You can ask for an objective answer to a subjective question, if you want. You’ll get lots of subjective answers.
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Define a quality bass guitar.
- Thread starter marchone
- Start date
A great bass is not "objective". A great bass is one that, when you pick it up, you don't want to put it down - you want to play. The reason that is great is that it'll make it easy to practice, and practice is indeed what makes you (the biggest variable in the whole thing) good.
I'll take a crack at it:
"Good" quality bass: sturdy components, stable neck that isn't in need of constant adjustments, reliable well soldered/mounted electronics, and body-neck pairing that "agree" with each other
"Decent" quality bass: has attributes of the "good" quality bass to a lesser extent
"Poor/bad" quality bass: unstable neck and/or hardware, unreliable and/or poorly soldered electronics, woods or body/neck materials that don't get along (unpleasing resonance/vibration/dead spots)
I suppose a "decent" or "poor" quality bass could be improved with a neck or hardware swap, and electronics can always be upgraded - so there's a lot of grey area here.
The rest is a matter of opinion though. How does it feel to YOU? How does it sound to YOU? Does it inspire you to play? That's what matters.
"Good" quality bass: sturdy components, stable neck that isn't in need of constant adjustments, reliable well soldered/mounted electronics, and body-neck pairing that "agree" with each other
"Decent" quality bass: has attributes of the "good" quality bass to a lesser extent
"Poor/bad" quality bass: unstable neck and/or hardware, unreliable and/or poorly soldered electronics, woods or body/neck materials that don't get along (unpleasing resonance/vibration/dead spots)
I suppose a "decent" or "poor" quality bass could be improved with a neck or hardware swap, and electronics can always be upgraded - so there's a lot of grey area here.
The rest is a matter of opinion though. How does it feel to YOU? How does it sound to YOU? Does it inspire you to play? That's what matters.
Define quality? Sure, in one word: Sadowsky.
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
No need to try a million necks, the work has been done for you. If you want a neck without dead spots you have to get rid of the headstock. Fender figured this out decades ago. Fender made the prototype but didn't think it would sell. Don't think they were wrong either since nobody else started doing it for 10-15 years after their prototype. Even today, not a lot of folks clamoring for headless basses.
A good bass plays well, stays in tune, and sounds great. And hopefully looks good.
There are lots of good basses out there. Some of them don’t appeal to me, but that does not make them less good as they appeal to others and others sound great playing them.
There are lots of good basses out there. Some of them don’t appeal to me, but that does not make them less good as they appeal to others and others sound great playing them.
A good bass allows me the opportunity to fully express my art without limiting me made from quality components and assembled well, with good fit and finish. My Fender PJ fits the bill.
A decent bass is one that offers the above, but maybe doesn’t sound quite as good, maybe fit and finish not quite as good. My Son’s mid 90s Fender MIN Jazz would be a good example, until we upgraded the pickups. Then it became a good bass. A surprisingly good bass.
A bad bass can be bad due to manufacture deficiency, poor components, assembly fit and finish errors, cheap electronics, intonation issues, and or limits my artistic expression. That would be my first bass, a no-name Japanese 60s bass. I could barely play the thing. It was everything I listed above and them some. If was so bad nobody would need an A-B test on it.
[sarcasm]
For everyone's consideration: Are there any bad basses anymore?
A "good" bass is one that gets you playing. A "quality" bass is one that other people respect for whatever reason - often based upon brand perception and reputation, sometimes based on marketing and endorsements. (It's a subjective matter these days, which is why "quality" means something different to everyone you'll ask. It's also why discussions like this gain traction on Talkbass.) These two concepts are orthogonal, and thus completely unrelated.
It becomes a trick of psychology. Something being "quality" implies that the rest isn't, and after a certain base level these value judgements are based on emotion and nebulous ideas. That's why if you ask a question like this, you won't get straight answers from the people who define it.
"Quality" is subjective. "Good" gets you playing. You are correct in saying that the player matters far more than the instrument itself.
- A bass is only quality if it's got the right mark on the headstock
- It has to be the expensive version of a FSO (Fender-shaped object)
- Gotta be made in 'Murica
- Must be old enough to have had a mid-life crisis
- Tort
For everyone's consideration: Are there any bad basses anymore?
A "good" bass is one that gets you playing. A "quality" bass is one that other people respect for whatever reason - often based upon brand perception and reputation, sometimes based on marketing and endorsements. (It's a subjective matter these days, which is why "quality" means something different to everyone you'll ask. It's also why discussions like this gain traction on Talkbass.) These two concepts are orthogonal, and thus completely unrelated.
It becomes a trick of psychology. Something being "quality" implies that the rest isn't, and after a certain base level these value judgements are based on emotion and nebulous ideas. That's why if you ask a question like this, you won't get straight answers from the people who define it.
"Quality" is subjective. "Good" gets you playing. You are correct in saying that the player matters far more than the instrument itself.
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A professor of philosophy drove himself nuts viewing the word “quality” as many view the word “vintage”.
He wrote a book about it which sold pretty well.
He wrote a book about it which sold pretty well.
Anyone who referenced Pirsig is on it. It’s impossible.
That’s why this thread is going in circles.
Why get a Nash, Lull, Lakland, etc. Fender replica when you can get a Fender?
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That seems like a completely rational answer.
"Good" and "bad" are subjective terms. You're asking what a good bass is, but asking us to be objective. "Quality" is a relative term.
You said you're a chef, that's like asking: "what is a good dish and what is a bad dish, but be objective with your answer".
You said you're a chef, that's like asking: "what is a good dish and what is a bad dish, but be objective with your answer".
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Most of what makes a quality bass IS subjective. The sound you love I may hate. I may hate the way a bass feels, you may love it. Someone might think that a good finish is mandatory and I don't give much weight to the finish.
there is a sliding scale - not a "yes or no" system for finding the marks of quality.
marks of quality:
neck wood is properly seasoned, even, not showing any signs of warping. truss rod works as intended. neck can be dialed in from perfectly flat, to .010 relief, to more if needed. *the more the neck holds adjustment through weather changes, the better it is. this is key for ease of ownership, and reliability. this makes something a workhorse.
frets, though easily touched up, tell you a lot about the factory it left. they should be properly leveled, even, and *NOT BE SHARP AT THE ENDS OF THE FRETBOARD* (I'm looking at you, fender!!). good example is kiesel (carvin) - i've never seen an instrument from them that did not have objectively perfect frets.
pickups don't make any unusual sounds. (single coil hum, even on a high-priced bass, is just a part of single-coils.) Pickups sound full and even across strings.
the tone itself, while subjective, needs to be musical. generally on a bass that means fullness in the low register, note clarity in the mids, and crispness in the treble. from a vintage P to a brand new 6 string fodera, the principles remain the same.
fancy woods are a mark of "more expensive," and in many cases nicer looking (subjective) and therefore "higher quality." obviously wishbass could buy an expensive top wood and make a bass, but generally the highest grade figured top woods get put to good use, by the simple nature that they are very expensive.
marks of quality:
neck wood is properly seasoned, even, not showing any signs of warping. truss rod works as intended. neck can be dialed in from perfectly flat, to .010 relief, to more if needed. *the more the neck holds adjustment through weather changes, the better it is. this is key for ease of ownership, and reliability. this makes something a workhorse.
frets, though easily touched up, tell you a lot about the factory it left. they should be properly leveled, even, and *NOT BE SHARP AT THE ENDS OF THE FRETBOARD* (I'm looking at you, fender!!). good example is kiesel (carvin) - i've never seen an instrument from them that did not have objectively perfect frets.
pickups don't make any unusual sounds. (single coil hum, even on a high-priced bass, is just a part of single-coils.) Pickups sound full and even across strings.
the tone itself, while subjective, needs to be musical. generally on a bass that means fullness in the low register, note clarity in the mids, and crispness in the treble. from a vintage P to a brand new 6 string fodera, the principles remain the same.
fancy woods are a mark of "more expensive," and in many cases nicer looking (subjective) and therefore "higher quality." obviously wishbass could buy an expensive top wood and make a bass, but generally the highest grade figured top woods get put to good use, by the simple nature that they are very expensive.
Smooth_bass88
vaxx!
- Oct 31, 2006
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When U pick it up and play it, you get all warm and fuzzy on the inside.
A good bass swims to your hook and willingly impales itself upon it.
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