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Why do we all have the same looking basses?
- Thread starter Zeus_Mutation
- Start date
If DB and wind instruments players wanted different looks they would probably end up with different sounding instruments.
I think the question is reasonable to some degree and the answer is build your own, that would not cost you a fortune.
If this is impossible then maybe some custom builders that do not use exotic woods and parts could do the job.
Are there any affordable custom shops really? This is the question.
I think the question is reasonable to some degree and the answer is build your own, that would not cost you a fortune.
If this is impossible then maybe some custom builders that do not use exotic woods and parts could do the job.
Are there any affordable custom shops really? This is the question.
I see the question....
Solve me this problem: why every squier owner just calls them the wrong way? Squire etc etc. This has to be some kind of cultural reason or language thing. I'm tired of seeing the squier name adulterated
Solve me this problem: why every squier owner just calls them the wrong way? Squire etc etc. This has to be some kind of cultural reason or language thing. I'm tired of seeing the squier name adulterated
Just get a Musicvox Spaceranger and be done with it. Groovy.
Or, check out the Italia stuff. I like the Mondial.
Vintage Ovation.
Hagstrom.
Hofners that aren't violin basses.
Vintage Guild.
The list goes on, just look around...
Or, check out the Italia stuff. I like the Mondial.
Vintage Ovation.
Hagstrom.
Hofners that aren't violin basses.
Vintage Guild.
The list goes on, just look around...
It's kinda hard to get around it, just like an apple is an apple and an egg is an egg. A bass guitar is a bass guitar. It's only when you get to the extremes that you see stuff and wonder what the hell it is. Whether that's good or bad is up to you.
It's all angels on the head of a pin. I have never gone to a show and not recognized which one is the bass.
It's all angels on the head of a pin. I have never gone to a show and not recognized which one is the bass.
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6 pages later...
Go back to the 1950s and 1960s and you will see that there was a wide variation in bass guitar designs. However Fender was hugely dominant, followed by Gibson and Rickenbacker in distant 2nd and 3rd place. Eventually the other brands and designs fell by the wayside. If you get a chance to play old Kays, Harmonys, Ekos, Supros, etc. you'll quickly see why.
The mid to late 70s was when Asian clones started showing up...Ibanez began by selling nothing but copies. That was when the homogenization really kicked in.
Go back to the 1950s and 1960s and you will see that there was a wide variation in bass guitar designs. However Fender was hugely dominant, followed by Gibson and Rickenbacker in distant 2nd and 3rd place. Eventually the other brands and designs fell by the wayside. If you get a chance to play old Kays, Harmonys, Ekos, Supros, etc. you'll quickly see why.
The mid to late 70s was when Asian clones started showing up...Ibanez began by selling nothing but copies. That was when the homogenization really kicked in.
As a dudenew to basses, who knew nothing about basses and could only name two bass players (Sam Rivers and Steve Harris, for the curious), I chose my bass because it was from a company I'd already had dealings with, and whom I could trust not to make a shoddy product (Yamaha). I had never looked at a bass up close before, and knew nothing about the manufacturers.
After choosing the company, my other two criteria were that I wanted a bass I could grow into, and a bass that looked cool. Slab-sided basses didn't really do it for me, so I got the TRBX because it has what I like to call "BMW corners", that is, the odd and mismatched but surprisingly attractive combination of flowing curves and faceted edges
.
Steve Harris plays his lovely Fender, and Sam Rivers plays a Warwick (used to play Ibanez), so "get the one that they like" didn't really enter into my mind.
After choosing the company, my other two criteria were that I wanted a bass I could grow into, and a bass that looked cool. Slab-sided basses didn't really do it for me, so I got the TRBX because it has what I like to call "BMW corners", that is, the odd and mismatched but surprisingly attractive combination of flowing curves and faceted edges
.Steve Harris plays his lovely Fender, and Sam Rivers plays a Warwick (used to play Ibanez), so "get the one that they like" didn't really enter into my mind
. 
I have an ibanez jet King II. It looks unlike the mainstays of bass, was quite inexpensive yet well built, plays well, sounds great and is a lot lighter than my p bass.
As for why everyone has the same guitars, it's a collective lack of imagination and a world view of what is "proper" that sells.
As for why everyone has the same guitars, it's a collective lack of imagination and a world view of what is "proper" that sells.
You really think Gibson LP basses are that common? I don't think I have ever seen one in the wild to be honest. I don't even see Thunderbirds and SG's much.
As for why basses look similar? Same reason that anything mass produced on an assembly line does. Imagine if instead of playing bass, the instrument you chose was a flute or a trumpet, then you would really have limited cosmetic choices. When it comes to instruments electric solid body guitars and basses have more cosmetic differences than any other instrument I can think of. Even acoustic guitars up until recently tended to all look very similar. Lately the colors and sound hole shapes have started to get more outside of the box but even still you don't have radical differences. With solid body instruments there aren't as many limitations to the design as there are with acoustic instruments since the electronics produce the sound and not the design, so the only limitation is the builders imagination.
But since these instruments are mass produced they still flood the market and become "common".
Ever hear the joke about the Model T? You can get it in any color you want as long as you want it to be black. It was just easier to make them all the same color, and Henry Ford reasoned that black dried the quickest because it absorbed light rather than reflected it.
But if none of this makes you feel any better about the looks of your P bass you could always do something like what Geddy Lee did, you would certainly have a unique looking bass then...
As for why basses look similar? Same reason that anything mass produced on an assembly line does. Imagine if instead of playing bass, the instrument you chose was a flute or a trumpet, then you would really have limited cosmetic choices. When it comes to instruments electric solid body guitars and basses have more cosmetic differences than any other instrument I can think of. Even acoustic guitars up until recently tended to all look very similar. Lately the colors and sound hole shapes have started to get more outside of the box but even still you don't have radical differences. With solid body instruments there aren't as many limitations to the design as there are with acoustic instruments since the electronics produce the sound and not the design, so the only limitation is the builders imagination.
But since these instruments are mass produced they still flood the market and become "common".
Ever hear the joke about the Model T? You can get it in any color you want as long as you want it to be black. It was just easier to make them all the same color, and Henry Ford reasoned that black dried the quickest because it absorbed light rather than reflected it.
But if none of this makes you feel any better about the looks of your P bass you could always do something like what Geddy Lee did, you would certainly have a unique looking bass then...
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Smooth_bass88
vaxx!
- Oct 31, 2006
- 12,122
- 16,793
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- have been on nationally released albums, charting on the Billboard 200
Why is the Ford F150 the best selling vehicle in America?
Same thing with Converse Check Taylors.
Tone and playability take precedence over looks in my book. Unless the thing is butt-ugly, who cares if it's a sunburst jazz bass with a tort guard?
Same thing with Converse Check Taylors.
Tone and playability take precedence over looks in my book. Unless the thing is butt-ugly, who cares if it's a sunburst jazz bass with a tort guard?
My basses don't look exactly like everyone else's, but they are similar. Most of mine do share a family resemblance to each other...
That looks like a screencapped still from "Dawn of the Zombie Basses". They're stalking you, dude!
Smooth_bass88
vaxx!
- Oct 31, 2006
- 12,122
- 16,793
- Disclosures
- have been on nationally released albums, charting on the Billboard 200
Converese Chuck Taylors are a best selling vehicle?
Interesting.
I keep forgetting that on talkbass you have to be as explicit as humanly possible in order for people to understand what you're saying...
SORRY
Is that a genuine expression of contrition and apology, or a sarcastic snarky sorry that deliberately suggests a shortness of patience with Sunnbass's apparent (or feigned?!) lack of understanding about Converse Chuck Taylors?
I'm confused.
First, you kind of answered your question in your first post; in that at lower price points, you will be looking at mass produced instruments, which by their nature are similar. If you want something that is well designed/crafted/engineered AND a departure, you will pay more money. And with a bigger budget, there are more options. Makes sense, no?
Second, there are small run paint jobs in the mass market instruments; for example, Fender's Shoreline Gold. Which is kind of a two edged sword; because they are distinct due to the rarity, but also hard to find for the same reason. You can also do things with custom pickguards. In fact, back in the day when there was only Fender, Gibson, and a few Guilds, it was even harder to have a signature appearance. Ergo the big deal with Jaco playing with no pickguard etc. I like Quickguards for a custom appearance, but YMMV.
Somewhat fortunately, you will be assessed at audition time mainly based on your playing skills. The appearance thing is fun to mess with, but not any kind of determining factor in getting the gig. In fact, for most of those cases, the more common the appearance the better (kind of an Amish thing). So, my $0.019 is to get back in the shed learning new fingerings and learning as many songs as possible in as many genres as possible. That will get you on stage. Along the way, you will run into interesting looking instruments; so, let them come to you.
I personally think bass players are much more accepting and much more open to new ideas and instrument styles.
The majority of guitarists are still essentially playing versions of ancient designs, such as Strats, Teles or Les Pauls. I see many more custom shapes / designs / builders in the bass world: maybe because electric bass hasn't been around that long and has so many different styles and ways of playing it....
That said, just as a pair of jeans are comfortable, just as a Stratocaster 'molds' itself to your body, I think a well designed, comfortable bass avoids extreme contours and sharp edges - and that's a big reason for the eternal popularity of Fender styled basses.
There are still an awful lot of colour / pick guard / fingerboard / inlay options to personalise P or J style basses but their shapes exist (have existed) a long time for very good reason I reckon.
Sure, you can custom order an 18 string, fan fretted, flying V shaped bass if you so desire to be different, but I doubt you will ever get to the place where playing it is so intuitive and natural that you almost forget you are wearing it when creating your music.
Peace,
Rob.
The majority of guitarists are still essentially playing versions of ancient designs, such as Strats, Teles or Les Pauls. I see many more custom shapes / designs / builders in the bass world: maybe because electric bass hasn't been around that long and has so many different styles and ways of playing it....
That said, just as a pair of jeans are comfortable, just as a Stratocaster 'molds' itself to your body, I think a well designed, comfortable bass avoids extreme contours and sharp edges - and that's a big reason for the eternal popularity of Fender styled basses.
There are still an awful lot of colour / pick guard / fingerboard / inlay options to personalise P or J style basses but their shapes exist (have existed) a long time for very good reason I reckon.
Sure, you can custom order an 18 string, fan fretted, flying V shaped bass if you so desire to be different, but I doubt you will ever get to the place where playing it is so intuitive and natural that you almost forget you are wearing it when creating your music.
Peace,
Rob.
