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Finally Arrived at a Simple Question: Which Bass?

#61
Smallmouth_Bass said:
Nice that you found a way for the Thunderbird to work for you! It certainly has a rock'n'roll look, but a good sounding bass is a good sounding bass.

Dingwall's take on the Thunderbird, the D-Roc, is surprisingly ergonomic for that general shape. I think if I were to go Thunderbird, that would be my choice.

The Ian Martin Allison Lull has the Thunderbird pickups in a Jazz bass format and it sounds great. I mean, just about anything he plays sounds great, but that one is particularly nice.

I remember seeing a live video of Slash & The Conspirators with Todd Kerns on bass playing a Thunderbird and it sounded really good.
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It's been oft-imitated and that's the sincerest firm of flattery... But yeah it's the one I rediscover all the time. I guess it's my favorite.
 
#63
Count Bassie said:
I've been playing about 47 years, and I've done a few things that have been, for me, notable. I'm a bass player when I'm being my happiest, still finding my way, and will always be a bass player.
I'm looking at being 65 in a month or so, and I'm (again, or maybe still?...) asking myself: which bass? After years of trying out, guessing, concluding and asking again, through injuries, changes in styles and pursuits, skill sets and inspirations/seeking for inspirations, yadda-yadda... the stuff we all do... Well I've got this motley collection of useable sticks. But shouldn't I have that one that's my always-go-to, my Excaliber, blah blah blah? Maybe I just haven't made my music important enough? Maybe I see it as secondary to working and "having a life", and being something that my 'peers' see as justifiable?

I've got a neck-thru Epi Thunderbird,
a 2013 Sterling Ray 34ca (because a MM is too expensive),
a fretless mod Westone,
a Chickenbacker (used to have a Ric...),
a nice Fender knock-off built and given to me by a luthier friend I've known for 20 years,
and there's a '96 Tobias Growler sitting here a friend has offered to sell me.

I could let all this go for one that came along and fit me like a custom-made glove. The Stingray sounds great, but it's 11+ lbs. The neck on the Tobias is like warm butter on Teflon... but the Tobias sits a little funny, but not the Thunderbird. The Thunderbird sits perfectly- but is a long bass and tight spaces are tough. The Fender knock-off is light as a bag without bricks in it and sounds good, but the neck is too fat front to-back, and slows my left hand down just enough to be disappointing.
Right, nothing new here, life isn't perfect and what you get good at is dealing. I'm just trying to make that field of dealing a little narrower, so I'm venting here- though all this complaining makes me feel like a fragile, fussy poster child for some brand of lithium-based med... lol.
Oh yeah- when I was given the Fender type knock-off (branded the "Two Face", behaves like a P *or* a J, not a P/J. Interesting idea and a very nice bass actually! There's a story behind it, another post maybe), I had to promise 1) to play it, and 2) that I would never sell it. I may have to sand that neck down a bit to keep my part of the bargain... and I've been looking into that.
So if you've read all this, you're either feeling it or you need a life. Lol! But there's my post for the day. I'm one step away from gathering it all up and selling/trading for something that will give me buyer's/seller's remorse for a couple months, then find I've done the right thing. It's all about the process.

No need to reply, but please do if you have something that needs to land on your keyboard... but I'm just putting this down somewhere so I can see it, and either feel silly or inspire a move. Hope this hasn't wasted your time.
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If you're handy with tools I'd say build that bass that fits you like a glove. I'd never done anything like it before but it was covid, the city was in lock-down and it occurred to me as something I should have a shot at. I watched many YT videos over many months learning what not to do as well as techniques to help the end result and avoid disaster. I now have two basses that came from that adventure and they are my favourite basses. They both get gig time and they both came out well enough for me to take them to the stage. I'm no luthier and they show it if you look closer but I used quality components and they sound and play great. GAS has departed. I still look to admire but I have the ones I want.
 
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#64
Count Bassie said:
That's a pretty good sounding bass.
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Definitely.
I don't need another bass, but I know I'm eventually going to buy one.
Still regret not buying this one when it first came out...limited edition.
jwb2qelktuccl4zz3r5s-1.jpg
 
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#65
I went from a small fleet of basses(I had 5 at one time, to me anything over 2 is a "fleet") to a single one, it satisfies all my needs and I do not want another.
Sure, when I go to my local music shop I do try a bunch of others, but I always put them back on the rack thinking "it's nice, but mine is better".
Honestly, it's a good place to be.
 
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#66
bullshark said:
I went from a small fleet of basses(I had 5 at one time, to me anything over 2 is a "fleet") to a single one, it satisfies all my needs and I do not want another.
Sure, when I go to my local music shop I do try a bunch of others, but I always put them back on the rack thinking "it's nice, but mine is better".
Honestly, it's a good place to be.
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I believe that.
 
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#67
Count Bassie said:
- though all this complaining makes me feel like a fragile, fussy poster child for some brand of lithium-based med... lol.
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It's unfortunate that this kind of casual hate is allowed to just float around in this community. It had nothing to do with your post, just feels like something that might have been said by the kind of person who feels good as long as there is someone "lesser" upon whom to spit. We do see a lot of that these days, and it's not making anything better.

As for basses, finding another won't change anything. Play what you have, and try to be nice to people.
 
#68
TeaTime said:
It's unfortunate that this kind of casual hate is allowed to just float around in this community. It had nothing to do with your post, just feels like something that might have been said by the kind of person who feels good as long as there is someone "lesser" upon whom to spit. We do see a lot of that these days, and it's not making anything better.

As for basses, finding another won't change anything. Play what you have, and try to be nice to people.
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Ok. It was a fictional characterization, also meant to be lightly self-deprecating. That doesn't make it any better I guess. Careless of me...
The lithium remark in particular was callous, yeah I shouldn't have gone there. I have an aunt who uses such a cocktail after finally having arrived at it through a years-long search. I love her, and wouldn't go to such a place- certainly on purpose. It was not meant to offend.
I apologize to the community for having offended. Especially after everyone has been generally edifying and helpful. Message received.

If I might. I do think the word "hate" is overused, and maybe not specific enough to drop on something you happen across and find offensive. It's a really strong word, and here it becomes too general. In fact as your comment progresses, the tone seems dismissive of my character at-large, dressing me right down to my bass guitar quandary. Pretty condescending, but at least you're thorough.
Maybe I'll bring it to my therapist.

*(I'll just add that I'm generally nice to people.)
*(Done editing.)
 
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#69
Count Bassie said:
I do tend to go at more than I should all at once. When I learn a song I often end up finding I'm working too hard at it, the bass line is usually simpler than my efforts.
When I write an original line I often have to winnow it down to something more digestible.
If I were born 29 years earlier I might have been in a prog band.
Anyway, yeah that's interesting.
Been into the fretless for the cover band.
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I also find it interesting that others agree with your TBird but recommend another upgraded TBird. I mentioned my Gibson because it is the only one I had but if there's nothing wrong with your Epi than no reason to change it. I have an MTD Kingston that has become the only player the last few months. Now that it is my sole player, does that mean I have to fork out 6k+ to get an MTD USA?
 
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#70
overit said:
I also find it interesting that others agree with your TBird but recommend another upgraded TBird. I mentioned my Gibson because it is the only one I had but if there's nothing wrong with your Epi than no reason to change it. I have an MTD Kingston that has become the only player the last few months. Now that it is my sole player, does that mean I have to fork out 6k+ to get an MTD USA?
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Well there are opinions. The T-bird thing here I believe is taking its cue from the fact that I find it a comfortable shape. Pickups and sound preferences are like the 193 flavors of ice cream store. And, in the same way that sometimes people have to be won over when they see a Thunderbird, they might not believe the stock Gibson TB+ p'ups are viable for many genres. It's interesting to go through that with other musicians.

There are reasons your MTD is your weapon of choice now. How much you pay won't necessarily equal how much happiness you discover. I had an old Squire Affinity Precision that I played for three years in a Portuguese Festival band, and that was the right thing to do. I finally moved on, which was kind of too bad. That was one of those instruments that you forget while you're playing. That's irreplaceable.
 
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#71
Ultimate bass:
Lightweight
Super low action with no buzzes
Impervious to temperature and humidity, never goes out of tune

After owning and playing hundreds, I have only found two that fully qualify:

Status streamline (out of production, and not available in my preferred short scale...I had a medium scale which was awesome)

BassLab! Available, and in Short Scale 🌞
 
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#72
mikewalker said:
Ultimate bass:
Lightweight
Super low action with no buzzes
Impervious to temperature and humidity, never goes out of tune

After owning and playing hundreds, I have only found two that fully qualify:

Status streamline (out of production, and not available in my preferred short scale...I had a medium scale which was awesome)

BassLab! Available, and in Short Scale 🌞
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I'll look up BassLab. Interesting.
 
#74
Danny O Danny said:
A Thunderay! I bet Brooks could build a killer one.
www.brooksbassguitars.com

BROOKS BASS GUITARS

Brooks Bass Guitars are handbuilt by Rob van den Broek. Rob is also the author of The Gibson Bass Book
www.brooksbassguitars.com
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Yeah I called it the ThunderRay when I made a sketch for that idea.
I'd love to build one some day.

thunderray-black-body-black-pg_orig.jpg
 
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#75
Basvarken said:
Yeah I called it the ThunderRay when I made a sketch for that idea.
I'd love to build one some day.

thunderray-black-body-black-pg_orig.jpg
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That's... an interesting juxtaposition of flavors... I like it/recoil at the same time! But there's the Thunderbird ergos and the Stingray-ness. Gotta let that one sit and see... Haven't seen anyone else do that yet!
 
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#76
Count Bassie said:
That's... an interesting juxtaposition of flavors... I like it/recoil at the same time! But there's the Thunderbird ergos and the Stingray-ness. Gotta let that one sit and see... Haven't seen anyone else do that yet!
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I love thinking up hybrids where some Gibson DNA gets combined with other iconic features:

www.brooksbassguitars.com

CONCEPTS AND WILD IDEAS

Concepts and wild ideas By Brooks Bass Guitars that may some day end up being real bass guitars
www.brooksbassguitars.com
 
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#78
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#79
Basvarken said:
One of them actually came to fruition!

www.brooksbassguitars.com

Brooks DDB - aka Double Duane Bird

Brooks DDB aka Double Duane Bird. This is a hand built double-neck Thunderbird. With a short-scale twelve-string neck and a long-scale four-string neck
www.brooksbassguitars.com

brooks-ddb-front-full-1500_orig.jpg
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That is the sh!t right there.
I'm having designs on a fretted/fretless, maybe a med scale fretted neck, long scale fretless... But I do like that short-scale 12!
 
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