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What makes a really great electric bass?
- Thread starter JBarz
- Start date
A great bass:
- plays great!
- feels great!
- sounds great!
*It should also stay in tune really well.
- plays great!
- feels great!
- sounds great!
*It should also stay in tune really well.
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I'm an upright and occasional electric player. One thing I miss is the peg, taking care of gravity. For electric, I require good balance. Can I let go of it, and have it stay put? I also like fairly high tension flatwound strings -- no surprise. The bass is a dynamic instrument, and I don't want to give that up, so in terms of pickups and amplification, I want uncompressed tone.
There’s so many variables with electrics: scale, 5,6,7 string, single cut, neck thru, bolt on, light weight, heavy weight. Single coil, humbucker…..it goes on and on. You’re not gonna know, until you have some idea of where you wanna start. Fortunately, the tried n true models do offer a history of success. But it’s a big wide span of design out there. It’ll be a fun search. Play as many as you can, and hopefully, it’ll land in your hands. A big indicator is when you play it…and you go “wow, that sound really good” or “This makes my playing sound better” , then you’re likely getting close. Thats usually motivation enough to consider the balance of the instruments other aspects….good luck.
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It's how effortless it feels to play the instrument. With the right bass, the way the strings vibrate feels like a connection to your brain. It's the way the neck feels in your hands and if the bass responds to your style of playing. And also, the way the instrument sits on your body. Like you said, the pickups and all the other hardware can be swapped out but the feel of the instrument cannot.
It is totally psychological to me. It don't think about scale length, weight, etc. Wood to some degree though but that may be in my head.
If I knew the answer, to that, I would be the most famous manufacturer in the world, and be filthy rich.
Never knew you played violin. I bet your intonation on a fretless is way better than mine (even with lines)!
For me, it starts with how natural the neck feels in my left hand, and how intuitive right hand plucking technique/touch is for creating the notes I hear in my head. Some basses require extra effort to get around the neck cleanly and with precision, and sometimes I have to think about/focus on right hand technique to get the note shape I want. I’d prefer all of that to be intuitive and natural so I can focus on my hip thrusts.
That's pretty much correct.
I heard the term "transparency" used to describe this, when the sound in your head winds up coming out your amp.. without the physics of the instrument impeding that flow. It doesn't fight you, doesn't get "in the way" of your creative process, just seems to be an extension of your body.
For what it’s worth, I play since four years and basses are attracted to me as I have ten of them. My skills are inversely proportional to the number of basses I own (albeit I’m a little bit better than four years ago)… 
Anyway, they range from short, medium, long scale, fretless, necks like baseball bats and others slimmer, flatwounds/roundwounds, Jazz, Precision, PJ’s, others, etc… None of them feel the same but I am really not picky so… it depends!
Oh, a big variable for me is the amp and cabs I use, attracted to me like basses are, unfortunately.
Anyway, they range from short, medium, long scale, fretless, necks like baseball bats and others slimmer, flatwounds/roundwounds, Jazz, Precision, PJ’s, others, etc… None of them feel the same but I am really not picky so… it depends!
Oh, a big variable for me is the amp and cabs I use, attracted to me like basses are, unfortunately
.
In my book:
1. Playability and ergonomics
2. Tone
3. Weight and balance
4. Looks
And as a distant 5th: brand/status (showing up at a jam with a Fender 1961 P will impress people more than a Squire Affinity, regardless of your playing skills)
1. Playability and ergonomics
2. Tone
3. Weight and balance
4. Looks
And as a distant 5th: brand/status (showing up at a jam with a Fender 1961 P will impress people more than a Squire Affinity, regardless of your playing skills)
If we're talking about basses, we can talk all day, but if you're actually going to buy a bass, go to a few stores and try out as many as possible.
Some will look good, some will feel good and some will sound good.
Try enough basses and you'll find one that does all three.
I've done it many times and I'm not an expert, but no real need to wax philosophical on a question that's so personal.
I believe these two are great basses, but so many others will give the rote response...the Precision bass!
(Not saying they're not great, I have two, but when it comes to comfort, and comfort is only part of the equation, many more find the Jazz more comfortable. Hell, some people think nothing is more comfortable than Steinberger, but again, comfort is only part of the equation...for example, I'm only comfortable with flatwounds or tapewounds.)
Some will look good, some will feel good and some will sound good.
Try enough basses and you'll find one that does all three.
I've done it many times and I'm not an expert, but no real need to wax philosophical on a question that's so personal.
I believe these two are great basses, but so many others will give the rote response...the Precision bass!
(Not saying they're not great, I have two, but when it comes to comfort, and comfort is only part of the equation, many more find the Jazz more comfortable. Hell, some people think nothing is more comfortable than Steinberger, but again, comfort is only part of the equation...for example, I'm only comfortable with flatwounds or tapewounds.)
I have never loved a bass plugged that I didn't love unplugged first. It must resonate to feel right and sound right. Ergonomics matter, of course.
My 5c - short version:
1. It has to feel right
2. You gravitate towards it
3. It stays in tune
4. The sounds
Long explanations:
1. This is pretty easy to notice immediately - but your mileage may vary based on how many different types of basses you've played. It's the ergonomics, the neck, the overall feel. Is everything "in place" - for me personally the P-bass or relatively similar basses (Jacksons etc) feel the most comfortable. For me the Jazz bass for example is too "offset", I don't know why, but it always feels to sits too forward and I'm reaching for the lower notes. Needless to say, this is 100% subjective.
2. After you got it (or even at the store already), you notice you grab that particular bass more often than any other. If you have the luxury to own more than one bass, you notice this - you just play some basses more than others. Ergo - you must like it and sometimes your subconscious selection might surprise you.
3. Nothing irritates more than a bass that goes out of tune easily. Sometimes it's the crappy tuners, sometimes the setup, sometime it's just that the neck isn't stable. You can't always spot this immediately, not to mention at all if you buy basses unseen online (like we all have done..). If it's the hardware or setup, you can always upgrade, but if the neck isn't stable.. well that sucks and isn't easily fixed.
4. I'm in the camp that electric bass acoustic resonance = most likely a better sounding amplified sound as well, especially in regards to sustain. A good sounding bass (acoustically) will sing even with worn strings. I don't go as far as Steve Vai and look for that magical Major 3rd between body and the neck tapping sounds, though
I can live without optimal situation 1, if the bass sounds nice and stays in tune but failing at no 3 or 4 is always a no go. Electronics you can replace, pure performance not.
1. It has to feel right
2. You gravitate towards it
3. It stays in tune
4. The sounds
Long explanations:
1. This is pretty easy to notice immediately - but your mileage may vary based on how many different types of basses you've played. It's the ergonomics, the neck, the overall feel. Is everything "in place" - for me personally the P-bass or relatively similar basses (Jacksons etc) feel the most comfortable. For me the Jazz bass for example is too "offset", I don't know why, but it always feels to sits too forward and I'm reaching for the lower notes. Needless to say, this is 100% subjective.
2. After you got it (or even at the store already), you notice you grab that particular bass more often than any other. If you have the luxury to own more than one bass, you notice this - you just play some basses more than others. Ergo - you must like it and sometimes your subconscious selection might surprise you.
3. Nothing irritates more than a bass that goes out of tune easily. Sometimes it's the crappy tuners, sometimes the setup, sometime it's just that the neck isn't stable. You can't always spot this immediately, not to mention at all if you buy basses unseen online (like we all have done..). If it's the hardware or setup, you can always upgrade, but if the neck isn't stable.. well that sucks and isn't easily fixed.
4. I'm in the camp that electric bass acoustic resonance = most likely a better sounding amplified sound as well, especially in regards to sustain. A good sounding bass (acoustically) will sing even with worn strings. I don't go as far as Steve Vai and look for that magical Major 3rd between body and the neck tapping sounds, though
I can live without optimal situation 1, if the bass sounds nice and stays in tune but failing at no 3 or 4 is always a no go. Electronics you can replace, pure performance not.
I wanna say that there is an extra component that I am unable to identify, which manifests in the feeling that that particular bass is an extension of your hands/body.
I have switched from 5 string basses to 6 string basses about 8 or 9 years ago. My first 6 was an Ibanez and while it was not exactly cheap, it was the cheapest bass I played at that time, yet it saw all the play time. I did own and play several others since then, but there is this one bass, a Le Fay that I bought three years ago, that raised the bar for everything else.
My hands did know exactly what to do from the first moment I touched it. Stuff that is tricky to mute, so much that I often used a GruvGear FretWrap on the other 6 strings I owned, flowed from my fingers without effort, no unwanted noise, no strings vibrating that were not meant to. Stuff that quickly fatigued my hand when playing? I easily lasted twice as long without changing a thing, it just worked. Getting a certain sound? The amount of responsiveness I get from changing plucking techniques and hand positions is, for my personal requirements, just right. Any bass that is more responsive feels too responsive and any bass that is less responsive feels not responsive enough.
I had a phase in my bass playing career where I was a true minimalist. I basically had one bass, a gigbag, a strap, a cable and a clip on tuner and that was all of my equipment. That one bass has been my main player for more than 15 years and every time I went and checked out other basses, they fell short of the mark. When I asked myself why that may be, the answer was that I have 15 years of muscle memory invested in that one bass and that any other bass starts at zero, so that's a massive advantage, and to get another bass working for me, I need to invest some time. Which I did. But it turned out that Le Fay needed nothing of all of this. It was simply the best bass I ever played from the very first moment I touched it.
I have switched from 5 string basses to 6 string basses about 8 or 9 years ago. My first 6 was an Ibanez and while it was not exactly cheap, it was the cheapest bass I played at that time, yet it saw all the play time. I did own and play several others since then, but there is this one bass, a Le Fay that I bought three years ago, that raised the bar for everything else.
My hands did know exactly what to do from the first moment I touched it. Stuff that is tricky to mute, so much that I often used a GruvGear FretWrap on the other 6 strings I owned, flowed from my fingers without effort, no unwanted noise, no strings vibrating that were not meant to. Stuff that quickly fatigued my hand when playing? I easily lasted twice as long without changing a thing, it just worked. Getting a certain sound? The amount of responsiveness I get from changing plucking techniques and hand positions is, for my personal requirements, just right. Any bass that is more responsive feels too responsive and any bass that is less responsive feels not responsive enough.
I had a phase in my bass playing career where I was a true minimalist. I basically had one bass, a gigbag, a strap, a cable and a clip on tuner and that was all of my equipment. That one bass has been my main player for more than 15 years and every time I went and checked out other basses, they fell short of the mark. When I asked myself why that may be, the answer was that I have 15 years of muscle memory invested in that one bass and that any other bass starts at zero, so that's a massive advantage, and to get another bass working for me, I need to invest some time. Which I did. But it turned out that Le Fay needed nothing of all of this. It was simply the best bass I ever played from the very first moment I touched it.
