Elaborate and ornate doesn’t equate to elegance for me. What I’m seeing is a lot of gaudy over-the-top sculpture. To me elegance is graceful simplicity in design that is fit for purpose, and functions as intended with a minimum of fuss.
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Most Elegant Bass That You've Seen?
- Thread starter Symphony2040
- Start date
Didn't read all 7 pages, but in case it wasn't mentioned, Ritter is the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word elegant.
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https://www.bassbuddha.com/app/uploads/2019/02/Marleaux-Contra-5-Fretless-1.jpg
This immediately comes to mind.
This immediately comes to mind.
I’m not big on boutiquey type stuff, but F Bass just has all the right curves in all the right places...dang.
I’ve always admired Ritter designs for similar reasons, but executed in an entirely different manner.
I’ve always admired Ritter designs for similar reasons, but executed in an entirely different manner.
No. LeFay offers more extravagant (and expensive) designs (think Midas), but still Singer, Waran etc. are absolutely desirable instruments.
Have to agree. Is this buckeye burl in an advanced state of decay so it gains predominantly blue color? And matched with blue abalone inlays?
Not a fan of the overall look (though I don't hate it), but that is the most incredible quilting I've ever seen!
I like some of what I'm seeing, but I have to concur that some of the instruments here are a bit too... gauche to be "elegant." Elegance should mean balance and refinement, not swirls all over the place 
NS WAV Bass:
While not a bass guitar, I happen to think the Yamaha Silent Basses are pretty slick too
NS WAV Bass:
While not a bass guitar, I happen to think the Yamaha Silent Basses are pretty slick too
That's no derail at all! I think a precision bass is incredibly elegant, though many might not agree. What did your bass look like?
Now it looks nothing special, burst and tort with a rosewood board, but back then I'd never seen anything so beautiful.
My Fbass AC5...simple, graceful lines.
"Gaudy over-the-top sculpture"? Not sure that's fair, but hey, your opinion.
But if you're going to say that elegance is "graceful simplicity in design that is fit for purpose...", the P basses you posted lose points for that pickguard that extends down to the controls and serves absolutely no purpose other than Fender trying to give it a little bit of design flair since it's otherwise so utilitarian.
Ditto the tortoise shell. You say "ornate doesn't equate to elegance" and yet tortoise shell is quite ornate (that's the point) and it can be a little gaudy (that's the point). I get not liking the fancier basses but calling them "over-the-top sculpture" is, well, over-the-top.
And nothing against your p-basses, I like them.
Not really liking anything available at the time I designed and built this in 1985.
In 2013 I refined the design into this which I think fits the bill as elegant.
Of course the next iteration will be a six string.
