a semi-hardwood.)
2. Ebony is a slow dense growth wood and thus has more mass and tighter rings (although almost invisible due to an almost continuous growth pattern.
3. Maple is a fairly quick expansive growth wood and has much less mass and wider more open rings and growth patterns due to periods of rapid expansion, as is evidenced in the clearly defined ring patterns.
4. Maple is far more porous than ebony is although much less porous than either rosewood or mahogany, as wood families (groupings) are concerned.
5. Both types of wood affect the harmonic structure of the notes produced on an instrument.
6. Ebony will produce a more even harmonic structure and extend the high end harmonics due to it's dense 'rock like' state.
7. Maple tends to be somewhat scooped in tone with an emphasis on second to fourth order harmonics due to the somewhat porous nature of the wood.
8. Ebony can last up to 500 years without any finishing or treatment due to the tight pore nature of the wood. AS evidenced in violins and other hand held instruments that use the wood that are of this age.
9. Maple tends not to last as long and is prone to rotting if left unfinished or untreated, again as evidenced in instruments as little as 25 years of age.

Now the little bit from experience and opinion:
10. Maple is lower on the grading due to its ability to easily rot and discolor and the uneven nature of the tone and harmonic response.
11. Rosewood is considered a mid-grade wood as it favors lower order harmonics, imparts a darker tone than the other two, and requires regular maintenance such as the application of teak or linseed oil to prevent rotting
12. Ebony is the high end of fretboard material for many of the above reasons stated.

Which is exactly what I think when I hear about dense heavy tonewoods. If I'm going to be practicing and gigging with a guitar, can it not be inhumanely heavy?

I don't buy the hype on woods for electronic instruments. There's a great video of a guy cutting lumps out of a guitar with a jigsaw and it sounds the same right down till it starts to look like a hockey stick. I think some people find heavy instruments satisfying - in the same way I enjoy playing with a relatively high action and string gauge. The 'Fight' is there for them. Some people don't like that. Neither is really about sonics.

2 pickups is more than enough, imo. Don't get me started on Floyd Roses. If you want pitch dives like that, buy a synth and cut your hair.

So much is different taste that there might be no easy answer at all...
As for the fingerboard and neck, i love my SKC Bogart to death for the ebonol and graphite. This bass provides me unbelievably even tone, zero sweet or dead spot differences, and on this one there is no wood at all, but extremely well thought artificial materials. Crazy good bass, although it behaves slightly different to most other basses when sliding upwards, but for sure worth it to try out. Would not trade for *any* bass.
IMO Rickenbackers, MusicMans or Warwicks might be love-it-or-hate-it basses. I never got really warm with any of them, but know that others really love them.
Most versatile i guess would be a PJ bass with Precision neck. I would prefer Rosewood, not naked maple fretboard. If one should fit it all and should not cost an arm or a leg.
A JB neck IME can be very uncomfortable if you are used to a precision neck or any modern thinner D shape neck. I found the other way round much easier when i switched from JB to more modern or Precision-like necks. Although i can play with any neck, i prefer wider and thinner than JB any day of the week, and i can imagine this may be similar for the majority of players coming into the studio (of course depending on what kind of customers you have and if you are focussed on a particular style of music).
As for quality replacement pickups, i really like Bartolinis the most, but again, i also play an EMG equipped one more or less regularly and like it also, just not as much.
Hope, this helps anyhow in the decision process...

I like short scale with flat wound strings myself...I have a '78 Mustang myself. It just depends on what you like and are playing. Easier to play as a guitar player as well, and it's not a sound everyone has. Most people who come into the studio will have a P or J bass so I like that I have a different option.

A Mustang can be a great bass if you get a good one. Check out the bass on the Sara Bareilles record The Blessed Unrest. That's a Mustang with flats on it.

I'm going to bring this thread back from the dead... I've recently gotten bitten by the GAS bug & saw these new American Performer mustang basses...anyone else see them in the wild yet? They're fairly new and though I usually buy used/vintage, with old mustang quality/prices from way back when this seems like a way better option.

www.chicagomusicexchange.com/listing/fender-american-performer-mustang-bass-aubergine-pre-order/17404664

I'm personally not into that eggplant color and instead I'm contemplating the arctic white or surfer green.

I know some purists are NOT into the J bass pickup but that's just fine with me

wood aside, I just can't get past how cheap looking the musicmasters appear, finish and all. I definitely miss the chrome and the lack of a bridge adjustment + the spoty-ness of quality in the 70's on Fender in general + the combo of the prices you mentioned is making me lean modern anyways. Something to consider for sure.

I use my Hamer Cruisebass, which is an improved j-bass Hamer made for a while back in the late 90s. The 2tek bridge is rock solid and the bass is extremely easy to play.
The original Duncan’s sound fine but I will have Aaron at Rumpel wind me some of his magic pickups soon for it. These Hamers are real sleepers...outstanding craftsmanship and quality made in a small shop. You can find them used for the price of an import Squier.

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The thing with MusicMan Stingrays is the active electronics. You can't have those tone pots wide open. 'Way to much top and bottom. Start with them back and just add enough bottom and top to balance the mids. Martin Birch got a sound on my Stingray 4 string and I don't use any other settings.