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Keep going back to cheap but much-loved workhorse...

Stevie G

Stevie G

Dec 13, 2008
43
88
Tokyo, Japan
www.stevieglasgow.com
#1
Am I mad?

I own a bunch of different basses (including a very nice Ken Smith sixer) and they all get to see a fair bit of action as the occasion arises. However, in terms of the day-to-day business of gigging and even occasional recording, I keep gravitating back to an old $400 5-string that I bought way back in the mists of time.

This is the bass I grew up with - I know it inside out, back to front and any other way you can look at it. It's been with me through thick and thin and I wouldn't part with it for the world. While it may not be a top of the range boutique-born affair, in terms of playability and the sounds I can shake out of it, it's hard to top as an all-purpose workhorse.

Am I the only one suffering from this strange affliction? :hmm:

Stevie

p.s. It's a Hohner Jack Bass Custom V from the 80s, just in case you were wondering...
 
#2
Sounds pretty dang normal to me. For me, my "UR" bass is my ancient '55 P-bass, which when I got it cost less than $300 and was considered old and in the way (in a bad way).

A chunky neck and one single coil seem pretty much like home. However, my home away from home is a '69 P-bass with a Jazz bass neck....whole 'nuther country.
 
#5
No pix, no workhorse. (Don't blame me - I didn't make the rules. ;))

My old Warmoth 5-string is a lot like you describe. It can be a love/hate relationship. It's very heavy, doesn't always respond the way I want. But it sure is hard to find a 5-string with this much history and character. This one has a certain vibe I haven't found anywhere else yet.

I'm in $600: $500 for the bass on eBay, $50 for the correct pots from Bartolini and $50 for some a new set of tuning gears after I busted a couple off when I passed out onstage.

rcwarmoth.jpg
 
#6
no your not the only one.ive been playing many yrs and my beloved 76 jazzbass was always my main bass.now a friend of mine his son had a squier jazz 5 string jazz that
was given to me because he does not want to play anymore.anyway after setting this
bass up etc,i have fallen in love with this bass,it plays and sounds great and its not a
high quality bass but i love it
 
#7
Jefenator said:
and $50 for some a new set of tuning gears after I busted a couple off when I passed out onstage.
Click to expand...

Oh you totally have to explain that one lol :)

As for my go-to bass, definately my MiA hot-rodded P-bass..had it for a long time now and its just comfortable and sounds right no matter what type of music I'm playing. And despite it being MiA, I got it dirt cheap (MusiciansFriend was super excited to get rid of 'em back in 2001 lol, cost me $500).

w6qruq.jpg
 
#10
Stevie G said:
Am I the only one suffering from this strange affliction? :hmm:
Click to expand...

Not a bit. At least you still have yours. I often regret selling my first 5 string which was a Yamaha BBNII I bought for $400! All I did was throw in a 3 band Seymour Duncan pre-amp and I had many years of enjoyment even though I had other nicer basses in rotation. I always went back to the Yamaha. I still think back to that bass. It was a true workhorse, nothing fancy - basic black color. But it had this chunchy tone that I loved and it recorded well.
 
#11
Glad to learn I'm not alone on this one! :hyper:

It strikes me that investing a huge amount of your time in an instrument seems to causes a little door to open up in your heart... (even if it's not a brand or in a price range that puts it at the top of everyone's wish list).

Actually, I'm always on the lookout for another old Hohner bass with exactly the same specs as mine - even though there's absolutely nothing wrong with my present one. But the mere thought of having to source another one at short notice if something should happen to my "baby" fills me with dread!
 
#14
I know the feeling...I have a little over 50 basses, most of them Rickenbackers, old Fenders, and Spectors with the occasional Washburn, ESP, T-40, and Hosono added for flavor. About 10 years ago now I bought a $200 left-handed Squier P-Bass Special as a gimmick as I'm right handed and always liked the way upside down Strats looked. I got it home, turned the nut around, set it up...and it was like WOW. I couldn't believe how great, thin, round, and PERFECT the neck felt, how flawlessly it was finished, but most importantly...how AMAZING it sounded through my pretty strange and unique distorted mid-thick amp setup. There is just something about this bass...it's SIMPLE to play, has amazing action, but the thickness and effortless SMOOTHNESS of tone that just works with my particular signal chain is UNREAL.

Whenever I play with people who come over...they see these walls filled with expensive and rare basses-then I grab the lefty "cheap-o" Squier. Everyone asks the same question: "WHY are you playing THAT when you have all these Ricks????"

A fair question.

My answer???

"It just FEELS right."

I then plug it in and they know what I'm talking about.


It's just about perfect for my tone...the only actual bad part is that it IS a lefty, so the upper range is nearly impossible to get to. But then again, it WAS bought as a silly gimmick...but it's one of my top basses for SURE.

:)
 

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