I like vintage style visually, I'm not much on some of the modern bass body styles. On the other hand, I really do like a good onboard preamp. I guess that puts me somewhere in the middle.
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"Modern" basses, what's to like?
- Thread starter Nobody
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Just out of curiousity: am I the only dude over 40 whose d*ck doesn't get hard at the sight (or thought) of a "vintage style" bass or guitar? I think I need some Vintage Viagra or something...
I've had vintage style basses(Fender and the like) and I've had modern style basses(Ibanez) and I seem to like modern basses more. However, reading talkbass makes me want to want a Fender or some kind of vintage style bass because they are(seemingly) more popular now and are talked about more than modern basses. What I find myself doing is having to remind myself of why I like the bass I currently have(Ibanex SRX690) more than the vintage style bass that I think I might want to want perhaps sometime in the hypothetical near future.Anyway..... I like the smaller tiltback headstock because it's lighter and and doesn't cause neckdive which helps with ergonomics. I like the smaller body because it's lighter and easier on the back. I like that the upper horn extends past the 12th fret making the neck not feel as long. I like the the thinner neck(although the SRX neck is not as thin as the SR necks so it's really close to a Jazz neck, kudos to the Jazz) than most vintage style basses. I like being able to cut OR boost different freqs on the fly. I like that it's a neckthru(not that all modern basses are neckthru or no vintage basses are neckthru). I like that I seem to be able to get around on modern basses better and I need all the help I can get.
I'm not bashing vintage style basses at all, I like the looks and vibe of them very much but for the reasons listed above I prefer more modern basses overall. What about you? If you prefer modern basses, why?
I have had this same feeling with basses and amps. The "tube amp" "people" that just HAD to have that vintage tone, (whatever that really is) compared to more modern tube amps.
I look at it this way....I have had fine (vintage) wine in my life and fine more recent vintage wines. I am no wine conisuier (snob) but I tasted a bit of a difference.... whoopee...after a couple glasses of good wine, you can't tell "vintage". And the cost is prohibitive to most.
Then you have the people who would never play a Music Man or Spector or G&L etc. because they have a "hi fi" sound. Well, I am grateful for all three of those brands. They all sound great with a distinct tone.
Is there a difference in sound from a tube made in Russia, on a sunny day, with a tall worker standing on a milk carton facing due west while eating a ham sandwich with light mayo? Some say yes.
Go with what YOUR ear likes. Go with what YOU like. In reality in this world...so much is now put through the board in modern venues as the sound has become very "corporate" now anyways. I have noticed this more and more as of late. Kramer bass, Music Man bass, a Ric bass, all at different venues in the last couple of years, sounded the same. Boom and poor definition. Yes it could be the mixer...no doubt....but unless you are playing in a more realistically sized venue...tone is becoming redundant. The same ol muddy and booming sound.
Right... well...
I do know the difference between good modern wines and vintage style wines AND vintage wines. I can't afford vintage wines, but they are immeasurably better.
I spent the first 10 years of my bass playing developing some insane modern chops on my insanely modern bass... and the second decade of playing apologizing to myself for missing the point. The first day that a very funny friend of mine called me chopshonky it hurt - he meant "I had the chops to play anything in the world and that I had no clue what on earth to do with them chops. never MIND what to not do with them. He was absolutely right I was Kenny-G with a bass betwixt the lips.
Don't get me wrong: Kenny can really play that horn, but I assume most of the world will agree with me that he should probably stop - (apart from the over 45 bubble bath enthusiasts who really need him).
My modern bass feels great. I play much more fluidly on it than I do on all the clunky old things that look the business, it's tone is supremely versatile. but always despicably full and glossy. A classic bass tone is defined almost by the frequencies it doesn't support. If it growls it isn't that it's pushing the edgy tones. edgy tones are all that's in there. the full frequency response of modern music is it's failing. We should really all move towards the upright thing. I DO advocate that.. what sounds better than an acoustic bass?
OK rant over - not really sure what came out of the gob there, but it was probably horrid. I'm a classic self loather. I'm a terrible upright player and I have a modern 90's neck-through jazz-style bass. but I'm done.. it's for sale, anyone after a Fender Prophesy III? PM me seriously.
Those guys that go through Berkeley in Boston, what did they make that you would put on at a party? They sound amazing but man, they are largely not cool. They're the *me* of my first 10 years of playing. idolizing the Wooten. nobody plays like the Wooten, but he's misusing it. I used to adore every 32nd note triplet. Now I really have to sift to find the bits that don't make me wanna spew. It's actually not always him.. but that final result - fire that sax-man, and put Bela in charge.
I do know the difference between good modern wines and vintage style wines AND vintage wines. I can't afford vintage wines, but they are immeasurably better.
I spent the first 10 years of my bass playing developing some insane modern chops on my insanely modern bass... and the second decade of playing apologizing to myself for missing the point. The first day that a very funny friend of mine called me chopshonky it hurt - he meant "I had the chops to play anything in the world and that I had no clue what on earth to do with them chops. never MIND what to not do with them. He was absolutely right I was Kenny-G with a bass betwixt the lips.
Don't get me wrong: Kenny can really play that horn, but I assume most of the world will agree with me that he should probably stop - (apart from the over 45 bubble bath enthusiasts who really need him).
My modern bass feels great. I play much more fluidly on it than I do on all the clunky old things that look the business, it's tone is supremely versatile. but always despicably full and glossy. A classic bass tone is defined almost by the frequencies it doesn't support. If it growls it isn't that it's pushing the edgy tones. edgy tones are all that's in there. the full frequency response of modern music is it's failing. We should really all move towards the upright thing. I DO advocate that.. what sounds better than an acoustic bass?
OK rant over - not really sure what came out of the gob there, but it was probably horrid. I'm a classic self loather. I'm a terrible upright player and I have a modern 90's neck-through jazz-style bass. but I'm done.. it's for sale, anyone after a Fender Prophesy III? PM me seriously.
Those guys that go through Berkeley in Boston, what did they make that you would put on at a party? They sound amazing but man, they are largely not cool. They're the *me* of my first 10 years of playing. idolizing the Wooten. nobody plays like the Wooten, but he's misusing it. I used to adore every 32nd note triplet. Now I really have to sift to find the bits that don't make me wanna spew. It's actually not always him.. but that final result - fire that sax-man, and put Bela in charge.
P.S. agree that modern mix style renders classic tone irrelevant. and should be condemned... why is all I can hear kick, snare, cutting vocals and boom boom boom? obviously modern audiences are not there for the music. they are there for the scene.
Depends...
Old Gibsons I dig because you can't get a lot of them anymore.
Old Fenders I don't really care about because new ones are basically the same & are super available.
I do like a lot of the old Japanese basses though. The shapes, the stuff they tried... Even if the construction might be junk they're still cool looking and fun to play and they don't really cost much.
I'm not over 40 though...
I think it boils down to wanting to sound LIKE someone versus having something unique. People might buy a P bass to sound like Jamerson. Or a Jazz bass to sound like Jaco. Since a large percentage of recordings were done using Fender basses, a lot of folks buy those basses in hopes of sounding like the guy on the record.
I really prefer basses that are very versitile and can cover a lot of sonic possibilities. Other than my Jazz bass, my two fivers can cover a bunch of stuff.
I really prefer basses that are very versitile and can cover a lot of sonic possibilities. Other than my Jazz bass, my two fivers can cover a bunch of stuff.
HAHAHAHA!!! Good one!
Though I gravitiate these days way more toward so-called "vintage" sounds no matter what music I'm playing, I was always able to get whatever tone I needed out of any gear I've used, whether so-called "modern" or so-called "vintage." And if I couldn't, I would retire on the spot.
BTW, Vail Johnson (who plays with Kenny G) is a friend of mine, and while I can't lay claim to being the biggest Kenny G fan in the world, he is a nice guy and believes in his music just as much as Coltrane believed in his, so I will give him respect.
However much i try to open my mind to these silly looking basses that are made today, that Fender+Ampeg beauty will always be king, in my eyes 
Modern.
1. Much better QC & consistent sameness between same models of bass, with some of the import brands then I never ever found in most vintage instruments inc fender and gibson.
2. Better hardware. Seriously I think bridge covers wherre invented to prevent peeps hands and fingers getting gnawed, scraped, stabbed, and torn to peices from wandering to close to those vintage birdges. What the heck are those tall pokey screws for on bridge saddles and serated sadle barrels for, other then to try and bite your fingers off. Lol
3. Nicer necks to me by more mfg, and also 24 fret necks. Nicer frets. I prefer jumbo. those wherent much available in vintage times.
4. Modern basses have nicer pups stock. I'm a crunchy, growly, aggressive, loZ, etc pup voice char preferer. I was in the camp if many back then that was thrilled when dimarzio and others started offering upgrade pups.
5. I liked the more modern tones some back then went after with available equiptment, and todays modern voices are even better. Due to better pup voicings etc. Active preamps also as a requirement for my sound pref;s. Or at very least active pups. 1/3rd of my fave pup voicings where not even available back then. Hadnt been invented yet. And only came about during the last 5 or 6 yrs or so. another 3rd only came about during the last 20 yrs or so. And the last third, dimarzio, seymour, was barely starting to market their stuff.
6. I like them more modern less conservative body shapes for both asthetics and fit to body.
7. Greater variety of woods available on working class peeps basses. And some woods that are used and well liked by many pros now, wherent even ever concidered for instruments back then by any large mfg.
1. Much better QC & consistent sameness between same models of bass, with some of the import brands then I never ever found in most vintage instruments inc fender and gibson.
2. Better hardware. Seriously I think bridge covers wherre invented to prevent peeps hands and fingers getting gnawed, scraped, stabbed, and torn to peices from wandering to close to those vintage birdges. What the heck are those tall pokey screws for on bridge saddles and serated sadle barrels for, other then to try and bite your fingers off. Lol
3. Nicer necks to me by more mfg, and also 24 fret necks. Nicer frets. I prefer jumbo. those wherent much available in vintage times.
4. Modern basses have nicer pups stock. I'm a crunchy, growly, aggressive, loZ, etc pup voice char preferer. I was in the camp if many back then that was thrilled when dimarzio and others started offering upgrade pups.
5. I liked the more modern tones some back then went after with available equiptment, and todays modern voices are even better. Due to better pup voicings etc. Active preamps also as a requirement for my sound pref;s. Or at very least active pups. 1/3rd of my fave pup voicings where not even available back then. Hadnt been invented yet. And only came about during the last 5 or 6 yrs or so. another 3rd only came about during the last 20 yrs or so. And the last third, dimarzio, seymour, was barely starting to market their stuff.
6. I like them more modern less conservative body shapes for both asthetics and fit to body.
7. Greater variety of woods available on working class peeps basses. And some woods that are used and well liked by many pros now, wherent even ever concidered for instruments back then by any large mfg.
Couldn't you change the electronics to get a more vintage tone while retaining the modern playability? I think that is exactly what I want and my SRX is close. It growls nicely and is full but not glossy. If I ever get around to it I may bypass the preamp to see how it does passive. It will obviously never have vintage styling(which I prefer) but I'm trying really hard not to care about how my bass looks because I believe playability and sound are the more important things.
Sure you can. I can make a bass sound like a french horn.The thing is not to change a vintage bass. Its to harness the sound. Now that said I can take a passive bass and make it sound modern, but I am a soundman with a studio full of tricks. Vintage guys dont want that. They want to be pure. They want to use tube amps. I think bass players need to be more proactive with their sound.
In the guitar world, the only iconic design I love is the Les Paul. All the others are pretty meh for me, especially anything from Fender. In the bass world, I have no particular love for any iconic designs. I think my Ibanez and my Bongo qualify as "modern" by most standards, and so I'd say I'm firmly in the modern camp all around.
I agree and also own a Les Paul, and would not even consider a Strat, but I have a Kramer strat copy with a great neck that I redid with EMG single coils and a SPC control. So I can get single coil sound with no hum and turn the knob for full on humbucker growl. Now why cant Fender do that?
Which is why it's good to listen to a variety of music. You may still have your favorites but at least you can appreciate and respect everything else to some degree.
I love prog-rock, post-rock and fusion but can appreciate some metal, bebop, folk, blues, pop, R and B, etc. And even if I straight out don't like some kinds of music (opera and country come to mind), I still respect the musicianship.
And while I think you get a certain "vibe" and look from some instruments, ultimately you should be able to tweak the sound in either direction (to some degree) if you know what you're doing. Strings, tone control, pickup height, amp settings, technique - all of those contribute a lot to the sound of an electric instrument.
So I bought a used squire P recently that I like the sound of... I bought it to fool around with to upgrade and mod and anything else that tickles my fancy... I wanted a more "vintage feel/sound" so I bought this one. Would it have been cheaper to find one prebuilt to my specs?
Probably.
Does that mean I've stopped lusting after a Lakland 44-02 sound?
Nope. Still want one.
But like my wife pointed out to me yesterday while contemplating the decision to buy parts for the P instead of saving for the Skyline 44-02: It's not about the money, it's about the hobby. You like what you like and it's ok to like it... It may not be popular of "the safe bet" but what works best for you is whats best for you.
And RED J... I really miss my Ibanez Roadstar II RB850 but I know it went to a good home.
Probably.
Does that mean I've stopped lusting after a Lakland 44-02 sound?
Nope. Still want one.
But like my wife pointed out to me yesterday while contemplating the decision to buy parts for the P instead of saving for the Skyline 44-02: It's not about the money, it's about the hobby. You like what you like and it's ok to like it... It may not be popular of "the safe bet" but what works best for you is whats best for you.
And RED J... I really miss my Ibanez Roadstar II RB850 but I know it went to a good home.
