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Most essential bass(es) to own

Please stop this thread like the Doc said audible , in tune , intonated and someone who can play...Let's pay more attention to technique, reading skills and practice , practice , practice.. equipment is secondary..

Cheers:bassist:

My point is that if you are going enough to work high profile gigs, you already know about gear. If you aren't that good, and you have no prospects, you simply need to get better. The gear is secondary.
 
Seems my thoughts are relatively shared by everyone else.

It's like playing guitar, you need a strat, a les paul, and a good acoustic. Or you have at least owned one of the 3 mentioned. They're staples for a reason. I own a LTD Superstrat (MH300 for guitards) and a Les Paul that I will not give up for the world. Each has it's own character and mojo about it.

Now that I'm playing bass again (yay!), yea, I totally agree a P, a J, and something with a humbucker is needed to really fill out your tonal spectrum. Especially if you're serious about your playing. Every session, every style, every gig, hell even your mood calls for something different. When I was playing guitar I'd swap guitars based on mood. Sometimes I wanted a biting tone, sometimes I wanted a thicker tone, just whatever I was feeling. I want that option with my bass playing, but that's my personal quark. I could achieve close to the same results with twisting some knobs but it still wouldn't be the same.

Don't get me wrong you can be a great player with whatever equipment you use, it's like a youtube video I saw once. Satch was playing this Squire Affinity strat through a lil Marshall Mini Stack and he still sounded amazing even though it wasn't through his "rig". But it still lacked that characteristic stamp that he's known for.
 
I remember hearing one time that the two most essential basses to own in terms of having the right sound and the right feel in one package are the Fender Precision Bass and Fender Jazz Bass. Is there truth to this? What would the forum recommend as THE "go-to" bass to own, across all makes and models?

I suspect I'll be cutting against the grain here - as usual. But I really think there is no such thing.

All this rampant groupthink "me-tooism" is just silly. "Right sound" and "right feel" are whatever is right for you. Think for yourself... :eyebrow:

What are we after all? Guitarists?!? :ninja:

MM
 
QUOTE:
What would the forum recommend as THE "go-to" bass to own, across all makes and models?

Fender Precision Bass.
It's the bass sound that everyone has in their head already....your audience, your soundman, your engineer, hundreds of timeless songs... and you.

It's what bass guitar sounds like.
 
Seems my thoughts are relatively shared by everyone else.

It's like playing guitar, you need a strat, a les paul, and a good acoustic. Or you have at least owned one of the 3 mentioned. .

I gigged many years as a guitarist and have never owned a Gibson product. For most of those gigs I had one Strat that I loved - because I could use it to get the sounds in my head. I also had an acoustic, but that is essentially a different instrument that I used for totally different styles of music and gigs.

The player should define the instrument, not vice versa.
 
What's the most essential ratchet and socket set to own?

What's the most essential car or truck to own?

What's the most essential type of screwdriver to own?

Having a slotted and a Phillips won't do you much good if you need to remove a Torx screw from something.

Quite frankly there are really only two kinds of "real" screwdrivers made, a P and a J...oops I mean a slotted and a Phillips! Torx isn't a real screwdriver. It's FAR too "modern" and weird-shaped for most of us to ever own one, let alone use one for something useful. If a slotted or a Phillips can't do it, then it's not worth doing!

IF you can only own one, get a slotted. Period! It's a screwdriver, chisel, a prybar, and many other things. No other tools needed!
 
Honestly after playing many different basses and different styles and sounds, the most versitile bass is the Fender PJ p-bass special...ANY tone and sound you need. Classic to modern. Just my opinion.