How have your tastes changed?

[Az4stringer]

Started on a Ibanez Pbass copy in 1983
Then to a Carvin LB70 in 1989
Then to a Lakland 44-AJ in 2013
Then to a Lakland 44-60 in 2016

Still have all these basses. Retired the Carvin in 2013. She deserved retirement after all those years. I also needed a lighter bass. That LB70 has some weight to it. The Lakland 44-60 is now my main bass and the Lakland 44-AJ is my back up bass.

Started on round wounds and slowly drifted to pressure wounds to Thomastick Infield flat wounds. Been playing the TIs for the past 20+ years.

Started with a Peavey 250W amp and a 2x15 cabinet that I installed 15in Peavey Black Widows. Peavey Black Widows were speaker to have in the 80s. Changed the Peavey amp for a GK 700RB.
Now I play a Fender Bassman Pro 6x10 with a Mesa M6 Carbine and a Markbass Little Mark III tube 800.

 

[Jay2U]

No change at all.
Then: No Jazz Bass for me.
Now: No Jazz Bass for me.

 

[FishDub]

It's been interesting seeing how my bass tastes have changed over time--how about yours?

Then: short scale
Now: medium scale

Then: semi-hollow body
Now: solid body

Then: neck pickup and dark, fundamental-heavy tone
Now: middle (even slightly bridge-ward) pickup and articulate, mid-rich tone

No change: limited neck taper, narrow string spacing at bridge

No change: flat wound strings

Then- wondering why people swore by Fender
Now- Discovered why

 

[Chad Michael]

Went from 4 string fretted, to 6 string fretted, to 5 string fretted, and now 5 string fretless is what I enjoy playing the most ….. but my Pedulla fretted sounds so damn good when I pick it up, I can promise it will go to the grave with me.

 

[Dynomuttasaurus]

Then: Fender, active electronics, every technique to display proficiency (fingers, slap & pop, tapping -- but never, ever a pick), a 15" paired with 2x10" and a drummer who kicked the **** out of a double bass pedal.
Now: Brand doesn't matter, passives and active electronics, whatever technique works for the song (including pick), a good 2x10" and a drummer with creative/tight timing.

 

[pbass74]

Then: Roundwounds.
Now: Pressurewounds.

 

[cv115505]

I try to have a little of everything for session work, but my tastes have gone from more modern basses to more vintage-y designs. I don’t really get into actual vintage basses because of the inflated prices and the uncertainty that comes with those instruments. I tend to get modern interpretations of those vintage designs.

 

[pellomoco14]

Scale- Then: 35"-34"
Now: 34"
5 strings then and now 4 strings every now and then.
Solid body then and now
Narrow string spacing then and now
Low action then, high action now
Tone is all over the place then and now.
Roundwounds and flats then. tapewounds now

 

[Tommy V]

Then: had enough money in pocket to buy what i wanted, when i wanted it.
Now: having to make payments on cheap Chinese crap.

 

[Clark W]

Then to a Carvin LB70 in 1989

Retired the Carvin in 2013. She deserved retirement after all those years. I also needed a lighter bass. That LB70 has some weight to it.

I bought a Carvin LB70 in 1995, Hawaiian oiled koa wood, gold hardware, sperzel trim locking tuners, finally let her go in 2002. Awesome bass, but like you said, she had a little weight on her for sure.

 

[devnulljp]

Depending on when 'then' is...

Then: Aria Pro II
Now: Fender PBass

 

[bench]

didn´t care much about basses until i wa 14 or 15... ...since then i do. a lot.

 

[Jenra]

Really curious how people think their preferences haven't changed :O

I've been playing for 12 odd years, and I've changed just about everything atleast once.. The biggest difference being what I play, with whom I play.. I must admit that the sound for the gig is what I aim for, thus I change alot!
Currently though I'm trying to expand my repertoire of sounds, be it by pedals, different basses, different amps or just playing styles..

Everything has changed, I've changed and now I'm a better player for it!

 

[kerrycares]

Then: upright and jazz bass
Now: upright and 4,5 & 6 string jazz bass
The only thing that really changed was bass amp technology by 100 lbs .

 

[JimmyM]

Then: Fender and Ampeg

Now: Fender and Ampeg

 

[lbbc]

Then--Aria Beatle Bass
Now--Fender Precision

Then--graduated to Active Bass
Now--strictly Passive

Then--roundwound
Now--pressurewound

Then--very little singing
Now--lead and backup singing

 

[TheLowDown33]

Then: active! 6 strings! Slap, tap and billy Sheehan-fast finger style! I wanted to impress people so badly and show them that bass players we not reduced-faculty guitarists. I was into blazing fast fusion and didnt give a rat's ass that some of it wasnt even close to musically interesting.

Went through a long phase of that, almost stopped playing because I could never play like those fusion shredders (at the time) and said to myself, "I'm going to focus on TONE". You could see the GAS coming for miles. Started with a few pedals, then more pedals, then all of the pedals. One day, I decided that my Ibanez BTB wasn't the bass sound I wanted anymore. I went through maybe 10 basses before I realized I wanted a precision bass with flats. Got a Fender American Deluxe Precision V (yes, that one) and hated the B string on it, at least with flats. So the quest for the perfect B string ensued. Ended real quick once I tried a Dingwall though.

Now: Jazz, Lo-fi fusion, RnB, funk, ambient, proggish rock, more "virtuoso" bass. I also play in a Top 40 cover band. My basses are a Squier P, Warmoth fretless G4, and soon to be Dingwall Combustion 6. No amps or cabs, and my pedalboard is an HX stomp surrounded by a few choice pedals.

Interested to see what the future holds, that's for certain.

 

[Shanannigan]

A lot has changed.
From only electric, to primarily acoustic (ABG not upright).
From 4 strings, to 6 strings, to 6 string tuned in 5ths.
The next step is mostly like from longscale to shortscale

 

[bearfoot]

After 20+ years, I discovered the tone knob.

 

[PWRL]

I've always been interested in the classics. Fenders, Ricks, hollowbodies, stuff like that. Where I did grow a bit is that I turned into a Warwick player, as well, which I never though would happen. I didn't get it 20 years ago, but I get it now.