Recommend me something... "different"

[MisterMagician]

Well, I'm confused. It's supposed to be for "you time"- does that mean in a band? You mention getting lost in the mix.. Will you use this bass alongside your Sadowsky?

Sorry, just had to put that out there. I would suggest an acoustic fretless bass, with nylon tapewounds. Jam wherever, certainly unlike your Sadowsky, and inspiring!

Yes, this will be a bass I used just as I use my Sadowsky for whatever I need to play Bass on. The only thing is this is for when I want a unique sound instead of copping a traditional one with the Sad. That and I find 4's a bit more comfortable for just playing around than a 5.

My only real requirement of any Bass sonic-wise is that it sounds thick and can be made to cut through as I think it sounds best when a Bass is noticeable in a mix (I also have two overdrive pedals to help with that too).

 

[RedMoses]

Everytime i pick up an old Specter i get inspired...

 

[MisterMagician]

I do really like the necks on them. What kind of preamps are in the Kramer-era Spectors?

 

[Fresh Eddie]

My two favorites are on your "B" list. I used to own a couple of Magnum II's and they sounded amazing. I would generally just use the four-coil neck pickup solo. The bridge mute is also the only system that seemed to work the way it was supposed to... way overbuilt, and I never saw another ebony fingerboard that thick!

I still have an early '80s Spector NS-2 and it is a great bass. Plays really easily and sounds good recorded.

 

[MisterMagician]

How do the Kramer Spectors compare to the original ones?

 

[Fresh Eddie]

How do the Kramer Spectors compare to the original ones?

I have never owned a Kramer one, but I played a friend's one time... they feel different, but not necessarily better or worse.

The Czech ones they made a few years back are pretty spot on to my Pre-Kramer. They feel nearly identical.

 

[MisterMagician]

Are the Kramer era Basses radiused like the modern ones are?


Also, I'd like to add a 1991 EBMM Sterling to the list.

 

[Rumblestiltskin]

I reckon a fretless jazz might fill the bill.....not necesarily a funky out there piece, but start slidin around with a touch of chorus and you may find nirvana. (Not the band, you schmucks)

 

[MisterMagician]

Speaking of which, I'd be down for a 2-tone sunburst Geddy Lee fretless.

Dem blocks and such you know.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

Good choice, I have found a lot of those.

They are so ugly how can you not love them? Plus that pickup seems even bigger than a Gibson Mudbucker.

Sir, there is nothing ugly about the Magnum. I am offended!
It has an amazing action, great tone, and was the first production bass to use graphite in the neck.
I actually like the look of them. Especially the bursted and cherry finish that show the mahogany grain. Though I will admit, they are really finicky about the amps you plug them into. Lower impedance inputs sound farty and indistinct. Suppose that is why later models are mostly active.

If I can add more suggestion
the OG Ibanez Roadster/Roadstar are super underrated basses.
Invalid Link Removed
Peavey T40's are also unsung classics

 

[MisterMagician]

Well the main problem with the magnum is that I have no way of trying one out beforehand.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

oh yeah, how can you leave out the two weirdest looking production basses made by a mainstream American Company?
The Big Al
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
The Bongo
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Fresh Eddie]

Well the main problem with the magnum is that I have no way of trying one out beforehand.

Mine were both active Mag II's they cut through the mix on pure brute force. That neck pickup is something to be reckoned with!

 

[MisterMagician]

Welll that's a point for the Magnum then.

And I tried a Bongo and a Big Al many moons ago... I didn't care for them.

 

[bootsox]

Get a ural, it'll be the worst playing bass you'll own but you'll never be able to put it down


or a formanta if you want a goofy soviet bass that actually plays well sometimes

 

[MisterMagician]

Nah, I'd rather spend my money on something good.

 

[Aussie Mark]

Nah, I'd rather spend my money on something good.

In that case you'll be disappointed with a late 60s Yamaha. The likes of Yamaha, Ibanez, Aria etc really didn't get their game face on until the mid 70s. The 60s Japanese basses might look good, but they don't play particular well and don't have the super high production quality of the next decade onwards.

 

[MisterMagician]

That simplifies things then I suppose.

 

[Roger Ford]

I have a Danelectro DC Bass, 34 in, two pickups. There's your unique tone, hollow, great to play around the house. What I like most, is the uniform width and thickness of the neck. I bought a Danelectro Long Horn new in '68 which I just sold a few months ago, and the only thing I would have changed about it, would have been for it to be 34 in. The DC has a 'short horn' double cutaway body, with two 'lipstick' pickups, like the Jimmy Page model guitar.

 

[Aussie Mark]

Have you decided on rosewood, or maple board on your new bass? Because that would make an awesome thread too around here.