Best Cheap Vehicle for Flats?

[BKBassDude]

I'm looking for a bass to add to my arsenal which will wear flats 100% of the time! All my other basses are quite modern sounding.

This is not what I'm known for as a player, and will most likely not see that much action, so I don't want to spend much dough.

I've thought about one of the cheaper violin basses (Douglas, Rogue, Hofner Icon). Is there a big jump in quality from the Douglas/Rogue to the Icon? It's nearly double the price.

Another option would be a Squire CV or VM P. But I feel I can get a reasonable P tone from my J basses, which is why I would lean towards the violin basses. They would be so completely different from anything in the stable. Can a violin bass get a reasonable facsimile of a P tone, say more than a J with rounds, neck PU soloed and the tone rolled off?

Thanks for the input.

 

[bassist4dalord]

Yep, Squier VM or CV Precision. There ya go.

EDIT: I think that, after a little bit, you'll find the P w/ flats gets more action than you'd anticipated. It's highly addicting

 

[oldrookie]

I had a Brice Beatle bass with flats. They require longer than short scale strings due to the bridge style.

I sold mine because all I could get was the Beatles sound (but I was a newb at that point) and I wanted more tonal options. I also found the neck to be incredibly skinny and my hands cramped a lot on that bass.

Look for a good used Peavey Fury. Great little P-bass and loves a good set of D'Addario Chromes on it. Mine is strung BEAD and it's a favorite.

 

[String Cheesus]

I'm going to +1 bassist4dalord. If you think you can get a decent p tone from a j, image what a p with flats can do!

 

[Buxtehude]

Gene Simmons axe

 

[XsSpeed]

Find a Univox Badazz. I have flats on mine and it rules

 

[seungkoo]

Call up atomic music in Beltsville md. They got a pretty sweet vinthr mod 50's p with duncans and flats.

 

[fretlessguy]

My SX Jazz sounds good with flat. I'd imagine most P or Jazz copies/clones would.

 

[Andy_D]

My SX P/J sounds good wearing flats. It's taken a lot of tweaking to get it to where I like it though. Only $140 plus shipping. Also have a USA Peavey Fury wearing flats as well. Plenty of them in the classifieds and on Ebay.

 

[jumbodbassman]

flats - pbass.....

 

[TC2112]

I have heard good things about the Douglas and the Rogue Viola bass. I have the Epi version with a set of TI's and it just kills, and the Rogue is rumored to be built in the same factory, along with some of the other budget violin basses

 

[Skabasskid]

Squier Fretless

 

[AltGrendel]

Can a violin bass get a reasonable facsimile of a P tone, say more than a J with rounds, neck PU soloed and the tone rolled off?

I'm a little confused by this sentence, do you mean that you want to be able to switch into a P bass tone without swapping basses? To me, that kind of defeats the purpose of getting the violin bass, presuming you get something Hofner-ish of course.

 

[BKBassDude]

I'm a little confused by this sentence, do you mean that you want to be able to switch into a P bass tone without swapping basses? To me, that kind of defeats the purpose of getting the violin bass, presuming you get something Hofner-ish of course.


Well id like to be able to get something that maybe in a mix could get close to an old school p w flats thump. I know the knock on violin basses is they tend to be one trick ponies. I
Obviously wouldn't want the full range of P tones out of it.