• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

High end copies

#41
jworrellbass said:
So far the only thing you've added "because they are ugly on stage". I really don't take that as any type of answer. Most of the custom work I've seen is very beautiful, natural woods, the finish work of artist. To each his own applies here.
Click to expand...

I choose my words carefully. Don't quote me if you're not going get it right; I used the word 'ridiculous'. Many boutique basses are beautiful to look at, but they aren't the right look for a rock/blues/etc. band. Why don't more big-name bassists use high-end basses, you ask? They need to look the part, and a 7-string Ritter with a 12-piece neck and a fancy wood top isn't going to fit.
 
#42
I'd like to put in another vote for the "look" folks. I play mostly traditional looking basses. I have a greenburst carvin that plays great, but it just doesn't fit visually into the country group that I play with.

Further, the longer I play (I've only been playing for about 18 years) the more I like traditional, and traditional-ish basses. This means that my main players -P, J, and a frankenbass- all have a rather vintage look to them. Even the basses I lust after, Wendler, Lakland Decade and Hollowbody, etc. All have a more subdued traditional appeal.
 
#44
WoodyG3 said:
Just wondering when you play the Jerzy Drozd 5 you have listed in your profile? I'm really not trying to be a wise guy. Do you reserve that bass for certain genres of on stage playing?
Click to expand...

Well let's just say I wouldn't play it if I was hired for a classic rock gig. I don't play it out much anymore but that's more because of the weight and scale length than anything else. It sees a lot of studio time, though.
 
#47
(I hope I am not going to get confused with a forum troll from my name here)

There is a comfort and expectation attached to the familiar that exotic and original shapes do not have to contend with. Some folks like the familiar feel and look but want to sound different, some like to look different and sound familiar. As for me my first true exotic bass is still on the drawing board (so to speak), but I'm hoping to incorporate features to make the overall effect familiar while also being reasonably uniqueue. A bass that fits that description for me would be the Fenderbird; it's more than just a P neck on a Thunderbird body due to the cutaway, so the bass is familiar yet uniqueue (not counting the copies since then).

Jazz Ad said:
I don't see this thread taking a good direction.
Click to expand...

As long as nobody gets prissy I don't think there will be a problem, but just like honest threads about relic'ing it only takes one person to trash the whole thread.
 
#48
Spencer! said:
I choose my words carefully. Don't quote me if you're not going get it right; I used the word 'rediculous'. Many boutique basses are beautiful to look at, but they aren't the right look for a rock/blues/etc. band. Why don't more big-name bassists use high-end basses, you ask? They need to look the part, and a 7-string Ritter with a 12-piece neck and a fancy wood top isn't going to fit.
Click to expand...

:rolleyes: yeah, tell that to phil lesh and doug wimbish.
 
#51
ok, well, let's attempt to change course here.

despite the "heated" direction this conversation has taken, let's attempt to keep it going with a little bit more restraint.

there are -alot- of pros who play boutique or at the very least unconventional, non-fender instruments. everyone attaches the hofner bass or the ric with paul mccartney, for example, but he also plays a 5 string wal live.

a vast number of well-known pro rock players, in fact, play or have played wals in particular, and alembics as well, throughout the years. couple that with the large number of younger pros who have gone on tour with warwicks and spectors, and you have a huge population of working rock players not playing fender-style instruments.

the sweeping pronouncements about what "most" pros do are non-statements, because they assume facts not in evidence, based on what someone "thinks" things are like.

lastly, i would think that an established pro player cares very little that someone else thinks their instrument is ridiculous-looking. a pro is concerned with putting together the best product that he can, and as such is going to choose the best tool for the job. when you've sold a million albums, the price difference between a $200 and a $5000 is a nonissue, so there's not going to even be the distinction made there. instruments are judged on their merits by folks interested in them as tools to perform a job.
 
#53
I've always been partial to jazz basses. I started out on a Squier Jazz many moons ago and though I've played a lot of other basses, the jazz always felt like home. Not to mention (as a classic rock\blues\country fan), most of the basslines and tones I learned to love were played on jazzes (or precisions).

So I went on a quest to find the best (to me) jazz I could find and could not be any happier with my Sadowsky - fancy top with custom paint, lightweight and killer tone. Have to admit that I had the fleeting thought of wow - I could get something visually stunning like an MTD or the like for the same price as this jazz. I'm glad in the end I went the way I did...
 
#54
I thought the same way as you Jworrell, why spend so much on a Fender looking boutique bass? I've since gone through many "high-end" non-traditional basses and now have settled on a Sadowsky 24-5 as my main bass, which is a Fender styled bass, with a modern touch. For me, every one of the high end basses I've tried had an element that I personally did not prefer; Ken Smiths were heavy and did not have a variety of tones, my F Bass BN5 was ergonomically awkward for me (body dive), etc. In terms of playability and tone too, the Sadowsky was it for me. Looks-wise, I'm beginning to appreciate the beauty and "straightfowardness" of the traditional Fender design, even though I've never owned one. If such a thing as an original '78 Fender Jazz 5 ever existed, and it had a tight B, relatively quiet electronics, and 19mm string spacing, I'd want it bad. Of course, I'd probably have to sell the house.
 
#55
jworrellbass said:
Ok I'm back in. I never had any arguments with anyone, just discussion. It wasn't until you interjected that remark about "looking ridiculous on stage". I was looking for feedback from guys who own high end copies. Please don't take anything I say as a "cheap shot". If you own a high end copy thats great I'll take your statement a little more serious. I will say I'm sorry to you.
Click to expand...

Given that I own a high-end jazz-style bass, the 'ridiculous' statement comes from experience.
 
#57
Well, to try to calm down this thread a bit before it shuts down, back to the OP's original request to 'hear from some hi end J copy guys', I'm the poster boy:D

As a few others have stated, I always loved the 'true' Fender tone and look, but for the most part, was underwhelmed with the quality of construction, playability, the preamps on the Fender active models, and at least until very recently, the performance of the B strings (in general) on the 5 string models.

So, the more 'hand made' (or small batch expertly assembled) J Basses that I now own give me 'Fodera/MTD' quality and playability but with a more classic 'Fenderish' type tone. To me, that's a perfect combination. But, that's a pure IMO!
 
#58
ok, i've cleaned up some of the more egregious elements in this thread.

remember, respect is rule #1 at talkbass. that means even those folks who we don't agree with.

members are entitled to their opinions despite their age or experience. we can disagree with those opinions without attacking them - it's the cornerstone of communication.
 
#59
john turner said:
lastly, i would think that an established pro player cares very little that someone else thinks their instrument is ridiculous-looking.
Click to expand...

The point I was trying to make is that in a lot of circles, image counts. Sometimes it's fine to use a fancy-looking bass. But there are many pros who work in an environment where a Fender-style bass is what's called for.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back