Fantastic comparison/shootout. Great methodology, tones, and impeccable playing. Every comparison/shootout should be like this. I so miss being able to play a 4 string Precision bass at practices and gigs.
It’s those SD QP pickups . I put them in 2 of my p basses and they sound so much better . And it’s funny - I immediately chose the Candy Apple Red P bass as my favorite and didn’t even realize that the bass had the SD’s .
I’m a sucker for 70’s P-basses made out of ash. Built like tanks and always sound incredible so the ‘79 is the clear winner for me, but that ‘68 is a pretty close second.
Wow. I think I could be happy with any of these for a studio session or a show. Also, I'm glad to hear that the one with the Aguilar pickups sounds just as good as the others, since that's the pickup I put in my MIM Precision.
That 68 takes the win. The natural 79, however had the best slap sound to me. The 68 was a very close 2nd followed by the red one in the slap category. That 68 though....sounded great on everything.
Thanks I really enjoyed that. Two stood out quite clearly for me. Strangely they sounded most like what I think my P Bass might sound like played by a decent player... 😀
The 2019 custom shop for me. Looks great and I bet it has a fantastic feel. The 70s bass sounded a bit thin to me. I think people just want 70s basses to be better than they actually are..
79 (is the body Ash?) suits the song London Calling best, playing a few basslines from The Jam's All Mod Cons album would also sound good on that, 68 is my overall choice of all, classic. 79s Ash body & Maple fretboard, if that's what the body is plus the 68s Alder body & Rosewood fretboard, the 68 & 79 are a formidable duo
Love # 701 . They all sound great !! But if I could only choose one - I’d pick ……. I can’t ! That’s like picking just one of my favorite kids ( I have 3 ). Haha God Bless the P Bass ! That’s all I ever play .
Very good review and impressive collection of P basses, personal favourate is what i presume is a Nate Mandell, just seems to have a little more clarity, however in a blind test i would happy with any of the basses
The red one is similar to mine with bridge and pickups, except mine is a 20th anniversary Squire, found it in a pawn shop. Sounds real good on a Markbass and my Acoustic 100B
Great song choice, (I only got as far as London Calling) Nice basses, all sound good. Wish I could play with a lite touch like you do here. I always get carried away :)
Maruszczyk sound the best, clear, strong sharp attack (juts guessed may have carbon rods), and very articulate and open sound with very even and balanced response as it have zero fret open strings sound the same as fretted, all the others sound just like any other classic p bass, some have more dead spots than others
The differences between different basses of the same model will always be incredibly minor. It's completely subjective and personal between a person and the guitar they'll find suits them best. Someone might prefer the NM signature one over the '68, for that matter, and it's totally legitimate.
The best I've ever played / heard was 1996 50th anniversary Fender P Bass Made in Japan in the Fujigen factory it was a 62 reissue but had its own vibe it was a little bit dark sounding and had a GOTOH bridge added. It blew a real 62 MIA away when A/B'ing them in the store. Crazy but true.
this was very interesting. LOVE that you play london calling which for me is the quintessential 'p-bass with a pick with tone at 100%' tone. to be honest, the ones with rosewood sounded very very close (1, 3, and 5). 2 sounded the most different one because of the ash body and maple neck. and for the 4th and 6th you hear the pickup A LOT, the overwound in the 4th and the extra clingy on the 6th.
A really interesting comparison! Obviously, the set up, string condition, pickup heights etc. all factor into these things but to me, that vintage white bass has a very noticeable deadspot on its 5th fret G string. My absolute favourite of the bunch here is the sunburst 68. Many thanks for making this video! Great song choice and playing too, btw! :)
Thank You. The strings were the same on all basses and I made a correct setup on all of them. However, I did not setup the pickup heights on them because they are not mine and I did not want to change it. :) Did not notice the dead spot on AVRI '62. Will check it :)
All fender basses are dead around there. It's something to do with scale length and string interaction. Using an octave down pedal can highlight the issue
My top three are the 68, 1993 62’ reissue, and the 1979. I’m looking to add a PBass to my collection with about a $2k cap. Right now I’m thinking of ordering direct from fender to design my own. The configuration I’m considering is a lake placid blue, tortoise shell pick guard, rosewood fretboard, custom shop 62’ pickups- not sure about the neck yet. Friend of mine ordered a jazz and they built and shipped it with 2 weeks-he’s happy with it. Has anyone else done this?
@@ObraBassFor 2 grand, you could get an american performer pbass in lake placid blue, a tort pickguard and even new pickups and have money left over...that mod shop crap is a gimmick
Thank you for doing a shootout with good, recognizable songs rather than just noodling around or hammering through some root notes. My vote goes to the CS post modern with the Nate Mendel in a close second.
Thank you. You are of the rare ones that like CS the most. I have not declared myself so far, but when I consider all, the sound, adjustment and inspiration it gives, to me the CS is probably also the best of all from the test.
@@ObraBass Right, and the two that sound the best are the first Fender that he played and the last Fender that he played. The Maruczck sounded inferior to all of the Fenders.
Bass strings have different tones from when you start and after being played on for a while. They go from a stiffer condition to looser and livelier when played on . Especially if they've been on the bass for some time, This also could attribute to these P-Basses different tones your hearing.
All fender p has rosewood fretboard sound pretty similar,. Meanwhile the 70p sound a bit bright which has maple fretboard. The German P just sound thin and lacking the P vibe warmth.
Maruszczyk was not good. With 100% tone the Fenders sounded very similar apart from the 70's one which sounded thin on the G + D strings. 50% tone they all sounded more or less the same. The 68 and the Vintage reissue probably had the edge but it was a close run thing.
Yea, there's not a bad one here. Slight differences, also differences in appearance and feel that arnt conveyed here that cpuld make someone prefer one of the others. I have heard bad P's before, but all these are fine. His playing was great, too. I did prefer the 68, though.
Hi - know this is an old video now, but any chance of sharing the pickup heights please? Looking at the basses it looks like some are quite low. Thanks Andy
The 68 sounds amazing. It’s what I expect and want a pbass to sound like. Does anyone know the best after market pickup that comes closest to this sound? I have Fender 62s and I’m not very happy with them; they lack beef/sound thin.
@@ObraBass Wow. Thanks! I'm guessing the SD SPB 2 would be the closest to the 68? It seems to have the extra beef and low end while retaining a bit of the classic vibe.
All these P’s sound great, except one for me: the last crême one with the Aguilar pickup. It does not sound like a good bass, let alone a good P. The other P’s all have their very own character and sound. Love them all for exactly that. Surprise for me (and I do own a 2010 exactly like it (I switched the pickups out)): our Mexican NM friend!! 🖖
Fantastic comparison/shootout. Great methodology, tones, and impeccable playing. Every comparison/shootout should be like this.
I so miss being able to play a 4 string Precision bass at practices and gigs.
Thank You so much 👍. I hope you'll like the other videos on my channel and consider subscribing.
They all sounded great, The Nate Mendel mim really holds it's own for the price.
It’s those SD QP pickups .
I put them in 2 of my p basses and they sound so much better .
And it’s funny -
I immediately chose the Candy Apple Red P bass as my favorite and didn’t even realize that the bass had the SD’s .
I’m a sucker for 70’s P-basses made out of ash. Built like tanks and always sound incredible so the ‘79 is the clear winner for me, but that ‘68 is a pretty close second.
All the precision are good.
The king of the bass...🤪
Great.. Thanks!
For me the 1962 Reissue
Wow. I think I could be happy with any of these for a studio session or a show. Also, I'm glad to hear that the one with the Aguilar pickups sounds just as good as the others, since that's the pickup I put in my MIM Precision.
Good comparison, thanks! 👍🏻😎 The '93 and the '68 are my favorites. The '79 stands out too, but a little too bright for my taste.
That ‘79 p bass is the best of the bunch.
100%
The 68 definetely takes the cake, my second pick would be the Custom Shop one. they are all pretty good. But that 68 just has that extra punch
That 68 takes the win. The natural 79, however had the best slap sound to me. The 68 was a very close 2nd followed by the red one in the slap category. That 68 though....sounded great on everything.
The 68 and 79 blow me away. Really great bass playing. Thank you for creating and sharing this video.
Thanks 👍
Insane comparison!! '68 The best for me
It’s the 68 for me with the 79 being a close second. They all have that ‘hollow grind’
68 Sunburst wins for me. It has a rounder more even sound, and a strong C (G5) but to be fair all sound good.
Nice playing!
Thank's !
This and your others are really helpful comparisons.
Thanks
Thanks I really enjoyed that. Two stood out quite clearly for me. Strangely they sounded most like what I think my P Bass might sound like played by a decent player... 😀
So cool! Thanks. Really can hear subtle differences.
Thank You for watching :)
Obras Lacarac. Wow. This a really nice p bass video !!! 💪 🤩
Thanks, I appreciate it!
@@ObraBass I have 5 basses including 2 p bass one 4 and another 5 strings and I am really in love with the p bass and their history
Great video! 😃 Long, but with that excellent selection of music, it goes by fast!! About the blind test, I liked the was 6 and 1
Thanks 👍, 6 was Custom Shop, and 1 was 1979.
This is a super-helpful comparison! Thanks for taking the time to do this. It's especially useful that you had the same strings on each bass.
Thanks a lot :)
I own a few P basses, that 68 did it for me. Thanks
Like so many others already posted the 68 wins by a long shot. Great super clean playing.
Thanks
Love this comparison. Great selection of songs! Thanks
Thank You.
The 2019 custom shop for me. Looks great and I bet it has a fantastic feel. The 70s bass sounded a bit thin to me. I think people just want 70s basses to be better than they actually are..
I agree with all You said, and Yes CS 2019 feels incredible, especialy with Jazz neck on it!
AWESOME!!!! Shootout, Thanks
Thanks for watching!
So hard to make a decision. No matter what, P basses rock!!
You have nice collection. I believe you are a P bass fan.😀
Good to hear the differences between p and p basses
Thenks. They are not all mine. I lent them for a test. :)
On the blind test I guessed 3 to the sunburst 68, and 6 to be the custom shop.
Great comparison… The 68 is a one in a million!
Thanks, You have Blind test reveal video at my channel as well. 👍
79 (is the body Ash?) suits the song London Calling best, playing a few basslines from The Jam's All Mod Cons album would also sound good on that, 68 is my overall choice of all, classic. 79s Ash body & Maple fretboard, if that's what the body is plus the 68s Alder body & Rosewood fretboard, the 68 & 79 are a formidable duo
That ‘68 sunburst bass sounds great.
Thank You
Love # 701 .
They all sound great !!
But if I could only choose one -
I’d pick …….
I can’t !
That’s like picking just one of my favorite kids ( I have 3 ).
Haha
God Bless the P Bass !
That’s all I ever play .
Add drums, guitar and a singer, plus an audience with alcohol, and they would all sound the same. Great.
Of course they would...
The 93’ FOR THE WIN 🥇
It’s the 68 and the Custom shop for me
Wow..Fantastic job...Beautiful playing...Beautiful basses
Thanks murphy, I recognized the cat :)
I got a 68,76 and a 79.i love them all💓.
Very good review and impressive collection of P basses, personal favourate is what i presume is a Nate Mandell, just seems to have a little more clarity, however in a blind test i would happy with any of the basses
Thank You. However it's not a collection, they are all gathered from all sides for this test.
1&3
Maruszczyk ....The best quality control...
@Funky Monk I love fret buzz
The red one is similar to mine with bridge and pickups, except mine is a 20th anniversary Squire, found it in a pawn shop. Sounds real good on a Markbass and my Acoustic 100B
Great song choice, (I only got as far as London Calling) Nice basses, all sound good. Wish I could play with a lite touch like you do here. I always get carried away :)
Thanks. I wanted to make a demo of songs which are originally recorded on P basses :)
Maruszczyk sound the best, clear, strong sharp attack (juts guessed may have carbon rods), and very articulate and open sound with very even and balanced response as it have zero fret open strings sound the same as fretted, all the others sound just like any other classic p bass, some have more dead spots than others
The differences between different basses of the same model will always be incredibly minor.
It's completely subjective and personal between a person and the guitar they'll find suits them best.
Someone might prefer the NM signature one over the '68, for that matter, and it's totally legitimate.
I couldn't agree more :) Thanks For watching.
The best I've ever played / heard was 1996 50th anniversary Fender P Bass Made in Japan in the Fujigen factory it was a 62 reissue but had its own vibe it was a little bit dark sounding and had a GOTOH bridge added. It blew a real 62 MIA away when A/B'ing them in the store. Crazy but true.
One of the best basses I've ever played was a 96 MIJ p-bass as well. Wonderful neck and wonderful tone.
I love my 1993 '62 MIJ Fender P. It's got that clank, it's a Fuigen too.
Custom Shop. It's electrifying.😁
The 62 reissue for me sounds the best. The 68 is beautiful and very close. For me it's
1. Reissue 62
2. 68 / 79
3. Others Fender
4. Maru
Sjajnoo..!!
Hvala 👍
‘68 would’ve been my #1, but with that CS Charcoal frost it’s a really close second
this was very interesting. LOVE that you play london calling which for me is the quintessential 'p-bass with a pick with tone at 100%' tone.
to be honest, the ones with rosewood sounded very very close (1, 3, and 5). 2 sounded the most different one because of the ash body and maple neck. and for the 4th and 6th you hear the pickup A LOT, the overwound in the 4th and the extra clingy on the 6th.
Thank You for watching :)
Thumbs way up!
Thank You
For me:
1. 68
2. Custom Shop
3. Reissue
4. 79
5. Nate Mendel
6. Maruszczyk
To watchers: Imagine '68 would be yours if you guess which one it is based on sound only. Do you think you could do it? :)
Good video Obrad 👍
Tone up, I think I could. Rolled off would be way harder
I don't think I could
Guau!! Me encanta en todos sentidos el fender 1968!! Gracias por el video! Saludos desde Argentina!
Gracias. Saludos desde Serbia!
Me encantaría escucharlo tocar música disco, funk etc con ese bajo!
I really enjoy the vid, mate, absolutly brilliant comparisson. 1968 rules for me. Custom Shop...very dissapointing.
Thanks for watching 👍. BTW CS has the best feel and craftsmanship of them all
A really interesting comparison! Obviously, the set up, string condition, pickup heights etc. all factor into these things but to me, that vintage white bass has a very noticeable deadspot on its 5th fret G string. My absolute favourite of the bunch here is the sunburst 68. Many thanks for making this video! Great song choice and playing too, btw! :)
Thank You. The strings were the same on all basses and I made a correct setup on all of them. However, I did not setup the pickup heights on them because they are not mine and I did not want to change it. :) Did not notice the dead spot on AVRI '62. Will check it :)
@@ObraBass yea, definitely doesn't have a dead spot!
All fender basses are dead around there. It's something to do with scale length and string interaction. Using an octave down pedal can highlight the issue
Nothing like 60's PBass Pickups,.....
##3, 4 and 5 sound identical.
Maruszczyk sounds like it has Aguilar pickup :)
Sunburst finish of #1 adds +20 to the sound 😁
I have to agree. They sound so similiar! I guess that proves the recipe.
American Reissue my first
2019 super nice
They all sounded pretty similar, apart from the Maruczyck, which was far more mid focussed.
The Aguilar sounds the best to my hears.
The 68 sounds best, then closely followed by the 2019.....
68 ❤
And the winner is... The numer 1!
And the winner is... Sunburst '68!
They all sounded like a P-bass, as they should. Picking out a "best" is similar to choosing a favoring flavor of vanilla.
1. 68'
2. Custom shop
3. Maruszczyk
4. '62 Reissue, 1993
5. '79
6. Nate Mendel
If that's Your quess to blind test, then Your score is 1 of 6. There is a video: P bass Shootout | Blind Test Reveal on my channel
I can tell ya which one I liked the LEAST --- (and I did a true 'blind' test).... Maruszczyk
Sunburst was best and frosted grey one second choice IMO
My top three are the 68, 1993 62’ reissue, and the 1979. I’m looking to add a PBass to my collection with about a $2k cap. Right now I’m thinking of ordering direct from fender to design my own. The configuration I’m considering is a lake placid blue, tortoise shell pick guard, rosewood fretboard, custom shop 62’ pickups- not sure about the neck yet. Friend of mine ordered a jazz and they built and shipped it with 2 weeks-he’s happy with it. Has anyone else done this?
It will be killer with tort on lake placid blue, I just don't see Fender can do that in two weeks? Where will you order it from?
@@ObraBassFor 2 grand, you could get an american performer pbass in lake placid blue, a tort pickguard and even new pickups and have money left over...that mod shop crap is a gimmick
In order: 62, 68, Custom Shop Postmodern
Thank you for doing a shootout with good, recognizable songs rather than just noodling around or hammering through some root notes.
My vote goes to the CS post modern with the Nate Mendel in a close second.
Thank you. You are of the rare ones that like CS the most. I have not declared myself so far, but when I consider all, the sound, adjustment and inspiration it gives, to me the CS is probably also the best of all from the test.
The first and last Fender were the best P basses.
Yes, but there are 5 Fender P basses and one Maruczyck
@@ObraBass Right, and the two that sound the best are the first Fender that he played and the last Fender that he played. The Maruczck sounded inferior to all of the Fenders.
Bass strings have different tones from when you start and after being played on for a while. They go from a stiffer condition to looser and livelier when played on . Especially if they've been on the bass for some time, This also could attribute to these P-Basses different tones your hearing.
I agree. For this test I especially used same new strings on all basses 🙂
All fender p has rosewood fretboard sound pretty similar,. Meanwhile the 70p sound a bit bright which has maple fretboard. The German P just sound thin and lacking the P vibe warmth.
Awesome comparison! Any chance we can know the pick thickness?
It was a Gibson H pick
@@ObraBass Thanks!
As much as I love one piece maple necks, I have to say the 68 sounds best to me.
The '68 is my choice.
Maruszczyk was not good. With 100% tone the Fenders sounded very similar apart from the 70's one which sounded thin on the G + D strings.
50% tone they all sounded more or less the same. The 68 and the Vintage reissue probably had the edge but it was a close run thing.
Fender P Bass shoot out
1. 1968 2. CAR Nate Mendel
Natural Corner de 1979 is win
68'
they all sound like p-basses
Yea, there's not a bad one here. Slight differences, also differences in appearance and feel that arnt conveyed here that cpuld make someone prefer one of the others. I have heard bad P's before, but all these are fine. His playing was great, too. I did prefer the 68, though.
2,5 💜
Hi - know this is an old video now, but any chance of sharing the pickup heights please? Looking at the basses it looks like some are quite low.
Thanks
Andy
I setup all the pickups at factory sugested highs. The difference in volume is all up to pickups output, my playing and mix.
@@ObraBass thanks mate - really good video and very interesting differences! Cheers
@@andrewdunn3987 You’re very welcome. I hope you'll like the other videos on my channel and consider subscribing (If you haven't already) 👍
The 68 sounds amazing. It’s what I expect and want a pbass to sound like. Does anyone know the best after market pickup that comes closest to this sound? I have Fender 62s and I’m not very happy with them; they lack beef/sound thin.
See this video, maybe You will like some of them. ua-cam.com/video/C2ddkuOp6HY/v-deo.html&ab_channel=%F0%9D%84%A2ObradLacarac
@@ObraBass Wow. Thanks! I'm guessing the SD SPB 2 would be the closest to the 68? It seems to have the extra beef and low end while retaining a bit of the classic vibe.
Number 4 for me please
"62"-"68"-"79"
Did every bass have the same string ?
Yes!
@@ObraBass great !
Jel prodaješ neki? :)
Od svih sa testa moja su samo dva i trenutno ih ne bih prodavao. Hvala 🙂
All these P’s sound great, except one for me: the last crême one with the Aguilar pickup. It does not sound like a good bass, let alone a good P.
The other P’s all have their very own character and sound. Love them all for exactly that.
Surprise for me (and I do own a 2010 exactly like it (I switched the pickups out)): our Mexican NM friend!!
🖖
Marusczyk is polish
Actually I think that the founder / owner is Polish guy from Germany. The company is in Germany where the basses are made, so who knows...
Maruszczyk sounds cheap.
#155_BestWithPick_NoAnnoyinFingerTap_VeryCool_Aug25_2024🇺🇸