What is your main bass and why?

[seescottrock]

EBMM StingRay is main bass now , have tried many over the years , but this is the first one I actually I have actually felt comfortable with and most of all......great tone with flatwounds .

Recently acquired a SR Special and I have no desire to play my other basses now. Nearly perfect instrument.

 

[dustinymichaels]

My #1 is an Ibanez ATK300. I think it's about a '95 or a '96 model. Its my main player because it stands out and is easy to cut through most band mixes. It has a very powerful preamp and onboard 3 band EQ as well as a 3 way toggle for different voicings. I usually play in the middle position.

I also have a few P basses and a J. If I'm in an original hard rock type of thing, it's always going to be the ATK. But there are times when the ATK comes on too strong for some types of band mixes.

Those basses are/were underrated. Had one I gave to a friend who needed a bass. Sometimes I'll see a 95-96 and think about grabbing it just because it's so cheap.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

My main bass with one band is the Fernandes Atlas 4X model.

With the other two, I play P basses.

 

[Sufenta]

2015 Spector NS4H2. It's a dream to play, and it never fails to sit great in the mix. Backup, and occasional weapon of choice, is my 2005 LE StingRay 4H. Both equipped with drop-D tuners.

 

[gregmon79]

Those basses are/were underrated. Had one I gave to a friend who needed a bass. Sometimes I'll see a 95-96 and think about grabbing it just because it's so cheap.

If you find them cheap, grab it. Most markets have them priced high these days. Well, usually. But then again, what isn't more expensive these days?...

 

[GIBrat51]

Hello

At first i thought i needed other basses now i'm asking myself what should my main bass be and why?

I currently have:

1. Fender P (MIM) with roundwounds (sounds and feels pretty good and does that thing)

2. Fender Telecaster (humbucker 2012) with flatwounds - modified this taking the second humbucker out and replacing it with a Musicman style 90's SD)

3. Epiphone Jack Casady with flatwounds

All of them ok in their own way, but each with it's own little problem/quirks.. I want to get something else not to have a bigger collection but to have a better n1.

What is your number 1 and why?

Thanks in advance

D

Well...
I've been playing bass since 1968, when I learned on a friend's '68 Rick 4001. I currently have 27 basses - all kinds and scales - with another one being built. And, one of them is a Fender P-Bass (a '78 with an A-spec neck) and one is an EPi Jack Casady. Neither of them are my go-to, sit out next to the amp, #1 Bass. I'll tell you what it is, and why it's been my #1 bass, but... here's the thing:
I'm not YOU.
I'm a lefty; I've only ever played 4-string basses (and I always will); and I play really, really old Rock; Rockabilly; C&W; Blues; and a little Vintage Mo-Town. Basically, old stuff that not many people play any more... None of which I doubt you play. Unless the basses you have just do not suit your music, there's no reason one of them can't be your #1. And, here's a little secret; NO bass is without it's little quirks, flaws, or foibles. Believe me, I know. There isn't one of the 27 basses sitting in my house, that doesn't have at least a couple. And some, like my '94 Gretsch Broadkaster? That thing is made of quirks, flaws and foibles... Even my Alembic Epic has a foible or two. Doesn't stop it from being scary nice; just means it was made out of wood - by people...
However; if you really want another bass, "trying to find my #1" is as good excuse as any; and, trust me; nobody here on TB is going to try to talk you out of it. Just get one that you think will be a better fit for you - and your music...
Oh, and which bass in my herd is my #1? A beat-up, scruffy, '73 JetGlo lefty Rick 4001, with a brass nut, and Dogal "Jaco" CarbonSteel Flats on it... Plays like a dream; fits me like a glove; handles about 75% of what I like to play - and sounds like the cat's ass doing it...

 

[mcrawfordmusic]

This is my #1 for most things.

It's a '69 Fender P body with a '08 Fender Jaguar neck that has been customised to better match the body.
I had the back of the neck sanded and oiled, the finish relic'd and a new decal added. It also has a 70's Jazz bass pickup in the bridge and is strung with D'addario ProSteels.

It's a fantastic bass live as it's very lightweight and has this piano-like quality to each note - very clear and articulate. It sits in a mix well and suits everything I'm doing at the moment. It's also my go to bass for recording, alongside my '65 Fender P with flats.

I'll take other basses to gigs on occasion, usually my '06 Fender Jaguar when I do a fly gig or my Yamaha TRB5II if I need a 5 string.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

These three.
On the far left is my Spector NS-6.

In the center is my Spector Euro 6LT.

And on the far right is my Ristola Exotic 6.

For live gigging, I use the Euro and the Ristola. The Euro with its EMG pickups has plenty of the Spector Growl. Its sound is surprisingly versatile, but I rely on it mostly for an aggressive sound.

The Ristola was built with a 70’s Classic Rock Bass tone in mind. Think: John Paul Jones, or Jack Bruce. It sounds fat down low, with fantastic midrange, and its high end is smooth sounding. I string it with GHS Pressurewounds.

I enjoy playing all three of them equally.

 

[DecemberLowend]

My Ritter Roya 6 became my "It can do all" bass.

This bass can do everything from growly Pbass to MM sound and even Warwick Thumb/Modulus turbo tone (Ryan Martini for example).

I only modded the pickup selectors to have the Serie/Parallel/Single choice.
I have tuned it from Drop A to regular C and it works killer.

Not that i want to promote Ritter because it became a parody of himself but He had made great great basses.

Still if you want to fall into the boutique bass world i recommend to check local luthier, try basses and not go for the highest price.
Plus, knowing what you want and what you don't want in an instrument is key.
I have tried many basses before knowing exactly what i want from Squier to fodera.
I know sound is not in the wood but i prefer all Maple basses with mostly double Humbuckers.
19mm bridge spacing.

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That thing looks killer!

 

[TheArchitect]

Probably my Player Jazz. I love the neck on it

 

[Wild_Bill_57]

Recently I’ve been playing my Sandberg Superlight TM4SL it’s 5lbs even, it’s a back and shoulder saver. The neck is excellent.

 

[embellisher]

Holy necro thread revival!

My Nordstrand SC5 is my #1. It's the most playable, best sounding bass I've ever played. Only a couple I've played were on par, an F Bass and a Sadowsky.

It's like an extension of my body, and it has the tone that I hear in my head.

My #1-A is my Zon Sonus Custom, because I need a fretless that comes close to equaling my Nordstrand.

 

[pepj]

You don't get to choose, imv.

My go to bass is Ash and Maple and heavy so I feel it after an hrs set. I prefer alder.
But it just does it.
And it handles every gig even though I want something else the way I want to play a certain song.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I have five No. 1s.

 

[Makten]

I don't have a main bass and I don't know why.

 

[Hundred proof]

Since I only have one … it’s my #1 by default

 

[Deleted member 394181]

Hundred proof. That bass is cool!
My 2021 Player Jazz is getting played more now than even my Rics. I will always have a RIC though.

 

[themickster]

I play only my Ibanez AEGB30E. I bought it for being light enough to take on the back of my wheelchair, it being acoustic.

 

[pepj]

I'm generally taking out the same 2 basses but when I think about one of the others because I'm really liking it at home..and you think, maybe take it out...which is what's its for? When I hear that bass in playback, I have thought, nope, sits differently.

And when I listen to other bands, I often think wrong bass.
Maybe its the fundamental tone, maybe its the eq, maybe its the player, but you do then understand how engrs and producers got their perceived prejudices.

 

[groove pump]

I have five No. 1s.

...and you are living well...