dodgy sounding bass

[Salabim]

ok, 2 of my friends recently bought a bass each...

one bought a cheapy $300 bass that he could basically hack...

and the other bought himself a SG for about $1100...

they both know about basses and keep them going properly and all, but what i cant figure out, is why the cheap bass sounds 100 times bestter that the Gibson SG!!?!

can some one elaborate, or are my ears just screwed??

 

[montage]

These are questions/factors that come to mind which may explain the difference.
1.Are the basses of similar construction?
2.Do they both have the same brand/guage strings?
3.Have you done a A/B comparison into the same recorder/mixer/amplifier?
4.Did the same person play both in an A/B comparison?
5.Are both active/passive pickups?

After this past week, I played a friend's homemade bass (P-style) through my rig (with very little tweaking) compared to my semi-hollow Epiphone (2 humbuckers). Although his bass had much newer strings and was brighter/punchier, it just didn't sound like me. So I think my final thought is it may be a matter of taste.

I hope I helped....

 

[virtual.ray]

The Gibson bass has a shorter scale.The longer scale of Fender style basses gives the strings a more lively sound and aids sustain.Also,the huge pickup in the Gibson will not go into the Great Pickups of the 20th Century Hall of Fame IMO.Cheers!