Ok, so what bass evolution do you actually want?

[Maki_Randy]

I want an acoustasonic bass, to get a nice short-sustain upright sound

 

[EddiePlaysBass]

I want a stringless bass. A theremin/bass hybrid sort of thing.

 

[dab12ax7ef]

I think Ernie Ball did a great job updating the StingRays in the last few years. They remain faithful to the classic nature of the look and sound, but utilize new materials and methods for better look, feel, sound, and lighter weight. Like light weight aluminum hardware, roasted neck, neo pickups, updated contours, sparkle finishes. While I haven’t yet, it makes me want to trade up for a newer model. Well done EB.

 

[WestyBassBob]

An automobile is just wheels, a seat, steering, brakes, and a motor. There has been no innovation since it was first made. Only refinements of what's already there. When will we see something new?

Form follows function.

Bla bla bla.

Is that a joke? Have you ever ridden inside an old car for any length of time?

if you have you’ll know the phrase “they don’t make em like they used too” isn’t a pejorative for modern automobiles. It’s a good thing they don’t.

There is definitely a lot of innovation and evolution. Automatic transmissions sat nav and hybrid vehicles just to name some obvious ones.

 

[WestyBassBob]

I want a short scale MM style bass with a narrow fast neck and no toilet seat.

Or I want a JMJ Vintera Mustang bass in a non road worn finish

 

[coyote1]

A nice EUB that actually sounds like an upright, looks cool onstage, is lightweight and affordable (like under $1K) I believe any manufacturer who comes up with that will start the next millennia of bass.

Looks like a market opening for you to grab!

 

[Samatza]

Innovation has been there all along.

slab bodies became contoured
Finishes got better
MM truss rod wheel, no truss cover and quick and easy to adjust
Graphite rods in the neck
Noiseless pickups
Better machine heads
Strap locks
Asymmetrical neck profile
Contoured heel
LED fret markers
String through body bridges
Pop up battery boxes
Screwless control covers
Dual action truss rods

And now you can buy a cheap bass that’s actually gig worthy.

So there’s actually been a lot of good stuff happening but we still complain. We want custom level instruments at entry level prices. We value our time highly but don’t apply the same rules to luthiers who put a lot of hours into custom builds.

Sorry to say but we should be grateful for all the options presented to us.

 

[InhumanResource]

Apparently people don't like the evolution or lack thereof with fender and keisel, but....

What do you actually want?

At some point, the bass has to still be a playable bass.

There is that bass with the half fretted, half fretless that's an interesting evolution, but nobody bought it...

Headless basses are a thing to some, but heavily divisive....

P/j, p/mm, j/mm are all combos of other basses...

People hated gibson's robot tuning guitar...

So, what do you people actually want?

Wider adoption of graphite rods and more basses with pickup spacing like an L2000. Maybe wider adoption of filter preamps too, and even multicoils like ken Smith and Wal. There seems to be at least some demand if somebody can manage to fabricate less expensively.

Then again I kinda already have everything I need!

 

[Volker Kirstein]

Is that a joke? ...

Yes.

 

[Mo cowbell]

I’d like a headless mockingbird.

 

[Samatza]

Is that a joke? Have you ever ridden inside an old car for any length of time?

if you have you’ll know the phrase “they don’t make em like they used too” isn’t a pejorative for modern automobiles. It’s a good thing they don’t.

There is definitely a lot of innovation and evolution. Automatic transmissions sat nav and hybrid vehicles just to name some obvious ones.

I recall my friends 1967 Holden, we were travelling downhill on a wet road, not fast by any means. He applied the brakes which were drum brakes all around, we ended up facing in the opposite direction.

Fast forward to my Mazda 6, it holds the road like it’s glued to it and it’s by no means a fancy car...

I’ll take the new one thanks.

 

[sonic 7]

A bass that makes me sound like I don’t suck.

 

[burgerdj]

I’d like to see a production bass with functional moving/sliding pickups AND a bass with hot swap pickups. How cool would it be to just snap in whatever pickup you wanted, exactly where you wanted it?

 

[bass theory]

Id like to see more hollows and semi hollows.
with solids, the body does virtually nothing. I even saw a you tube of a guy building a solid out of concrete which played very well.
with hollows and semis the tonewood and size of cavity as well as f holes change the tone quite a lot.

 

[bass theory]

I’d like to see a production bass with functional moving/sliding pickups AND a bass with hot swap pickups. How cool would it be to just snap in whatever pickup you wanted, exactly where you wanted it?

there actually is such a thing.
check this out.
The Most Advanced Guitar That Nobody Knows About! - YouTube

 

[krfoss]

Okay, I’ll go - BTW if any company incorporates these ideas, you need to hire me at an executive level with corresponding compensation.

1) Improved ergonomics: specifically, I’d like to see a company look at anatomical measurements and either have a customized approach, or one based upon a few different “sizes” of different body parts to create an instrument that is truly optimized for comfort and playing ease. 34” has its drawbacks. So does 30”. Don’t know if 32” is the magic number, but someone needs to approach it from the angle of what works for the human body. This also goes for neck width. In the upright world, Upton has made the observation that a thinner neck reduces your ability to stretch your fingers — again, there is an optimum balance here that I know someone has yet to try to achieve in a scientific manner. Create some sort of technology or tool to allow people to figure out what works for their body, and then sell them a bass that really fits.

2) Improved lightness: We have all sorts of space age technologies and materials. While the entire guitar doesn’t need to be made out of carbon fiber, let’s see some really innovative approaches to reducing weight without negative side effects. Maybe it’s an all wood guitar - maybe it’s a hybrid of wood and other materials. Maybe there’s only a wood fingerboard.

3) Single tree instruments: in the world of Scotch, you have single malts. In the wine industry, you have single vineyard, or even single block wines. Bring for a guitar made out of a single tree, provide the buyer with documentation of that tree, where it grew, etc. as well as the replacement tree(s) that were planted. Honor the tree that went into the instrument and create something that is so unique that each instrument is a real work of art.

4) Truly solve the problem of hum: Seriously, no excuse. Use a phantom coil if you need to, but there’s no other musical item we’d tolerate this with.

5) Flexible pickup configurations: Why am I stuck with pickups in a single configuration, of fixed type, and in fixed positions. I want to be able to quickly hot-swap and move my pickups around. Create a rails system, quick disconnects, and some interesting routing. Hell, make each pickup battery powered and wireless, and then let me dock them on a magnetic wireless charger.

6) Onboard recording: allow us to record the sound and then reamp it as needed without any external devices. Hell, through in some sort of MIDI logging as well.

7) Onboard effects: why bring pedals? Incorporate technology to allow effects to be handled within the instrument itself.


That’s literally just off the top of my head. If I actually think hard, I can probably double the list.

I like the single tree idea, but then you’re stuck with an all maple, mahogany,or wenge bass. Could still be cool.

also, I thought I saw a splittable mm pup that could do single coil and switch to p-bass configuration too. Maybe it was a dream, but it’s close.

 

[butterfingers1]

Since the split coil p bass of the late 1950s, the most useful change has been the steep drop in prices. What was then a luxury purchase almost comparable to a car is now more akin to a couple weeks’ groceries.

 

[Richard Martin]

Champan Stick.

This is a bit off topic but I've never heard of the Champan Stick before. The most interesting thing about it is the fact that Eddie Van Halen gets credit for inventing 2 handed tap. Emmette Champan first developed the technique in 1969. Kinda like Michael Jackson getting credit for inventing the Moon Walk. Bill Bailey invented the Moon Walk in 1955.

 

[Spectrum]

Screw "bass evolution". I already have what I want. A Rickenbacker 4003. Done. That was easy.

 

[G On Bass]

I'd like to see some versatility in pickups. Like maybe some big Fluence-type pickup that can be toggled to only activate parts of the pickup, giving options for P-position, Ray postion, J-bass, HH and things like that. I don't consider re-issuing the same design over and over or throwing 20 colors on a headless bass that costs thousands to be evolution. More of a sideshow with corndogs and clowns.