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What Features Do You Tend To Avoid When Choosing A Bass?

P

plangentmusic

Inactive
Jun 30, 2010
1,922
45
Manhattan
#1
Right up front I want to say that this IS NOT meant to be a disparagement of anyone's choices. (I know some people get a little touchy). It's meant more to be personal opinion of what works or doesn't work for you.

Some PERSONAL examples FOR ME are...

Jumbo frets: They have some advantages but ultimately are undesirable.

Neck through design: Too much sustain. Less "chunky" sounding.

Headless basses

Super hot pre-amps: I feel there's a point where the pre-amp gives too much overdrive. The overall volume needs to come down to compensate and that affect the tone. This is a subtle thing.

Lots of options: Buttons, switches, knobs, toggles. Too much to think about!

Now again, this is MY opinion. It isn't a derision of anyone's choices.

What are some options that may be popular but you tend to avoid?
 
#4
How about affixing name brand logo stickers to a blank/no name headstock? Purely aesthetic, but who are you trying to fool?

Some might argue the pointlessness of stringing through the body vs. not. I personally feel there's a subtle difference in feel and sustain (depending on the bass), but I'm not sure I'd spend any time modding a bass as such.
 
#7
I like that there are options to suit everyone. I personally favor slightly downsized, 22-fret bolt-on, lightish, simple, well-balanced basses with well-dressed medium sized frets, that can hold a fairly low setup with 4 light gauge strings. Better players than me like completely different instruments! I love clever design nuance (for example, the perfect heel contour on an EBMM Sterling, or the G&L Bi-Cut neck principle). It's all good.
 
#10
I'll go with headless/no body instruments - seems these concepts never really took anyway. Other things though, onboard electronics, advancing string and amplification tech, playing technique pioneers - these have driven bass beyond a dull uninteresting 'thum' buried in the background/mix, while still filling the pocket.
 
#12
In lieu of deleting this thread and possibly handing out multiple trolling reminders, I've decided to heavily edit it and reopen it. As the original post really has to do with personal choices (and labeling things "improvements" or "steps backwards" will do nothing but cause fights), I've edited the thread to be about that.

However, I or another mod will quickly close it if it turns into folks bashing other people's choices in instruments, including extended range basses and reliced basses.
 
#13
levis76 said:
High C strings on 5 strings. It's a BASS, not a treble. Go lower, not higher.
Click to expand...

The string gauge used has nothing to do with the range of the instrument. A 4-string with 36 frets goes higher than the high F string on many 7-string basses.

And staying in the lowest part of the given range of an instrument simply for the sake of doing is silly. If John Coltrane stayed in the "tenor" when he was using a tenor saxophone, we wouldn't have some of the greatest solos in jazz or music in general.
 
#14
Controls: volume and tone is enough for me.
String: 5 or 4 , no more no less.
Pick up: P and/or J
Hardware: black or chrome
Frets: 20-21
Wood: alder, ash , exotic top is always welcome :)
I like fretboards with side dots only but an abalone block is cool.
color doesnt matter
Mojo is welcome, Relic'ing? no thanks.
 
#15
Wide string spacing is a no go for me. Especially on extended range basses. My small hands just seem to fumble about trying reach the strings. I'm sure if I switched all my basses to this type I's adjust but I started narrow spacing and it just feels right to me.

High gloss finishes feel weird to me too. They tend to feel sticky to my touch because I have moist hands.
 
#16
I agree with the headless/bodyless basses. Just not my style.

Pointy basses- Just don't like the look of them. BC Rich, Jackson, ESP, etc. aren't my thing at all

Passive- I'm just an active fan. I prefer the tone of active basses, and the ability to adjust on the fly.

Inline tuners- especially on 5-strings, I like the tuners to be on the top and bottom in some way. 4-strings I can handle without too much issue, though I prefer 3+1 or 2+2 typically

No bridge pickup- I generally like basses with 2 pickups, though I also love Musicman's with single humbuckers. Just not a fan of P-basses or other basses with a single pickup in the neck position. Doesn't work for my technique or sound.

Hollowbody basses- again, just doesn't suit my style or appeal to me

Gloss necks- My favorite neck is bare wood with wax, but I also like satin finish.

Controls too close together- I've got fat fingers/hands...give me space!

These are just my thoughts and the things I don't like on basses. There are always exceptions, and if I found a bass that had everything I wanted and only one issue listed here, I doubt it would be a deal breaker. But I also don't actively seek out basses with these issues, and typically choose to not play them.
 
#17
I personally don't really care for shiny, new basses. For some reason, I'm always drawn to a vintage fender with a naturally amber neck from years of aging. Nothing sexier to me than an old fender with an almost orange fretboard. yum.
 
#18
In review, I'd say that MOST of the basses I've owned that had JazzBass style pickups in them were the ones I was least impressed with sonically.

So, I avoid Jazz Bass style pickups, prefer P-style pickups, and tolerate soapbars. I know there's a lot of variance in all these types of pickups, but I've used JB's from Dimarzio to Delano to Bart (and Hi-A before that) to Fender Custom Shop to Seymours Rio Grande to whatever else, I just always find JB pickups lacking a bit.

I have two basses right now with JB style pickups in them, but they're not getting much playtime, as the P-bass style pickup'd basses are just more "substantial" to my ears. One even has both, but I seldom use the J by itself.
 
#19
I like things pretty basic.

Passive PUPs are my preference.

Not too many knobs. I'm just a bass player and I confuse easily.

I really don't care for inline tuners. The E is too close to the nut, and I only get 1 1/2 turns around the peg for the G.

Conversely, I don't really like the crazy angle that strings go into the nut with most 2x2 configurations either.

I prefer the heel on a neck through, but bolt on is by no means a deal breaker.
 
#20
My number one turn off is weight! If a bass is too heavy to gig with then I won't use it. I have sold more than one bass due to excessive weight.
Body shape would be second. I prefer the classic shapes like P's, J's or EBMM or contoured bodies like Spector. Nothing too pointy or with excessively long upper horns.
 

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