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Feel, weight, playability? That doesnt take into account an audience. Maybe my generation considers having a great live bass an essential need for a workhorse bass. Am i delusional?
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What makes a bass an eligible workhorse?
- Thread starter Bassaga
- Start date
versatile / useful, reliable, comfortable.
carvin is a good example. They were super reliable, good basses. not considered the coolest sounding, but they were exceptional workhorses.
carvin is a good example. They were super reliable, good basses. not considered the coolest sounding, but they were exceptional workhorses.
Find a P-bass (or even a FSO from a reputable brand) that's comfortable for you to play and you're done. I can't think of anything more professional than bringing a bass that makes the Sound/Recording Engineer breathe a sigh of relief on sight.
The Jazz Bass is respected as well, but the P-bass will be turnkey in a comically high percentage of scenarios.
Sure, Ibby's are more comfortable for me and I like the flexibility of P/Js, but if my goal is getting and keeping a session or gig at all costs, I'm showing up with a P-bass.
That's pretty simple. It's the bass that's being played all the time.
No doubt, and while I never broke a snap cap, I did keep up with my battery change dates and would swap out every six months. Given I was keeping up, I would make a point to do my battery changes at home within a few days of the six months change date so if anything happened I had everything at hand to fix it. That said, there were times when I would brain fart and wind up needing to change out a battery away from home but I was lucky enough to not break the tab.
Also, I once bought a bass with an aftermarket preamp in it. The tab was broken and been wrapped in clear cellophane tape and the tape carved away from the contacts. I put a new one in, but kept the other one for a while as a reminder.
I've still got the active bass I used for all those years but I can no longer make it work with my 69 year old hands due to the near constant abuse and injury inflicted on them. When I bought my Mustang, I pulled the battery out of that bass, cleaned it up and put it back in it's case, which has been packed away for the last five years. I doubt I'll ever have another active bass. I am normally not sentimental when it comes to inanimate objects, but I can't seem to muster the will to sell it on to someone else.
Not too much to add here. For me it has to be comfortable, have great playability, and it HAS to be a quality instrument (neck stability, hardware, electronics) and fit into the sonic range I need it to for the gig(s) I'm doing. Notice I said 'quality instrument', not EXPENSIVE instrument. There are cheap basses that feel and sound great, and there are expensive basses that do nothing for me, but IMO/IME a quality instrument feels better, and it's noticeable.
Any of my basses could in theory be my main workhorse, except maybe my fretless L-2500, but the part about "sonic range I need for the gig" can change which one is the default. Right now, for my 3-piece band, my workhorse is a Reverend Mercalli 5, because it does everything I need it to do, and sonically it is a big-sounding bass that helps fill in the space. Prior workhorses (which I still have) are my Modulus Q5, which is about as opposite the Reverend as you can get, and my G&L M-2000, which is similar but not the same. I played my Q5 on my regular gig a month or so ago just because, and after the gig it was clear to me that the Reverend is just a better fit tonally for that gig. And the fact that it's a full pound lighter doesn't hurt.
The fact that the Rev is worth 1/3 of what the Modulus is doesn't matter or factor into the equation, it's still a quality bass that I very much enjoy playing, so there you go. And I get compliments/comments on the shape and look all the time, and I've never gotten a 'What is that?! Don't you have a Fender?" comment, ever, so I think the 'audiences expect a P or J' theory is, at least in my part of the world, not that much of a thing.
Any of my basses could in theory be my main workhorse, except maybe my fretless L-2500, but the part about "sonic range I need for the gig" can change which one is the default. Right now, for my 3-piece band, my workhorse is a Reverend Mercalli 5, because it does everything I need it to do, and sonically it is a big-sounding bass that helps fill in the space. Prior workhorses (which I still have) are my Modulus Q5, which is about as opposite the Reverend as you can get, and my G&L M-2000, which is similar but not the same. I played my Q5 on my regular gig a month or so ago just because, and after the gig it was clear to me that the Reverend is just a better fit tonally for that gig. And the fact that it's a full pound lighter doesn't hurt.
The fact that the Rev is worth 1/3 of what the Modulus is doesn't matter or factor into the equation, it's still a quality bass that I very much enjoy playing, so there you go. And I get compliments/comments on the shape and look all the time, and I've never gotten a 'What is that?! Don't you have a Fender?" comment, ever, so I think the 'audiences expect a P or J' theory is, at least in my part of the world, not that much of a thing.
If I could still buy a new Mississippi made Dyna, I don't think I would have ever owned a Fender.
It depends on your gig. You're not going to take a 6 string active to a punk gig and not going to take a stickered-up P bass with a missing string on a jazz gig. (Probably)
I must be the exception that proves the rule. I played this a few times in a roots rock trio!
:BBB
Brandon Shea
Commercial User
Feel/weight, and functions like a bass guitar. I'm going to assume that the instrument can be set up with average action and solid intonation. The instrument should stay in tune.
It consistently blows my mind how much instrument you can get without spending a ton of money. I tried an Ibanez Mikro recently ($150 used) that sounded and played great, and it could easily be someone's workhorse. It doesn't take much to find something serviceable that will sound good. Sire, Ibanez, Squier, Schecter, Dean, and many others make awesome instruments that punch way above their price point. Sometimes it's just a matter of trying a few to get a good one. But isn't that what we say about Fender's Custom Shop, too?
It consistently blows my mind how much instrument you can get without spending a ton of money. I tried an Ibanez Mikro recently ($150 used) that sounded and played great, and it could easily be someone's workhorse. It doesn't take much to find something serviceable that will sound good. Sire, Ibanez, Squier, Schecter, Dean, and many others make awesome instruments that punch way above their price point. Sometimes it's just a matter of trying a few to get a good one. But isn't that what we say about Fender's Custom Shop, too?
I'm exclusively playing a 4 string Player P at the moment, and it was chosen because of the reliability, versatility of a single P, the look (white/white with a maple board is among the most beautiful combinations for me), and most importantly repairability. If I am practicing the day before a show and I drop it, breaking the neck, I can reliably go to any serious instrument dealer within a 40 mile radius of my home and pick up a new neck. Bolt it on, twist the truss rod, and play the gig. New nut, pickup, bridge, etc. is going to be the same story.
If there is a tone I need for a project, there's a preamp somewhere that will give me the tone that I need (and it's pretty much always the DP-3X), but the reliability of a well-set Precision with repairability in mind is bar none the most important factor for me.
If there is a tone I need for a project, there's a preamp somewhere that will give me the tone that I need (and it's pretty much always the DP-3X), but the reliability of a well-set Precision with repairability in mind is bar none the most important factor for me.
If you're an actual punk, then this is punk as ****. If you're a fashion punk then you show up with "what fits the band aesthetic".
I've got five basses with a great live sound, but they aren't all workhorses. Jack casadys sound awesome but it's the last bass I would drag to the club
D
I shouldve said its those three things AND it should look good.
Criteria #1: get a gig.
The rest can be figured out when you actually need something better than you have, but you won't know what that even means till you're there. As long as it plays in tune and doesn't have any problems with the electronics, it's ready to gig. If you need more than that, you'll figure it out soon enough.
The rest can be figured out when you actually need something better than you have, but you won't know what that even means till you're there. As long as it plays in tune and doesn't have any problems with the electronics, it's ready to gig. If you need more than that, you'll figure it out soon enough.
Why is that? Sometimes it's the perfect bass for the right gig.
It won't stay in tune!! As soon as the neck starts to warm up from playing, the relief decreases and the strings start to go sharp. I haven't had the truss rod cover on in years due to constant tweaks. It goes sharp way, way worse than my aluminum-necked bass. I'm never buying a bass with a mahogany neck ever again
Ah, I can see that being an issue. I've not had any issues with mine since I bought it in 2017, and I've played a lot of gigs with it. That said, I am constantly fine-tuning any bass I play throughout a gig, so it doesn't bother me at all if I make micro-adjustments as I go. That's a studio habit (tune before and after every take), and I use my JC in the studio a lot, too. But my JC is pretty solid. I hardly have to adjust the neck, and I'm not shy about adjusting necks as often as they need it.
