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Most unforgiving bass guitar?

#81
For me, my Sadowsky Modern 5-24 is THE most transparent bass I own. Like, embarrasingly so.

The tone is glorious and when I sound good, I sound good. But it definitely shows all my flaws as well.

It is not really my first choice to play. But... it is usually the bass I record with! Talk about pressure! But it sounds so good in the mix.
 
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#82
Godin L.R. Baggs Acoustibass fretless strung with half rounds. Forerunner of the A4. Beautiful instrument with an incredibly sensitive piezo pickup and a very hot preamp. The slightest gaffe comes through loud and clear. Plug it into a clean amp and there are no secrets that will remain hidden.

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#83
Usidore T Blue said:
If I wanted to work on my chops, and I do, I might use an instrument that revealed every excruciating detail of my technique, or at least crank the tone knob. What's the most revealing bass guitar/strings combo you've ever played? Did it make you better or did you abandon t?
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I played a non-Fender Kubicki Factor back in the late 80's/early 90's that revealed every flaw in my playing. It made me want to stop playing for a minute, then I changed my mind and started practicing more.
 
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#84
Usidore T Blue said:
I have never heard of that! They should revisit aluminum; with modern techniques, the metal could have a lattice inside and have the stiffness without the weight. Or carbon nanotubes--those will solve every problem the world has.
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They can 3D print in metal now. I think it's only a matter of time before someone starts printing out guitar necks with a complicated internal structure in one material or another.
 
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#85
ModuMan said:
For me, my Sadowsky Modern 5-24 is THE most transparent bass I own. Like, embarrasingly so.

The tone is glorious and when I sound good, I sound good. But it definitely shows all my flaws as well.

It is not really my first choice to play. But... it is usually the bass I record with! Talk about pressure! But it sounds so good in the mix.
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Some folks are saying recording is a great way to expose flaws, but here we have a bass that doubles up on that.
 
#87
The single coil P bass in my avatar seems much more sensitive to technique than my other basses. I put this down to the fact that the magnets are directly under the strings and that it's a one piece neck with no separate fretboard. The neck is also incredibly stiff, so there's less forward give from the neck when fretting notes.
 
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#92
Fender_Bender said:
The single coil P bass in my avatar seems much more sensitive to technique than my other basses. I put this down to the fact that the magnets are directly under the strings and that it's a one piece neck with no separate fretboard. The neck is also incredibly stiff, so there's less forward give from the neck when fretting notes.
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I did not expect to hear Fender P in here, not even this one. Cool!
 
#98
The early single coil P's are beasts. I'll get flamed, but "smooth" was most definitely not their strong suit and they're akin to a Tele in that they will hide zero technique flaws. They are loud, boomy, and an ice pick to the ears all at the same time in the hands of the less familiar. Ironically, those are also its redeeming qualities. In my hands, they're one step removed from a Ric in lack of comfort, but at least a Ric will bury one's flaws under all that weirdness whereas a 51-ish P will give only what you put in...in fact, it will probably give less.
 
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#99
petrus61 said:
The early single coil P's are beasts. I'll get flamed, but "smooth" was most definitely not their strong suit and they're akin to a Tele in that they will hide zero technique flaws. They are loud, boomy, and an ice pick to the ears all at the same time in the hands of the less familiar. Ironically, those are also its redeeming qualities. In my hands, they're one step removed from a Ric in lack of comfort, but at least a Ric will bury one's flaws under all that weirdness whereas a 51-ish P will give only what you put in...in fact, it will probably give less.
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That's great! I am happy that I compartmentalize my spending so strictly (ie am cheap), because with your answer and others here I am beginning to see why someone might collect basses, an impulse that to this point has baffled me. Is there a vaccine?
 

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