How did you end up with your current workhorse?

[twinjet]

I was telling my wife how I came to be a massive StingRay fanboy and player and thought it might be cool to see from you all how you ended up playing your current "workhorse" or favorite bass?

Not that any of you asked, but here's how I ended up playing 'Rays.

I was 17 and and bought a POS Samick bass at a pawn shop (I don't remember if it was a P or J style). It sort of worked for about 6 months. In that time I picked up some bass instruction books and worked through them, and joining my high school's jazz band.

In the jazz band, the intonation and staying in tune problems of my Samick proved to be too much, even after a setup, so the conductor had me use the school's MIM Fender Jazz bass.

My Samick was relegated to a corner of my room, never to leave the cheap gig bag I had it in again.

I was allowed to take the MIM J bass home over the summer between junior and senior year so I could build up my chops. I also started to jam with some friends and learn how the bass functioned in the mix with a band--in jazz band, I was just playing the notes; there was no feeling in my playing.

During that summer, I found out Les Claypool used Carl Thompson basses for hiw work with Primus. I loved his sound with Primus and desperately wanted a CT of my own (I had no idea how to get one, hell, I thought I could go to Guitar Center and grab one off the shelf. That's how naive I was at the time) so I could sound just like Claypool.

Turns out, GC doesn't stock CT basses (again, I was jsut starting and had no idea what I was doing), but they did have a bass that looked similar to a CT, or at least close enough that I fell in love with it on sight--the Rickenbacker 4003.

So I got a jetglo Ric and played with my band friends. About a week later, the neck became horribly bowed, and I had no idea why or how it happened. I took it in for a trussrod fix, but even that couldn't save it. GC gave me a refund for the bass and I was back looking for a bass that would be a step up from my MIM Jazz bass.

I found a Warwick Corvette and went with it. Except it was fretless, and since I had some experience with an upright bass, I thought I could handle it.

Nope.

I had bitten off more than I could chew, so I took the Warwick back within the return window. I had missed the refund window, which was fine since I was going to get another bass, and the sales person I ran into asked me about the basses I had played thus far. I retold the previous story to him and he pointed me in the direction of an obnoxious orange bass. He said this guy named Flea used a bass like this, and that maybe this might be a good route to take. And, if I didn't like it, I could always return it and try to find another one.

So I tried out that orange bass with an SVT head.

I was in love. That sound...I can still hear it more than 20 years later.

That bass followed me home. It was a StingRay and I was hooked.

I ended up selling that bass when I went into the USMC 4 years later.

Two years into my USMC enlistment, while deployed to Iraq, I decided to order a StingRay 5. At the time (2005) nu-metal was a thing and I was into it, and thought the extended range would be a benefit more than anything else, so I pulled the trigger.

Turns out Musician's Friend ships to APOs, and about a week after ordering my bass, it was delivered to my office in the middle of the An Anbar Province of western Iraq.

I had to sell that bass a few year later due to moving across the country after my medical discharge from the USMC, and took a little break from bass.

Eventually, I got the urge to play again and found a red StingRay 5 with black pickguard, and bought it.

That's my current workhorse. I tried out an Adam Clayton Signature Jazz bass in the Sherwood Green when they came out, but the neck profile wasn't something that worked for me.

So here I am, a StingRay player and I couldn't be happier.

Well, I will be happier once I pick up that Rickenbacker 4003S/5 I fell in love with last weekend.

My G&L L-2000 was bought at a pawn shop. It was the first time I had seen a G&L in person, and TB had said they were spectacular. They were right and it's been nearly four years. It is my #1 bass, though it is on a slight break.

1989 G&L L-2000

The Jazz build was a year and a half long project that was completed in late 2018. It was inspired by Anthony Jackson's '70s "Career Girl" Jazz Bass and was meant to be a near-replica in appearance, sound and spec. Read the build thread if you're interested. This bass was the result of my long-running on/off relationship with Jazz Basses. After diving into AJ's 70's work, I had decided I could no longer do without one. It's been a fun first year with this one, and I just can't put it down lately!

2018 AJ Tribute Jazz Bass

 

[cnltb]

How did you end up with your current workhorse?
I called the builder and had it made.

 

[interp]

I was browsing through luthiers’ sites in about 2014, happened to see this Marleaux Contra, and without knowing the price or even who made it I decided that it would be mine. Bought it in 2015. I play it on 90% of my gigs; it will remain with me until my son inherits it.

 

[CallMeAl]

The Peavey neck fit without modification???

Just had to drill new holes. But it fit the pocket pretty well.

 

[jamro217]

I was a lead guitarist for years before I bought a decent bass. I had a Danelectro early on, but sold it to friend so he could use the parts for a custom build project in high school. (As a side note, I went to a local luthier's twenty years later to get some parts and the project bass was hanging on the wall. I bought it for $35. The only part he used from the Dano was the bridge.) I needed a bass to record with and had a pretty good idea that a P bass was the right model. I called a local shop that had two Fender basses available: a $300 white Jazz Bass with white blocks on maple, and a $335 natural '76 P with a maple B neck. This was in '78. By the time I got to the store the Jazz was sold, but the P felt great. The pickups had that lifeless, growly, harsh sound, but the bass a was beauty and played like a dream. I put a tort guard on it (still have the original black one) and a mongrel pickup. I wish I could remember what kind of pickup it was, because I'd buy a truckload of them. What a sound. That was my main bass for decades even though I have fifteen basses now. Depending on my mood I use different basses, but that is still one of my favorites. A P bass is hard to beat for simplicity, versatility, dependability, and comfort.

 

[garp]

I had mostly been using Ibanez basses since I started playing, but always liked the look of the Fender Jazz, so took the plunge about two decades ago and bought a new MIM, and subsequently fell in love with it. It has been modded a bit over the years, but it's still more or less the same instrument. It has become my "workhorse" primarily because:

• It's comfortable to play
• It's incredibly versatile tone-wise
• It's not so priceless as to be irreplaceable
• It conforms to the expectations of those who hire me to play for them. As much as I support the general philosophy that a bass player should play whatever instrument they want to play, as a hired gun, in my market, showing up with a Dean Zone Bass in Nuclear Green won't get me any work.

 

[2saddleslab]

Everything you'd want to know right here:
Diary of a 1951 Fender Bass

 

[Tom Gallo]

Both of mine, a Mustang and a P are parts builds.

 

[smtp4me]

My current workhorse is a 2013 Fender Geddy Lee Signature Jazz, purchased new. How did I end up with it? That's about 30 years of history - the short version: my first bass was a Jazz copy, bought new in 1977. Over the years I've owned 3 x Ibanez basses, 2 x Rickenbackers, 3 x Fender Jazz basses, and my original Jazz copy. In 2013 my only bass was an Ibanez RB850. I had just recovered from a serious injury to the index finger of my left (fretting) hand - a chainsaw accident, won't go into the details - I thought I would never play again, and after 2 months of healing and 3 months of physical therapy, I decided to really start woodshedding until I got my chops back. So I treated myself and bought the Geddy - it has been my number one since then.

 

[Spidey2112]

I try and rotate those in my harem, but after joining my current band two years ago, my Highway One Jazz gets the call, more times than not.

View attachment 3551222

Having GHS Pressurewounds on it doesn't hurt, either.

Since 'Edit' timed out, and I really didn't answer the OP's question...

... I got it new from GC, in '06. It came with the 60th Anniversary button on the back of the headstock. Can't believe I played it for so long without a proper setup, but after I learned how, the playability greatly improved!

The thin nitro finish is showing the wear in all the rights places too, which is cool.

 

[Chad Michael]

Wife, at the time, knew how much I loved to play... This one was a smoking deal on ebay. Rewind... Way back when (93 ish) fell in love with a Pedulla, waited 10 years for the right deal. Even tho she is my ex, she knew… this bass has more gig miles and earned more gig $$$ than all others combined.

 

[HeavyJazz]

My #1 was in for a customized neck replacement, but it was taking too long and I had two seperate studio projects underway. I played the EUB on as much as possible but really needed my bass back! So it occurred to me that a particularly impressive 5er I had played at the Atlanta Bass Gallery was still available... Boom.

2006 Zon Sonus-II 5

 

[delta7fred]

I'll try and keep this short.

1967 I made my first bass in woodwork class at school, it was unplayable above the 5th fret but it got me started.

Played that for a few months then replaced it with a Hofner Senator (hollow body with flats), it was probably a good bass but I hated it and couldn't sell it fast enough.

Replaced that with a pretty decent Japanese P bass copy which I gigged until I foolishly snapped the truss rod. I sold that to some kid who said he could repair it, it probably ended up as firewood or landfill.

Needing a bass in a hurry and not having much money and not wanting to go into debt I went to my local music shop and the only 2 basses I could afford were in the "bargain basement bin". A disgustingly dirty and rusty Ric and a 62 P that had once been CAR which had mostly been scraped off and tastefully refinished in household varnish with a brush.

I first tried the Ric and didn't like the feel of it at all so I picked up the P and it felt like I had played it for years so despite it's horrible looks it came home with me and soon got refinished in white. I still have it.

That was in 1969 and I played countless gigs with it until 2005 when I got the urge to try a 5 string and bought a MM SR5. I really liked and thought I had better try Leo's later creations and bought a G&L L-2000. This was quickly followed by a MM (USA) SUB4, G&L L-2500 and G&L SB-2.

Each of these saw considerable gig action and while the MMs are fine basses (apart from the weak G on the SR5) I prefer G&Ls so the MMs have gone.

My current workhorses are L-2000 for gigging with my 60's band and SB-2 that lives in my buddy's studio from where we do a weekly live stream to Facebook.

 

[outoftune]

I have gone through and have a lot of basses but this one always ends up going to my gigs. She just does everything right.

 

[Koshchei]

I had never played a Ric and the store had a bunch, so I tried them. The walnut one weighed less than 8lbs and played/sounded amazing. The price was also right. So I bought it.

 

[cheapbasslovin]

I flipped a bunch of low to medium end basses until I stumbled upon a Peavey Patriot. I set it up and shielded the cavity and put a good set of strings and then it just sat in every mix I played in and played easy and reliably. I think it's been my primary for 10 years.

I've been playing a Steinberger Spirit for my current gig, but would trade that out in a heartbeat if there wasn't a look I was trying to acheive.

 

[Biggbass]

I liked the color. Turned out to be a great choice. Luck of the draw I guess.
Been gassing for a walnut Ric since they introduced them ... maybe one day.

 

[Admiral Thrawn]

Thanks for serving, bro!

You are welcome! It was my pleasure!

And something that I needed to to go grow the f*&k up, too.

Oddly, it helped me realize that I needed to get with a teacher to get to the level of bass player I wanted to be. I was an egomaniac before the Corps and a much more humble, and honest with myself person, after.

 

[Koshchei]

I liked the color. Turned out to be a great choice. Luck of the draw I guess.
Been gassing for a walnut Ric since they introduced them ... maybe one day.

It’s ruined me for other basses. I can’t get over the missing “thing” that the Ric has tonally, that other basses don’t. I also really like the tighter 17.5mm string spacing.

The only downside, apart from the finicky setup, is that when I put new strings on it, I need to let them sit for a day because the instrument is so resonant that it’s almost impossible to play without harmonics jumping out everywhere. After a day, it sounds like a piano and then spends the next three months degrading to p-bass, when it’s time to replace the strings again.

 

[Admiral Thrawn]

I have two electric workhorses, one with flats, one with rounds, and I bought them both on here. I also have an upright workhorse, that I bought direct from the company. None of them are the fanciest examples of a bass you'll ever see, but they totally get the job done for me, sound awesome, are reasonably light, and feel great under the hands.

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09 Fender AmStd Precision that the owner sold because he said "I guess I'm just not a P type." Well who knows if he is or not, because the stock pickup on it was absolute garbage. That got rectified immediately with a Fender 62 Original, which was better but still sounded too scooped and bright for my tastes. In 2014 a buddy who used to work at EMG sent me two Geezer sets a month before they came out, and one went on this bass and it rules, so I became an endorser. Also has a Hipshot Bass Xtender and a bent plate replacement bridge, and now sports Dunlop flats 40-100.

View attachment 3551258

2016 Hammersmith PJ, which is one of the very first basses they made. Marko from Hammersmith offered to sell me a bass that he thought would be to my liking at a reasonable discount on spec just because they were a new company, and I liked it a lot. Then last year I got some fretwork done on it and now I absolutely love it. Has Geezers and Hipshot Ultralites and double-stop Bass Xtender so I can tune the E to a D or B at will, which is nice since I try to avoid my 5 and taking more than one bass to a gig at all costs. It gets strung with Dunlop Super Bright Nickels, also 40-100.

2005 Upton Hawkes upright, which they don't make anymore, but is such a good bass that I keep threatening to get another until I start playing it. Made of plywood, but has a gigantic sound that rivals a few hybrids I've played. I amplify it with a Clef Revolution Solo II pickup, also made by Upton, and it has Thomastik Superflexibles in the light gauge. Had mediums till last year when I decided I couldn't cope anymore. Sounds the same to me and makes an easy bass to play even easier, which is good because I'm only OK on it.

Love that Portafelx setup.