The Ken Smith has just about the perfect "modern" tone - consistent, articulate, every note clear and distinct, but it also has just enough earthiness and roundness to create a horn-like quality. The Fenders sound the most organic - personally I've always preferred the "variability" of passive guitars as they seem to allow for the most expression through playing style. Foderas are gorgeous but sound nondescript here. I thought the fretless one sounded great, but the Jazz that followed it sounded better to my ear.
All the basses sounded good but that Ken Smith, though 🤘 Great demo, great playing, thanks ... aand I do love my Spector Euro lx5 with Emgs and Tone pump
I think I like the Smith sound best but the Jazz is right up with it and a few thousand dollars less. I also have to admit that I'm not too crazy about the Precision. I'd like to see a Pedulla or Alembic added to the mix. Of course, your playing makes them all sound pretty good!
The tone, and power w/ balance of the Ken smith is unmistakeable. My preferences are: 1) KS; 2) Fender Jazz; (I kept trying to hear just a little more bottom on the Jazz); 3) Fodera (fretted). IMHO, the P-Bass didn't have a chance for this kind of music. Also, I was wondering if the "P" had flats on it. But, the real winner is your articulation. Peace.
Imo, Ken Smith basses provide the best, convincing, modern/"Improved" take on Jaco's original, burpy yet buttery, bridge pickup, Jazz Bass sound. I used to sell high end basses including KS basses back in the 90's and played many of them as a result. We used to commonly have 6 to 8 of his USA made basses in stock at all time, most of them 5 string of course. The fact that KS basses can produce one of Jaco's most iconic sound while also able to produce a very distinct sound of their own on demand, the Ken Smith sound, is indeed an enormous achievement. Ken Smith basses do not all sound the same though. Obviously, the tone wood selection for each instrument favors certain overtones, colors and dynamics. That being said, they all somehow consistently present variations on the now very unique and sought after Ken Smith sound. This is largely due to the fact that contrarily to most custom bass manufacturers, KS did not use off-the-shelf pickups that could be found on basses from other makers. KS pickups we developed for KS basses and are found only on KS basses. I can tell a bas player is playing a KS bass with my eyes closed the second they start slapping. Indeed, this is when the Ken Smith sound is most obvious in my opinion. I used to own one and sold it years ago. I have no regrets. They are extraordinary instruments. They are gorgeous, and extremely refined to the smallest detail and supremely easy to play, but the fact that they have a sound of their own, a signature sound, is a double edge sword. A KS does not 100% reproduce the sound of a P bass or some of the other iconic sounds J basses are known for. I play a lot of old school styles such as Motown, Reggae, Rock and Americana music. One can do it on a KS bass for sure. You will be in the ball park but if producing a bass sound that will be perceived as truely authentic is desired, a good P bass or J bass cannot be outdone. They ARE the original sound. The same goes for the sound of a Telecaster, Strat or Les Paul. On the other hand, if playing 90's Gospel or Fusion Jazz or other "experimental" styles is your thing, a KS might exactly be what the doctor ordered. Just don't mistakenly fall into the belief that a good J or P bass would prevent you from developing a sound of your own. They did not prevent Marcus miller, Jaco, James Jameson or Aston Barrett from doing so. They will not stop you either.
No question Foderas are outstanding instruments. I've never owned one, for the record. But I do own KS, Xotics, Sadowsky and some others. To me I was able to get close to Fodera tone with other bases. But I was never able to mimic the KS with anything other than KS. That said Smith is not for everything and these days I use Xotic PB/JB the most, sometimes Vlcek for heavy stuff. In your video I prefer KS for the specific tune.
Ken Smith, Fender Jazz. As I prefer a four string bass and could never afford a Ken Smith, the Fender Jazz would be my choice: Leo just got it right. The Fender Precision is a great bass in its own right, but doesn't really show its best with this material. The Foderas made little impression on me, which I didn't expect. These head-to-head comparisons are genuinely useful.
As strung and dialed in this comparison I thought the Smith had the strongest and most compelling voice and the P had the most personality. The Jaco j was especially tight and strong on the lowest fretted notes which is not always a given with Fender recipe. The fretless Fodera was sweet and is probably lovely on a ballad. Others were more generic to my ears here. I am sure all wonderful in person and could be "made to work". Lol. Thanks for the fun listen
For this track and the style of playing I’d go with the Fender P. But in terms of the tone and flexibility across genres of music I’d go with the Ken Smith.
For this particular groove, the KS and Fodera fretless sound best to me, though the Fender JBs are not too far away. While P-bass is the Mother of all, of course)
It’s the Precision for me. I’m not a fan of the nasal midrange in the high end soapbar pickup basses, they’re taking the J-bass sound to an extreme and it doesn’t fit the kind of music I like.
