Audio challenge: which is rosewood, which is maple

[Kristopher]

Here are two recordings of my Sterling HS: one with the maple neck it came with, one with the rosewood neck of my '99 Sterling. Pay no mind to the order of the clips, I may have mixed them up (or maybe I didn't). Tell me which is which:

http://members.cox.net/khanson16/Bass/Clip1BrHum.WAV

http://members.cox.net/khanson16/Bass/Clip2BrHum.WAV

Signal chain: Sterling HS bass (bridge humbucker) -> Whirlwind IMP2 direct box -> Korg D3200 digital workstation -> exported wav file to PC -> edited for length and volume. New Super Slinky strings were used.

EDIT:

Here's the exact same thing, only with the neck single coil pickup selected:

http://members.cox.net/khanson16/Bass/Clip1NS.wav

http://members.cox.net/khanson16/Bass/Clip2NS.wav

 

[Sterling_Bass]

This is a great thread. I'm having an awfully hard time distinguishing the two. I doubt in a band setting the difference would be noticed at all. My guess would be number 2 for maple.

 

[baske]

1=maple
2=rosewood

 

[mathewsanchez]

I'll go for number 1 as maple and 2 as rosewood, because number 1 reminds me more of my maple board ray.

I hope this doesn't turn out they're both the same

 

[Kristopher]

1=maple
2=rosewood

Are you just guessing or do you actually hear a difference?

 

[Psycho Ward]

I say #1 is maple.










(...and I didn't even listen. )

 

[douglasspears]

#1 seemed a liiiiiiiiitle bit more alive and bright.

#1 - maple
#2 - rosewood

?

 

[Oldtoe]

#1 is maple, #2 is rosewood. Highs are a little crisper and more compressed on #2.

 

[the unrepentant]

1=maple
2=rosewood

That's what i would have said... i think i can hear a slight difference.

I'll be willing to bet money he didn't change the neck though just to catch us all out

 

[Kristopher]

Added links to original post for the single coil pickup.

 

[Kristopher]

I'll be willing to bet money he didn't change the neck though just to catch us all out

PROOF:

Before

After

I'll be sending you my paypal address in a minute for that money you just lost.

 

[the unrepentant]

Haha, alright then, i just want to know whether we were right or not!

Lovely sterling by the way, looks really nice with that maple board.

 

[baske]

Are you just guessing or do you actually hear a difference?

not much difference, but in my ears sounds the second a little warmer

 

[Aussie Mark]

The maple has more attackiness.

 

[phatduckk]

my guess is

1) maple
2) rw

but the difference isn't huge IMO

 

[jaylegroove]

Like many others, my guess is (1) maple and (2) rosewood, but I'm pretty sure there's a surprise...

 

[Russel]

I'm fairly sure that 1 is maple and 2 is rosewood, but of course, then again I don't care that much. They sound very much the same to me.

The difference is in how it feels.

 

[oli@bass]

My guess as well:
1.) maple
2.) rosewood

To my ears the second one is "growlier".

 

[Kristopher]

The majority of you are right, #1 is maple and #2 rosewood. When I was A/B'ing them last night after I made the recordings and I honestly couldn't tell the difference. Neither could my girlfriend. Today, though, I played the HS with the rosewood through my GK amp and cab and I thought I heard a difference.

Maybe it's psychological, but I love the combination of the rosewood neck and the single coil neck pickup on this bass. I think the bass itself is normally bright and the rosewood neck warms it up a tiny bit. Plus, with my '99 Honeyburst Sterling, I felt the maple neck brightened up the normally dark tone a tiny bit. So I think I'm keeping the necks switched for awhile because they seem to compliment the basses well. But then again it could all be in my head. I think the Honeyburst looks way better with the maple anyway.

I have to say, though, that changing the type or even brand of strings has way more effect to my ears than what wood the fretboard is. I also think the body wood and weight have a large effect on the sound. All in all, I've learned that it's not what the fretboard is made out of, it's what the entire bass sounds like with all the parts together. One part compliments all the others, making every bass a unique instrument with a unique voice. But I'm sure a lot of you already know that.

By the way, props to EB for making instruments so consistant that I can take a nine year old neck and put it on a one year old bass with only a tiny bit of adjustment needed.

 

[MrMusashi]

aight.. clip number 1 on the single coil is brighter, not as throaty.. id guess maple on that one

clip number 2 on the bucker sounds more open.. id guess maple on that one

heh.. exciting to see the results.. i posted this without peeking, just scrolled straight down to quick reply without reading up

MrM


edit:
im a halfling... heheh. 50% correct, or 50% wrong if youre the glass is halfempty kind of type

use headphones to tell the difference.. there is a difference, but who can tell which is supposed to be which.. thats the real challenge here