"I have a new level of respect for Rickenbacker"

[edski]

Hey, I love Ricks too! Just that I don't think there's anything wrong with a good Fender.

Not some Squire BS, a real Fender. My MIJ J is just barely a real Fender. But it's a good bass, especially for the $350 I paid for it so long ago.

But it doesn't touch either of my Ricks. Correct about the "clank and thump"...

[clankchris]

Whew! Thought I was about to get thrown overboard.
Thanks Ed!

[highway_star]

Fender makes some nice basses and I own three of them ('75 AV J-Bass, Fullerton-ers '62 AV J-Bass and a 50th Anniversary P-Bass), but my Rickenbackers get 90% of my playing time. They just feel better in my hands.

[teeder]

I love both Ricks and Fenders. My major influences are McCartney and J.P. Jones. So I had to have at least one of each!
I've had a couple Ricks through the years, including a 76 4001 and a 86 4003S. They played great, but I couldn't get the sound I was after. Didn't know about the capacitor in the 76!
I bought the '65 Jazz off my brother in about '89 and played that exclusively until I picked up my V63 last year. It's my main axe now! It has everything!

"In defense of my Fender-Bashing, I love Adam Clayton's stuff, esp. their older material."

I like their early stuff too. They were just coming out when I was in school.
One of the earliest pictures I've seen of U2 has Clayton playing a Fireglo Rick!
That was years ago, and I haven't seen it since.
I think he played a Jazz too.
Now days I can't get past God, I mean Bono!
That guy bugs me!

[rictified]

Yeah Clayton didn't play Fenders in his early days, he played some wierd bass, I forgot the brand.

I think the pickups have more to do with an electric basses' sound than anything else.

[bigbajo60]

IIRC, Adam Clayton used an Ibanez MC924 Musician for a long while at the beginning of their run. I remember GAS'ing for one after I saw their "Gloria" video all those EONS ago!

[jwr2]

I have a 5 string p-bass with a maple body and an oil finished rosewood fretboard and 1/4 pound seymour duncan pj pickups on it ... it is pretty and sounds wonderful ... it has a kind of ric like growl to it ...

[jwr2]

here's some info from the Warmoth web site on body woods ...

http://www.warmoth.com/bass/options/options_bodywoods.cfm

[rictified]

Ibanez, I knew it was some kind of wierd bass, haha!

[clankchris]

I always thought songs like "Where the Streets Have No Name","In the Name of Love", and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" sounded very p bass-like. He even said in an interview that even his Aurswerld "banana bass" had a tone that supports his old p bass' tone.

[clankchris]

As for pickups defining tone, IMO I agree it is a vital part of the formula, but I truly believe it all starts from the wood.
Sure, you can change pickups, but it might be a band aid fix to a bass' acoustic tone that you don't like,(I've been there) which is where the original tone comes from.

[edski]

Lots of things affect tone...wood, PU placement and the actual PU(s) themselves. IMO that's the order of their importance, but I'm sure opinions vary.

[dave4004]

Whew! Thought I was about to get thrown overboard.

Nah! Disagreements on internet forums should never be taken too seriously.

In most cases, I think pickups affect the tone more than anything else. But there are all kinds of factors, including how distictively different the pickup sounds.

[nattiep]

"here's some info from the Warmoth web site on body woods ..."

Wow, that wenge body looks great. I'm glad I chose that kind of wood for my custom.

[jwr2]

there is a lot that goes into bass tone ... pickups, setup, finish, wiring, wood, bridge, nut, frets, body mass, strings, ... and of course amplification and effects and playing style ...