What Is Your "Beater" Bass?

[pbass888]

I was jist thinking to myself...I wonder if there will be any fretless go-to's? (This could be the beginning of yet another poll).
It is nice to see a player use a fretless as his main instrument! I still don't have the guts for that.

Thank you @Phil Bonk ! I did use it on a reggae tour with flats in the fall of 2018.


It’s also been used on jazz records
Like the one below.

jazz(bass solo)


reggae..recorded a few years earlier





Another shot of the “hammer” (as in West ham United) at the top.. It’s the “handsome“ one in the middle

 

[luciens]

I hate to say it but my LPB Tony Franklin (the bass on the left) is slowly but surely turning into the beater bass. Not that I'm actually beating it up, but more it now has the dead rounds on it and a small ding or two, so the honeymoon with it is over. Now I dog that sucker every morning and every night, and it usually lays on the bed in between rather than in the case.

My other TF is still too nice and pristine so even though I finally finished setting it up and putting my little makeshift ramp on it, I'm afraid to get it out and play it too much. So the LPB is the one that gets all the floggin' right now....

L

 

[pbass888]

I hate to say it but my LPB Tony Franklin (the bass on the left) is slowly but surely turning into the beater bass. Not that I'm actually beating it up, but more it now has the dead rounds on it and a small ding or two, so the honeymoon with it is over. Now I dog that sucker every morning and every night, and it usually lays on the bed in between rather than in the case.

My other TF is still too nice and pristine so even though I finally finished setting it up and putting my little makeshift ramp on it, I'm afraid to get it out and play it too much. So the LPB is the one that gets all the floggin' right now....

L
View attachment 4011453

That looks like an awesome pair!

 

[A9X]

That looks like an awesome pair!

Last time I said that, I got slapped.

 

[luciens]

That looks like an awesome pair!

Yep, especially the sunburst one. The fingerboard is actually messed up on the LPB, and I didn't discover it until I'd played it long enough that I couldn't return it (bought it new). So I put a washer under the truss rod nut and kept going until the relief finally got flat enough. It's holding up and plays like a dream, though, so it'll just stay like that with a slightly overtightened truss rod until death do us part .

But it's such a nice bass with such a nice grunty sound I had to get another one.... They're a pair of '45's I have to say...

L

 

[Phil Bonk]

View attachment 4011451


Thank you @Phil Bonk ! I did use it on a reggae tour with flats in the fall of 2018.


It’s also been used on jazz records
Like the one below.

jazz(bass solo)


reggae..recorded a few years earlier





Another shot of the “hammer” (as in West ham United) at the top.. It’s the “handsome“ one in the middle

Absolutely Fantastic! I was taken by the Jazz number, along with your solo. Love it!

 

[pbass888]

Absolutely Fantastic! I was taken by the Jazz number, along with your solo. Love it!

Thankyou sir!

 

[Thundertips]

I got an American Special P-bass years back.. and the only reason I don't play the crap out of it is because I have developed a thing for 5-strings. I brought the P-bass back from my drummer's house where it's been living for like a year and have been playing the crap out of it the last couple days. They don't make them anymore, and they ran for under a grand (mine was on sale for $699). Yeah.. pass on the "starter pack" squires and at least pickup and play a few MIM Fenders before giving up on them imo.

Yes, I agree about the starter pack Squiers. I would only recommend one too someone who has never played before. The MIM's are good. I just found out that the Player Series is supposed to sound and look like an older Fender Bass. So, now that I know why it sounds so different than my MIA ones, it's ok with me. MIM's play nice. I have a 3-Colour Sunburst with a maple fingerboard and it has really low action and the gloss on the fingerboard and headstock makes it look amazing. It's a smooth, fast playing neck. Another thing I like about the MIM Player P-Basses is they aren't P-J. I don't use the J pickup on my American Performer. The American Special must be a good Bass. I have two American Performers, which I think replaced the American Specials, and they are great. My American Performer P-Bass is similar in tone to Steve Harris' tone. I can't complain about that. Haha.
MIM Player-3-Colour Sunburst

American Performer-Satin Lake Placid Blue

Starter Pack Squier-Brown Sunburst-Indonesian

 

[superdick2112]

A Fender Classic 50's Precision outfitted with a thumb rest, flats & covers like this one.
I bought it just to have a "P with flats" in the toolbox, but it has become one of my main instruments.

 

[Matty Koff]

Yes, I agree about the starter pack Squiers. I would only recommend one too someone who has never played before. The MIM's are good. I just found out that the Player Series is supposed to sound and look like an older Fender Bass. So, now that I know why it sounds so different than my MIA ones, it's ok with me. MIM's play nice. I have a 3-Colour Sunburst with a maple fingerboard and it has really low action and the gloss on the fingerboard and headstock makes it look amazing. It's a smooth, fast playing neck. Another thing I like about the MIM Player P-Basses is they aren't P-J. I don't use the J pickup on my American Performer. The American Special must be a good Bass. I have two American Performers, which I think replaced the American Specials, and they are great. My American Performer P-Bass is similar in tone to Steve Harris' tone. I can't complain about that. Haha.
MIM Player-3-Colour Sunburst
View attachment 4026966
American Performer-Satin Lake Placid Blue
View attachment 4026973
Starter Pack Squier-Brown Sunburst-Indonesian
View attachment 4026982

Sweet basses man. The American Special has a weird finish, but it's pretty, sounds good, and plays like a dream.. It's a little heavy but the neck feels so good to me that I am not thinking about its weight. My take on P-J pickup configurations comes from owning two P/J setups with an active pre-amp. It's something to be able to drastically alter it's tone at the roll of a couple of knobs an an instrument already in my hands. My P/Js can do what the P can do for the most part, but my P can't do what they do even if they didn't have a 5th string. A P-bass with EQ could get some of the job done, but mixing the P and J allows for slap tones I couldn't get out of my P.

Still.. I've got a set of Ti Flats in the mail today just for that passive P-bass. I've never tried them. I hope they live up to the hype. #1 goes to my Ibanez TMB505. I've had it for less than a month, but I'm still using the stock strings and it sounds really really good. I think I'm going to order exact replacements. And nah I couldn't complain about any of your basses they're nice.

 

[Thundertips]

Sweet basses man. The American Special has a weird finish, but it's pretty, sounds good, and plays like a dream.. It's a little heavy but the neck feels so good to me that I am not thinking about its weight. My take on P-J pickup configurations comes from owning two P/J setups with an active pre-amp. It's something to be able to drastically alter it's tone at the roll of a couple of knobs an an instrument already in my hands. My P/Js can do what the P can do for the most part, but my P can't do what they do even if they didn't have a 5th string. A P-bass with EQ could get some of the job done, but mixing the P and J allows for slap tones I couldn't get out of my P.

Still.. I've got a set of Ti Flats in the mail today just for that passive P-bass. I've never tried them. I hope they live up to the hype. #1 goes to my Ibanez TMB505. I've had it for less than a month, but I'm still using the stock strings and it sounds really really good. I think I'm going to order exact replacements. And nah I couldn't complain about any of your basses they're nice.

Thanks. I play straight up Rock-N-Roll, so an MIA P-Bass with just the P pickup on full and tone on full, plugged straight into the amp, with no effects, does me just fine. Haha. I had an Ibanez when I first started playing 30 years ago. It was made in Korea. I got it for 200 bucks used. It played great but it didn't sound so good. It was a PJ. When I quit one of the bands I was in, I just left it at the jam house. I assume they make them way better than that one now. Ha ha. What colour is your American Special?

 

[Hot Rats]

Beater Bass #1 - Some kind of Ritter...it goes to every dive bar and honky tonk this side of the rockies. I regularly forget it after gigs and have the joint mail it back to me. I can't tell you how many times it's been puked on. If it falls off the stage, we all just kind of look at each other and laugh.

 

[Matty Koff]

Thanks. I play straight up Rock-N-Roll, so an MIA P-Bass with just the P pickup on full and tone on full, plugged straight into the amp, with no effects, does me just fine. Haha. I had an Ibanez when I first started playing 30 years ago. It was made in Korea. I got it for 200 bucks used. It played great but it didn't sound so good. It was a PJ. When I quit one of the bands I was in, I just left it at the jam house. I assume they make them way better than that one now. Ha ha. What colour is your American Special?

It's called "Honey burst" and they were made exclusively for Musicians Friend and Guitar Center in 2012.. it looks like a natural finish, but it's not at all. It's painted. It's a nitro satin finish that can dent up real nice and expose the real wood. These in particular were a MF/GC exclusive, and while I can't help but laugh a little that they went for a "natural looking" finish that had nothing to do with its body wood, frankly, the neck feels as good as any MIA Fender instrument I've picked up, satin finished, solid fretwork, and lovely to play. A bit thinner front to back.

She's still pretty.. even though she has a few bruises from a drop from knee height to concrete in a gig sleeve. They aren't made anymore, my first P-bass and it'll be with me for life.


Admittedly, I'm on my second TMB505, the first one had some glue on the fretboard from a fret.. and I had my low B at like 3-3.5mm with .30-.50 relief and couldn't get rid of the fretbuzz. The replacement's neck is in better shape, with better fretwork. Weighs under 9lbs. Had to tighten the set screws for the knobs on both of them, had to tighten the nut for one potentiometer on the replacement.. and there's a small defect in the finish near my input jack. It's barely there, but thats 2 for 2 with some kind of defect out of the Indonesian factory. That being said.. despite one tiny flaw in its finish.. the replacement's a keeper. With all the features it punches in above it's price tag imo.

Having done all that, it's the least expensive bass in my arsenal at the moment.

My American Special was hanging on a wall @ $200 off from list, which I think they sold at most for $899, where Performers are listed significantly higher than that. Might sound crazy but my 5 String Sire P7 is the one I paid the most for. They were all less than a grand. The necks on all three feel comparable to any MIA fender I've ever played, not that I've played many, but I recognize the feel of that satin finish anytime I pick one up. I think each of them are a good bang for the buck, the TMB500 series potentially ranking high there as long as you get one with with a good neck.

Nordstrand CND P/J, 2 band EQ, Roasted maple neck and fretboard.. lightest solid-body I have (the first one was heavier). Sounds great.. plays great.. can't complain myself.

 

[TerribleTim68]

If I had to pick a "beater bass" out of my collection, it would probably be this LTD F-104 I picked up for $100 -

It plays really well and sounds monstrous. But it's got some nicks and dings here and there and one pot shaft is bent ever so slightly so the knob rotates at an angle. But at $100, I'm okay with it.

 

[Thundertips]

It's called "Honey burst" and they were made exclusively for Musicians Friend and Guitar Center in 2012.. it looks like a natural finish, but it's not at all. It's painted. It's a nitro satin finish that can dent up real nice and expose the real wood. These in particular were a MF/GC exclusive, and while I can't help but laugh a little that they went for a "natural looking" finish that had nothing to do with its body wood, frankly, the neck feels as good as any MIA Fender instrument I've picked up, satin finished, solid fretwork, and lovely to play. A bit thinner front to back.

She's still pretty.. even though she has a few bruises from a drop from knee height to concrete in a gig sleeve. They aren't made anymore, my first P-bass and it'll be with me for life.


Admittedly, I'm on my second TMB505, the first one had some glue on the fretboard from a fret.. and I had my low B at like 3-3.5mm with .30-.50 relief and couldn't get rid of the fretbuzz. The replacement's neck is in better shape, with better fretwork. Weighs under 9lbs. Had to tighten the set screws for the knobs on both of them, had to tighten the nut for one potentiometer on the replacement.. and there's a small defect in the finish near my input jack. It's barely there, but thats 2 for 2 with some kind of defect out of the Indonesian factory. That being said.. despite one tiny flaw in its finish.. the replacement's a keeper. With all the features it punches in above it's price tag imo.

Having done all that, it's the least expensive bass in my arsenal at the moment.

My American Special was hanging on a wall @ $200 off from list, which I think they sold at most for $899, where Performers are listed significantly higher than that. Might sound crazy but my 5 String Sire P7 is the one I paid the most for. They were all less than a grand. The necks on all three feel comparable to any MIA fender I've ever played, not that I've played many, but I recognize the feel of that satin finish anytime I pick one up. I think each of them are a good bang for the buck, the TMB500 series potentially ranking high there as long as you get one with with a good neck.

Nordstrand CND P/J, 2 band EQ, Roasted maple neck and fretboard.. lightest solid-body I have (the first one was heavier). Sounds great.. plays great.. can't complain myself.

I found a pic of that Honey Burst. That's a nice looking Bass! It has no J pickup like my American Performer. I'm jealous. Haha. It says it has a Slim C shape neck and the Performer is a Modern C. It's thin too. That was a nice find for 699 bucks. I've been playing Fenders since I left that Ibanez behind, so I don't know anything about them. I have 2 American Performers, an MIM and 2 Squiers. One American Performer is a Jazz and one Squier is a Jazz. Do you like Jazz Basses?
American Performer-Satin Surf Green

 

[theduke1]

Don’t have one
Two G&Ls one Shecter one Rouge violin bass
All are gig worthy
Duke

 

[Matty Koff]

I found a pic of that Honey Burst. That's a nice looking Bass! It has no J pickup like my American Performer. I'm jealous. Haha. It says it has a Slim C shape neck and the Performer is a Modern C. It's thin too. That was a nice find for 699 bucks. I've been playing Fenders since I left that Ibanez behind, so I don't know anything about them. I have 2 American Performers, an MIM and 2 Squiers. One American Performer is a Jazz and one Squier is a Jazz. Do you like Jazz Basses?
American Performer-Satin Surf Green
View attachment 4027321

I had a MIM Jazz for awhile that I never particularly fell in love with, other than it had a white finish. It wasn't horrible, but I enjoyed the feel of my P more. Though, that could change the next time I lay hands on one. I have glimpsed at the Schecter J5 with its 35" scale multiple times and wouldn't mind trying one out but.. it's probably going to be awhile before I do any more bass shopping.

I have one more besides the three in this photo, which is a semi-hollow fretless with a piezo system that makes me glad I have fretted solid body basses with good old magnetic pickups everytime I pick it up. lol. It's not an awful bass either, but, doesn't see the time played that these babies do. And my fretless playing doesn't do it justice.

 

[Thundertips]

I had a MIM Jazz for awhile that I never particularly fell in love with, other than it had a white finish. It wasn't horrible, but I enjoyed the feel of my P more. Though, that could change the next time I lay hands on one. I have glimpsed at the Schecter J5 with its 35" scale multiple times and wouldn't mind trying one out but.. it's probably going to be awhile before I do any more bass shopping.

I have one more besides the three in this photo, which is a semi-hollow fretless with a piezo system that makes me glad I have fretted solid body basses with good old magnetic pickups everytime I pick it up. lol. It's not an awful bass either, but, doesn't see the time played that these babies do. And my fretless playing doesn't do it justice.

View attachment 4027331

Nice collection. It took me a long time to get used to the size of a Jazz Bass neck. They're really small. I like them now. They're really easy to play. My daughter has an American Performer P-Bass. The colour is called Penny. She also has a Squier starter pack P-Bass, in black.
American Performer P-Bass-Penny

Squier P-Bass-Black

 

[User474755]

Here’s my beater. I picked up the MIK Squier, with an old Fender gig bag for $20 since someone had tried to change the pickups at some point and royally screwed up all the wiring. I got the tuners, pickups, pots, and all the wiring from someone else that upgraded their MIM Precision for $35. It plays great.

I use it to bring back and forth to work. I work graveyard in a hospital and if I don’t have patients I usually plug in and play a little. I have so little invested in the bass that I can leave it unattended and not stress about what happens to it.