Do Basses Fall Into Categories?

[Smooth_bass88]

the more you play, the. more you'll learn and understand about your basses. I used to think my japanese made Charvel was the best bass, until I picked up up StingRay--> until I picked up a USA Lakland--> until I picked up a vintage PRE CBS Fender and so on. you get the point

 

[bigdaddybass12]

I know of only two categories of basses...

Category #1: Good basses

Category #2: All the rest of the basses

1# Good basses, regardless of cost or name brand.

 

[Eric Ryan]

Excellent advice. Keep in mind that playing comfort is as important (arguably more important) than tone. Since you are fairly new to bass you may not yet know your preferences for ergonomics (balance), string spacing, neck thickness, etc... that's why it's important to try a bunch of instruments.

I recommend starting with standard long scale bass, 34" scale. It's still the norm. Anything else, you'll have challenges such as fewer options for string sets. Nothing against fanned fret/multiscale, but it's far easier to stay within the 34" norm.



Gentle suggestion: consider 5 string bass. They are extremely common these days, definitely within "normal" category, and most music stores carry string sets for them. The great advantage IMO is having more range in each fingering position. Of course the immediate practical advantage is having lower notes which will allow you to play keyboard bass lines. Not only that, many modern songs have bass lines traveling below four-string territory. This isn't just true for metal: extra low bass lines are now often found in country, blues, pop, pretty much everywhere.

All that said: it's OK if you want to restrict your choices to four string, which is never wrong.

Superb advice, @Fuzzbass. We could probably just end the thread there.

 

[5StringBlues]

No pics, no Swedish bikini model.

 

[Ostie]

Don’t dismiss short scale basses. I bought my first shortie about five years ago and it’s been all shorties ever since. They may not be for you, but you won’t know unless you try.

 

[Major Seven]

The CV is decent quality enough for now. Don't be in any hurry. Play it for a long time (a year) until you
start noticing it's deficiencies. Until you get to that point you aren't really able to judge other basses sufficiently and will just be shooting in the dark. UNLESS, you pick one up that is magic. You would know that instantly just by feel. I just went through all of this picking a bass. It took almost 2 years.

You can only believe maybe 40% of what you read on the web. It can be hard finding credible sources.
Pick one or two and NO MORE. They will contradict each other. I recommend DavesWorldofFunStuff to see
how the setup procedure goes, consistently in a low key entertaining fashion. Then @Turnaround from this
very forum on the (very experienced) details and theory.

 

[bearhart74]

Only 2 categories.. Mine and not mine

 

[SunByrne]

Pretty much everything has categories, even if those categories are made up on the spot, like many of the categories here.

Find something that feels good in your hands and appeals to you so that you'll want to play it. Play it a lot. Then start expanding your search...

 

[bass12]

You could divide basses into any number of categories: by pickup placement (e.g., Jazz, Precision, PJ), active vs passive electronics, pickup type (soapbars, single coil J, MM, etc.), fretted vs fretless, scale length (including multi-scale), construction method (bolt-on, neck-through, set-neck), headed vs headless, chambered vs solid, wood types/graphite, number of strings, etc. I would say that none of that matters at the moment as any kind of "prescriptive" compass. What's important is that you try as many basses as you can and see what makes you light up when you play it. When you pick up that bass that has you saying, "Wow, this makes me play like I've never played before (in a good way)" and you can't imagine leaving the store without - then you know you've found a "good one". And don't just try based on looks: it's often been the case that the basses I've liked the most have been the ones that I wouldn't have even tried if choosing with my eyes. Have fun!

 

[retslock]

You know what, there's no need to comment on this post. I see there is a ton of Googlable info out there right at my fingertips. I just posted here without searching for what I asked because I was already on this site for my previous post. I'll just read all the info and watch the videos of the already publicly available information. I'd delete this post if I knew how, but I don't see that as an option under the edit tab.

All the esoterica and specs are academic. Dig into to that if you wish, there’s endless conversation there. What matters though is how the bass feels and sounds to YOU. Any bass can be set-up and eq’d to work on stage. Listen critically to others bassists noting what they play and what you like and dislike about their sound. None of us can do that for you. Play play play as many basses as you can and figure for yourself what you like.

 

[Pdaddy1978]

1. VINTAGE
2. VINTAGE INSPIRED
3.MODERN
4.QUIRKY
5. AFFORDABLE
6. CHEAP
7. BOUTIQUE
8. ARTIST SIGNATURE
9. ACTIVE
10. PASSIVE
ETC ETC ETC .....
And the funny thing is a givin bass can be in more than one category...

 

[Kubicki Fan]

Play your CV a lot. You won't appreciate any aspect of the instrument until you've 'paid your dues'. Trying different basses in music stores is a great pass time for many of us. Beware that some of them will not be set up well and hence will provide a false impression. It is worth becoming intimate with one instrument - it will provide a basis for comparison with others down the road. Learn to setup, shield your electronics, solder...

 

[ADHD librarian]

there could be many taxonomies.

by scale
by nut width
by neck profile
by fretboard radius
by body shape
by fretwork
by pickup type(s)

but the reality is that you'd need to develop some sort of matrix that covers all these variables and then you'd end up with something so complex that every individual bass is its own category.

 

[J Wilson]

Right now, you don't know what you don't know. The basses you listed are plenty good enough set up and maintained properly as you begin to play long term.

There are a dizzying array of choices out there and while it's good to be curious and see what's out there, don't be surprised if you come home from Sweetwater with more questions than you walked in there with.

Over time your tastes and ideas of what you need will change several times, it's something most of us who've been at this a long time will admit.

I'd suggest settling on one of your current basses, or something new that really, really suits you. Then strap in and practice, rehearse, and play out every chance you get. Have your bass set up by a professional if need be until you learn to service it yourself. And don't short-change yourself when it comes to an amp, it's vital, and good cables. A ten grand bass through a crappy amp will have less tone than a Squier through a great amp.

Settle on your instrument, and then the work begins in earnest.

 

[Dust2Dust]

things like some or all of the frets being all different (and incorrect) heights and what to do about that

That sounds like some "Next Level" stuff right there. I wouldn't expect that from any bass that's been talked about so far, and If it were me and I was faced with that I would take it in to have it worked on. Just learn the actual setup part . . .changing strings, the truss rod, intonation, and adjusting string height. It won't take long to learn all that and when you do, you'll be able to setup your bass on your own and after you get a feel for it (by playing it for a while) you'll figure out what adjustments to make to "dial it in" to what works best for you (IF any adjustments are needed).

I don't think you need to keep shopping. Squire CVs have a great rep around TB, it's probably solid quality.

Totally agree. I've got a 70s P and it's a good bass. (I've also got a 60s Jazz, a 70s Jazz V, and other assorted Classic Vibes. All good basses)
The 70s CV you have is all you need to learn the setup stuff I talked about.

The CV is decent quality enough for now. Don't be in any hurry.

Totally agree. Use the CV until you feel confident when walking into Sweetwater

 

[Dust2Dust]

Here's a good video that got me started doing my own setups

 

[antfarm]

You could study the history of the electric bass.

A good starting point is The Bass Book by Tony Bacon.

Tony Bacon: words, writing, and more

 

[antfarm]

Vintage (inspired) vs. Modern
Passive vs. Active
4 strings vs. more strings
Longscale vs. Shortscale/mediumscale
Handmade vs. Mass produced
Magnetic vs. Piezo Pickups
…

It’s a multi-dimensional space.

 

[HardNHeavy]

categories?...phew thank god for google then, crawling back out of that rabbit hole.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Categories Of Basses:
Fender:
any bass made by Clarence Leo Fender before 1965.
Fender CBS:
Clones of Fender made poorly by CBS
FMIC:
Clones of Fender made post CBS
CCB:
Cheap Chinese Basses
FSO:
Fender Shaped Objects (see CBS and FMIC)
HEADLESS:
Stein Burgers and Stein Burger Shaped Objects
Boat Anchor: Any bass over 11 lbs
Booteek: A (usually non FSO) priced over $3700
Longbow:
A bass with a neck warped and twisted so bad it's more useful for shooting deer with arrows...