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Basses that grow on you...

#21
For me this would be my Skjold Slayer

I ended up 2023 successfully acquiring my dream gear with a couple of pristine ZON Sonus and really had no lust for anything.

As my ZON were active instruments I was just thinking of getting something easier to play (33 inch scale) and with passive option....that Skjold was sitting in the classified, I had a bit of cash and the seller gave me a great deal...

Brought it to rehearsal...damn that thing was easy to play (shorter scale, perfect 18mm string spacing, lovely neck shape)...and then it was lacking NOTHING in tone, that B would put to shame longer scale instrument, no weird buzz, lack of authority or less confortable playability (usually shorter scale would call for higher action)...and then it passed the live test brillantly. Did I say it's also comfy at less than 9lbs....

And the look really grew on me, love the headstock shape, the color, the shape, perfect rock machine!


IMG_3505.jpg


One of the only big GAS remaining was for a cool MTD, I had the chance to exchange with nice TBer and feedback were that I would not get necessarly something better than the Skjold...got an incredible MTD a few month ago and indeed...I think I'd split with the MTD before the Skjold goes away

I'm so happy that I made that move (good cause they are pretty unaffordable otherwise :))

With one of my 2 ZON :

IMG_3509.jpg


And in action but partially hidden :


447292581_10231992308531322_8671162188437256405_n.jpg
 
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#25
tb-player said:
Ever have a bass that took you a while to connect with?
Click to expand...
Yes! For me, it's my 2022 Ric 4003.

I traded a vintage Jazz Bass for my 4003 in late 2022. It has 2 custom Nordstrand Nordenbocker pickups that were put in by the previous owner (who happened to be friends with Carey Nordstrand himself). The Nordstrand pickups are really hot and I didn't like the combination of those pickups with the stock roundwounds that were on the bass. I realized that I needed to find the right strings to pair with these pickups.

2023 was a year of experimentation for me with strings and tuning. I tried La Bella Gold White Tapes on this bass, which sounded nice. But a few months later. I decided to tune my 4003 down to D Standard (the first of my basses to downtune). I needed strings with higher tension because the tapes were going out of tune when I was recording a song. Finding the right strings was frustrating at times and there was even a point that this bass was for sale on TB.

I got a setup on this bass this time last year. My tech put a set of D'Addario XL nickels on my bass because they were the heaviest strings they had. But I knew that they didn't work with the pickups. So I replaced them with D'Addario Chromes (and put the XLs on my other 4003). The Chromes were a perfect match! :D

My 2022 Ric 4003 is now my main bass with flats and I'm so grateful to have it in my musical life! I got to bond with it through changing strings and finding out what works best with its pickups. That was a really cool experience!
 
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#26
It has happened a lot to me and has shown me that a bass tends to "get better" the more you play it (you become more acquainted with it). In the days of reverb and online forums the impulse to sell a bass quickly and get another one is always there. But I think its well worth it to give a bass a chance, spend some time with it and get used to the feel and sound. Sometimes you need to find the right set of strings or have the frets dressed a little etc. When you have played a passive P-Bass for 10 years and then get a Fodera 6 string it will feel very unfamiliar. So in a way its natural that there will be a transitional period until the new bass feels more like home. Now I have a variety of different basses at home that I all really like and conncect with. The difficulty is which one to sell to make some room..:laugh:
 
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#28
Strangely, my P bass.
I was always someone who gravitated to basses with active pickups, so this was already a big step purchasing a passive bass.
I also found it strange to have no flexibility with EQ or balance.
Now, I love the simplicity and raw sound of it. It's super light, comfortable and I'm surprised how I can utilise the tone knob for different styles I play.
20230903_102033.jpg
 
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#29
I have had the opposite where I would get a bass, have a honeymoon period and then sell it again, when the butterflies in the stomach settled, there was not enough left to hold on to it. It happened with a Musicman Bongo and a Dingwall.

My current bass did grow on me, but in an entirely different way.
The seller sent me a pic after I posted an ad that I'm looking for something special in a local forum. It was too expensive by far, but there were two problems:
1. I actually had the money and
2. That bass looked a lot like my bass.
I haggled the price down a bit, then met with the seller. I put it on my lap, where it rested perfectly, put my hand to the neck and played one note. This was the best bass I ever played, probably the best bass in the world.
I played a line that I use to train stamina and speed in my fretting hand - some octaves mixed with hammer ons and pull offs that quickly drain the juice. When people say something plays like butter, they actually mean how this bass played. I was able to play with more speed and more precision while being able to keep it up for much longer than I was used to. Needless to say I brought it home with me.

I quickly realized that I'll not play my other six string ever again, so I sold it.
Then I found that there's no need for me to own a five string and I sold all of them, too.
The honeymoon period with that bass seemed unending, every time I picked it up, I felt a grin spreading on my face, even half a year later. Even a year later. Even now, more than four years later, I pick it up and feel myself agreeing that this has to be the best bass that was ever made.
 
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#30
When they stole my Bongo 6 over a year ago, I went to my BTB 6 backup because I had to. We were too far from home to grab something else. Anyway, I've always liked the BTB but, only as a backup. Since I wasn't going to spring for another Bongo, the OK BTB became my number one. After a year or more now it has gone from OK to "just fine". But, I've gigged with it consistently. I had to give it a real chance. My backup is a Spector 5 string.
 
#31
I had a couple Ric 4003 basses that I sold pretty quickly due to how uncomfortable I found them to be. However, I always appreciated the look and tones of a Ric and kept finding myself looking at them every couple of years. I finally took the plunge on a 2024 b-stock 4003s that Sweetwater had since the price was low enough that I thought I could cut even on it if I sold it myself on the used market. Whelp, it’s now my go-to bass whenever I want to pick something up and play. It’s not the “best” bass I own (that would be my Ultra II Jazz) or my desert island bass (that would be my EBMM SR4), but it’s perhaps my most inspiring bass. It’s got a look that is so unique that I just can’t help but smile every time I grab it. This one is a keeper.
 
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#33
el murdoque said:
I have had the opposite where I would get a bass, have a honeymoon period and then sell it again, when the butterflies in the stomach settled, there was not enough left to hold on to it. It happened with a Musicman Bongo and a Dingwall.

My current bass did grow on me, but in an entirely different way.
The seller sent me a pic after I posted an ad that I'm looking for something special in a local forum. It was too expensive by far, but there were two problems:
1. I actually had the money and
2. That bass looked a lot like my bass.
I haggled the price down a bit, then met with the seller. I put it on my lap, where it rested perfectly, put my hand to the neck and played one note. This was the best bass I ever played, probably the best bass in the world.
I played a line that I use to train stamina and speed in my fretting hand - some octaves mixed with hammer ons and pull offs that quickly drain the juice. When people say something plays like butter, they actually mean how this bass played. I was able to play with more speed and more precision while being able to keep it up for much longer than I was used to. Needless to say I brought it home with me.

I quickly realized that I'll not play my other six string ever again, so I sold it.
Then I found that there's no need for me to own a five string and I sold all of them, too.
The honeymoon period with that bass seemed unending, every time I picked it up, I felt a grin spreading on my face, even half a year later. Even a year later. Even now, more than four years later, I pick it up and feel myself agreeing that this has to be the best bass that was ever made.
Click to expand...
The only problem with this great story is that we have no idea what bass you are talking about .
 
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#35
For decades I've exclusively played fretless basses with two active pickups and tapewound strings. In the last several years I've adopted these same specifications towards custom 23" scale solid body uke basses and have thoroughly enjoyed them. Early last year I bought a Kala solid body fretted bass with passive split Ps and roundwounds, which is the opposite of all the specs that I've sworn by for so long. At first I learned to tolerate, then accept and then actually like the fretted P bass tone and I found myself playing the Kala more and more and upgrading all the key components. Now I take to all rehearsals or to gigs where I'm afraid to take my very expensive custom basses. Additionally, I've always been a KISS bass-->cable/wireless-->amp player, and this new year I am starting down the perhaps dubious rabbit hole of pedal effects. So far I just have a compressor and plan to try out a pedal tuner and maybe a modulating effect like chorus or flanger. I am trying to keep an open mind with the pedal effects venture, but the lure of simplicity is very strong. We'll see how it goes.

KalaWDPickguard02.jpg
 
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#36
My Squier Afinity jazz bass.

I’ve been close to sell it 3 times until I had to play Blue jeans of David Bowie with my band. Everybody agreed to say the tone and punch were just perfect and it sounded like a way more expensive bass. It held its authority against the baritone saxophone without a sweat.

Then I started playing some disco songs here and there and oh my god, this little baby is a real disco queen !

I kept everything original except the neck that was warped, the pickguard and the pots that were scratchy. The new neck is a Fender MIM made of roasted maple and this is by far my favorite neck among my bass collection.

I know now I would have regrets selling it and this is now a keeper. Oh, and the "Fender snobs" have nothing to say now cause the logo on the headstock says Fender now instead of Squier !

 
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#38
Highs&Lows said:
It has happened a lot to me and has shown me that a bass tends to "get better" the more you play it (you become more acquainted with it).
Click to expand...
^ This. What I have learned in my experiences trying different basses is that:

They do not all respond the same way to a particular playing technique (like where and how hard to pluck).

Therefore, getting their signature tone, and other tones that I like, requires me to play them differently. This has led me to realize that I need to spend time finding out how to play each one to get its most desirable tone. Or, as I say it: I have to spend time finding out "how it wants to be played". ;)
 
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#39
I was super ready to ditch this Gretsch for a long time.
Then I busted out the screwdriver, got into the mounting ring and raised the neck pickup by a small amount with a little bit of foam rubber.
Best tinkering I ever did. Now I use this bass all the time. It has its own vibe – not just another P or J wannabe – that works great for some of my bread & butter styles: cocktail jazz and rockabilly.
And it looks classy. :wacky:
gretsch - 1 (1).jpeg
 
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#40
Now I have a variety of different basses at home that I all really like and conncect with. The difficulty is which one to sell to make some room..:laugh:
[/QUOTE]

I'm in the same boat!
 

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