Is elegance a thing when it comes to basses?

[Wyrdlow]

Ive been a working bassist most of my life (Im now a RN and play part time for fun)....so, my point of view is different: Basses have always been tools, not art, to me. Therefore, when making elegance notes about instruments is kinda like expressing the beauty and classiness of hammers....I'm sure that Im probably in the minority on TB about this

Estwing make some really beautiful, classy hammers!

Even vintage collectibles!

 

[Rib 13]

Estwing make some really beautiful, classy hammers!

Even vintage collectibles!
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Estwing sounds suspiciously like Eastwood.....hmm

 

[gln1955]

Slip that burst and tort P bass into a little black dress and it will be elegant. Maybe a string of pearls around its neck, but no flashy jewelry.

 

[Aussie Player]

Normally I would say no, but after watching Carmine Rojas play bass with Bonamassa, he epitomises grace and elegance with a bass. Absolute class by all its definitions.

 

[B-Mac]

In my opinion Andrew Drake has made some pretty incredible, and yes elegant instruments. This is Wilma:

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This is just a tiny sampling. So let's hear it - is elegance a thing or is it a thing of the past? Post your thoughts here.

WILMA

 

[40Hz]

For me, elegance is the ability to accomplish one’s intended purpose with simplicity and precision.

Could a specific bass guitar ever be considered elegant? In my opinion - yes.

 

[Freekmagnet]

The Danelectro DC Convertible is a masterpiece of economy and elegance. AFAIK they only made a guitar, but if they made a bass, I’d rock it. Hmmm… maybe I should make one…

 

[hooky_marr]

Elegance is maybe too vague of a word here. It's too often conflated with fancy or expensive.

The dictionary defines it two ways:

• graceful and stylish
• pleasingly ingenious, simple, neatness.

As a professional designer, elegance to me has some or all of these qualities:

• Clean, clear, simple design, no distractions - it "reads" clearly at a distance
  
• Ergonomically comfortable, lightweight
• Economical use of only a few materials
• Simple color scheme, using contrast and color to convey meaning
  
• Visually coherent - no curve fights for dominance, curves work together to convey a unified sense of direction; it's neither too thin nor too lumpy.
  
• Innovative - does something to solve a problem in a clever way
• Reflects the human form, as an extension of / complement to it

An inelegant design is the opposite:

• Complicated, distracting design, does not read at a distance
• Ergonomically uncomfortable, heavy
• Goes over-the-top on materials or uses materials that are incorrect for the intended use
  
• Complicated color scheme, hard to understand controls
• Visually incoherent; curves fight each other, looks unbalanced, chopped-up, lumpy, stubby, or overly pointy, or the curves flow in different directions
• Creates *new* problems
• Doesn't connect to the human form

Applied to a bass guitar, this definition of elegance might take shape like this:

• If divided into quadrants, the body design is balanced visually, and contributes to a sense of "forward motion" and speed, in the direction of the headstock
• Headstock design echoes the body; has straight string pull; is neither too small nor too large
• Minimizes length with the bridge near the end of the body, and a 3+1 style headstock
  
• Use of lightweight wood like roasted swamp ash or a chambered body
• 2-3 types of wood at most (or fewer, if using synthetic materials)
• Single body color, single hardware color; maybe a contrasting pickup color for "pop"; knobs have visible lines (Kilo style)
• No visible polepieces
  
• No pickguards, control plates or pickup rings; direct-mounted pickups, rear-routed electronics
• Uses small innovations to make the quality better and improve the user experience (magnetic cavity cover, truss rod wheel, clever things like the Kubicki Ex-factor detuner lever, Babicz style bridge, etc.)
• Sculpted to fit the body comfortably - arched like a Spector NS2
• Upper horn reaches to 12th fret for balance

 

[gtirard]

Elegant bass ≠ Beautiful bass

A lot of basses I see here look elegant but I wouldn't want them.

 

[gtirard]

This is a typical example of bass I find elegant but I don't think it looks really to my liking (I wouldn't buy it or play it):

On the opposite, this is a bass I own that I find beautiful but not particularly elegant:

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But I finally found a bass that I find both beautiful & elegant… and I'm going to buy it:

 

[MarshallAC50Stack]

Another online definition: The quality of being pleasingly ingenious and simple; neatness.
"the simplicity and elegance of the solution"

Two violin basses...either may or may not may not be your cup of tea, but an interesting comparison of industrial design.

 

[Winslow]

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[gln1955]

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The Aerodyne is hands down the most elegant bass Fender ever made.

 

[Kubicki Fan]

Hello good folks of the TB:

What defines elegance in a bass guitar, and should it even exist? In this modern era of rat-rod/road-worn basses - does elegance still have a place?

So here are a few basses that I would consider to be elegant. Of course, one person's jewel is always another person's yawn - it has been that way forever, and I don't see it changing.

No discussion of elegant would be complete without including the craftsmanship of my friend Jens Ritter. It doesn't need to be fancy coffee table wood to make an impression. The right fingerboard wood brings it all together:

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No doubt about the fact that Keith Roscoe does amazing and elegant work. Keith has built two custom basses for me and I will forever be a fan of his work. Not my bass:

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Well, what can you say about Rob Allen? Rob built me a custom "mouse" in 2004 and I can't even begin to express how elegant his basses are. Not my bass:

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In my opinion Andrew Drake has made some pretty incredible, and yes elegant instruments. This is Wilma:

View attachment 5420662

This is just a tiny sampling. So let's hear it - is elegance a thing or is it a thing of the past? Post your thoughts here.

You go asked your question, then answered better than I ever could.

Elegance will always be a thing, who knows what new and fresh forms may emerge as new and fresh people add to the idea.

 

[hasbeen]

I think, IMHO, some folks are confusing "fancy" with "elegance". The classic definition of "elegance" contains words like simple, clean and refined. I don't think my fancy Ken Smith in my avatar is "elegant"; it's fancy. Highly figured wood takes it a step away from elegance.

A woman wearing a well-tailored, black dress would be a good example of "elegance".

As others have posted, I think a J bass is quite elegant.

 

[hasbeen]

The Aerodyne is hands down the most elegant bass Fender ever made.

I think that's quite elegant indeed

 

[hasbeen]

Elegance typically includes an element of simplicity - the design doesn’t have elements that don’t need to be there. I’m sure others will disagree, but my aesthetic says anything with a piece of plastic screwed to its face to cover up routed holes isn’t elegant.

The simplicity part would also disqualify most “hippie sandwich” basses - multi layer wood structures are not simple and refined - they’re showing off a bit too much. Doesn’t mean they’re not cool in their own way , just not elegant.

You and I agree. See my post below, which I wrote before reading yours.

 

[BassHappy]

Yes, and I would totally agree with the poster who mentioned that there can be a very fine line between elegant and gaudy/overdone.

 

[2thAche]

CTRL+F for Alembic not found....hmmm.


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Have to disagree there. Alembic, and everyone since who followed the "hippie sandwich" formula to make coffee table basses out elegances the J-Bass - and I say that as someone who thinks the J-Bass is Fender's best bass.

I agree %100 on Alembic's masterpieces, although IMO the knobs/switches detract from the aesthetics on these.

 

[B-Mac]

This is a typical example of bass I find elegant but I don't think it looks really to my liking (I wouldn't buy it or play it):

View attachment 5421504

On the opposite, this is a bass I own that I find beautiful but not particularly elegant:

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But I finally found a bass that I find both beautiful & elegant… and I'm going to buy it:

View attachment 5421511

Brooks?

by @Basvarken ?

Nice!!!!