Are there any "timeless" basses?

[M-Mittlesteadt]

But see, this is my second point. If the 1962 Precision was "timeless," why would it have needed a badass bridge, a Dimarzio pickup and a brass nut?

Who said it needed those things? Just because people did that, doesn't diminish it's a timeless musical instrument. If anything it only strengthens the argument that its timeless. Otherwise why buy one if you are going to mod it? Why not buy a different bass?

 

[mrjim123]

Really? If the Jazz and Precision basses aren't timeless then no such bass exists.

 

[darev]

You can prove or disprove ANYTHING if you control the definitions. If you don't, you always lose. If you havent defined "timeless", you can't answer the question of whether there is a timeless bass. Looks like your definition of timeless is something that most others dont buy.

And a bit of a moving target as well. Now mods to a Fender disprove it's timelessness. I could put a classic car analogy here but why bother? OP controls the means of debate here but it's devolved into "Must. Win. Internet".

Moving on.

Edit: typo

 

[Jeff Hughes]

What bass the records were made with is what matters. And probably those were a Jazz or Precision…Stingray too which is essentially a Fender.

 

[Swerve]

C'mon OP your username is "Just Wrong". Why not own up to that name, we'll still love you.

 

[BowserGriff]

All those other basses have dropped off after those periods. They go in and out of fashion. What doesn't get affected by these fads? Fender j and p basses.

 

[Just Wrong]

And a bit of a moving target as well. Now mods to a Fender disprove it's timelessness. I could put a classic car analogy here but why bother? OP controls the means of debate here. No debate. Moving on.

It was in in my original post...

Another factor is how much the Precision and Jazz have evolved over the years. Yes, the core designs remain similar, but countless changes have been made—pickups, neck profiles, fretboard radius, tuners, bridges, preamps and more. My friend noted that David Gilmour primarily played Strats throughout his career, but even he made significant modifications—like switching to EMG pickups in the '80s—which drastically changed the instrument's character. A heavily modified Strat is hardly the same as a '60s model with single-coil pickups.

Also, an argument is a two-way conversation. Don't I get to respond? I'm not in this to win lol.

 

[brianrost]

To me, "timeless" suggests consistent dominance, but while the Precision and Jazz have always been in use, they haven’t always been the go-to choices. In the '80s, bassists gravitated toward StingRays, Steinbergers and Spectors. The '90s saw Warwicks take centre stage. These shifts suggest that bass trends come and go.

Yes, trends come and go but Fender kept selling P and J basses all along (unlike Gibson and Guild). As far as StingRays, Steinbergers and Spector, all three brands were floundering by the late 80s. MusicMan and Spector both made a comeback by changing hands but Steinberger never did. I never saw as many Warwicks on stages as other brands like, um, Fender.

So, yes, the P and J are timeless.

t also has more names than almost any other instrument. Double Bass, Contra Bass, Standup Bass, Doghouse Bass, Bass Fiddle, Orchestral Bass…….
And sometimes just called bass.

Also known as the Ugly Girlfriend

 

[TheReceder]

I think this is the first thread where everyone agreed?

 

[devnulljp]

but by the '70s and '80s, it had largely faded

Appropriate username is appropriate

PBass and JBass were everywhere in the 70s. There were really very few pro alternatives in the 70s.
The small handful of people not using them were playing high-end boutiquish basses like Alembic -- JPJ, Stanley Clarke, John Entwhistle.
Even the punk boom, they were mostly playing PBasses (or cheap copies). A handful of Ricks (and copies). But mostly PBass.
Watching the Old Grey Whistle Test on British TV in the 70s, you saw a lot of Fenders and very few anything else. Later on, you started to see Japanese basses, like Aria and Ibanez (John Taylor, Sting, and all those guys, even Jack Bruce ws playing Aria in the early 80s). Watch Soul Train in the 70s, and it's all Jazz and PBass.

Still lots in the 80s too, although that's really where things started to branch out, and you started to see more Japanese basses, as well as al lthe headless wonders once Steinberger became a thing, More boutique basses too, like JayDee and Viger. But the P and J are still here.

I think I've maybe seen a Warwick on stage once, and on TV maybe a dozen times. And most of those were Jack Bruce.

 

[MrAB4003]

I've been debating with a friend about whether any basses can truly be considered "timeless." He argues that the Fender Precision and Jazz fit the bill, but I disagree for several reasons.

To me, "timeless" suggests consistent dominance, but while the Precision and Jazz have always been in use, they haven’t always been the go-to choices. In the '80s, bassists gravitated toward StingRays, Steinbergers and Spectors. The '90s saw Warwicks take centre stage. These shifts suggest that bass trends come and go. The Precision with flatwound strings defined the '60s, but by the '70s and '80s, it had largely faded. It has made a resurgence, but will it still be everywhere in 2035? I have my doubts.

Another factor is how much the Precision and Jazz have evolved over the years. Yes, the core designs remain similar, but countless changes have been made—pickups, neck profiles, fretboard radius, tuners, bridges, preamps and more. My friend noted that David Gilmour primarily played Strats throughout his career, but even he made significant modifications—like switching to EMG pickups in the '80s—which drastically changed the instrument's character. A heavily modified Strat is hardly the same as a '60s model with single-coil pickups.

In that sense, I struggle to call anything physical "timeless." Stories, art, and music? Maybe. But basses? I’m not so sure.

What do you think?

Let's take a step back here. What we should be considering is whether or not the electric bass itself is timeless.

The electric bass has been used in various types of music for about the last 75 years largely replacing the double bass (which itself is timeless due its centuries long dominance).

OK, I had to do it.
If any bass was truly timeless, it would be this.
View attachment 7150153
It recognized by the entire world, played in many genres and has been visually recognizable for an entire century.
It also has more names than almost any other instrument. Double Bass, Contra Bass, Standup Bass, Doghouse Bass, Bass Fiddle, Orchestral Bass…….
And sometimes just called bass.

That to me is consistent dominance. There are double basses, Chapman Sticks, several variants of pianos (synthesizers, keyboards, and bass pedals), tubas, bassoons, variants of bass saxophones, and more that we could use. But we don't hear them as often as the electric bass in most music for various reasons.

Will the electric bass be around in 2035? Absolutely! The evolution of our instrument is another factor in its continued dominance over other bass instruments. The Precision Bass (with flats) became the most recorded bass model in music history because of the technology that existed in the 1960s. That technology was light years ahead of what bassists had just 20 years before. Since then, more bass models, types of strings, amps, and the like have been made, remade, and evolved. OP highlighted the boutique bass boom of the 1980s-1990s as another example of that evolution. Today, we have fanned fret basses (e.g. Dingwalls and some Ibanezes) as our most contemporary bass designs. And the use of 5 string basses has become commonplace where it wasn't that way a few decades ago.

So in essence, the electric bass itself is timeless just like the double bass.

 

[Just Wrong]

Yes, trends come and go but Fender kept selling P and J basses all along (unlike Gibson and Guild). As far as StingRays, Steinbergers and Spector, all three brands were floundering by the late 80s. MusicMan and Spector both made a comeback by changing hands but Steinberger never did. I never saw as many Warwicks on stages as other brands like, um, Fender.

So, yes, the P and J are timeless.


Also known as the Ugly Girlfriend

But StringRays and Spector were still around in the 90s, 00s and 10s. Would you consider them timeless?

 

[brianrost]

But StringRays and Spector were still around in the 90s, 00s and 10s. Would you consider them timeless?

StingRays, maybe. Spector, no.

 

[Hasty]

OK, I had to do it.
If any bass was truly timeless, it would be this.
View attachment 7150153
It recognized by the entire world, played in many genres and has been visually recognizable for an entire century.
It also has more names than almost any other instrument. Double Bass, Contra Bass, Standup Bass, Doghouse Bass, Bass Fiddle, Orchestral Bass…….
And sometimes just called bass.

That's a fine looking cello...

 

[Swamp_Ronin]

All of this talk about this bass or that is ultimately a status game/group identity game. A bone flute or skin drum seems to be timeless, anything else is too soon to tell. Music seems to predate mankind, and will probably outlast us also. Gear is not music. Just play what you like.

 

[Just Wrong]

C'mon OP your username is "Just Wrong". Why not own up to that name, we'll still love you.

I'm the last person who would mind admitting I'm wrong. But I'm still not entirely convinced. Here's where I'm at:

• I was wrong about the prominence of Fenders in the 80s and 90s, it seems
• Apparently Warwicks weren't as big as I thought in the 90s/00s either
• I much prefer the words "iconic" and "classic" to "timeless"
• No one's really mentioned other "timeless" basses? People suggested Rics and StingRays, but there doesn't seem to be a consensus

But what no one's really touched on is the second part of my original post:

Another factor is how much the Precision and Jazz have evolved over the years. Yes, the core designs remain similar, but countless changes have been made—pickups, neck profiles, fretboard radius, tuners, bridges, preamps and more. My friend noted that David Gilmour primarily played Strats throughout his career, but even he made significant modifications—like switching to EMG pickups in the '80s—which drastically changed the instrument's character. A heavily modified Strat is hardly the same as a '60s model with single-coil pickups.

@M-Mittlesteadt quoted a definition of "timeless" from Google: "not affected by the passage of time or changes in fashion."

I should've started with the definition. And if we do start there, I can't agree that the Fender Precision and Jazz weren't "affected by the passage of time or changes in fashion": Preamps, slimmer necks, straighter fretboards, different neck sizes, the new heels, lighter tuners, higher output pickups, different pickup voicing, etc.

 

[jimmydean]

Leo Fender rules , three of his basses are at the top of the line and will always be . The P-Bass , Jazz Bass and Musicman Stingray define the term "classic" in the bass world . Sadowsky , Alembic , Warwick are the next tier IMHO .

 

[ProbablyTooLoud]

No one's really mentioned other "timeless" basses?

I'll say it again: in my opinion, the hollow Jack Casady and the Rick 4003 are both iconic/timelss basses.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

The earth is around 4.5 Billion years old. The P bass was introduced in 1951. I think maybe the Jury is out on which basses are "timeless". For all we know, Fenders are less than a blip on the 'timeless" radar. A little perspective goes a long way, don't you think?

 

[Ostie]

What are the most copied basses? Fender Ps and Js. Rickenbackers are classics. EBs are classic. Ps and Js are timeless.