Top Ten high end basses?

[Cinquez Griffin]

Can anyone give the top Ten high end bass guitars available....w/custom-made and high production models?

 

[ghostdog93]

Subjective list will be...subjective.

 

[Ibanez Bassist]

Are we talking about Status/Name and Price High End or Are we talking about Personal preference favorites High End..

 

[ksandvik]

Here we go again. Ten pages later there's no agreement.

Just get a Squire VM modified.

 

[nickbass79]

My personal preferences (after owning all and making my personal decisions) and these are not in order, because it's hard to rank quality when they are all so good:

Fodera
Carl Thompson
Cliff Bordwell
Pete Hilton
Ken Smith
Ritter
Elrick
Alembic
High End Fender Custom Shop models(or just set up correctly)
FBass

I still own the top three, so...
Completely subjective

 

[aqsw]

Fodera
Alembic
Dingwall
Roscoe
Thompson
Smith
FBass
Modulas
Elrick
(and the only one I will ever buy - if not a Dingwall) Johnk

 

[Kwesi]

LOL, just as soon as you give me a list of the top 10 painters or photographers of all time.

 

[aqsw]

Except there are millions of painters and photographers. Only a thousand bass makers
.

 

[Panther]

No such thing.....

 

[Drop-D]

The top bass is the one that inspires you.

Even a horrible bass provides inspiration....to acquire a better one.

 

[pablomigraine]

In no particular order:

ALEMBIC
CARL THOMPSON
FODERA
BRUBAKER
SKJOLD
ROSCOE
MTD
RITTER
ELRICK
SPECTOR (USA custom)

 

[JZQuantum]

Here we go again. Ten pages later there's no agreement.

Just get a Squire VM modified.

Is that the best bass for metal?

 

[mp40smg]

High end means different things to different people.
A limited edition color from Fender can be "high end " to many. A mim fender w/ upgraded pups and tuners could be High end too.. A German made hofner is a ton of money, but might not be considered high end.

I bought my neck through 6 string modulus in 91 for @ $1600. At the time that was a lot, but now it would barely cover most Mia fenders...

It really depends on what "high end" means

 

[G On Bass]

Can anyone give the top Ten high end bass guitars available....w/custom-made and high production models?

I can get pretty much anything I would want in one of those mondo-costo basses from woods to electronics in a Carvin built to my specs for less than $2,000... Is there a minimum price range?

 

[Kwesi]

Except there are millions of painters and photographers. Only a thousand bass makers
.

So... best case scenario, we'll see every boutique bass maker on the planet mentioned within 100 posts and he can just pick from that list .

EDIT for a less snarky response:

Going through lists of bass builders is probably the worst way to go about finding a bass. I imagine that the OP has something in mind already - a bunch of features that he'd like to see in one bass. A good method would be to list those features and ask what builders could make a bass for you that incorporates them all and has a tone that you dig. No one looks through a phone book without an idea of who they're trying to call.

 

[aqsw]

So... best case scenario, we'll see every boutique bass maker on the planet mentioned within 100 posts and he can just pick from that list .

EDIT for a less snarky response:

Going through lists of bass builders is probably the worst way to go about finding a bass. I imagine that the OP has something in mind already - a bunch of features that he'd like to see in one bass. A good method would be to list those features and ask what builders could make a bass for you that incorporates them all and has a tone that you dig. No one looks through a phone book without an idea of who they're trying to call.

I imagine that the op has no idea and has nothing in mind already. I imagine he wants a list of botique builders which is very subjective. I imagine differently than you.

 

[CTC564]

IMO...based on what I've played/owned and heard...no particular order

Sadowsky
Nordstrand
MTD USA
Lakland USA
Fodera
F Bass
Skjold
Pedulla MVP
Zon
Lull

 

[Gord_oh]

 

[BioDriver]

The only Top Ten list that will be objective would be listing base prices from high to low, and I'm not doing it.

 

[Kwesi]

I imagine that the op has no idea and has nothing in mind already. I imagine he wants a list of botique builders which is very subjective. I imagine differently than you.

Well I like my imagination better than yours!