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Basses you love but won't/don't use

#21
I don't actually own a P bass, I've always loved their sound but I've never found P or J basses aesthetically pleasing (must be one of few) plus I'm a small guy so their sze looks a little goofy on me.
As for Basses I own, My Aria pro ll SbR-60 somewhat fills the P bass niche and up until the past month I rarely touched it to my own detriment, I love that bass and have recently restored it but my Wal gets most of my attention.
 
#22
This bass
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I tend to like my Fenderbird & LP better as they standout in the mix better, due to the mahogany & maple combination. The Tbird sound & plays great, but tends to blend in more in the mix, which is not what I am favoring at this point. So away it goes under the bed for nap.

It can help pay for my daughters wedding or college down the road- (bought it for about $1100 about 5 years ago), should be able to get close to $3,000 by then.
 
#23
RickenBoogie said:
I would tend to agree. Many of us are on a never ending search for that perfect tone. Generally speaking, our audiences only hear the songs we play, as a whole. The sweet nuances we carefully craft into our music is totally lost on them. Not that it would stop my personal quest for the perfect tone, but I do realise that 99.99% of the audience doesn't care one bit. I play for the .01%, and myself.
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I did a little A/B test on my drummer/soundman. He got me all set up with my Cirrus. Then I pulled out my Streamer LX with Stage II electronics. He was like "what'd you do? It's all muddy now." I said I changed basses. He asked me to go back to my Cirrus. Guitard said same thing. Both basses I eq'd flat. Most people may or may not be able to hear a difference between a Fender Jazz and a Sadowsky Jazz, but there are some basses out there that just stray away from the norm, tone wise.

As much as I loved my W's, I had to admit my soundman was right to a degree. So I'm in the process of selling the Warwicks. Selling the Cirrus too as I don't want something so compressed sounding. Looking for something in between and I think I found it. I got a Lakland and a Lull that I admit soumd pretty close to each other, enough where the crowd probably won't notice, but I do and I do like one more than the other, soundwise.
 
#25
My '80s era ('84 I think) Ibanez Musician goes largely unplayed these days.

My Jazz basses (fretted and fretless) get nearly all the playing time, then comes the Turner Ren fretless 4 when called for.

The Musician was a gift from my wife years ago, so it has sentimental value. It's a very clean sounding bass, almost hi-fi sounding to my ears and does not fit the tone objectives that I have in my regular gigs. And, just weighs a ton compared to my others.

So, it mostly stays home in its case. Nice looking and feeling instrument though.
 
#26
My 1993 '62 Reissue (stack knob) MIA Sunburst Fender Jazz. I feel almost guilty over it. One of the prettiest SB finishes I have seen on a Fender, nicely yellowed neck lacquer, great sound, and vintage vibe in spades. But I prefer the necks/sounds of my other basses more (Highway One Jazz, modified MIM Deluxe Active Jazz, G&L L-2000, and Cirrus 4-string). So the '62RI just sits in the case.

When I do play it people often comment on how nice it looks, but I usually find myself wishing I had selected one of my other basses to play. I've thought seriously about selling it, but I bought it new and it is now 15 years old in and still in awesome shape, so I'll probably just keep it long-term.
 
#28
First of all I'll throw out my blanket bias and say that any bass with 35" and 19mm spacing isn't for me. The string tension at 35" adds a certain tightness to the sound that IMO sounds refined and compressed. I sold my Zon Studio because of the scale and spacing. Fantastic bass otherwise.

My take all winner is the Warwick Thumb. I've owned a B.O and a NT and MAN!!! They sound really good! Everytime I hear a Thumb bass I GAS for one. The punch and growl is so unique and tasty but every time I pick one up it kills it.

I played one gig with my BO and found it very uncomfortable and heavy. The NT was much lighter but again, the balance always made it feel like the headstock and first positions were miles away. It absolutely killed my hands.

To all you Thumb Bass players.....Keep playing those Thumbs! I love the sound but will probably never buy another.
 
#29
Illbay said:
I guess I don't understand the "this instrument is suitable for this style but not that style" thing. I wonder if it is more a function of perception than reality. Not that perception isn't important - some would say that there is no reality beyond perception...but I digress.

Is it possible that the subtleties of tone, or whatever other parameters you might care to include in what a specific electric bass instrument brings, are actually lost on anyone else other than the player?
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I see your point and and I agree that for most people, the difference between a precision and a Jazz, for instance, is not heard. However, when I'm playing a funky slap line, it just feels odd to be playing it on the precision (although it can be done), as the Jazz tone inspires me more in that style. There is something about the neck width too, which doesn't suit me as much. Funnily, it doesn't bother me when playing rock (I actually like it).
 
#31
I've got a fretless 6 that I only ever play at home. It's my guilty secret.

I've only ever played a six in public once, and that was at an open-mic jam night so there was no band to get fired from. It was also in a town 4000 miles away from where I live, so I was unlikely to bump into anyone I knew. :ninja:
 
#32
I've got two.

My 73 Precision doesn't see any play, even though it plays and sounds great. It sits in its case, and I have no desire to sell it or be without it.

My PRS bass. It plays like a mofo (I've had two guitarists tell me that it has better action than their guitars). But I'm tied to my AB-1 these days and don't really see moving back to a 4 anytime soon. It has some tonal issues too, so it would need a bit of custom work to make it right and I want to keep it stock since its a fairly rare bass. I also have the feeling that some day it will be worth something and don't want to flip it now.
 
#36
My '75 Precision and Yamaha BB400 are semi-retired.

I play them at home, rehearsal or in the studio but I don't gig with them. My Precision is the best sounding and playing bass I have ever owned but,they have a great deal of sentimental value to me and I won't risk theft or damage to them.
 

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