Most versatile bass?

[iamdenialNJ]

any type of p/j bass

 

[Roy Vogt]

+1 to Fender Jazz Bass. I can get almost any tone out of one-Funk, Rock, Country, Jazz, Reggae, Pseudo-fretless-it's the "Swiss Army Bass" IMHO....

 

[benthughes]

I think strings and technique can cover a lot of ground when it comes to versatility. I'm learning pick style playing for this reason; i seem to generally play differently when using different techniques as well which can open doors when in a rut. That being said I'll throw in my 2 cents.

Jazz basses are super versatile. I'd also recommend a passive jazz and play around with some external preamps and D.I.s. IMO passive basses play much nicer when using effects and are more natural sounding. Now that's out of the way I'll admit that I no longer own a Jazz bass as the sound was a bit too "Vanilla" to me.

G&L basses ( L-2000/2500/ASAT)are probably the most versatile basses I've ever played,are incredibly well built and are reasonably priced. The sound is inherently G&L but it cops a Fender-y vibe very well. I'd does a reasonable P-Bass, a pretty good jazz bass and gets as close to the "grail" Wal sound as any bass I've ever played. I've heard people say it can pull off the Stingray tone but I don't really think it does. The Stingray has a "Sproing" and shimmer ( could I be more convoluted?) that the G&L doesn't quite do. The G&L has given me the best rock bass sound I've come across yet. I've played in blues and classic rock groups and have gotten several compliments on my tone...... Which, admittedly was probably more boom than anything else. I've even played country music with my G&L with good results. It'll do active and passive, can be shinny and snappy or dull and boomy and give you the ability to blow asses out.

If I was a better player I may have been able to do it all with a passive jazz bass but I'm not and my G&L is my crutch.

Ummmmm.....Line 6 Vari-bass for the win I guess

 

[UnfortunateTony]

My Jackson Concert. One J-bass pickup, one P-bass pickup. I can and do play everything from metal to reggae.

 

[Slax]

I feel like I can get many tones out of all my basses but for a "One size fits all" type of deal. My P bass is the go to on those "I don't know what will work best" situations.

It just feels like the default of plug and play and sound good with minimal EQing bass. In that respect, I vote it my most versatile.

 

[Plays_For_Dog]

I've played my Ibanez BTB-505 for 10 years now. It's done everything, and done it well. The onboard EQ through the active pups can achieve just about any sound you desire, or at least come damn close. It's just a good all around bass.

 

[lowphatbass]

2 pick-ups, 5 strings, rounds and a healthy rig. The rest is up to you.

 

[bobalu]

While I agree with you to an extent, I probably wouldn't buy a precision if I slapped a lot or play a stingray on a jazz gig.

As chance would have it, I was at a jazz bar this past Saturday and witnessed a bass player with an old Stingray (single pup with the bridge mutes). Damn right I'd be takin' a Stingray to a jazz gig! It sounded (rather "he" sounded) simply amazing. Tone like an upright through a Mesa Walkabout Scout. Very traditional sounding. Just shows you how wrong it is to stereotype.

 

[the_man_dan]

Line 6 Variax Bass

 

[Manatopain]

I'd Defo go for a Sandberg PM or JM. If its a P or J kinda depends on what tone you want to get, but in both models you can split the humbucker to make it a single coil. The installed humbucker also got an active preamp, so you can get the Musicman tone.

so:
JM= Musicman bass, Fender jazz, and then you can get some different sounds from the neck and bridge J pickups (Split)
PM= Musicman bass, Victor wooten-ish sound (Its not EMG's but it still has the P-J configuration), Classic fender P-bass sound, and then the split Humbucker to form a single jazz pickup at the bridge.

That bass is somewhat the most versatile as you could think q;
Its also available in both 4 and 5 string models.

Cheers!

 

[perogato02]

Peavey T-40 ...

 

[lindseyp]

My Lakland 55-02. Still surprises me how much ground it can cover well. I had no idea what a chameleon it is when I first tried it out five years ago, I just thought it felt great.

 

[namraj]

I like my Warwick Streamer Stage 1 because of it's versatility.

It's built in 3 band EQ makes quick on stage tone changes easy, and it fits nicely in a mix. I was in a professional wedding band for a couple of years and the Warwick worked perfectly, and eventually our techie was changing my tone for me at the desk with out me even needing to worry.

 

[MikeBass]

Doing currently as the OP says, I've found that a Lakland 55-94 or my Valenti (also with J/MM pick-ups) pretty much can nail almost any tone needed.

The LH1 pick-ups and pre in the Laklands are INSANELY good sounding.

You can cop a pretty convincing MM tone, a good J tone, a good P tone and a nice "hybred/active" tone with that J/MM pick-up combination.
Really hard to beat.

 

[Distant Cousin]

My Ibanez BTB406QM seems to be able to handle anything I throw at it currently. I think Ibanez in general make some really versatile basses.

 

[john_g]

Another vote for the G&L L2000/L2500. Since I play in a cover band, I need alot of different kinds of tones, and my G&Ls really deliver.

 

[spade2you]

Any bass can play any genre. It's the player that must be versatile.

Knowing what a bass/rig can do, can do well, and can't do can be worth a lot, but that's most understanding on the musician's part.

Looks aside, most basses can handle most types of music. There are far less exceptions of a bass that won't work, given reasonable EQ and know how.

 

[funkybass]

As chance would have it, I was at a jazz bar this past Saturday and witnessed a bass player with an old Stingray (single pup with the bridge mutes). Damn right I'd be takin' a Stingray to a jazz gig! It sounded (rather "he" sounded) simply amazing. Tone like an upright through a Mesa Walkabout Scout. Very traditional sounding. Just shows you how wrong it is to stereotype.

I've never played an old stingray, but the new classic line with the mutes don't sound as agressive as newer stingrays. I
happen to own a newer single h stingray, and one church I play at requested I play a different bass because they thought the Ray' was too agressive.

 

[RedLeg]

streamer $$ 5 string

 

[fullrangebass]

Dingwall Z3 by far one of the most versatile basses in production