Poll: How have your aesthetic preferences changed over time?

[pappabass]

hard to say, started with a Fender P, made the bass loop & have wound up with another Fender P

 

[COLDGLU]

Significantly!
(Note: All the basses I currently own are colourful Fenders, but that's soon to change)

Fender => Ibanez
Coloured => Natural
PJ => J/the long variety of names for two pickups of the same size/length
Jazz => SR
One type of body wood => Many types of body wood
Not winged => Winged
Regular => Fanned
Four strings => Five

I'm not even a metal player, but the last two appeal to me so much on a bass.

 

[Burwabit]

I've always liked a variety of sounds but classic looks. Tastes haven't changed significantly other than a desire for lighter and lighter instruments. With the latest 2 additions of passive P 4 with flats and fretless deluxe J, I'm so very happy with my basses right now... just need more practice.

 

[JimmyM]

Used to hate black finishes and wood finishes, then I started liking wood finishes as long as they weren't too table-toppy, then I started liking black when I realized how good I look with a black Fender

 

[Felken]

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.
View attachment 1102907
'12 Squier Jazz Bass

What happened for you to hate that look???

 

[twinjet]

What happened for you to hate that look???

Too flashy for my liking is all. No hate, I just don't think they're all that anymore.

 

[crucislancer]

Significantly for sure. Back in the 80’s and 90’s I was favoring Ibanez basses for the most part, and while I did have a couple of Fender basses, I didn’t use them. Also preferred natural finishes and a few odd ball ones (My Ibanez EDC700 had a cool dark purple finish that changed color in certain lighting situations). These days, I have Precision and Jazz basses, and 2 of them are 3 color sunburst LOL. If someone told me in 2000 that I would be a Fender Jazz bass fan within a year, I would have laughed.

I played a 4 string Ibanez at GC last November, very much like the one I had in the mid 90’s (SR800) and I honestly didn’t like it. I wound up going home with a new Fender PJ.

 

[Felken]

Too flashy for my liking is all. No hate, I just don't think they're all that anymore.

Huh. Natural is too flashy. Never heard that before

 

[twinjet]

Huh. Natural is too flashy. Never heard that before

Actually, the natural finish is fine. Combined with the binding and blocks, I feel there's a bit too much going on. I dunno, tastes change.

I might add, when I first saw it I picked it up in mere hours. It only took a little time to buy it. Unfortunately, I also feel the aesthetic didn't quite match up with my personality (weird idea, I know).

 

[jnewmark]

I haven't changed much at all. I just don't like maple fretboards, and natural finishes. probably wouldn't buy a lime green bass, or one with designs.

 

[CryingBass]

Now that I can re-member it, I think my first bass was one of these. Sexy...

Wish I still had it, but not for good reasons

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

Significantly ... I thought modern bass shapes with exotic wood bodies and rare woods top plates, multi wood necjs and bechs through body ( the so called boutialque basses of the early 90s) were super cool ... in reality the majority of them to me now sound cold and sterile whilst the solid shape and the power of a classic P bass in almost any colour is what I want to be provided with constantly now ...

 

[BassHappy]

The older I get the simpler I want.

 

[Pet Sounds]

I voted "not at all" because I've always been a fan of old-school basses: P, J, Stingray, Rickenbacker and Hofner. No pointy objects or coffee tables for me.

 

[DirtDog]

I've been all over the place with aesthetics over the years. I guess I would put myself into preferring dark solid colours when I first started playing bass/electric (early '80s). Back then I thought three colour sunburst was really old fashioned. I gassed over butterscotch Teles back then, but played a black Roadstar II. Kind of stayed in the black with white pick guard scheme for a while. Then I saw a relic'd Jazz in Vintage White with tort guard and I was smitten. I've had a couple of basses in that livery (and still do, see my avatar) and if I could, every guitar I buy in the future would be in that livery.

One thing that I never cared for was the coffee table bass aesthetic. You know, funky woods, funky designs, funky pickups. I just need me a simple Fender P or J or a derivative and I'm good. Took me a while to appreciate the 3+1 headstock on a Stingray, but after owning one, I got over it.

Also never cared much for pointy guitars, aside from Flying Vs and Explorers.

 

[Chamber]

I'd say pretty significantly.

Black was my go to color for bass, now it's become one of my least favorites. White/cream being top now.
Wasn't crazy about pickguards, prefer them now.
Liked the "metal" looking basses, now they are at the bottom of the list for me.
Five-string was my preference, now I'm all four.
Liked fancy flamed/quilted maple tops, not so much anymore.

 

[Jefff]

I no longer care for those almost perfect book matched tops. Whether flame or quilt or burl. I have seen so many of them that I could never see buying one. They are ubiquitous.

Rather have a 3 tone burst or something painted...or in a perfect world, a one piece top with some oddly grained character..

 

[Clef_de_fa]

Mine haven't changed that much. Never liked Fender-ish instrument which can be seen in all the instrument I ever have.

 

[west al]

I'm playing Jazzes now. At one time, most of my basses had a Maple board. Now two out of my three have Rosewood boards, and one Maple board. Am. Std., USA Geddy Lee, and Spl. Edition White Opal.

 

[fhm555]

When i was cutting grass in the summer to pay for my stuff, price, or more specifically bang for my buck was the only consideration. As i got older and had a little more to spend BFMB was still imperative, i just had a higher threshold. Some more later i reached a point where i could kinda sorta look at specific brands or models but the idea of a new bass was still something i never considered, and to that point color was never a consideration. When i finally reached a point where i could pick and choose i still favored used basses and color was still never a consideration. After finally reached a point i would buy a new bass i went with the intention of buying a jazz plus in blue pearl burst but discovered i would need to to wait at least 8 weeks to get one so i looked at the 4 natural ash pluses thay had in stock and picked the one that sounded and played best to me. That was in the early 90's and i still have it.

I guess the only real change is i'll entertain a new bass when the urge strikes to try something different.