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Why do we all have the same looking basses?

Hello!
Here are the list of basses I see most, please add what I overlook.
Fender P, J, Tele... any Fender really
Gibson SG's
Gibson LP - Although I really don't see that many of these
Thunderbirds
Music Mans
G&L's
Ibanez

I left out Lakelands, Stanley Clark, and that stuff...

Do you really see tele-shaped basses everywhere? LP-shaped basses? SG-shaped basses? They exist, sure--but none of those are particularly common, and for good reason. Those are all originally guitar models, and the top horns on those shapes are short (or non-existent), which can cause severe neck dive in bass guitars (due to longer scale, heavier necks). So, one of the answers to your question is that the traditional shapes are often more playable than the oddball shapes.

Also, there are a LOT of different bass models and designs represented by the brands you list. Ibanez alone has a bunch of models that look nothing like Fenders, and nothing like eachother (BTB, BTB single cut, Talman, SR, etc.). I suggest going on sweetwater or musiciansfriend or wherever and taking a peek at the huge variety of different bass shapes available at every price point. It sounds like you might be surprised!

If your question is why Fender shapes are so popular, that's pretty much common sense (hint: the same reason every consumer product in existence has a "standard" design, with other options being less popular--think vacuum cleaners, teapots, toilets, 4-door sedans, fly swatters, literally everything). People like to buy things they know are tried and true. A cynic might say that is herd mentality, but a friendlier view might be that people buy things they KNOW will work, instead of gambling their money on an unusual item that might end up having a design flaw.
 
Why don't we see other musicians complaining about the same thing? Say...the piano player, the tube player, the bassoon player. As much as I like the looks of my bass guitars, I think we spend a disproportionate amount of time/mental energy in thinking about the looks.
 
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Git yerself one of these:
View attachment 759008
Took a long time to post a pic of Stig Pedersen! Thank you. Here are some others:

85102_artist.jpg


birdandbluebass-1443705609.jpg


stig-pedersen.jpg


dad_6.jpg


here's another. i don't know who it belongs to, but you could get one of these:

d4e96544697f832f0cf6d8158cf977a6.jpg


no problem!
 
The part of the OP that no one seems to have paid attention to is budget. Hasn't said specifically what he CAN afford, but I gather it's somewhere under $1000. So the question boils down to, "Why can't i get a custom-made bass for mass-production prices?" To which the answer should be obvious as soon as you ask the question. Companies like Fender issue their basses in all of four or five colors, fewer for some models. It's like Henry Ford, you can have any color you like as long as it's black. That's mass production.

I would suggest the OP watch the TB classifieds, CL and ebay for a used Carvin. Every one of them was custom ordered by somebody, they're great basses, and precisely because they were originally all custom made, they resell for a chunk cheaper than other brands. You can get a used American-made Carvin for about what you would spend on a new MIM Fender.

Or if he can scrape together $1000-1200 (or more), he can order his own. If he likes P basses: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
So, am I destined to stick with the sound I love and just deal with looking like every other Fender P or have I missed something?

I love this question.

I think many of us bass players are not so adventurous. I mean, don't get me wrong… there are adventurers among us, but I don't think that's the norm. I remember when I started out, I was told to buy either a P, J, or even both—and that's it. Even now, that's what most of my bassist friends tell me.

I think it's the culture of bass playing. So many of us are told we need to be the most reliable person in the band, or that we need to "hold down the foundation" of any song. This advice is good, but it means that a good majority of us are going to go with a P or a J because we think they're "tools of the trade" or something like that. That's often code for "Jaco/Vic/Marcus use basses like these," or "everyone else has one so you should too," or "this is what I'm used to and I'm not comfortable deviating from it." I don't buy any of that. :roflmao:

To be honest, I think we could afford to be more adventurous, and I salute anyone out there that dares to do things differently.:hyper:
 
The part of the OP that no one seems to have paid attention to is budget. Hasn't said specifically what he CAN afford, but I gather it's somewhere under $1000. So the question boils down to, "Why can't i get a custom-made bass for mass-production prices?" To which the answer should be obvious as soon as you ask the question. Companies like Fender issue their basses in all of four or five colors, fewer for some models. It's like Henry Ford, you can have any color you like as long as it's black. That's mass production.

I would suggest the OP watch the TB classifieds, CL and ebay for a used Carvin. Every one of them was custom ordered by somebody, they're great basses, and precisely because they were originally all custom made, they resell for a chunk cheaper than other brands. You can get a used American-made Carvin for about what you would spend on a new MIM Fender.

Or if he can scrape together $1000-1200 (or more), he can order his own. If he likes P basses: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
All my basses are extremely affordable!(Under $600.00)They don't look like Fenders.And I didn't have to have them custom made.Family Photos!
But you will not see them on the wall in a store.How did I find them?
I TOOK A WILD CHANCE AND ORDERED UNHEARD ONLINE!

But why don't more take a chance and buy an unknown bass unheard?With out playing it first?
What could go wrong?
Do they expect it sound like a duck?
 
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