Seriously, if the company paid me, I'd play anything, providing it was cool enough for the people I work for. No joke.
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what would signature bass be?
- Thread starter Aidenn7
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- signature bass
It's funny, I used to have very specific details regarding this very topic ... up to and including years ago, a photoshopped example of what it would look like. But tastes change, and new items and options become available, so my 1987 signature is quite different from my 1998, as is my 2005, etc.
The current build in my head is (still) based on a Precision, with an A-width flame maple neck, it still has a zero fret, and it is still a P/J.
It is most likely still Olympic White, with a matching headstock.
The 2020 version is finished out with a white bound and aged-MoTo blocked maple fretboard, Gotoh vintage Resolite clover tuners, a set of Monstertone tappable pickups w/ push/pull volume knob switching for the tap, with a Stellartone 6 rotary control, all mounted on an aged MoTo pickguard. The hardware is chrome with flat top knobs and a cover over the Precision pu, the bridge is a KickAss, and it sports a set of Dunlop strap locks.
The best news is it weighs in at just 8lbs, balances perfectly on the strap, and sells for $500 in a padded Tweed gigbag.
Impossible, you say? Not so. Because in the same scenario that I have a signature bass released ... I am a stinking rich, world famous bass god, and in my benevolence, I subsidize the remainder of the cost so that people can afford to subscribe to my personal vision of perfection.
You're welcome.
The current build in my head is (still) based on a Precision, with an A-width flame maple neck, it still has a zero fret, and it is still a P/J.
It is most likely still Olympic White, with a matching headstock.
The 2020 version is finished out with a white bound and aged-MoTo blocked maple fretboard, Gotoh vintage Resolite clover tuners, a set of Monstertone tappable pickups w/ push/pull volume knob switching for the tap, with a Stellartone 6 rotary control, all mounted on an aged MoTo pickguard. The hardware is chrome with flat top knobs and a cover over the Precision pu, the bridge is a KickAss, and it sports a set of Dunlop strap locks.
The best news is it weighs in at just 8lbs, balances perfectly on the strap, and sells for $500 in a padded Tweed gigbag.
Impossible, you say? Not so. Because in the same scenario that I have a signature bass released ... I am a stinking rich, world famous bass god, and in my benevolence, I subsidize the remainder of the cost so that people can afford to subscribe to my personal vision of perfection.
You're welcome.
I can only think of minor modifications to basses I already like, which would be as follows:
G&L L2000:
- CITES friendly, sustainable woods.
- clear gloss poly finish.
- 14" radiused faces on pickups.
- passive mode only (no preamp).
- quartersawn maple neck, 1.5" at the nut, 14" radius.
- unlined maple fingerboard with hard poly finish.
- lined model has lines painted on under a hard finish, not fret slots filled with anything.
- compensated fingerboard height for missing frets.
- body heavy enough for good balance.
Rickenbacker 4003:
- bring back unlined fretless, but with compensated fingerboard height for missing frets.
- mapleglo clear gloss poly finish.
- lined model has lines painted on under hard finish, no filled in fret slots.
- CITES-friendly woods.
Kiesel:
- bring back the Bunny Brunel, but with radiused MM humbucker at the bridge.
- CITES friendly, sustainable woods.
- clear gloss poly finish.
- unlined 5-piece all maple neck with HAN finish, 14" radius.
- compensated fingerboard height for missing frets.
- 1.5" at the nut.
- lined model has lines painted on under hard finish, not filled fret slots.
I would just have 4 strings on all. No tops, no weird endangered woods or picky colors.
That's about all I can think of on my "signature" bass candidates. I dont play enough and I suck too bad to really know what's good for me as a player, so these are just my best guesses on what would help me out and what I'd like on these ones....
L
G&L L2000:
- CITES friendly, sustainable woods.
- clear gloss poly finish.
- 14" radiused faces on pickups.
- passive mode only (no preamp).
- quartersawn maple neck, 1.5" at the nut, 14" radius.
- unlined maple fingerboard with hard poly finish.
- lined model has lines painted on under a hard finish, not fret slots filled with anything.
- compensated fingerboard height for missing frets.
- body heavy enough for good balance.
Rickenbacker 4003:
- bring back unlined fretless, but with compensated fingerboard height for missing frets.
- mapleglo clear gloss poly finish.
- lined model has lines painted on under hard finish, no filled in fret slots.
- CITES-friendly woods.
Kiesel:
- bring back the Bunny Brunel, but with radiused MM humbucker at the bridge.
- CITES friendly, sustainable woods.
- clear gloss poly finish.
- unlined 5-piece all maple neck with HAN finish, 14" radius.
- compensated fingerboard height for missing frets.
- 1.5" at the nut.
- lined model has lines painted on under hard finish, not filled fret slots.
I would just have 4 strings on all. No tops, no weird endangered woods or picky colors.
That's about all I can think of on my "signature" bass candidates. I dont play enough and I suck too bad to really know what's good for me as a player, so these are just my best guesses on what would help me out and what I'd like on these ones....
L
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When I fist read the question, I thought of how many of Fenders signature basses start out. Simply copies of a popular artists #1. For that, mine would be an '89 Jazz Bass Special in Razzbery.
If I were to have a bass built to my ideal specifications, it would be pretty much the same bass, but with a slightly hotter bridge pickup,and in Sherwood Green metallic. I just love that color with a rosewood board.
I also wouldn't mind a G&L L-1000 in the same color
.
YMMV
If I were to have a bass built to my ideal specifications, it would be pretty much the same bass, but with a slightly hotter bridge pickup,and in Sherwood Green metallic. I just love that color with a rosewood board.
I also wouldn't mind a G&L L-1000 in the same color
. YMMV
EBMM StingRay 5
Purple Mist/Purple Sparkle
Black hardware
Two-band EQ, running 18 volts
No three-way selector
Flame maple neck and fretboard
No inlays
Black/Purple/Black pickguard
NYXL strings
Yeah, that would be my dream company-made bass.
Dream small luthier bass? Carl Thompson 5 string with whammy bar and active MM-style pickup(s).
Purple Mist/Purple Sparkle
Black hardware
Two-band EQ, running 18 volts
No three-way selector
Flame maple neck and fretboard
No inlays
Black/Purple/Black pickguard
NYXL strings
Yeah, that would be my dream company-made bass.
Dream small luthier bass? Carl Thompson 5 string with whammy bar and active MM-style pickup(s).
Already have mine. This:
The only thing I'd add is a passive tone control. That's it.
The only thing I'd add is a passive tone control. That's it.
Ric 4000 w/ 4003 appointments, integrated ramp, 21 stainless steel frets, 5pc Walnut/maple beam, dual truss rods, greatly cut back neck heel, swamp ash wings, tung oiled back of neck, matte autumnglo polyester finish on body and front of headstock, factory shielding, and Tubeampology treble bezel.
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,027
- 1
- 31,765
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
This bass, but with only one pickup in the neck position and a darker Euro burst. Or just this one.
I may want to see how the Nordstrand BigMan pickup sound in this...
outside of the obvious visuals, it has each pickup wired for Bridge Coil/Parallel/Neck Coil, two band preamp with passive tone control, although it does not have a passive mode...This is only the prototype
The final product may wind up with rear routing to make more room for all that junk and a side jack.
My sig bass would be a 100% exact copy of the original 1951 to 1953 slab body @ 8 lbs or under. Although Fender Custom Shop has made some slabs, they have not been correct.
33" scale 6 string 16.5mm string spacing, 5 pc neck of exotic woods - wenge, purpleheart, stuff that doesn't move easily. neck on the thick side.
pickups in 60's jazz position.
i'm fine with paint, but all my "good" basses have fancy top wood.
pickups in 60's jazz position.
i'm fine with paint, but all my "good" basses have fancy top wood.
drumvsbass
Commercial User
- Aug 20, 2011
- 1,985
- 4,325
- Disclosures
- I work for Long and McQuade Musical Instruments Canada in Sales.
'Tis always fun to dream and when I look back on threads like this I've participated in over the many years (over a decade) I've been on TalkBass... everything has changed so much. And though I like to think I'm mature and experienced enough to know exactly what I want, that could change years from now.
My main bass is a heavily modded LTD HTB-600 that has evolved into my signature bass (no one else has one quite like mine), but there are some things I would like differently in my ideal "signature" bass.
It would be an ESP based on the discontinued FL-600 Frederic Leclercq sig model. It already has a lot of what I like (38mm nut width, 24 frets, one soapbar pickup, alder body, neck-through, ebony fingerboard, 4-string) but isn't 100% there. So imagine that bass with the following changes.
-quilted maple top in transparent red atop the alder body
-instead of the single EMG soapbar and active preamp, I'd want a single Duncan soapbar and passive volume and tone
-instead of the "thin U" neck contour, I'd want ESP/LTD's "extra thin U" neck contour
-I don't know how many pieces the neck is on this bass, but I'd want a 5-piece neck (maple with purpleheart stringers)
-No front inlays; just side dots
-Hipshot tuners with a Hipshot eXtender so I can quickly click in and out of drop D.
-Hipshot A-style bridge
-Dunlop Straplocks
-White TUSQ nut
-Gold hardware
-Gold colored logo atop a body-matched red quilt-topped headstock shaped like my HTB-600 headstock
My main bass is a heavily modded LTD HTB-600 that has evolved into my signature bass (no one else has one quite like mine), but there are some things I would like differently in my ideal "signature" bass.
It would be an ESP based on the discontinued FL-600 Frederic Leclercq sig model. It already has a lot of what I like (38mm nut width, 24 frets, one soapbar pickup, alder body, neck-through, ebony fingerboard, 4-string) but isn't 100% there. So imagine that bass with the following changes.
-quilted maple top in transparent red atop the alder body
-instead of the single EMG soapbar and active preamp, I'd want a single Duncan soapbar and passive volume and tone
-instead of the "thin U" neck contour, I'd want ESP/LTD's "extra thin U" neck contour
-I don't know how many pieces the neck is on this bass, but I'd want a 5-piece neck (maple with purpleheart stringers)
-No front inlays; just side dots
-Hipshot tuners with a Hipshot eXtender so I can quickly click in and out of drop D.
-Hipshot A-style bridge
-Dunlop Straplocks
-White TUSQ nut
-Gold hardware
-Gold colored logo atop a body-matched red quilt-topped headstock shaped like my HTB-600 headstock
Mine would be a 1975 Black Gibson Ripper with a maple board, original pickup config. Dollar signs for inlays with my "RTS" at the 12th fret, gold hardware and knobs with a mirrored pick-guard
I built this with the Warmoth builder once, and it was going to cost me $2000+ all in, so I never went through with it.
An oversized ash Telecaster body (think ASAT), flame maple top in a vintage 3TS, double bound in aged pearl. Bound and blocked (also aged pearl) flame maple P neck, reverse tele headstock painted black. Double MM style pickups. Switching for series/parallel, coil splitting, and active/passive. 18v preamp to accommodate all of that. All gold hardware. Could go as either a 4 or 5er.
An oversized ash Telecaster body (think ASAT), flame maple top in a vintage 3TS, double bound in aged pearl. Bound and blocked (also aged pearl) flame maple P neck, reverse tele headstock painted black. Double MM style pickups. Switching for series/parallel, coil splitting, and active/passive. 18v preamp to accommodate all of that. All gold hardware. Could go as either a 4 or 5er.
Short-scale jazz with a Darkstar hard up at the neck, english racing green with Competition striping and matching headstock w/lollypops.
Alembic 5-string unlined fretless with buckeye burl. New body design loosely based on a Thunderbird.
This one. It's kind of a typical signature story. It's a stock Lakland Skyline 55-64 from the first batch that came out. I don't believe that Lakland makes them any more (at least as a Skyline), so that makes it somewhat unique. It's more unique in that it has the maple fingerboard, which was less common. Lastly (and necessary for a signature), I did change the pickguard (it seems like at least one mod is necessary for a bass to be a signature).
