What is the most versatile bass under $1000?

[SpitfireCWII]

Hey, I play a wide variety of music genres, anything from blues to heavy metal, and I was just wondering what would be the most versatile bass for anything and everything in between blues and metal ? I was thinking maybe a G&L 2000, or an Ibanez, but im not too fond of Ibanez. What are some basses that are really versatile?

[Muckaluck]

I would have said the L2500. You might want to consider the Godin Shifter as well.

[JGBass06]

I would go with a Fender Deluxe J bass MIM or MIA, Fenders are the most versatile basses in my book!!!

[SpitfireCWII]

My Fender needs are covered Im just looking for "that" certain feel :P

[cableguy]

Originally Posted by Muckaluck

I would have said the L2500. You might want to consider the Godin Shifter as well.

+1

What I was going to say. You can find a used USA model under a grand. A new tribute for around $6-650.

[Pilgrim]

The question was "most versatile", not "most versatile other than Fender"... so I'll be a pain and second the vote for a Fender J.

Other than that, I'd say pick your favorite two-pickup, 34" passive bass and go for it.

My second vote would have been the classic Fender P. It has played more different types of music than any other bass ever made.

[type C basses]

Lakland Skyline for blues and metal. Not so much for the in between.
EDIT: I picked up a Modulus Quantum for $1000 once, so I guess that would be the most versatile bass I've ever owned for $1000 or less.

[zachoff]

I love my L-2000 so much I bought another one for another tuning. They're awesome.

[Munjibunga]

A Fender Jazz Bass of one type or another.

[TheCush]

+1 on the L-2000 - amazing range of tones from that bass.

[jgroh]

Originally Posted by TheCush

+1 on the L-2000 - amazing range of tones from that bass.

+2

[cassius987]

Please, the cliche no-single-answer TB threads have to stop...

[johndough247]

Fender P, Fender J or Yamaha BB1600 (or similar models)

[johndough247]

Originally Posted by cassius987

Please, the cliche no-single-answer TB threads have to stop...

Why? We all have the right to ignore them you know...

Besides if someone asked this question 2, 5 or 10 years ago, are those answers always relevant today? Should the next 15 year old kid who joins TB be chastised for not following those older threads every single time?

[Pilgrim]

2, 10 or 15 years ago the J would most likely also have been the first bass mentioned.

[cassius987]

Originally Posted by johndough247

Why? We all have the right to ignore them you know...

Besides if someone asked this question 2, 5 or 10 years ago, are those answers always relevant today? Should the next 15 year old kid who joins TB be chastised for not following those older threads every single time?

As you have probably read here many times, Leo Fender perfected the bass guitar in the 1950s. So yes, decades-old answers to this question will always be relevant. Even factoring for inflation.

/sarcasm

Look, I just see this stuff when I log on, click it, and go "Ow." It's like poking a sore tooth I guess. My biggest complaint with these threads is not really that someone seeks knowledge (that's great), it's that they (naively, not knowingly) set up a divisive situation by asking stuff like, "What's the BEST thing?" (there's no best) or "Do X basses totally rock/totally suck?" (depends on who you are). In this case, "most versatile" is, I'm sorry, a false notion. There is no "most versatile" bass in any category I'm aware of. It's all a spectrum of tradeoffs, the basses that market themselves as extraordinarily versatile seem to have less and less character in my experience, and on the other hand a Precision Bass could be called versatile because it has a very useable tone.

Here's one answer that never loses relevance: "Try before you buy, and try lots." There's really nothing more helpful any of us can say, in my opinion.

[nocontrols]

Originally Posted by TheCush

+1 on the L-2000 - amazing range of tones from that bass.

For versatility, I have to agree. The Fender J is the most versatile bass until you want active tone. You can install an active EQ but, straight out of the box, I would have to say the L-2000 still has a bigger range.

For me, I don't see versatility as a virtue, necessarily, because I only want one tone, which is MY tone, and I get it from a fat, warm split-coil P pickup every time. For my purposes, two knobs is plenty... more than that is overkill.

[nocontrols]

Although... something occurred to me...

Do you define "versatile" to mean it can produce the widest variety of tone OR something that can produce the ONE tone most suitable to a wide variety of applications? If you mean the former, I stand by the G&L but if you mean the latter, probably any standard P.

[carlthegroover]

I second the Jazz Bass. I'm not very experienced either, but so far I like how my Jazz Bass sounds with different types of songs, and I play blues, jazz and rock licks. It sounds good with all of them.

As for the number of knobs thing, I disagree more than two are overkill. The J bass itself has three (OK, two for volume, one for tone; but moving those three gives a lot of good tones). I have a Yamaha that has four (well, three, considering one is the sole volume knob for both pickusp), and it gives a very wide range of sounds, most of which sound pretty good.

I'm not saying, go for a bass with more knobs. But having a decent amount of knobs can give you a lot to have fun with the tone. Maybe 5 or more knobs for just tone would be an overkill, though.

[Tommygunn]

pbass