If you're in the garage it should be a Fender Mustang bass or Warwick Corvette.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Best bass for garage rock ?
- Thread starter Sweeps
- Start date
I use Maton JB4 for my grunge garage rock band. It has the original DiMarzio PJ set in it from late 1980s.
Then there's the good old Fender P bass in.stock form.
But really almost anything will suffice.
Then there's the good old Fender P bass in.stock form.
But really almost anything will suffice.
Traditionaly any old piece of crap you can afford/lay your hands on preferably with a plywood bodyHi guys, Im in a 4piece garage rock band (guitar,bass,drums and singer) - just wondering what peoples thoughts are for a bass that would be most appropriate for style/sound ? Thanks
Of course,not all garage bands play Rock.
Last edited:
I estimate a lot of those, the ones that are still around these days, hold too much intrinsic value, due to quirky hipster appeal, to be as affordable as they were decades ago.
Fender basses have graced garages for years.
Precisions are well liked by many and you can buy a used Squier if money is tight.
Precisions are well liked by many and you can buy a used Squier if money is tight.
Get a bass that anyone else would rather be seen dead with and play the life out of it.
This is just one of the many ways that Legends are Born.
This is just one of the many ways that Legends are Born.
Last edited:
Assuming we're talking about a '60s teenage Garage band? Yeah, instruments like this. Along with a big dollop of Danelectros, which were pretty popular - both guitar and bass - with the bands that populated the Airbase housing areas, when and where I grew up. One band's leader/lead guitar player, was an Officer's brat; he had a real Fender Strat. And a Fender Twin Bassman amp. His twin brother - who probably could have had a Fender bass - said he preferred his Dano Longhorn. Since we were stationed in the UK - on several different bases over several years - the garage bands had a scattering of European basses and guitars, too. But, the kids who played them were the exceptions - except for the guys that played Hofner 500/1s. They seemed to be pretty popular, for some reason...
Last edited:
The closest US company to Maton woukd be Guild. Maton is better known for their acoustic guitars (used by Tommy Emmanuel, amongst others), but have also made a number of electrics, ranging from the odd (e.g. the Flamingo) to mainstream. The JB 4 is a PJ bass with a set neck and shallow neck profile that was originally made in the late '70s and early '80s. A reissue was launched a few years back.
Assuming we're talking about a '60s teenage Garage band? Yeah, instruments like this. Along with a big dollop of Danelectros, which were pretty popular - both guitar and bass - with the bands that populated the Airbase housing areas, when and where I grew up. One band's leader/lead guitar player, was an Officer's brat; he had a real Fender Strat. And a Fender Twin Bassman amp. His twin brother - who probably could have had a Fender bass - said he preferred his Dano Longhorn. Since we were stationed in the UK - on several different bases over several years - the garage bands had a scattering of European basses and guitars, too. But, the kids who played them were the exceptions - except, of course, the guys that played Hofner 500/1s. They seemed to be pretty popular, for some reason...
1968. The family had just moved to San Antonio. My 15-year-old self took a walk in my new neighborhood our first weekend there and came across four guys playing ... in a garage. I went home and brought back my homemade electric guitar and my little Airline amp. We played a gig at a junior high school, where I played a borrowed bass guitar through a borrowed bass amp ... my first gig ever playing bass. I don't remember the brands of the borrowed gear, but they SURE weren't Fender, or anything close. Lead guitarist had a Silvertone rig.
Can't get much more garage than this.
"Sales of the Kingsmen record were initially so low (reportedly 600) that the group considered disbanding. Things changed when Boston's biggest DJ, Arnie Ginsburg, was given the record by a pitchman. Amused by its slapdash sound, he played it on his program as "The Worst Record of the Week". Despite the slam, listener response was swift and positive.[90]"
"Sales of the Kingsmen record were initially so low (reportedly 600) that the group considered disbanding. Things changed when Boston's biggest DJ, Arnie Ginsburg, was given the record by a pitchman. Amused by its slapdash sound, he played it on his program as "The Worst Record of the Week". Despite the slam, listener response was swift and positive.[90]"
Last edited:
SB2 G&L. The best bass when playing in your garage, next to your classic car.
Warwick when playing next to your Mercedes.
Playing next to your Rolls Royce, the "Grey Poupon" of Basses …..the Fender Jazz 1963 , in Olympic White with Flats of course.
Bow tie optional.
Warwick when playing next to your Mercedes.
Playing next to your Rolls Royce, the "Grey Poupon" of Basses …..the Fender Jazz 1963 , in Olympic White with Flats of course.
Bow tie optional.
Last edited:
I mean, kinda by definition, it's whatever bass you have handy.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
I don't have a car payment. Time to start dumpster diving.
Actually, I did have one that was found in a bathtub in an abandoned house. I got it for free. Very punk and really ugly. I played it for years and never changed the strings. It eventually got swapped, more or less, straight up for a really nice EB-2 I still have. That is a different story.
