What Makes a Good Bass?

IncX · #1 10-03-2010, 06:01 AM

*note* i summarized all my questions in the last part of this post

i was browsing the local GUITAR forums in my country, and of the most heated threads there involved the debate about "quality wood" ... which basically means that no guitars will ever sound the same because:

a.) all wood, even the same types will sound different from each other

b.) the luthier building it has to have these "sensitive" ears that he can envision the sound of the guitar before its even built ... and he does that because he has this controlled group of wood that he picks out from.

now, this usually lead to heated arguments because the guy claims that there's such thing as a select group of guitar that will "rule them all." and that usually means his select group of guitars along with some people he knows.

i am curious... does this theory also exist in bass?

i mean, i do believe that no 2 wood are the same and that you can try 5 different Fender Jazz basses made in the same year, and probably 2 or 3 would sound or play a little bit different (mostly because of action and set up - that's in my case ... since i am very easy to please tone wise).

so i am curious... how many of you believe in this? like, given the constants:

-alder body, and maple neck.

-PUPs have to only be J-J ...

-electronics and everything else are free for all

would there be a "small and select" group of luthiers that will stand out ... just because they can imagine the sound of the bass even before its made?

i am asking this... because to be honest, i dont have access to high end gear in my country and currently, i am choosing basses for their "build quality" and aesthetics, because i thought "hey, if its a bubinga body with a wenge neck and some aguilar preamp there ... im in warwick territory ... and i wont notice the minute sound differences of bubinga bass A and bubinga bass B."

what are your thoughts on this? ... is there a bench mark of what makes a 'good bass?'

or are basses just expensive because of "build quality" and the fact that you can get the same type of tone with a brand thats more accessible?

-*-

to summarize my questions:

1.) do you believe that there's a small select group of basses that will beat the "rest" (the rest, meaning, popular brands run by big corporations who always have their gear advertised and endorsed by artists)?

2.) are there luthiers out there who make expensive basses ($3K and above) because of tone and not because of the fancy top options, and name? this also includes the fact that he has "sensitive" ears... knowing what the bass will sound like even before its built.

3.) Does it matter if a bass is made from "select old growth alder/(insert name of wood)" compared to "good alder/(name of same wood)?" how so? included in this question is: give the same wood type with the same PUP and electronics but built by different luthiers ... would the bass sound different from each other?

4.) what's your bench mark for a bass to be called good? that includes factors like build quality, tone, playability, etc. (i hope you'd expound on the answer and not just stop with 'i love it, it sounds good to me, thats it')

5.) is a boutique bass from a select luthier really give you tone and playability present in him and only him that none of the other major brands can come close to?

that's it...

of course, all of the replies will be based on opinion... im just curious, that's all... i hope it won't degenerate, like what happened to the threads in my local forums.

jsingles · #2 10-03-2010, 06:18 AM

I believe that at a certain point, quality can only improve a very small amount.

When comparing one boutique instrument to another, it comes down to matters of varying preferences in tone/feel/weight/aesthetics/etc. What makes an instrument great I believe is completely relative to who is playing it.

I don't think it is hard at all to find amazing quality in an instrument these days. Most well known luthiers make wonderfullly crafted instruments.

What is difficult, is finding the one that will completely satisfy YOU.

I can imagine a 4000 dollar bass that I don't like because of some particular quality to it that I just don't prefer to have in my bass.

As a matter of fact.. I am selling my Fender right now, and I believe it is VERY high quality. The reason it has to go, is because while i am satisfied with it's quality, its just not for me because I have smaller hands that don't suit a 19mm string spacing.

elavate7 · #3 10-03-2010, 06:22 AM

what makes a good bass???? if its a bass that you are satisfied with!

yamark · #4 10-03-2010, 06:35 AM

I am only going to comment on question 4...

I good bass is a bass that feels good in the hands of the player. In my 2 year quest to find my bass, I played 100's of different basses from Fenders to high end Laklands. The bass that ended up making the cut was a G&L tribute sb-2. I liked it so much, I bought its USA big sister. The primary reason I bought the USA version was color choice. The nicer tuners were a bonus. Between the two, the only thing I can really tell is different is the tuners.

I am also a firm believer in any bass can sound good in the hands of a great player.

spade2you · #5 10-03-2010, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elavate7

what makes a good bass???? if its a bass that you are satisfied with!

Pretty much. Although you can't blame the instrument because you often find guitarists and bassists who are NEVER going to be happy with the tone they have.

AcidFripp · #6 10-03-2010, 07:41 AM

If it sounds well, plays well, and looks cool, it's a good bass.
Oh, and the price has to be, you know, logical.