Have you ever owned a bass that you thought was too precious to use outside of the studio? I think if I owned anything that was REALLY high-end, I'd only use them in the studio. Or if it sounded really good, but looked ugly, I think that would be studio only.
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Studio-only basses
- Thread starter ndrly
- Start date
I regularly use a $6K bass on live gigs. Worst damage I ever did to it was in a studio unplugging a mic with a stiff plug. When the plug finally came loose I whacked the bass with the mic leaving a grill shaped dent in the finish.
Stanley Clarke gigs with his Alembics. Victor Wooten gigs with his Foderas. Michael Manring gigs with his Hyperbass. I think, given this, if I had a super expensive bass, I would gig with it. You only live once, so get the most out of your gear!
right on man!!! i own two fender jazz basses and i am pretty precious over them, but in a gig situation i totally let rip. i played an MTV gig on thursday night and accidentally slammed my '75 RI on the ground when i went to my knees. i was annoyed at myself for not being more carefull, but figured, it was in the heat of performance so its a legitimate ding.
get the most out of your gear while you have it. u cant baby it coz u cant take it with u
+1. There really isn't much point in owning a bass if it doesn't get much use. The only exception is if you do ALOT of studio work. If it's split 50/50 between live and studio work, then I could see getting a '62 jazz and a '62 RI jazz, and using the RI for live gigs.
As long as it's getting played.
ibanezcollector
Yoyo's Hurt When You Crank It Into Your Face
basses are meant to be played, plain and simple. I dont care what it is Fodera or 50-60's Fender in mint condition. ITS MEANT TO BE PLAYED..
If your not going to play it then your not a bass player your a collector..
If your not going to play it then your not a bass player your a collector..
- Jul 30, 2006
- 2,315
- 453
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist:Regenerate Guitar Works Carvin, Micheal Kelly Guitars
I play 5 strings onstage, but use my 4 strings in the studio quite a bit. #1 studio bass is an old Jazz bass body with an Modulus P bass size neck & active EMG pups.
I would have no problem with retiring a bass, say like, one that I have played live so much that I think it's time just to rest it and let it coast out the rest of it's day in the studio.
At that tiem, I'd get another amazing bass and make the magic happen with that!
At that tiem, I'd get another amazing bass and make the magic happen with that!
I've never had one too precious but, I had one that was such a total cheap, nasty playing, public embarassment that I would never be seen in public with it.
For some reason though it is to this day maybe the best sounding, easiest recording bass I ever used. That thing just lit up on tape. It got a lot of work righ up until the neck twisted and warped beyond use.
For some reason though it is to this day maybe the best sounding, easiest recording bass I ever used. That thing just lit up on tape. It got a lot of work righ up until the neck twisted and warped beyond use.
I have retired a bass. Its a '74 jazz bass that I have owned since 1975. Its modded out ( Bart humbucker, Sadowsky pre, other stuff, too) but still worth a bit. Its retired cause its beat up. I will take this baby out in the house and record with it. Its asked for by people who want me to record. But its finished as a workhorse.
It wouldn´t bother me to have a second instrument for live ruthless pounding, since the ol´Fender is almost forty years old, the neck has received one or two beatings over that amount of time and the nut hates me, it´s a shame ´cause it gives some brutally fat, distorted sound when i slap it with intentions of hurting myself....but i think it will soon be used only for studio work (it´s tone is loved by a few local engineers, one of them says: "to get a great sound out of it, i just plug it in" ) when i get my made for pounding Neck-Through Czech Spector.
i dont baby my bass but i am careful. i want to get a cheaper bass to tour rigerously with cus i know it will get bashed about more in a van than in a car. but if you baby it hows it gonna relic 
I do mostly sesssion work as I travel and can't commit to bands much, anymore...
I waited two and a half years for my Nordstrand short scale neck through six and I don't take it out to bar gigs. If I do gig with it (festivals, concerts) I treat it like the "Stradivarius" it is. It immediately goes back into a hard shell case instead of on a stand, never leaves my sight or side-yes even goes to the rest room with me if no one else can watch it for me.
I agree that one's expensive custom bass is for playing and should be played, but one CAN coddle and play it out at the same time. My dividing line is: no postage stamp crowded stages where it will bang into anything, no unprotected outdoor gigs in the rain, etc.
I waited two and a half years for my Nordstrand short scale neck through six and I don't take it out to bar gigs. If I do gig with it (festivals, concerts) I treat it like the "Stradivarius" it is. It immediately goes back into a hard shell case instead of on a stand, never leaves my sight or side-yes even goes to the rest room with me if no one else can watch it for me.
I agree that one's expensive custom bass is for playing and should be played, but one CAN coddle and play it out at the same time. My dividing line is: no postage stamp crowded stages where it will bang into anything, no unprotected outdoor gigs in the rain, etc.
Play it. Everywhere.
If I'm paying $3000 for a bass, I'm playing $3000 worth of bass outta that thing. I would feel absolutely no remorse bringing it to an entire tour of nothing but Blues Brothers chicken-wire gigs.
And, frankly, I think a lot of luthiers would appreciate that.
If I'm paying $3000 for a bass, I'm playing $3000 worth of bass outta that thing. I would feel absolutely no remorse bringing it to an entire tour of nothing but Blues Brothers chicken-wire gigs.
And, frankly, I think a lot of luthiers would appreciate that.
i dont baby my bass but i am careful. i want to get a cheaper bass to tour rigerously with cus i know it will get bashed about more in a van than in a car. but if you baby it hows it gonna relic
If your bass is in a hard case being thrown around in the back of a van will likely do no damage at all. I've done it. No harm at all
I don't have hangups on how my basses look. As long as they sound good, I have zero hesitation on playing them in the studio or live. That's why I keep 'em.
I haven't had any gigs since I got my Sadowsky, because we don't have a drummer, but I don't think I'd hesitate to bring it with me on some gigs.
That said, there is another perspective. If I played gigs in crap neighborhoods, I'd probably lean towards playing a beater bass live. The fact of the matter is, sometimes, gear gets stolen. Yes insurance can cover the theft, but if I waited a year for a custom bass, and it gets stolen, guess what, I have to wait another year to get one like it. Not so with some $300 piece of trash. I just hop on over to Guitar Center with my insurance monies, and get the same piece of trash. Like I said though, just another perspective.
That said, there is another perspective. If I played gigs in crap neighborhoods, I'd probably lean towards playing a beater bass live. The fact of the matter is, sometimes, gear gets stolen. Yes insurance can cover the theft, but if I waited a year for a custom bass, and it gets stolen, guess what, I have to wait another year to get one like it. Not so with some $300 piece of trash. I just hop on over to Guitar Center with my insurance monies, and get the same piece of trash. Like I said though, just another perspective.
I've heard that Flea has used Alembic and Wal on Blood Sugar Sex Magik and One Hot Minute. However, he does not use them live.
