There's a little mistake in the text at 4:11 when I play the 1979 bass but the text says 2023...sorry for that, and thanks @WimRijksen for pointing out my mistake 🙂
Its very simple, the 79 has character, and power, i have a 79 bought new, exactly same black one with maple neck , she gives me goose bumps every day i play
Thanks for another great demonstration! When I switch between old and new Fenders I expect the tone to be WAY different but it's because they feel WAY different- I think the sound can be made to be very similar. I heard more mids in the new bass and a clearer top end and more solid bottom on the old one if anything.
I strongly suspect that the tone capacitors are different. Subjectively, the range of tones on the new bass is wider. I also think there is a caveat to this type of video where you try to be very objective and dial the controls on the instruments in the exact same way. You may end up subjectively liking more the instrument that has more narrow palette of sounds, because the extremes on such instrument are more practically usable than extremes on an instrument with a wider palette. Yet, in reality the instrument with the wider palette can dial the same tones as the narrower sounding one. What I suggest you do next time is to try to dial the most similar sounding tones on both instruments, regardless of what the dial read says. Then compare which bass does the better job on that particular type of sound.
@@Ralferator that’s true, but for some reason the stock pickup on my Precision Special had a more scooped sound. We suspect it’s not wound RWRP from factory as it also produced a lot of noise especially with an overdrive pedal kicked in.
I've been waiting to get those strings for my basses but no one sells them in town. I remember every Fender bass I've tried that had a nice twang had these strings
What happend to Fender ? Did they loose the recipe of the Precision Bass ? The 1979 sounds definitively better in all the setup you tried. Thank you very much for sharing. Cheers !
I wonder, are they both set up the same way? I could be wrong, but based on how they sound, the 79 feels like the strings make more contact with the neck, like there's less tension and/or the action is lower compared to the 2023, which gives it a warmer sound overall, although it could be something else. Other then that, they both sound like P basses, but I will say that your 79 sounds really sweet, I think it's my favorite from the ones I've heard you play.
They were setup as similar as I could. On the other hand, the frets are not in the same condition, as they are new on 2023, and others are quite old and have been leveled several times.
@@ObraBass Thank you for replying. Right, I should've realized the frets would account for more contact with the neck, at least I was partially right hehe.
My experience is different - i've put a dimarzio model p on a 70's p and it still sounds sweet ...i think the older wood does contribute to the mellow and deep sound of vintage fenders.
Jedini čovek koji kaže i koje su žice! Ponekad je u njima najveća razlika. Hvala za ove vrlo korisne klipove. I ako može odgovor na jedno pitanje: kao neko ko nema para (a ni potrebe) da kupuje nove žice svakih mesec dan i ne može da proba gomilu brendova i tipova, voleo bih da znam koje su se vama pokazale kao "najtrajnije"? Koje su najduže upotrebljive dok ne "matiraju" u tonu? Imate li neki stav po tom pitanju? Hvala.
Hvala na lepim recima 👍. Sto se tice zica, meni su apsolutno najtrajnije Elixir coated zice. Njih koristim u 95% slucajeva poslednje 2-3 godine. Jedan set mi uz svakodnevno sviranje traje oko godinu dana. Mozda se zvuk ne dopada svima, i mozda po nekad neke druge imaju lepsi zvuk za odgovarajucu pesmu ili miks, ali trajanje od godinu dana ih definitivno kvalifikuje na prvo mesto za mene.
The 1979 sounds better all the way with fingerstyle, no matter the tone setting. However, I think the 2023 has a slightly better sound for pick playing.
Hi, thanks for this video. There's a little mistake in the text at 4:11 where you play the 1979 bass but the text says 2023: ua-cam.com/video/E5Pgpfakkpc/v-deo.html Anyway, no problem, I think the 1979 Precision has stronger mids, which give it more presence, whereas the 2023 bass is more evenly spread across the frequencies. Not that one is better or worse than the other, both are great, but with a little difference.
Same as the pickup comparison. The new one is more even, but doesn't have that complex texture on the attack and bouncing off the frets. I prefer an angry, ratty sounding P. You can always tame it if it's more appropriate, but you always have that 5th gear when you wanna get ugly.
1979 all the way.. its just has more character - tone sounds.. fuller? Saying that though I think the 2023 has a better slap tone, but get a jazz if you want to slap lol
To my ears the '79 had more of the "throaty" midrange sound that I associate with the classic P bass sound. The '23 sounded brighter. At first I suspected that it's strings were newer so I checked your info. Nope. Same strings.
They sounds different, but I don't think one sounds better than the other. In that case, I'd save the money and hassle and buy a new one. Play it for 50 years and sell it to a collector to put next to his '79.
2023 has more punch and faster attack. 2023 sound has also more upper frequenzies and mids are fuller. Old Fender pickups are weakened through years. Sound is dull and defective. No mid frequencies. Tone rolled completely of 1979 Fender sounds clearer but I don´t ever close tone completely. 2023 bass is in good condition because it is new and does not have wear and tear. Old bass needs repair and repainting. I dont like instruments which are in bad condition. Old and weary isn´t better sounding. It is nothing.
Depends on the individual bass, most vintage basses are just meh and require a fortune in luthier work to get them to sound great (the good ones are incredible but demand a premium price - its also VERY easy to get ripped off woth a bad oldie) but then again a lot of new basses are duds but I've heard a few absolutely killer custom shops. Always play 1st and don't listen to the guy who says he got a Mexican, and it is better than an original 62- he's just defending his purchase.
79 is clearly better. I was goig to buy a fender precision but you cant get one now without the new fake pickups. No PJ for me either. Ill buy a used one somewhere i guess. No options for new.
I think it's probably 99% due to the different pickups. Late 70s pickups used heavy formvar wire and the newer pickups use plain enamel wire. Take into consideration one may have more winding than the other, that results in a fatter smoother tone.
I know. Only some people prefer older instruments to new ones. Personally, I am more inspired by older instruments, and it is not so much a matter of sound.
I think there is no point in comparing the two with tone rolled off. There is most certainly a minor difference in the electronics. Which in itself are usually quite simple. Probably just a different capacitor in combination with slightly different pickups. The newer electronics is apparently more effective. Can you really tell them apart on 100 % when not looking? Probably. But I think the difference isn't that large.
There's a little mistake in the text at 4:11 when I play the 1979 bass but the text says 2023...sorry for that, and thanks @WimRijksen for pointing out my mistake 🙂
Its very simple, the 79 has character, and power, i have a 79 bought new, exactly same black one with maple neck , she gives me goose bumps every day i play
Thanks for sharing! Interesting how the older bass ratains way more clarity with the tone rolled off, even though it sounded darker with tone at 100%.
Yes, that's exactly how I heard it.
Could it be that the basses are made of different types of wood? I also prefer the clarity of the older bass!
@@johnsausageI don't think the wood has anything with it, maybe less then 5%. On the other hand, with guitars, maybe 15-20%.
@@ObraBass So maybe the pickups are just different then I guess? You could swap both pickups to find out if you have too much spare time 😛
Could be due to the pickup or tone cap difference.
Thanks for the Video! Hvala!
Thanks for another great demonstration! When I switch between old and new Fenders I expect the tone to be WAY different but it's because they feel WAY different- I think the sound can be made to be very similar. I heard more mids in the new bass and a clearer top end and more solid bottom on the old one if anything.
Thanks for watching
I strongly suspect that the tone capacitors are different. Subjectively, the range of tones on the new bass is wider. I also think there is a caveat to this type of video where you try to be very objective and dial the controls on the instruments in the exact same way. You may end up subjectively liking more the instrument that has more narrow palette of sounds, because the extremes on such instrument are more practically usable than extremes on an instrument with a wider palette. Yet, in reality the instrument with the wider palette can dial the same tones as the narrower sounding one. What I suggest you do next time is to try to dial the most similar sounding tones on both instruments, regardless of what the dial read says. Then compare which bass does the better job on that particular type of sound.
I totally understand what You are talking about, and I agree. Will try something like that next time. Thanks for Your comment 🙂
Great review,,I slightly preferred the 79
I like both!
I prefer the sound of the one that's older than me.
😁👍
To me too the old PB have more clarity when the tone is all way off. But it's pretty close sounding basses. Thank you for this comparison.
Thanks for watching
They both sound quite the same with very little distinction: they sound great
Odličan video!
Hvala
both sounds identical to me. classic!
Wow. You have bad ears. Clearly different.
As the magnets on the pickups age, it mellows the tone . That's really the difference with the older instruments.
For Slap: 2023, for fingerstile and pick: 79
The ‘79 has more focus on the mids. I love that tone. It’s something I’m struggling to get with my now-all passive 1980 Precision Special.
maybe change for a more mid-focused pickpup or mid-focused strings?
@@Ralferator I did change the pickup just recently. I installed an SPB-3. Now it’s sounds really good.
@@kurdtjohn I am surprised - the SPB-3 should rather be more lows and highs and less mids, isn't it?
@@Ralferator that’s true, but for some reason the stock pickup on my Precision Special had a more scooped sound. We suspect it’s not wound RWRP from factory as it also produced a lot of noise especially with an overdrive pedal kicked in.
I've been waiting to get those strings for my basses but no one sells them in town. I remember every Fender bass I've tried that had a nice twang had these strings
With 50% Tone, I prefer PB 79. Spectacular sound.
What happend to Fender ? Did they loose the recipe of the Precision Bass ? The 1979 sounds definitively better in all the setup you tried. Thank you very much for sharing. Cheers !
People looked down on cbs era fenders for years, now that they're vintage they're great, who knew
I wonder, are they both set up the same way? I could be wrong, but based on how they sound, the 79 feels like the strings make more contact with the neck, like there's less tension and/or the action is lower compared to the 2023, which gives it a warmer sound overall, although it could be something else.
Other then that, they both sound like P basses, but I will say that your 79 sounds really sweet, I think it's my favorite from the ones I've heard you play.
They were setup as similar as I could. On the other hand, the frets are not in the same condition, as they are new on 2023, and others are quite old and have been leveled several times.
@@ObraBass Thank you for replying. Right, I should've realized the frets would account for more contact with the neck, at least I was partially right hehe.
I have been playing Fender P basses since 1971. The only difference is that older pickups lose some of their magnetism, which mellows the tone.
So would a p bass from the 70’s sound similar to the 2023 when new in the 70’s?
@@soulstart89 Yes it would. Absolutely.
@@Spritsailor interesting. Thanks for info.
@@Spritsailor interesting
My experience is different - i've put a dimarzio model p on a 70's p and it still sounds sweet ...i think the older wood does contribute to the mellow and deep sound of vintage fenders.
Hey, great video! Why is your right side pickup so low while the other side is so high?
Thanks. It's just leveled to fallows the neck radius and the high of the strings.
@@ObraBass on my bass I notice that the E has less volume than the other strings, I thought it was the same problem hahaha, thanks!
Yeah, the difference with 0% tone and pick are very interesting. I like the old one more.
Jedini čovek koji kaže i koje su žice! Ponekad je u njima najveća razlika. Hvala za ove vrlo korisne klipove. I ako može odgovor na jedno pitanje: kao neko ko nema para (a ni potrebe) da kupuje nove žice svakih mesec dan i ne može da proba gomilu brendova i tipova, voleo bih da znam koje su se vama pokazale kao "najtrajnije"? Koje su najduže upotrebljive dok ne "matiraju" u tonu? Imate li neki stav po tom pitanju? Hvala.
Hvala na lepim recima 👍. Sto se tice zica, meni su apsolutno najtrajnije Elixir coated zice. Njih koristim u 95% slucajeva poslednje 2-3 godine. Jedan set mi uz svakodnevno sviranje traje oko godinu dana. Mozda se zvuk ne dopada svima, i mozda po nekad neke druge imaju lepsi zvuk za odgovarajucu pesmu ili miks, ali trajanje od godinu dana ih definitivno kvalifikuje na prvo mesto za mene.
@@ObraBass Hvala. Korisna informacija.
1979!
The 1979 sounds better all the way with fingerstyle, no matter the tone setting. However, I think the 2023 has a slightly better sound for pick playing.
I actually like the slap tone on the new one better. Other than that, there seems to be very little difference.
Hi, thanks for this video. There's a little mistake in the text at 4:11 where you play the 1979 bass but the text says 2023: ua-cam.com/video/E5Pgpfakkpc/v-deo.html Anyway, no problem, I think the 1979 Precision has stronger mids, which give it more presence, whereas the 2023 bass is more evenly spread across the frequencies. Not that one is better or worse than the other, both are great, but with a little difference.
You are absolutely right about the mistake in the text. Thanks for the information...somehow they always slip at least one mistake in the editing
for slap the am2, the 79 for the rest
שניהם נהדרים , על הבמה אף אחד בקהל לא ירגיש את ההבדל, השינויים מינוריים שניתן לתקן לכאן או לכאן על ידי כיוון ההגברה
אני בהחלט מסכים לגבי הסאונד. מה שלא נשמע בהקלטה הוא התחושה שכל אחד מהם נותן כשמחזיקים אותו ביד, כמו גם ההשראה שהם נותנים בזמן הנגינה.
I think the 79 bass sounds a bit warmer, probably because the wood has dried up and aged particularly well.
The Fender Precision and Jazz basses both lost their magic mojo sound after 1983.
Japanese basses ruled then....
@@LudwigKazhan So true. Early 80's to early 2000's Japanese basses took over.
The '79 is more punchy!
Same as the pickup comparison. The new one is more even, but doesn't have that complex texture on the attack and bouncing off the frets. I prefer an angry, ratty sounding P. You can always tame it if it's more appropriate, but you always have that 5th gear when you wanna get ugly.
The differences are minimal. I like the sound of new bass better. It has wider frequency range and clearer treble with an extended low end.
1979 all the way.. its just has more character - tone sounds.. fuller? Saying that though I think the 2023 has a better slap tone, but get a jazz if you want to slap lol
It is a Fuller, with changed pots for new CTS. Old capacitor 🙂
2:10 what song are you playing?
New Years Day by U2
To my ears the '79 had more of the "throaty" midrange sound that I associate with the classic P bass sound. The '23 sounded brighter. At first I suspected that it's strings were newer so I checked your info. Nope. Same strings.
That‘s what I was going to say. Throaty. Nasaly.
The difference in sound is the wood. The 79' has the old wood that sounds more natural.
2023 is better for my taste.
Bose headset states, 79 has more depth and a deeper tone.
Thanks for watching :)
They sounds different, but I don't think one sounds better than the other. In that case, I'd save the money and hassle and buy a new one. Play it for 50 years and sell it to a collector to put next to his '79.
Good Thinking 😂
2023 has more punch and faster attack. 2023 sound has also more upper frequenzies and mids are fuller. Old Fender pickups are weakened through years. Sound is dull and defective. No mid frequencies. Tone rolled completely of 1979 Fender sounds clearer but I don´t ever close tone completely. 2023 bass is in good condition because it is new and does not have wear and tear. Old bass needs repair and repainting. I dont like instruments which are in bad condition. Old and weary isn´t better sounding. It is nothing.
Depends on the individual bass, most vintage basses are just meh and require a fortune in luthier work to get them to sound great (the good ones are incredible but demand a premium price - its also VERY easy to get ripped off woth a bad oldie) but then again a lot of new basses are duds but I've heard a few absolutely killer custom shops. Always play 1st and don't listen to the guy who says he got a Mexican, and it is better than an original 62- he's just defending his purchase.
79 is clearly better. I was goig to buy a fender precision but you cant get one now without the new fake pickups. No PJ for me either.
Ill buy a used one somewhere i guess. No options for new.
Too much tech differences,materials,strings...
une pelle reste une pelle 😁
I think the body material that most affect the sound. The Bass of 2023 has alder body and the body of the 1979 bass is made of ash.
I think it's probably 99% due to the different pickups. Late 70s pickups used heavy formvar wire and the newer pickups use plain enamel wire. Take into consideration one may have more winding than the other, that results in a fatter smoother tone.
These are electric instruments, the body material has nothing to do with the sound.
I thought the "tone wood" myth had been thoroughly debunked ages ago.
autant acheter une mex ptdr
Why do we delude our selves into thinking any of this stuff matters. I guarantee no one in your band or audience will notice or care!
I know. Only some people prefer older instruments to new ones. Personally, I am more inspired by older instruments, and it is not so much a matter of sound.
I think there is no point in comparing the two with tone rolled off. There is most certainly a minor difference in the electronics. Which in itself are usually quite simple. Probably just a different capacitor in combination with slightly different pickups. The newer electronics is apparently more effective. Can you really tell them apart on 100 % when not looking? Probably. But I think the difference isn't that large.