Poll: How have your aesthetic preferences changed over time?

[twinjet]

Easy question.

Personally:
Three-tone sunburst.
I used to be really into sunburst. Today, I think it's still fine. A classic look, but not really my thing now. Still, you can't go wrong with it.

'15 MIA Fender Precision Bass

Natural finish, black guard, blocked maple board.
Used to salivate all over the place when I saw these. Now I am jaded by them after having owned one. I dislike this look.

'12 Squier Jazz Bass

Other bursts:
Blueburst/pearl guard/ebony board. Damn. Just damn! I didn't know bursts came in any other option aside from 3TS or tobacco until I saw G&L's offerings. Ho...lee... grits.

G&L JB (not my picture).

You?

 

[two fingers]

Other than preferring pointy basses in the late 80s to early 90s (one Kramer and one Ibanez) I almost haven't cared if I can get the playability I am after along with the tone. I seem to be in a P bass phase (quite accidentally) right now. But the color schemes are all over the place and I like them all. I tend to stray away from maple boards for some reason but I don't consciously hate them.

Three Ps in a pod. Amateur phone pics.

 

[Old Blastard]

Loved solid body jazzy basses.
Now I love hollow and semi hollow bodies.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

I have to think on it, but given that my first three basses (all of which I specifically chose) were nice looking natural wood finishes, I'd say that my tastes have not really changed all that much. But I will say that the aesthetics of an instrument are FAR less important to me today than the feel and sound. If I ran across a safety-green & hot pink bass that sounded and played perfectly, I'd use it. Sure, I'd prefer it wasn't ugly, but really I don't care what it looks like if it plays and sounds great.

 

[BAG]

I just love black bases with black pickguards..... but not to the point where i won't buy a bargain in a different color.

 

[Groove Doctor]

Significant.

From
Long scales to Short scales
Solid bodies to Hollow bodies
Round wounds to Flats/Tapes
Active J-style basses to Passive P's
Poly finish to Nitro/Oil finishes
Hard cases to Gig bags

Also
Tubes to Solid state back to Tube/Hybrid amps
Fretless to Fretted back to Fretless
4 string to 5 string back to 4 string
Pick to Fingerstyle then to Both.

 

[2saddleslab]

Not really. 30 years on 2 saddle slab still best describes my preferences.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I used to love crazy colors.

Now I only like black and white.

 

[Mechayoshi]

I like things that are different but not overtly so, if that makes sense. So I'm fine with the pointy 80s stuff and that hasn't changed. As far as conventional basses go, I used to hate sunburst and natural finishes but now if you were to ask me to make a custom Fender, I'd go for natural or sunburst with black pickguard.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

The look of my guitars and basses used to be a really big deal for me.
I've become more wide-range and accepting of all kinds of looks over the years. Just like I've become open to more types of music over the years.

 

[Anglerfish]

When I first ever saw a cherry sunburst guitar I thought it was defective. I was like "What's wrong with that fading to yellow in the middle? Why not solid red?" Now i see it is as one of the most beautiful finishes.

I also started finding vintage looking instruments more attractive. They seemed goofy to me before.

 

[fermata]

I used to be all about natural finishes, but my favorites now tend to be black or white. I've always liked the look of semi-hollows, so that's not new, but my preference for short scale is. And every time @2saddleslab posts a picture of his basses, it's like Pavlov ringing a bell. drool

 

[CryingBass]

Mine are about to change shortly after this one arrives

 

[40Hz]

My aesthetic preferences haven't so much changed as broadened over the years. I can easily appreciate far more (and different) genres, tonalities, and stylistic coventions than I could when I first started out.

But my fundamental likes when it comes to intonation, clarity, and "tone" really haven't changed much at all. i've just become more accepting of things that don't conform to my primary preference when it comes to a bass sound.

And oh yeah…I do not like slap.

 

[RichardW]

J ---------> P

 

[MobileHolmes]

I started in the early 90s and there was still a lot of 80s hold over (new shapes, no pick guard, pj pickups). I was honked off that my first bass was a natural P copy with a tort guard. Over time, I've really come to appreciate the more classic aesthetics though. My #1 has more or less straight 60s J bass aesthetics

 

[saltydude]

Mine are about to change shortly after this one arrives

View attachment 1103006

Oh ho. So you're the one! Congratulations. Be sure to post your findings in the Kubicki club!

My tastes are still the same. I like crazy colors and some of the natural finishes.

 

[fretter]

I used to think that I'd own a body shape like this some day. That was before I got a P bass long ago. It would also look silly on a middle aged guy who looks like an accountant, in my opinion.

 

[Rib 13]

Other than preferring pointy basses in the late 80s to early 90s (one Kramer and one Ibanez) I almost haven't cared if I can get the playability I am after along with the tone.

same here, except I had two Ibanez Destroyers (no Kramers, tho) at different points in the 80s/very early 90s. Neither was a Number1 but both got a lot of play because it fit the motif at the time ( They didnt sound or play bad either).......funny enough, I almost pulled the trigger on another Destroyer several months ago just for nostalgia and talked myself out of it

I still love Explorer-shaped guitars but, like you, playability/tone supercedes any aesthetic, regardless

 

[lostreality]

I thought reverse headstocks were cool when I was 15 but otherwise my tastes haven't changed much over the years: small-ish double cutaway body shape, 3+1 or 3+2 headstock, and visible wood grain in the finish.

I also prefer the look of Jazz pickups, but not enough to rule out other pickup types