I love the sound of a P Bass. In live situations it's sounds amazing!!!
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Best Sounding Bass ever
- Thread starter madjazzbass
- Start date
Agree. My Mustang had way more punch on a recording we did than it ever does live...
The best bass i've ever heard was a butt-ugly Hofner, way back in 1981 - not the Beatle, but a solid body. It was owned by a session guy. I don't remember what amp/cabs he was using, but I think it was a small Ampeg stack.
Looking cool can matter when you're playing live, but in the studio it is the sound and playability that matters. To use guitars and an example, think about the mind-blowinly amazing studio version of Hendrix' Red House. He didn't use a Strat but a no-name guitar from some company I'd never heard of. It was in such bad shape that one of the pickups was stuck on with cellophane tape. And that was perhaps the most expressive and great-sounding example of the blues in history.
Looking cool can matter when you're playing live, but in the studio it is the sound and playability that matters. To use guitars and an example, think about the mind-blowinly amazing studio version of Hendrix' Red House. He didn't use a Strat but a no-name guitar from some company I'd never heard of. It was in such bad shape that one of the pickups was stuck on with cellophane tape. And that was perhaps the most expressive and great-sounding example of the blues in history.
Best two basses:
1) Tom Clement fretless Ergo, black limba body, maple neck, ebony fretboard, bertolini pup's and preamp.
2) Warwick NT1 fretless, p/j bertolini pup's and preamp. Not all Warwick basses sound as good as this one.
I am sure there are better but not by much.
1) Tom Clement fretless Ergo, black limba body, maple neck, ebony fretboard, bertolini pup's and preamp.
2) Warwick NT1 fretless, p/j bertolini pup's and preamp. Not all Warwick basses sound as good as this one.
I am sure there are better but not by much.
Best sounding bass for what? For whom?
I've demoed all kinds of basses at the top end. They all have something to love about them.
For me, for what I play, right now, it's these two, my 2000 EBMM StingRay 3eq+p fretless, strung with Rotosound Jazz Bass 77 Monel flats, and my 2003 Warwick Custom Shop Corvette Proline fretless short scale, strung with D'Addario Prelude 4/4 medium tension cello strings.
But neither of these are great at producing a good rock tone for me. I no longer own a fretted bass, but I want one, again. I'm torn between a fretted StingRay 3eq and a Warmoth Deluxe J5. My first bass was a 1992 Fender Jazz Bass Plus V, and I want that look and feel back. I'll build it up to more or less duplicate the pre-2010 Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass V, with the later SCN pickups, but the earlier 5-inline headstock. I just need to decide on a preamp, if any, but I want to give it the 4-way switch treatment from the Fender Classic Player Telecaster and Johnny Marr Signature Jaguar (bridge only, both in parallel, neck only, both in series).
Mockup of the Deluxe J5 I want to build:
Or maybe I can convince EBMM to build me a StingRay SS:
I've demoed all kinds of basses at the top end. They all have something to love about them.
For me, for what I play, right now, it's these two, my 2000 EBMM StingRay 3eq+p fretless, strung with Rotosound Jazz Bass 77 Monel flats, and my 2003 Warwick Custom Shop Corvette Proline fretless short scale, strung with D'Addario Prelude 4/4 medium tension cello strings.
But neither of these are great at producing a good rock tone for me. I no longer own a fretted bass, but I want one, again. I'm torn between a fretted StingRay 3eq and a Warmoth Deluxe J5. My first bass was a 1992 Fender Jazz Bass Plus V, and I want that look and feel back. I'll build it up to more or less duplicate the pre-2010 Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass V, with the later SCN pickups, but the earlier 5-inline headstock. I just need to decide on a preamp, if any, but I want to give it the 4-way switch treatment from the Fender Classic Player Telecaster and Johnny Marr Signature Jaguar (bridge only, both in parallel, neck only, both in series).
Mockup of the Deluxe J5 I want to build:
Or maybe I can convince EBMM to build me a StingRay SS:
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I've played two that really knocked my socks off, in different ways. One was a Mid 80s Alembic Stanley Clarke. No idea the specs, but it was just amazing. The other was a refinished Pre-CBS Jazz (I want to say it was a 64). One of the most lively and resonant instruments I've ever heard.
Oh so many: Alex Webster's Spector tone on the Blotted Science records; Jaco on "Black Market" on '8:30'; Steve Harris on "Heaven Can Wait"; Niels Pedersen on "Nigerian Marketplace" by Oscar Peterson; Ryan Martinie on 'LD 50'; Victor Wooten on "Live at the Quick." But Gary Willis' sound on "Armageddon Blues" is just monstrous in every way.
I've owned too many basses to even remember over the last 35 years. Searching for the Holy Grail. Well, my search is officially over with this Le Fay Singer. It produces the sound I've heard in my head all these years but was never able to achieve. Kind of like a Fender Jazz but on a Stradivarius level.
They use to come up with some pretty cool stuff in their beginning, but this one is quite overload with electrics, the bridge design does not help, neither striped (?) dark heel ... not my cup.
Modulus / Alembic Bassstar "The California Bass" is the best sounding, best playing bass I have owned or played. Stars Guitars brass hardware, silent electronics, wonderful action. Great studio bass but the 12+ lbs. weight was not great on stage. Sold on eBay a few years ago to someone in Kansas or someplace in that region.
Kind of glad I sold it because it would have joined one of my other Bassstars (built with Bassstar neck, Warmouth Jazz LPB, Lollar Js, Badass, Hipshots and stacked knobs) that was taken by the Camp Fire that obliterated my home. That was my gigger and I'll definitely miss it along with my Ricky 4003, my Moon JB5, my Robin and tons of gear that were vaporized in the fire. The only bass I got out was my Lakland and also my Mesa D800 head. I had lent my other Bassstar (Fender body, KLD neck, Nordy P) to a friend who rescued it when he evacuated. All wonderful basses that took years to put together.
All in all "The California Bass" was the best sounding bass I've ever heard.
Kind of glad I sold it because it would have joined one of my other Bassstars (built with Bassstar neck, Warmouth Jazz LPB, Lollar Js, Badass, Hipshots and stacked knobs) that was taken by the Camp Fire that obliterated my home. That was my gigger and I'll definitely miss it along with my Ricky 4003, my Moon JB5, my Robin and tons of gear that were vaporized in the fire. The only bass I got out was my Lakland and also my Mesa D800 head. I had lent my other Bassstar (Fender body, KLD neck, Nordy P) to a friend who rescued it when he evacuated. All wonderful basses that took years to put together.
All in all "The California Bass" was the best sounding bass I've ever heard.
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Yes I have never heard any electric bass that sounds as good as a really good upright, you just can't get that growl on an electric that some really good upright players get.
That being said my favorite electric bass sound is a good Fender Precision. I like a lot of different basses but the Precision bass just does it for me, I include Fender P/J's in that assessment. I'm basing my assessment on playing them but also listening to records for the past 50 years, I have heard more great recorded sounds out of a Fender P bass than any other.
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A Pangton when they first release, i almost bought one then, but my spouse said no, and she's a real keeper!
Don't take my p.o.v. personal, i prefer simple layouts and appearing. And when i later had the money for, i bought the L2-5 ... and she's also became a keeper.
Marcus Miller bass is nothing more than a Jazz bass on steroids with Sadowsky preamp installed.
I personally own a NYC Sadowsky 5 string bass and it is one of my favorite sounding basses for playing in the pocket! When I melody play I use my Ken Smith BTG 5 Custom bass strung like a six string minus the low B string adding the high C string to the 24 fret board. I also love the sound of a Fender Precision! MusicMans are also great sounding and very similar to a G&L. MTD's are another great sounding Bass. The list goes on and on!
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Since no one has heard or played every bass ever made, this question cannot be answered.
There are thousands of TalkBass readers that play hundreds of different basses, and the answers you will receive will be each poster’s favorite, regardless of variety of experience.
