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What is your "giant killer" bass?....

#142
My "Giant Killer" is my Sterling SUB Ray 4. I pulled it off the wall on a whim and instantly fell in love. I did a double take when I saw the price tag and thought they had put the wrong tag on the guitar.

2 weeks later I went back to the shop before it closed down due to the lockdown and I walked out the door a happy man. While I'm waiting on parts for my Spector, this bass will be my number 1 for my newest project.

20200903_181727.jpg
 
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#144
Flats basses.jpg


None are actual giant killers, but they're all great sounding good players and I have no problem using any of them, although it's tough for me to use the P Lyte anymore, since I sold it a couple months ago.

L-R:

09 Danelectro Longhorn
05 Jay Turser Violin Bass
67 or 68 Realistic Violin Bass (yes, THAT Realistic)
95 Fender P Lyte with EMG PJ's and BQC preamp
Cheap parts PJ with EMG Geezers
 
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#148
15992031345746403340583578387452.jpg

Self built Billy Bo, vintage Dearmond
Pickups. Acrylic Orange glitter knobs.
From : Home - Xentric Guitars

Self built sub 8 lb 5 string Jazz like object, Guitar Fetish clearance blem paulownia hot pink body, Squier VM 5 BnB jazz bass neck,
Hipshot Ultralites, black glass glitter pickguard, threaded bent plate bridge. Warwick passive pickups

Cort GB75JH pickups seymour neck, Aguilar bridge Lakeland sized MM.
19mm spaced at the bridge.
Omega bridge with hipshot kickass saddles
 
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#151
Claymore said:
Ok, so you've got a few high-end basses and there's nothing wrong with them. You dig the tone, how they play and they're worth every penny you paid....... Then you've got this lesser, maybe even crappy bass that might be the red-headed stepchild of anyone else's bass collection but you love it. You can't put your finger on exactly why but you can't put it down and it gets a disproportionate amount of play compared to your more expensive instruments. I want to see the basses that hit way over their weight in your collection. The uglier the better. If you understand why the particular bass is so special, please elaborate. I submit my Ibanez TMB310. Definitely on the cheaper end of the scale but that bass has a thump that none of the others have and the neck is super-comfortable. More often than not, I find myself grabbing for that one over the others. So, what's your underdog bass??View attachment 3968826
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I'm a firm believer that the quality of sound of a bass is largely dependent on what you do with it's signal after it leaves the bass. Sure, that signal may change from bass to bass, much like amps. Sometimes that partnership of bass and amp is good, sometimes not so much. When you find a good match, it's kismet.

Using an amp with good midrange control, coupled with well tuned cabs can make a "lesser" bass sound like a giant killer, compared to a top end bass played through a crap amp, poor cab choice, and a bad EQ.
 
#154
I don't have it anymore, but mine was a Fender Modern Player jazz bass. It was dirt cheap but it was actually very well built and had a really aggressive tone from the "double-wide" pickups. I don't know where those pickups came from or where they went, but I wish Fender would bring them back.

Here's a clip of it through my Roland practice amp before I took the frets out. In retrospect, it was better with the frets so I kind of regret defanging it. But listen to that bark - that bass sounded absolutely amazing for $300 or whatever it was:



L
 
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#155
/\/\3phist0 said:
View attachment 3970841
Self built Billy Bo, vintage Dearmond
Pickups. Acrylic Orange glitter knobs.
From : Home - Xentric Guitars

Self built sub 8 lb 5 string Jazz like object, Guitar Fetish clearance blem paulownia hot pink body, Squier VM 5 BnB jazz bass neck,
Hipshot Ultralites, black glass glitter pickguard, threaded bent plate bridge. Warwick passive pickups

Cort GB75JH pickups seymour neck, Aguilar bridge Lakeland sized MM.
19mm spaced at the bridge.
Omega bridge with hipshot kickass saddles
Click to expand...
DeArmond made GoldTones for bass?!?!

I had a DeArmond S73 with GoldTones and it was one of the best sounding guitars I've ever played. I sold it like an idiot to front the cash for a bass that I no longer have. One of my greatest regrets is selling that DeArmond.
 
#156
Yamaha TRBX204. Purchased new for $260Cdn. Whenever I think of modding it or replacing it, I stop and realize there is nothing wrong with it as-is. Sound is good, neck profile is great, fit&finish is perfect. What would I actually gain by changing it? Simon just needed to be involved in whatever was going on.
0i0g7TQ.jpg
 

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#160
Yellow Bang66 said:
My initial response was my Fender frankenstein, parts build ,but in itself is a giant, with wenge warmoth reverse headstock Neck it sounds HUGE! but rereading your post, its gotta be my Schecter Stiletto elite bass, looks killer and with the active electronics its a beast! its got deluxe appointments, quilt top, neck through construction, beautiful trans red dye finish & gold hardware. I always get a lot of compliments when I play it out. Its built like a tank and plays like a dream,& sounds massive with the active innards. I dont hate loving it, but I wish my frankenstein got as much love when played out, it gets some, but not like the stiletto does.
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It was inexpensive when I Initially bought under 500, now they're over that. plus i got a deal thanks to my homeboy wheeling & dealing for me.
 

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