Most consistently well-crafted and problem-free basses?

[Thummel]

Music Man
Lakland
Sadowsky
Are ones I have owned. I have had some nice Fenders too.

 

[cdef]

For consistency and quality control in the world of production basses, Yamaha is a safe bet.

 

[osonu]

Please excuse my ignorance, but what do you mean by 'dead note'? Is that note not audible at all, or dampened... ?

It can be either. In extreme cases when you play the note you just get a dead thump. In less extreme examples the note sounds but is very quiet relative to the other notes, or has no sustain. If you take the time to just play every note (and listen!) they are easy to spot and you also get to really hear the bass's tone throughout the range at the same time.

I see so many people checking out basses and just ripping through songs or riffs they know. And, I guess eventually that's ok to check out playability and how comfortable you are on the bass, but for me there's work to do first. I want to listen to the bass itself- first all EQs flat (also on the amp) and I play each note, listening to how it rings, sustain, etc., then check out the range of available tones by fiddling with the knobs- singly, and then in combination. Then playing soft versus hitting hard, and whatever else you can think of. During all of this you're getting a feel for the bass too- is it comfortable? Do you like the neck? Sometimes it's best when you've been playing a bass for 15 minutes and never noticed the neck- what more could you ask for?

After doing all of this (and, ok, play your favorite riff and/or song) you will have a pretty good idea of the bass's tone and character. For me, most of the time I don't even get halfway through before finding out that it's not the bass for me. If you make it all the way through and you still like it, it just might be a good bass for you ; )

 

[Norwegian Bass]

I'd say Sadowsky. For less money; I'd go with Fender and EBMM.

 

[tbasstreble11]

It can be either. In extreme cases when you play the note you just get a dead thump. In less extreme examples the note sounds but is very quiet relative to the other notes, or has no sustain. If you take the time to just play every note (and listen!) they are easy to spot and you also get to really hear the bass's tone throughout the range at the same time.

I see so many people checking out basses and just ripping through songs or riffs they know. And, I guess eventually that's ok to check out playability and how comfortable you are on the bass, but for me there's work to do first. I want to listen to the bass itself- first all EQs flat (also on the amp) and I play each note, listening to how it rings, sustain, etc., then check out the range of available tones by fiddling with the knobs- singly, and then in combination. Then playing soft versus hitting hard, and whatever else you can think of. During all of this you're getting a feel for the bass too- is it comfortable? Do you like the neck? Sometimes it's best when you've been playing a bass for 15 minutes and never noticed the neck- what more could you ask for?

After doing all of this (and, ok, play your favorite riff and/or song) you will have a pretty good idea of the bass's tone and character. For me, most of the time I don't even get halfway through before finding out that it's not the bass for me. If you make it all the way through and you still like it, it just might be a good bass for you ; )

That should be a sticky for how to shop for a bass! I've only had 7 basses in my life, one at a time, and they've all been whatever was recommended that I could also afford (currently rocking a MIM Jazz, Quarter Pounders and a Gotoh bent plate on it). Even so, whatever I can afford could use that kind of attention!

It reminds me of a win I had at a pawn shop (I loathe those places ) where I sold them a bass. The third fret on the g buzzed, I wasn't sure why, but I was green, and I sanded the feet down. Then the second and third fret buzzed. So I sanded down the second fret. Then the first, second and third fret buzzed. I took it to the shop hoping they wouldn't notice, and apparently it was the usual guitar guy's day off. The buyer guy plugged it in, played open E once, and said, 'That's about the extent of my knowledge, looks like it works, ha ha ha...'. I got nearly what I'd bought it for 5 years earlier. So I can see how it pays to check each note!

 

[lomo]

If reliability and ease of repair are a concern:

1)Passive basses are less electronically complicated and are therefore less prone to electrical issues and simpler/cheaper to fix in many cases. You'll save on batteries
and the next generations will thank you for not using any.

2)Bolt-on basses can have a neck replaced, but if your neck-through bass neck goes wonky, the whole instrument can become kindling.

3)Rosewood fingerboards are less prone to chipping than maple and do not require a clear coat. They are a bit easier to refret.

I favor G & L, Fender and Music Man for consistent, excellent build quality at a mid price point. IMO they are in the sweet spot of the price/value curve. You can pay a lot more, and only get a smidgeon more in quality-maybe worth it for some, but I suspect not for most. I have owned Sadowsky NYC and a litter or similarly priced basses and am now playing Mike Lull and G & L USA. Lots of great options.

 

[awilkie84]

Spector truss rods can be yanked out and replaced. The Spector shop did it for me on my NS2-JA. Wasn't a big deal and didn't cost me much either. I don't believe the nut was removed either.

I mentioned in a later post that the truss rod on my ReBop could not be removed for 2 reasons. 1...the immense amount of glue gumming up the rod. 2...the end of the rod was too big to travel down the channel of the neck. So, at one point ReBops used different construction and rods than the other models (Something PJ was unaware of).

Why would you allow a community to prevent you from playing a bass you you like? Play the bass and ignore the community if need be.

Because any time I even think of a Spector, now, I get a bad taste in my mouth because of how I was treated. When I own a product, I like to research it and talk about it with other people. I like to investigate and learn things and share experiences. If I can't feel comfortable doing that, I can't have the full experience of owning one.

 

[tattooSAM]

Gotta disagree. They are no different than Fender. Some great, some good, some not so good, some awful. A good Gibson is as solid as anything else. My Money Bass is my bass that has needed the least maitenence out of any bass I've ever had, and I've had a lot.

First - poll Talkbass about Gibson QC - - See what your peers say.

Second - read up on Guitar Center/Musicians Friend/ Sam Ash feedback on Gibson Basses.

Third, talk to a well respected, experienced luthier about Gibson basses. I bet he has at least a dozen Gibson bass horror stories - and then advises you against buying one(unless business is light).

I am glad you have had good luck with them. I like to have someone, anyone backing me up when I am getting beat up in an argument with the other bassists about how good Gibsons are and they just don't understand...



Like I said, I love them.

 

[Tanner5382]

First - poll Talkbass about Gibson QC - - See what your peers say.

Second - read up on Guitar Center/Musicians Friend/ Sam Ash feedback on Gibson Basses.

Third, talk to a well respected, experienced luthier about Gibson basses. I bet he has at least a dozen Gibson bass horror stories - and then advises you against buying one(unless business is light).

I am glad you have had good luck with them. I like to have someone, anyone backing me up when I am getting beat up in an argument with the other bassists about how good Gibsons are and they just don't understand...



Like I said, I love them.

I've done all three of your requests. I disagree with many TB'ers on many things, so that is no different. Honestly, I don't really care what a lot of TB'ers opinions are. Most are just parrots repeating things they've heard from others when they have no first hand experience themselves.

Same goes for the Guitar Center/Sam Ash reviews. Also, I don't like or shop at either of those stores.

The truly good luthiers I know have no issues with Gibson basses, other than fragile headstock on certain models. They take them for what they are. Too many people want to try to make Gibsons play and sound like Fenders. It's just not gonna work. That goes for EQ'ing them too.

 

[58kites]

... a forward bow to the neck from previous owner leaving it in the case for 2-3 YEARS, with flatwounds under tension (I had to pull the neck off and clamp it down to create a back bow)

This comment confuses me.
As I am pretty new to bass, forgive my ignorance.
If you had a G&L (or any bass) with flatwounds and you used this bass regularly for 2-3 years under tension...would you expect the neck to get forward bow?
Why would leaving it in a case for 2-3 years with flatwounds under tension create a problem that a bass that gets regularly used, will not have?
If you had 20 basses hanging on the walls in your practice room and they were all set up and ready to play and some got used weekly and some went a year or two without getting played, would the ones that did not get played have forward bow?

 

[Neon Blues]

Yamaha is always fantastic but I think when you are talking about mass produced, the answer has to be Musicman. You might buy Bass X and think it's the best but day in day out, the best QC out there is Musicman by a mile.

 

[Robert Sperling]

This comment confuses me.
As I am pretty new to bass, forgive my ignorance.
If you had a G&L (or any bass) with flatwounds and you used this bass regularly for 2-3 years under tension...would you expect the neck to get forward bow?
Why would leaving it in a case for 2-3 years with flatwounds under tension create a problem that a bass that gets regularly used, will not have?
If you had 20 basses hanging on the walls in your practice room and they were all set up and ready to play and some got used weekly and some went a year or two without getting played, would the ones that did not get played have forward bow?

That's ok, I don't know if I can fully explain the phenomenon but it's quite common. My best guess is a bass that's played regularly gets occasional relief when it's strings are changed AND most basses require the occasional neck relief adjustment
(where I live I've found I usually have to do this 2x per year on almost every bass I own, even the high end ones).
I can only speak from my own experiences but at least here in the northeast US, it seems that I need to do a neck relief
(truss rod) adjustment in early spring and late fall. Wood (even though it's been cut down) is still a living breathing thing
that retains and loses moisture due to temperature and humidity, so in the cold dry season I need to adjust the neck for
more back bow, and during the warmer more humid months the neck swells and I must relieve some tension on the neck.
If this is never done then the wood seems to pull forward and eventually create a somewhat permanent forward bow to the
neck since that force is never counter measured by an adjustment. So the simple answer is yes, mostly likely any bass
with ANY strings (this doesn't apply exclusively to flatwounds) and a wood neck (like 98%) will develop a bowed neck if
left in a case or hung on a wall without ever being adjusted. Also want to say welcome to the bass brotherhood and it's
great that you ask a question like this... if someone explained better how this all works to me 34 years ago i'd have
understood how to better take care of some of my 1st basses (I thought I had ruined an "89 Rickenbacker 4003 and
wound up just selling it, but then that incident cause me to find my 1st G&L, which is imho a much better everyday
bass, at least for me, so happy ending)!

 

[58kites]

Thanks for the feedback, I am asking questions on the forum and in private messages.
I'm also looking at a lot of Youtube videos that are providing good information.
I have some knowledge of electric guitars from owning/playing several of them three/four decades ago.
My questions about truss rods and string tension are because it occurs to me that those things are gonna be very different on basses than guitars.