Are there any "timeless" basses?

[gln1955]

 

[Hasty]

Did you recognize the style?

I recognized it as a bass guitar. Had you asked me two days ago what I thought the inspiration might be I would have said it's a Gibson ES335 styled bass.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

Fender p, fender jazz, musicman.

 

[TheArchitect]

I first saw a Fender bass in 1971, (it was Gorgeous) at stage band practice, for every other musical group before that for 6 years, all acoustic, there were no fender basses including the local civic symphony, church with full Baroque organ, concert hall. Without the fragile power grid that thing is firewood. There are few instruments as associated with a specific and very finite time than bass guitar...

Timelessness is such a squirrely* concept that arguing about it seems to be the most foolhardy enterprise possible. A timeless ridiculous argument.
* meaning, too subjective, a semantic exercise only, meaning whatever you want it to mean. I find it's used the most in advertising copy, a way to magically elevate the opinion of something, make exciting or noteworthy. So it's usually used for bull-ticki, and is a red flag.

If you had to go to an example of the standup bass, you are making my point. No one is talking about that here

 

[Gizmot]

Because they never made a real "icon" bass model, despite the excellent quality of most of their models (no question about this). Same of Ibanez, Yamaha, Ken Smith, Alembic or Sadowsky, just disregarding the price factor, My opinion...

The G&L L2000 and L2500 are excellent basses in large part due to their MFD pickups. They are more evolutionary than revolutionary - but you could say the same thing about many other basses / brands

 

[AK Bass Guy]

Could be worse, at least the discussion hasn’t turned into, “p bass better than jazz bass / jazz bass better than p bass”.

 

[FRoss6788]

Let me see if I understand your definition: for a bass to be "timeless" it would have to be the undisputed #1 across all genres since the inception of the bass? That's way too restrictive for anything to qualify.

P bass comes really close to that definition.

 

[DWBass]

whatevs, nobody ever has anything to say when I pull out a fender p

If I bring my Ibanzez 6-string fretless I start getting questions

True. Had a friend (R.I.P.) who played an 8 string Conklin with Black Power colors (Red, Black & Green). He caught flack at every turn!

 

[tvbop]

The 80's was a mix up. Synth, Rays, Ibbys. Everyone was looking for more snap, noise and something modern and the P bass and to a lesser extent the J bass died for a few years, but like an old friend they came back. So yes, timeless.

 

[sleddogn]

sooo, no mentions of P bass and J bass yet?... lol

 

[Heiwa]

and the P bass and to a lesser extent the J bass died for a few years

I remember next to the atari video game burial, there was a landfill full of P basses in New Mexico

 

[SuperTheBass]

Could be worse, at least the discussion hasn’t turned into, “p bass better than jazz bass / jazz bass better than p bass”.

Don't tempt us.

 

[ToddB1963]

I was in professional theater for 30 years. Every time I worked on the Scottish play, probably half a dozen productions, it was edited, changed, rearranged, cut, stuff added, etc. Still a timeless show.

You can mod a timeless iconic classic and it will still be timeless, iconic, and classic.

By the Scottish play, I assume you mean.... Macbeth?

 

[Pings Bass]

True. Had a friend (R.I.P.) who played an 8 string Conklin with Black Power colors (Red, Black & Green). He caught flack at every turn!

Here for the color scheme, but can't take an 8-string seriously

 

[ProbablyTooLoud]

By the Scottish play, I assume you mean.... Macbeth?

*nanananananananannananotlisteningnanananana*

 

[DWBass]

Here for the color scheme, but can't take an 8-string seriously

Yeah well, he countered by using some sort of mini jazz bass thingy. If you search YouTube for Unlimited Touch live, you'll see him playing it. Talk about a total contrast!

 

[J Wilson]

No.

 

[Manticore]

I've owned my 4001 for 51 years. Obviously, 51 years is not "timeless." But? I have owned nothing else as long as that bass, and there is definitely a reason for that little factoid.

 

[GodPlayedBass]

The Fender P bass has been used on more records than any bass so I'd say that one.

 

[RandomKaren]

I've owned my 4001 for 51 years. Obviously, 51 years is not "timeless." But? I have owned nothing else as long as that bass, and there is definitely a reason for that little factoid.

Rics have been a constant since the 50s, even if they don't have the market share of a P or a J.