Basses that sound great/better played with a pick.

[Simorchid]

Lately I have been exploring the tonal capabilities of my basses now that I have built up a bit of a collection. I love the sound of a good pick tone and some of my basses sound awesome played with a pick while others don't seem to have the pick bass mojo.

Example-My stingray sounds great pick style but my Warwick thumb will not make a sound that pleases with a pick regardless of how much I play with the EQ.

Other basses that I think sound particularly amazing with a pick are the P-bass with round wound steel strings and the Rickenbacker 4003 with rounds.

What basses do you think sound great or better when played with a pick?

P.S. Please don't make this a pick vs finger style thread. We have all heard the opinions before.

 

[Awesome Sauce]

Gotta admit, I like a P-bass w/ flats. Nice and thumpy. And I 2nd the Rick- definitely a great pick bass.

 

[djaxup]

Wals sound just perfect picked.

 

[JxBass]

Other basses that I think sound particularly amazing with a pick are the P-bass with round wound steel strings and the Rickenbacker 4003 with rounds.

+1 Any Ric, IMO.

 

[waleross]

Ric's as stated and the Gibson TBird which really cuts through like a buzzsaw when picked.

 

[McGillicuddy 79]

Schecter C-4

 

[BROKEN OHMS]

I mostly play fingerstyle (P-bass & Jazz - both with flats) with lots of tube OD and fuzz. BUT...I recently tried the P-bass with a pick and the amp on the clean channel. What an AWESOME friggin' sound! I think I'm addicted.

 

[Josh Pelican]

To add to what has been mentioned, Spectors sound great when playing with a pick.

 

[tylerwylie]

I feel dirty when I take a pick to my Bongo. Might be something about that 18v preamp.

 

[Dave W]

Lets see...from what I've actually played

P bass
Stingray
G&L (I've got an ASAT, but I assume any of the L2K series sound pretty much the same)
Modulus Q. The carbon neck just makes it sound so clear when using a pick.
Sadowsky PJ5, probably any of their basses though.
I actually really like my Warwick Thumb 5. Maybe not quite as full sounding as other basses, but it cut through like nobodies business.

 

[vivifiction]

My '82 Fender Bullet plays like a dream with a pick!

 

[Nedmundo]

I think hollow and semi-hollow basses produce unique, cool sounds with picks, like the DiPinto Belvedere I used for a few years. You get definition and "thud." I know many don't associate pick playing with Jazz basses, but they're a great match IMO.

 

[El Raro]

Call me crazy but I absolutely LOVE the sound of a P-bass picked. In fact, I'd go as far to say that, if I played pick style, I would only do so on a P-bass.

The G&L L2000 also sound wicked played with a pick. Very bright and punchy with just enough growl to cut through any mix.

 

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

I feel that the Höfner Beatle bass was meant to be played with a pick (+ palm muting).

 

[rummy]

P & Ray.

 

[rtslinger]

I had a BC Rich NJ Beast it only sounded good when played with a pick to me finger style just did not cut it. Ahh the 80's when your bass guitar came with a caution sharp edges warning lol

 

[los100malditos]

Damn P-Bass...., it's unbelievable with a pick ... i used to be a finger player only, but now i'm colecting picks around to be played with the P-Bass, it's amazing how taste can change from a bass to another... warwick $$ a hell with a pick due to it's NOT BRIGHT AT ALL sound and the steinberger synapse can handle boths beautifully,

 

[dedpool1052]

P-bass w/rounds or flats
most any bass with a p/j setup
G&Ls
most any bass with EMGs
stingrays

 

[loendmaestro]

In my youth I played with a pick exclusively, as I got older I became more of a purist & went fingerstyle 60-70% of the time, but damn.....nothing really beats a P-Bass or a Rick played with a pick!

 

[dave64o]

I play mostly fingerstyle but, honestly, I think all of my basses sound great with a pick, too. That's even truer if pick style is the one that best fits a given song.

FWIW, the ones that I use a pick on the most are my Precision (Chromes) and my Stingray (Lo Riders). But my SX Jazz, FNA Jazzman, Millennium, and Tobias all sound great played with a pick as well as fingerstyle.

Just colors in the palette ...