Describe your ideal bass.

[Sam Dingle]

A p bass with a stable neck that can handle different tunings easily. I’ve got 2 basses my 66 p and my 58 custom shop that cover my needs but if one bass could tune between standard and C# standard without losing tension that would be nice lol

 

[smogg]

Yes, I already own my ideal bass. USA Peavey Millennium 5+ (times two). The green one has been my number one for over 20 years.

 

[getBAK]

If I could take my Yamaha BBP35 with a 35" scale and 24-fret neck - I'd be 99% there.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

IME (since i've gone to parts basses), the aesthetics i'm going for with each instrument only works if the ax plays like i want, e.g., i wouldn't be proud of the aesthetic presentation if the thing didn't play well.

that said: here's one that i didn't post --- it plays well, but the neck profile is way different than what i've become accustomed to --- i love the look, but it's not an ax that i'd take to a gig to play all night (i.e., it's not "ideal"):
View attachment 5463014 it's fun, just not "way fun!"

Yes, that's an important distinction. The painting for these came after I had a bass that I really liked. I had that Musicmaster my son painted for over 10 years before he got his hands on it.

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

 

[Breeze3]

 

[Pep]

This is hard to narrow down so picked 3, listed top to bottom:

(1) 32" Scale 90s Fender Stu Hamm Urge Bass the most versatile bass of the 3
This was a Mexican version that I stripped, rebuilt, repainted body and headstock, rewired and made it into an American replica. The controls allow me to select any pickup and any configuration. All passive.
Bartolini Jass Pickups
Kiesel SCP Split Coil Pickup
Master Volume, 3-way mini toggle (split pickup, j pickups, all pickups), Blend for J pickups, Stellartone ToneStyler Bass 10
Strings-Thru Body

(2) 32" Custom Built P-Bass
Custom Body (ash)
Warmoth 32" Warhead Neck (reverse), Ebony Fretboard w/white pearl block inlays, TUSQ XL Nut
Volume and Stellartone ToneStyler Bass 6

(3) Vintage VJ74 ICON Bass "Distressed Black"
Eastern Poplar Body
Maple Neck & Fretboard with Black Block Inlays
Wilkinson Hardware (Bridge, tuners, control plate, neck plate, strap buttons, string retainer)
Wilkinson WBJ00 Pickups
Master Volume, Blend, Stellartone ToneStyler Bass 10

Also: This is my favorite rig:
Bergantino Forte D
Greenboy fEARless F112

 

[Lionel Albert]

The one I think I play good and gives me an unforgettable pleasure. With some alcohol (a bit) and good vibes, it can happen.
That's of course very subjective.

 

[javi_bassist]

It just feels like home.

 

[Fuzzbass]

My sentimental favorite is the bass I've owned the longest: many hundreds of gigs, with road rash to show for it.

2005 Sadowsky NYC P5
19mm bridge spacing, 1.875" nut, semi-chunky neck profile
Perfect balance (true for most P-style basses)
Chambered body, 9 pounds or maybe less
Active preamp plus passive tone control to easily dial in warmth
Outstanding B string

The bass in front is my newest: Martin Keith custom headless Doublecut. After 3 gigs I know she's a keeper, but I've mainly been a P-bass guy for five decades so the Sadowsky still gets the nod.

 

[58kites]

I measure with strings open at the 12th fret, I shoot for barely touching 2/64ths all across. Every so slightly higher on the bass side and sloping down to the G, but you'd need a magnifying glass to see it lol. Then I adjust for feel if necessary due to string gauge, etc.

I just measured at the 17th fret. barely above the 2/64ths line on E and barely below on G

Holy crow, that is low!
2/64" is .031

I set my strings at the 17th fret at 1/16" (.062) and I thought that was low.

Fender recommends 5/64" (.078) or 6/64" (.093) at the 17th depending on neck radius.

 

[vindibona1]

Ideal? I don't know what that is exactly. I have several now that are fully gig-worthy. But I have one bass that was WAY more expensive than I thought I'd ever pay for a bass: My Sandberg Ken Taylor Signature w/buckey burl top. I stumbled upon it on a lazy Saturday afternoon in an impromptu visit to Chicago Music Exchange. Couldn't put it down. Sort of has a MM Stingray vibe and almost plays itself. The top is gorgeous, which I'm sure I paid up bigtime for the top. FWIW, very similar in physical specs to Yamaha TRBX605.

 

[Mike Vee]

Holy crow, that is low!
2/64" is .031

I set my strings at the 17th fret at 1/16" (.062) and I thought that was low.

Fender recommends 5/64" (.078) or 6/64" (.093) at the 17th depending on neck radius.

I play funky, fast finger style with lots of muting. This setup works very well for that.

 

[EliasA]

If it had to be one, it would be my current $420 Ibanez SR370EF. But if I could have more, I'd have the said Ibanez, but one as a 4-string PJ and another as a 5-string J (both with the current preamp)

 

[Rip Van Dan]

And post pics if you already own it.

My ideal bass would have the following features:

• 1982 Fender Jazz Bass in Olympic White with a white-bound, all-maple neck using the 60's Sim C-shape neck profile and shape with a 7.25" radius and black-dot fret markers.

• It would have the 70's era pickup spacing (4" center to center instead of 3.6"), which puts the bridge pickup almost 1/2" closer to the bridge resulting in a little brighter sound than my 1965 Jazz had.

• Since the body is in Olympic white, which does slowly change color over time, I'd like all the accents in stark white, which will provide a nice contrast and the body color slowly turns towards cream and then yellow. So white pickguard, white pickups, white strat-type control knobs.​

It would look like the one pictured below and would sound spectacular when played through DNA and Eden equipment or recorded in a "real" pro recording studio.

After my 1965 Jazz that I bought in 1966 was stolen in 1976 along with all my touring gear, I went "bass-less" for about 10-years (married with kids by then). Went back to college in 1985 and worked part-time at Apple Music in Portland, OR. I'd tried all of the basses in the store (over 50 Fender basses) and all the Jazz Basses had an uncomfortably chunky neck compared to my the neck on my '65. One day a fellow brought this mint-condition bass in (chrome pickup covers still in their plastic wrap) and traded it for a different bass because he wanted an "active electronics" bass.

Because of my disappointing experience with Fender Jazz Bass necks, I was sure that 1965 was the last year that made that slim and fast neck, and I didn't even try it out. About 3-days later I did pull it off the wall and play it a bit. Was just a revelation for me. It felt like coming home - felt exactly the same as the neck on my '65. Going back to college while married with 3-kids and working part-time, money was tight. Had a conversation with my wife and asked Kelly (the store owner) what kind of a price he could give me on it. Said he wanted to try to sell it at retail for a month, but if it didn't sell by then, he'd give me a good price on it. Thank God it didn't sell; Kelly gave me a great price on it; and I took it home.

Had no amp at the time either because when my bass was stolen so was all of my touring gear (toured for 3-years in the early 70's). Finally in 1997 I borrowed an amp my oldest son was no longer using it, and I started gigging again.

As I mentioned, this bass has a little brighter sound than my '65 did, and in addition to that has much better sustain. It records so well going direct through my WTDI (stompbox with built-in Eden WT preamp) that both the engineer and the owner of the studio in Seattle had to come see exactly what I was using because this bass sounded amazing in the raw tapes and they had not adjusted the EQ or added compression to it - just used the signal I was sending them and adjusted the level. Showed them the Eden pedal and noted the only EQ adjustment I made was a slight boost (up to 1:30) in the low-mids at 500Hz.

I'd love to have my 1965 Jazz back, but even if I did, this '82 that I bought in 1985 would still be my #1. Plus, it gets better looking over the years. I've played it for 39-years now and it was a stark white to match the pickguard when I first bought it. It's mellowed over the years to that soft cream color. It has the poly finish on it and the Olympic White with that finish yellows much more slowly than the ones with the nitro finish. Not sure I want a yellow bass, but since it's taken almost 40-years to get to this soft-cream color, I probably won't be around by the time it really turns yellow. And I love the way looks, the way it plays, and the way it sounds. It truly is my ideal bass.

Below is how my '65 Jazz looked in late-1971/early-1972. I was going to crop just the bass out of it but decided I wanted to keep Vera in the picture so also included our drummer for better balance. Our keys player, Bill, and vocalist/conga-player Tom didn't make the cut (sorry guys!). Did about 750 performances in the three years I played with them. We played 5-nights a week, 50-weeks a year for 3-years.:

 

[prndltech]

It just feels like home.

View attachment 5463072

Im looking hard at a 735a right now… never played one tho

 

[JTNuney]

I have no connection to the seller, but I’m posting it here in the hopes that someone will buy it and save me from temptation:

https://reverb.com/item/81891303-warmoth-p-bass-2024-vintage-tint

Whoever assembled this, GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!! Jazz-spec neck with Tele headstock and rosewood board? Natural P-body without a guard? C’mon!

Better go check those couch cushions for spare change again…

 

[Pdaddy1978]

That's kinda a gnarly pickguard.

That pickguard started out out as a shiny brass Fender factory replacement in 1982.
Long story short. I gave up on trying to keep it shiny. And 40 years of sweat, beer, cigarette smoke, and tears (Probably).. and finally using 000 steel wool, has kinda bronzed it. I've never seen another one quite like it. Que sera!

 

[Jugghaid]

Pick one:

 

[tb-player]

Pick one:

View attachment 5463853 View attachment 5463854 View attachment 5463855 View attachment 5463856 View attachment 5463857 View attachment 5463859

How do the F-Bass and the MTD compare? I've owned multiple MTDs and think they're very well-made and distinct. I have a lot of curiosity about (but no experience with) F-Bass.