P-Bass Tone Battle | Bass Tone Tuesday 

your Dingwall ... that sound is amazing ...

Lakland and the Dingwall were my favorite. T he Lakland had a grunt or burp that I really liked while the Dingwall sounded really warm and smooth.

Lakland wins out for me! The G&L’s most disappointing but the Dingwall was a big let down. The HB really did very well!

my preference was honestly the harley benton

awesome video Ivan !!!! Great Playing, I still haven't decided on my favorite just yet ....jehe

Sure that G&L and Lakland are "killers", but when we thinking about low cost, the Harley Benton with £200-300 of upgrades will be a killer too. I have a Harley Benton PJ5 with upgrades that working fine. I change bridge pu for a Seymour Duncan Basslines SMB-5A and neck i change to Brazilian PUs brand called Cabrera, with alnico 5 vintage mode. For the electronics a clone of Ken Smith BSR5 preamp, but the Delano Sonar 3MS or Darkglass Tonde Capsule are my dreams!

The Dingwall is the only one that I could tell a real difference. It had a warmer sound, I don't know why, if I had to guess it was the recording was better able to track it.

i'll go for the lakland though i will have to listen again with headphones

Seriously Ivan, you could play the bass equivalent of a Fender Strat-Pack, and it would still be stellar...

Really interesting that the tonal differences came out mostly on the finger style examples! The Lakland had a much more pronounced midrange (600-950Hz) than the others, where the Dingwall had the most relaxed mids. But as soon as you started using the pick, the differences disappeared! (although the Dingwall still exhibited less sizzle than the others). I've got three different P's, and they all have their strengths and suit different moods. I grab the Lakland Bob Glaub when I want to move fast, the Fender CS when I need classic thump and my Maghini Classic when I need that perfect blend of comfort, agility and raspy tone (think Duck Dunn style lines). That said, imo, the most important aspect of an instrument is how it informs your playing. What mood does it put you in?

Harley Benton does not sound any worse than the others, and for the price it is nice. I like the sunburst G and L and Lakland the most and they are the ones I would like to have one day

Interesting video Ivan, thanks. You mentioned the fact that these basses all differ in ways that can't be shown on video, such as how they sit in the mix etc. I was hoping you would tell us your opinions/findings after playing all these live and at home; could you perhaps do a follow up video with this information. Out of all the basses in the video, the Lakland stood out for me.

Interesting! I didn't like the Dingwall or the first G&L at all. The G&L Matador and Lakland sounded great across the board. And the Harley Benton had by far the best tone on 0 sound to me. Anyway, they all sounded like P basses which I guess speaks to the fundamental goodness of the design.

Save 100s and 100s with the HB and you’ll get a similar tone

very nice video, good comparison! well done thank you!

If I had to choose, I'd pick the G&L. But I'm really surprised because the HB did sound amazing. I think it may lack in the "feeling" when you play it (more like built construction and how the player feel it in his/her hands). But the sound...

Great video Ivan! And what a collection of P Basses… beautiful! The Lakland sounds so authentic and the Dingwall modern and tight. I was wondering if you would sacrifice a bit of the playability of a bass for its sound, or is confort top priority for you?

Harleys are amazing at the price My HB jazz 75 sounds amazing w Roswell pus ,ash body maple neck block inlays, Only neg is it's heavy

I like the tone of the Lakeland most because it seemed to have the classic p sound. Surprisingly, I wasn’t a fan of the Dingwal.

Why do i like the LB-100 so much? I closed my eyes to avoid bias assuming I would choose the Dingwall and it was 2nd best for me.

Proof of what I have been thinking about pickup swaps for years: a P is a P is P. If one of these didn’t sound like a Fender Precision, that would be the one I disliked! That said, I preferred the compressed, precise tone of the Dingwall best. But if I just wanted a P-bass as a utility instrument to have that tone available, the others were so close that I heard no reason to not “settle” for a Harley Benton. Ironically, in 2012 I started my search for my “forever bass” with a Super P5 in mind, but it didn’t speak to me at all. I ended up with another Dingwall instead- the ABZ-5. I’m with you about the roadworthiness and responsiveness of Sheldon’s basses, but I’m very glad I got in when the prices were roughly half as much.

I liked the LB-100 the most. Although not that much of a “P-Bass” fan, I found it nailed the “P-Bass” tone the best. Followed by the Dingwall then the G&L Matador. I was surprised at how well the Dingwall nails the “P-Bass” sound. 🎉

I did enjoy the slightly more compressed sound of the dingwall but honestly, I have never had the need to pay more than £500 bass in my 40 years playing, the instruments i have are solid and dependable. my current main bass is a sire P7 mostly played passive but the preamp is great for adjusting specifics for certain songs

So, could you rate the fun factor/playability for each bass from say, 1 to 5? Thanks

Diferença mínima.. numa Gig não se nota..

A long time ago, a friend brought his bass to my place and then left it here for a few days. I grabbed it and it was the best bass I've played. It had low tension (tuned to standard E) and very low action without fretting. It was a joy to play. Neither of us knew the model or brand because he bought it second hand and it was beaten up. I wanted him to sell me the the bass but he said "no way, I love it too." So ever since I've been looking for a bass with those characteristics (low tension, low action) but I haven't found it. In your experiencie do you know of a bass that fits what I'm looking for? What makes a bass have low tension and low action? Thanks.

I was surprised how dark and compact the Super-P sounds compared to all the other basses. I'm pretty sure that the all wenge neck makes a big difference here. Totally dry the Super-P sounds a little too dark for me, but in a mix with EQ and a little bit of drive, it really shines (as proven in your other vids). I'd really like to get my hands on a Super-P or Super-J one day, as I like the slightly shorter scale compared to the other Dingwall models. Tonally I'm a big fan of the Matador. As I have an LB-100 myself, I really know about the build quality and high end components of G&L basses. The Lakland obviously has more of that traditional Fender P-bass vibe, while G&L wanted to take that 'legacy' (that's what the "L" in LB stands for, by the way) onto a new level. The LB-100 and Matador are meant to be some kind of 'P-basses on steroids' and that's exactly what they deliver. What I like about the LB-100 is, that it works perfectly in a mix: just the right amount of low end thrust, lots of midrange growl and cutting through highs. What I like about the Matador is the very open sound and the sparkeling high end from the ash body maple neck combination. Very aggressive, but also with lots of warmth if you dial back the tone pot. Great comparison, Ivan! I really enjoyed it. Thanks for that!