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Has your taste in basses grown simpler or more complex?

Has your taste in basses grown simpler or more complex? (see first post)

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    333
#81
I have a friend who had one of these basses. It scared me so much that I did not even drive past his house!

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#83
After all these years I've found out all I like is a 4 string bass with 1 humbucker. I keep tone and volume in most of my basses, but I don't touch it. In my first bass, a P/J, I removed the J pickup and soldered it directly to the pot, so no volume and no tone.
All my other basses are 1 pickup, humbucker mostly, and once I find the sound I like it stays like it. So far I have:

1. Epi Jack Casady
2. A P/J with only the P
3. Ibanez ATK 300
4. Musciman SUB Usa (1 pickup stingray)
5. Homemade cabronita bass with 1 thundertron pickup

I'm building some more basses and guess what they have in common? Yep, 4 strings and 1 pickup
 
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#85
Started with a passive Chinese Ibanez GSR100EX, never a problem...went on to a few different brands of active 4 and 5 strings... each one of these active basses, developed issues at some point. Some within a few days, others, around 10 years.
The cost of fixing the problems was more than the bass was worth.
The worst offenders being; Schecter and Yamaha and worst electronics were EMG.

I am happy to say, im back to 4 string passive PJ bass with DiMarzio DP122 and DP123 pickups. Not a single problem in 15 years.
 
#86
Well, I started with a 70 P-Bass, discovered Peavey basses, which became more “modern” over time, culminating with my Cirrus basses (which I love!), and then I wanted a more traditional style, so I glommed on to a bunch of G&Ls—all Tributes, thank you very much…and then, after experiencing SX instruments back in Rondo Music’s heyday, I stumbled on the Glarry/Firebass thread and wondered, “what if?”. Ordered a fretless p for $66.00, and, dang it, I was blown away! Perfect? Hell no. Usable? Hell yeah! Plays great and sounds way better than it has any right to. My enabler of a wife insisted on ordering me a Glarry Jazz 5er. Not here yet, however I feel confident that it will not be a limitation on my meager playing ability!

Kim
 
#89
Both. Started out on a late 90’s maroon wine red Mexican Precision Bass.

Now 5 strings with both active /passive options are my thing. They are Fender influenced but definitely have improved on design features and build quality.

But I like to keep a good ole Fender PBass with flats around too. Funny thing is that I’ve always preferred the import PBass models and the US Jazz versions.
 
#91
Over the decades, many different basses. Five strings. Active Eq basses. Two pickups.

Now, with my age and experience, simple is best. (Not only basses but nearly everything in life.)

Basses. Fender P Bass and Fender SCPBs.

(showing my 1953 P and 1966 P)
 

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#92
Kind of both...

Started out simple with a 4-string Fender Jazz Bass Special, went thru a slew of boutiques with a variety of pickup types, eventually coming back to P/J's.

But, along the way I found that I liked modern design improvements - 5-strings, fanned frets, roasted necks, and active/passive modes to cover a wider variety of music styles. So here's where I am today.

5-string P/J, active/passive, fanned frets, roasted neck. Never been happier.

Tagima-Predator-5-UQ-Silver-Metallic.jpg
 
#93
I'll trade simpler for ...'cheaper'. Ive had tons of basses and now enjoy playing a squire VM P bass. In fact play back from a show I did a while back easily justified my thinking. Sounded very good and money in the bank.
 
#94
I answered both because i currently own and play a Sire M2 5-string. I played it active until the batteries ran dry a month ago and i have been playing it daily passive and i love the bass.

And i am currently keeping my eyes on the second hand market for a Yamaha BB435 in burst or teal as a second bass. To have a modern active bass and a passive more vintagey one...

Prices for those Yamahas have increased a lot over the past few years. Funnily enough the BB body shape didn't do it for me. Now that i want one, they’re out of my budget...
 
#96
socknroll1 said:
Some players start with a passive, 4-string, 1-pickup, Fender-shaped object (FSO).

Over time, some players end up moving in the direction of a 5- or 6-string, 2- or 3-pickup, active EQ, non-FSO with many knobs and switches, as their preferred bass.

Other players end up where they started, or going "back" to the simplest setup possible - passive, 4-string, 1 pickup (maybe 2), FSO, 2 to 3 knobs at an absolute maximum.

I'm a minimalist so you know my answer - simplest tool that gets the job done. Wanted to see yours.
Click to expand...
This, except I didn't return to a FSO. I now have 4 Gibsons (2 Thunderbirds and 2 EB3/SG) as my main players, occasionally play 2 FSO Dingwalls. Only one of these basses is active, and it has a passive bypass.

I spent 20+ years chasing the Fender tone, only to realize I prefer Gibson passive humbuckers.
 
#97
Same as ever...

More complex in my personal tastes. I still have more I want to play.

But I keep using a Jazz in various projects for years now, it just always seems to be the best choice for them.
 

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