most responsive playing bass.

[Pilgrim]

The answer probably depends on (1) setup (2) active vs. passive, and (3) pick vs. fingerstyle and other technique variables.

In other words, there is no universal answer.

 

[spade2you]

(Insert favorite bass brand here)

At the risk of sounding too bold, not that it would ever stop me, some guys on this forum spent years searching for basses capable of extremely low action for easier playing and a useful 2nd octave on the bass.

It would be nice if the OP would elaborate, but it sounds like he's looking for low action. So help the guy out! No, don't just name off your gear......unless it was hand selected for this exact purpose!

Coming from shredding style guitars to bass, I was amazed how much effort it took to play some basses. I picked up the Cirrus by chance. It wasn't too expensive, but it was the most comfortable bass the store had and had the lowest action there.

If someone tells you that you can get anything to play with the lowest action, I'd challenge you to get a Strat with a 7.5" radius to play like either a Jackson Soloist or Ibanez Prestige series guitar. Yes, you can shim the neck, adjust the truss rod, and lower the saddles to get the same string height, BUT can you get the Strat to play like that without buzzing???? Nope.

 

[Cedde]

No such thing.Just find a bass that works for you,and go with it.

+1

 

[alexei]

i think the thread started was clear when he defined "responsive" as the less effort to play the bass...

as an engineer i could tell thet effort means "energy". With acoustic instruments is way easier to measure energy needed for certain volume. I could assure an Upright bass needs way much energy to get 'this' volume, then an electric bass amplified with a big amp needs, to produce 'this' same volume.
That comparison is easy to explain because all the energy an acoustic instrument gets from fingers, is tranduced into sound energy.
With electric instruments, all energy the sound have comes from the electric line the amp is plugged in.

So, i'm just saying that acoutically is possible to measure that "effort", but with electrically amplified instruments that is kinda hard to say.

i.e.: you have bass that need strong fingers to run well. Then you connect a compressor, preamp, bigger amp, good active circuitry, new strings... bla bla bla... and you have a bass that break your ears at the minimun finger movement.

Result: bad response bass turned into a good response bass, just having the apropriate equipment.

Note that a compressor and/or preamp may help a lot in that proccess.

 

[Papersen]

I don`t think there`s a "most responsive" bass, it`s just a matter of strings action and setup. I`ve played many different brands and a good setup makes a huge difference.

 

[fullrangebass]

I consider my herd, basses I meant, are all set up properly. From all my basses, the most responsive ones are my Dingwalls, my Status and my first Ken Lawrence Brase I

 

[spade2you]

I consider my herd, basses I meant, are all set up properly. From all my basses, the most responsive ones are my Dingwalls, my Status and my first Ken Lawrence Brase I

Insert favorite brand here. Just kidding, I'm sure those would be exceptional choices!

 

[Earwigger]

You might also consider the amp. My Roland combo has a responsiveness that I've never seen in another amplifier. It's hard to explain without actually playing it yourself, but the notes seem to get out of the speakers a lot quicker then with my Fender BXR100 for example. That defines responsiveness IMO.

 

[cnltb]

In my experience, those with lighter bodies were generally more responsive than those with heavy ones ( when talking bolt on).
When it's neck through, those with partly hollow bodies tended to be more "responsive".
I guess it's the weight thing again
There' are of course many other factors too.

 

[BurningSkies]

At the risk of sounding too bold, not that it would ever stop me, some guys on this forum spent years searching for basses capable of extremely low action for easier playing and a useful 2nd octave on the bass.

It would be nice if the OP would elaborate, but it sounds like he's looking for low action. So help the guy out! No, don't just name off your gear......unless it was hand selected for this exact purpose!

Coming from shredding style guitars to bass, I was amazed how much effort it took to play some basses. I picked up the Cirrus by chance. It wasn't too expensive, but it was the most comfortable bass the store had and had the lowest action there.

If someone tells you that you can get anything to play with the lowest action, I'd challenge you to get a Strat with a 7.5" radius to play like either a Jackson Soloist or Ibanez Prestige series guitar. Yes, you can shim the neck, adjust the truss rod, and lower the saddles to get the same string height, BUT can you get the Strat to play like that without buzzing???? Nope.

We've ALL been searching for the 'best bass'...many of us for a very long time. At the same time and in the same vein, no one ever fell in love with an instrument while thinking "Gee, I love this bass even though it's not that responsive". If you don't find a bass 'responsive' then you don't want to play it and you won't buy it.

Yet oddly(yes that's sarcastic), we all have different answers to the question, which really makes any kind of consensus to be completely impossible.

Its sort of like asking the question "what is the best color for a bass"

 

[spade2you]

Eh, the OP hasn't even clarified his question. I was equating "response" with low action as if it were responsive like some high performance sports car. Perhaps it's all a waste of time and response meant cutting through the mix by not cutting the mids.

 

[Doctor J]

So.....you're telling me that a Wish will be able to compete with the action on my Conklin? No wai! Sheesh, first the P bass was the answer to everything, now we don't help people at all.

Not all fretjobs are created equal, sadly. Almost all of the boutique basses will allow the strings to go so low that it will knock your socks off.

Under a thousand, the Peavey Cirrus is capable of extremely low action. All you gotta do is take the truss rod to minimal buzz on the 3rd fret (you hear it while playing but not through the amp), drop the saddles, and I'd suggest a .040 G since it's XL scale.

Just note that with action really low, you'll need to adjust your right hand technique a bit. Not that difficult.

I'm saying a badly set up Conklin will be just as shite as a badly set up Wish

 

[nortonrider]

I got a funky chinese (sojing I think) as a gift a while back. It has a piezio bridge pu, and all I have to do is touch a string to make it ring out.

It is really a piece of crap as far as quality goes, but it sure is easy to tap on. Hammer ons, pulloffs,etc.

 

[Bass Mule]

Small-mouth on the end of Lindy.