Do singlecut basses look pretentious?

[Eminor3rd]

I would never worry about that. Not only because it doesn't matter -- also because I highly doubt any random audience person gives enough of a crap about me to even have that thought.

 

[Ron Johnson]

I love single cuts because their design makes the most sense to me (for neck stability). I've never thought of them as "pretentious" or bad looking. Looks are the least important to me, but I still think they look nice too.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Let's talk about singlecut basses. Do you think that they are suitable for a "main" bass, or does the fancy looks make it a little too pretentious to be used everywhere?

Two singlecuts on the market right now are the Ibanez SR Cerra and the BTB 686/685, pics attached.

Especially the BTB, with its big horn up to the 12th fret, would make me self-conscious to take it to a blues club, for example, even though I like the look. (The Cerras look even better, but they don't have a 6-string version.)

What do you think? Do they make the player look full of himself?

Pretentious of what?
Because they tend to play something other than Classic Rock,Metal and Blues?
How is that pretentious?

 

[Flaked Beans]

Do singlecut basses look pretentious?

No.

Link Removed

 

[ThuzzleFump]

I have never played one of the modern 'whale-type' basses. That's the only way I could judge. If it's great to play and sounds fantastic, it's a great bass. That would help me warm up to the look.

I agree that it would look out of context in certain settings, but hey, think about the first P-Bass players in the era of the upright. Change, it's a thing.

 

[tedious1]

I frankly can't stand the elongated single cuts. I get it, solving neck dive, whatever.

I would go for an elongated single cut, if the fretboard had fingers and nose on it (like hanging over the top edge of the neck) and the singlecut itself had a pair of eyes over the nose, and a cartoon bubble that ran back onto the body with the slogan "Wot!? No Guiness?!"

But otherwise all I see is a blank space where my "Wot!? No Guiness?!" cartoon should be.

 

[Basshappi]

Play what you like and to hell with what anyone thinks.
If you've got the chops and are easy to work with that's all that matters.

 

[allenhumble]

Nope. Love em

 

[garp]

I agree that it would look out of context in certain settings, but hey, think about the first P-Bass players in the era of the upright. Change, it's a thing.

Indeed. In one sense, the Precision was essentially a solution to a problem that didn't exist – except in Leo's own mind.

 

[A. D. Fairhurst]

I don't think it's pretentious, just bad looking! A singlecut the size of, say, a Les Paul Triumph bass or ES Les Paul bass is awesome looking, but one that goes up to the twelfth fret is just not for me. Plus, it's impractical as above that point you can't get your thumb round the neck.

 

[phillybass101]

It's halfway through 2016 and folks are still asking this question?

 

[RED J]

No one gives a damn.

I really want to learn how to poll everybody. I see people do it, but there has to be a trick I don't know.

 

[arbiterusa]

Don't worry about that, most folks will think you play a guitar anyway.

/thread over
/forum over
/Talkbass over

So true it hurts.

 

[grinx]

only other music-types will hate on ya
the general populace doesn't notice or care

if I show up to a jam with a Krappy 2-string, everyone laughs and points and expects me to trip on a root/fifth right out of the box
if I show up to a jam with a 5-string singlecut coffeetabletop, everyone expects me to play like the lovechild of Jaco and Victor

musicians can suck.....sometimes

 

[red_rhino]

It's totally pretentious. It says "I could afford a double-cut, but I don't want to show off." Sort of like buying a Bentley instead of a Rolls.

 

[monsterthompson]

In Astrapto's defense, he does say he likes the look of single cut basses, so I don't think this was a way around the "ugly" bass rule. Glad to see this is basically resolved (in this thread, anyway, more or less. ).

Your question seems legit and doesn't seem like a troll. I think someone else could've gone that route.

So far, so good.

 

[Flaked Beans]

I don't think it's pretentious, just bad looking! A singlecut the size of, say, a Les Paul Triumph bass or ES Les Paul bass is awesome looking, but one that goes up to the twelfth fret is just not for me. Plus, it's impractical as above that point you can't get your thumb round the neck.

There is no money above the 12th fret.

 

[A. D. Fairhurst]

There is no money above the 12th fret.

Cheeky slides count as money to me.

 

[monsterthompson]

Link Removed

yes, please. call me anything you want. pretentious? fine.
...i'll admit, i don't care for the top on this one, so just the back-side pic

 

[lz4005]

It's halfway through 2016 and folks are still asking this question?

Folks are still very very insecure.

I've taken the stage with some odd (for the genre of music) basses in my time. That occasionally got me a few snide chuckles and half-witty comments - until we started playing.

Nobody had anything to say about what I was playing after that.

Exactly!

Generally it goes down like this:
Marginal guitar player holding a relic'd 2014 Strat - "What the hell is that?"
Me - "I know, right? Isn't it great? 2, 3, 4!"
And with that we're into the first song at a tempo I know they can just barely hang with. They don't say anything about my bass after that.