Basses that grow on you...

[tb-player]

Ever have a bass that took you a while to connect with?

This is my Bluesman Vintage 2T5. I custom ordered it back in March, 2024. It was ready in October. By the time I received it, I wasn't gigging very much and immediately decided to sell it. Sure, it was a nice, handmade bass. But I didn't think I needed it. So I didn’t really give it a chance and decided to let it go.


A little context, I love a jazz bass tone. That's my wheelhouse. This one is in the vicinity of jazz bass, but thicker with a bit more low mid. I have a couple of jazz basses that I enjoy, so no need for this bass, right?

Fast forward a couple of months and I have begun playing with a friend of mine at a local church... think big production, ‘lights, camera, action’ type venue with massive sound system, IEMs...etc. The last few times I've sat in there, I have taken this Bluesman Vintage. It sounds shockingly good in that environment and sits in the mix nicely. I’ve received multiple compliments about the tone and the look. Just this morning, I played and included my Sadowsky preamp on my pedalboard. WOW! I thought this bass had b@lls before? With the Sadowsky pre, it is otherworldly!

I've found the tone I like and I have it setup perfectly. It's my favorite color and pretty much one-of-a-kind. John from Bluesman Vintage and I had fun putting together the color scheme. And while the build took considerably longer than was initially promised, the finished product is pretty dang sweet.

And just like that, this bass went from 'For Sale' to the one I grab first.

Anyone else ever have that happen?

 

[Killing Floor]

I sometimes think this one grows a couple inches wider every year

 

[Wasnex]

Yamaha TRB6P has been my #1 since about 95. The reason I played it? I wanted to play 6-string and it was the only option my military band had. The TRB6P was not really my sound at the time and I felt like I had to put a lot of energy into. However, it seemed like I received a lot of compliments with this bass, so apparently audiences think it sounds great.

Within a year I bought my own TRB6P so I would have a consistent bass for home practice and civilian gigs.

Now? The TRB6P pretty much feels like home, both in my hands and in my ears.

I turned the military bass in when I retired. My bass has a cracked fretboard, so I keep my eye out for a good deal. The intent is for my wounded bass to become the backup.

 

[Spidey2112]

This grew on Dan Hartman to the point he designed his own clothesline... he had to hang them, somewhere.

 

[BGroovy]

Stingrays are kind of like this for me. I haven’t owned one in 5ish years but recently picked up a Special and am currently in love.

 

[tb-player]

Stingrays are kind of like this for me. I haven’t owned one in 5ish years but recently picked up a Special and am currently in love.

Yeah, Stingray tone is an acquired taste. Of course, you have a lot of options with that eq setup. I've always found that Stingrays sound a little harsh when played alone at home. But in a mix, they cut like a knife.

 

[nixdad]

I sometimes think this one grows a couple inches wider every year
View attachment 7117177

I kid you not, one of the best sounding basses I've heard was a Kramer Ferrington bass that had been modified. It had an EMG Strat pickup installed in the soundhole, and an upgraded piezo in the bridge - oh yeah, it was covered with Holstein cowhide as well. It sounded like a bass and a piano being played at the same time.

 

[HelpImaRock]

Like a fungus? They have ointments for that kinda thing, you know...

 

[dabbler]

OK, don't shoot me, but it took me a while to even TRY a G&L L series bass (I now have Tribute 4 and 5 string Ls). All of the raves seemed to come from rockers who loved the POWER... I'm not a rocker. But the series/parallel and passive bass and treble controls really allow you to do a LOT of other stuff (including my kind of stuff) with these basses. I still wish I had the single coil mod, but I don't really need it.

 

[retslock]

View attachment 7117160
This one is in the vicinity of jazz bass, but thicker with a bit more low mid. I have a couple of jazz basses that I enjoy, so no need for this bass, right?

No need for thicker with a bit more low mid than what you have? That right there is why I'd be keeping it from the start. That's only one reason though. It also looks great and if it plays well it's a no brainer.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

It took a while for me to really appreciate what this bass brought to the table. Once I got over the fact that it didn’t sound, feel , or play exacty like a Fender or EBMM, it was game on. I almost sold this one a several occasions . Glad I came to my senses.

I really like the modern tones and passive / active options. Finding the right strings was also key.

It will never be my number one, but the versatility makes it the one I grab when I don’t want to take out my basses that are more “ Special” to me!!

 

[dabbler]

It took a while for me to really appreciate what this bass brought to the table. Once I got over the fact that it didn’t sound, feel , or play exacty like a Fender or EBMM, it was game on. I almost sold this one a several occasions . Glad I came to my senses.

I really like the modern tones and passive / active options. Finding the right strings was also key.

It will never be my number one, but the versatility makes it the one I grab when I don’t want to take out my basses that are more “ Special” to me!!

View attachment 7117317

Congrats! I don't have your budget, but I think Harley Benton has kinda helped me know what you mean:

 

[J Wilson]

They don't grow on me. I don't buy 'what if' or 'maybe' basses.

I've had several that grew away from me.

 

[Mustang Surly]

This one (Reverend Dub King):



Have always liked the sound. Build craftsmanship is excellent. My problem with it is ergonomic: the neck just doesn't feel as comfortable as the ones on my other basses. To be fair: my hands are old and arthritic, so I'm pretty finicky about nut width, neck profile, fretboard radius. string spacing and so on. So my relationship with this bass comes and goes.

I don't fault the instrument: it's my aging hands that are the problem. I continue to hold onto it after several years, so that must mean that "the good outweighs the bad".

 

[jholling]

My main player for 15+ years was my Ibanez sr695. It’s neck through with a full nitro neck back and I loved it. Everyone else who plays it hates it, but it jives with me. I started having arthritis problems in the last couple of years and started looking for short scale options for the lighter string tension. Bought a short scale and put low tension flats on the new one. Problem solved. Significantly less finger/hand pain.

So what do I do with the sr695? It sat, unplayed for 6 months. I have never played with tapes, so I thought, “Why not?” I put labella tapes on it and it’s amazing. The tension is light enough that I get very little pain. Plus, the tapes with the active preamp gives me a whole new sound that I didn’t know I needed.

Now I’m that guy that switches basses at gigs just because I like both and like the different sound characteristics of each one. My keys player just rolls her eyes at me when I switch (she’s my daughter, so I’m used to it.)

So my favorite bass became a wall hanger, then back into rotation.

 

[tb-player]

I've had several that grew away from me.

Yeah, that's a thing too. I've had that happen more than once.

 

[roccobass]

My current favorite. I bought originally as a ‘93 MIJ Fender Jazz about 18 months ago, then I started modifying because of neck issues. From then on, I continued. New neck, pickups and bridge. Wasn’t sure if it would work out. After 10 months of ups and downs, it finally settled down as the fretless I love in the last 7 months. It superseded the one I already had for 12 years. Now I think I might modify THAT one the same my current.

 

[Nuage420]

I listed this for sale a little over a year ago now. The listing is still up but for the last year it's been my go-to bass to the point that it may end up being my only bass soon. I actually didn't like the preamp frequencies at first but over time dialed in my rig around this bass and now I know how to properly manipulate the eq of the bass to find damn near any tone I want. At the moment the only thing I wish it had but I can live without is the passive tone control. It has grown to feel like MY BASS that I can do anything on.

 

[Nuage420]

It took a while for me to really appreciate what this bass brought to the table. Once I got over the fact that it didn’t sound, feel , or play exacty like a Fender or EBMM, it was game on. I almost sold this one a several occasions . Glad I came to my senses.

I really like the modern tones and passive / active options. Finding the right strings was also key.

It will never be my number one, but the versatility makes it the one I grab when I don’t want to take out my basses that are more “ Special” to me!!

View attachment 7117317

Every time you listed that in my head I was like "NOOOOOO!!!!! DON'T DO IT!!!!!!" It's such a sick bass!

 

[Symphony2040]

This bass actually took me a long time to get accustomed to. When I first got it, it was incredibly difficult to get the tones that I wanted out of it and it just didn’t speak to me somehow. It ended up staying in the case for a few weeks when I first got it.

One or two months later, it began to really grow on me and to this day had the most unique voice of any bass that I’ve owned. Ultimately, I ended up selling it for the same reasons that I initially left it in the case lol (as well as the scale length), but it was still the most fascinating and expressive instrument that I’ve had the chance to play.