what are some bass guitars with distinct tone?

[bushy]

Been looking at the hofner shorty. My ashbory could use company.

Hofner

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

You aren't listening closely enough...there is a distinct difference in sound between basses!

I've tried so many bass guitars and most sound the same if not alike, even the ones that cost $200 in comparison with pricier bass guitars.

I do find the Ashbory bass having a distinct tone. Is it the fretlessness of it or the strings or the pickups that give bass guitars their tone?

 

[Spectre Gunner]

My Kubicki Ex-Factor is different than my either of my Fender Jazz basses and my Fender Fretless PJ is quite different than either of the Fenders mentioned. And all strung all with the same strings, they still have their own distinctive tone.

 

[Pug the Pig]

.. Rickenbacker by far..

 

[Jrussblues]

He's a soundman, this is a setup.

 

[bigswifty1]

Rics and Rays would be the obvious answer I guess. Add in anything with a piezo. Add in anything with rubber strings. Add in anything with ........

Mike

 

[2saddleslab]

Slab w/ single coil.

 

[Bruiser Stone]

Since no one has said it yet, p bass with flats.

+1 P Bass with flats, and a Ric with a pick.

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

Tbh, all basses sound different to me. That said, things that yield the most drastic differences, in my opinion, and in no particular order:

- hollow vs solid
- different scale lengths
- pickups used
- active vs passive
- different types of active preamp
- frets vs none
- strings

 

[Old Blastard]

I have a calendar full of basses, including a leap year or two, and they all sound different to me.

Two stand out to the guitar players in the band as sounding "beautiful" and they are both Andrew Drake customs.

It's just a matter of nuance, really.

 

[HaphAsSard]

Dano Longhorn is pretty midrangy when both pickups are on full.

+1, lipstick-pickupped Danelectros are very distinctive-sounding.

Also, the Gibson EB-2 (mudbucker+hollowbody) and, to a lesser extent, the EB-0/EB-3/ late '60 reissue EB-1.

 

[bholder]

I always thought the Ovation Magnum with the graphic tone controls had a unique sound. Pretty this is the bass you here on Journey's Escape album.

I've got the earlier version without the graphic eq, but yeah, they've got their own sound due to the unusual pickup combo (4 separate coils in the neck pickup, the bridge pickup is an inline two coil hum canceler that captures a great single coil vibe quite different than a J).

 

[gitfiddl]

Since no one has said it yet, p bass with flats.

With a tort pickguard...

 

[gitfiddl]

I always thought the Ovation Magnum with the graphic tone controls had a unique sound. Pretty this is the bass you here on Journey's Escape album.

You would be correct:

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[Will S.]

Rics
Rays
P basses
Jazz basses
Spectors
Gibson EBs

Those all have distinct tone to me. I can almost always hear when one of any of these is being used in a recording.

I agree with this list 100%. The problem is that everyone is going to be inclined to list their favorite bass as distinctive sounding. This list seems pretty objective to and I too can identify pretty much all of these on a recording.

 

[Sam Dingle]

Rics
Rays
P basses
Jazz basses
Spectors
Gibson EBs

Those all have distinct tone to me. I can almost always hear when one of any of these is being used in a recording.

Can you give examples of songs maybe of artists where the bassist isn't known (off the top of my head something like "this bruno mars song is a jazz bass, where this taylor swift song is a p bass")

 

[Loring]

I agree with this list 100%. The problem is that everyone is going to be inclined to list their favorite bass as distinctive sounding. This list seems pretty objective to and I too can identify pretty much all of these on a recording.

 

[St_G]

Every bass sounds totally unique... until you're asked to do a blind test.

 

[Loring]

Every bass sounds totally unique... until you're asked to do a blind test.

Yep - being able to tell that they are different is one thing. Being able to tell what bass it is - that's quite another.

 

[Stewie]

Dunno, My fretless P, fretted J and upright all sound the same to me. THUMP THUMP THUMP. So glad we finally made it to April fools day. It's nice to have a holiday just for people like me. Other days folks just point and laugh