Why don't all basses have...

[SunByrne]

So every once in a while when I buy a new bass, it'll have a feature on it that seems so obviously like a great idea that it makes me wonder why all, or at least more, basses don't have it. I know cost is a big driver and I get that not everyone likes what I like, but some of them are just so nice to have. I know there's a contingent of TBers who think that if Jamerson didn't have it in 1963 we shouldn't now, but for everyone else...

The three that get me the most:

• Truss rod wheel at the base of the neck. (SBMM Ray34) So, wait, you mean I don't have to take screws off to remove a plate to shove an Allen wrench into a cavity that I can't see into very well? I can just turn a dial? Yes, please.

• Low battery indicator. (Yamaha BB734a). If the battery is getting low, just tell me? I mean, crazy, right? Who'd want that? It's an LED that costs maybe a nickel if you buy one and probably a fraction of penny if you buy in bulk, so cost probably isn’t the big barrier. (Yes, I know not everyone likes active basses. But for those that have them, seems like a no-brainer.)

• Curved body. (Spector Dimension NS5). I'm sure this is cost-prohibitive to manufacture, but wow do I love this. I'd played Spectors in stores that had it and it seemed OK but perhaps not a big deal. However, now that I have one and play it regularly, I've come to love it and wish all my basses had this. Admittedly, like a lot of middle-aged guys I do have a beer belly, but the other folks I've had try it out don't and they've liked it, too.

What are your top 3?

 

[Nedmundo]

For me, it would be slightly raised polepieces for the middle strings to account for fretboard radius. I simply cannot fathom why so many J-basses have flush poles, especially with 9.5" or 7.5" fretboard radii. With a flatter fretboard radius you can get decent balance with flush poles, and some pickups produce better balance than others, but I'm surprised raised center poles aren't more common.

 

[Novacore]

Fender vintage reissues still putting truss rod adjustment under the neck without a cavity is pure insanity and a dealbreaker to me, I agree on that

For me: lightweight tuners. There's no situation where you don't want less weight on the headstock. A heavy bass is preferable to a light one with bad neck dive.

 

[Sam Evans]

I have a guitar where the truss rod cover has a little door that swings to the side, so you can tweak it without removing the screws. It's literally just a little piece of plastic on the little piece of plastic that's there already. Why aren't they all like this?!

 

[LowEndOperative]

For me, it would be slightly raised polepieces for the middle strings to account for fretboard radius. I simply cannot fathom why so many J-basses have flush poles, especially with 9.5" or 7.5" fretboard radii. With a flatter fretboard radius you can get decent balance with flush poles, and some pickups produce better balance than others, but I'm surprised raised center poles aren't more common.

DiMarzio Relentless J pickups have a top curve that accounts for most fretboard radii; I have a similarly fashioned PJ set on my Aerodyne.

 

[WayneP]

• Low battery indicator. (Yamaha BB734a). If the battery is getting low, just tell me? I mean, crazy, right? Who'd want that? It's an LED that costs maybe a nickel if you buy one and probably a fraction of penny if you buy in bulk, so cost probably isn’t the big barrier. (Yes, I know not everyone likes active basses. But for those that have them, seems like a no-brainer.)

This is probably a “well, it rolls off the tongue easily” situation, but I can see where it’s probably not as easy as it sounds.

For starters, there would have to be circuitry of some kind to monitor the battery and trigger the LED. I expect this circuitry would require a power source – probably the same battery it’s monitoring. The circuitry would probably contribute to battery drain to at least some extent.

Second, it seems to me like this would have to be something designed and implemented by the electronics manufacturers (EMG, Bartolini, etc.). Many of these companies supply “off the shelf” (i.e. not custom) products that are used by many bass manufacturers. Likely, not all the bass companies would want the monitoring system, for one reason or another. Thus, the electronics manufacturers would have to duplicate their offerings as “with” and “without” the system. In addition, a certain amount of end users might not want the system, preferring longer battery life.

Still, it’s a great feature. I’d really love it if my Heartfield DR5 had it, as that thing chews through batteries like candy.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

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[DrBnz]

Truss rod wheel adjustments - Lightweight tuners - Strap locks - Bridge saddle screws that don't stick up - Headstock string hold-down widget has beveled edges so to not grab the string windings while tuning. All necks are roasted or tinted. Weight and balance issues resolved at the factory (all weight 8.0 lbs w zero neck dive). All have a painted headstock option and last but not least..... headstock bumpers (a thin strip of binding protection - I dunno about the looks of this, better make it in clear)

 

[Nedmundo]

DiMarzio Relentless J pickups have a top curve that accounts for most fretboard radii; I have a similarly fashioned PJ set on my Aerodyne.

Yes, DiMarzio does this. I bought an Area J set partly for this reason, and got better balance than with the stock pickups in my G&L JB--and that's with a relatively flat 12" radius fretboard. To get decent balance with the stock pickups, I had to lower them a fair bit. It worked OK, and I switched mostly to go noiseless, but the DiMarzios did produce better balance.

 

[2saddleslab]

So every once in a while when I buy a new bass, it'll have a feature on it that seems so obviously like a great idea that it makes me wonder why all, or at least more, basses don't have it. I know cost is a big driver and I get that not everyone likes what I like, but some of them are just so nice to have. I know there's a contingent of TBers who think that if Jamerson didn't have it in 1963 we shouldn't now, but for everyone else...

The three that get me the most:

• Truss rod wheel at the base of the neck. (SBMM Ray34) So, wait, you mean I don't have to take screws off to remove a plate to shove an Allen wrench into a cavity that I can't see into very well? I can just turn a dial? Yes, please.

• Low battery indicator. (Yamaha BB734a). If the battery is getting low, just tell me? I mean, crazy, right? Who'd want that? It's an LED that costs maybe a nickel if you buy one and probably a fraction of penny if you buy in bulk, so cost probably isn’t the big barrier. (Yes, I know not everyone likes active basses. But for those that have them, seems like a no-brainer.)

• Curved body. (Spector Dimension NS5). I'm sure this is cost-prohibitive to manufacture, but wow do I love this. I'd played Spectors in stores that had it and it seemed OK but perhaps not a big deal. However, now that I have one and play it regularly, I've come to love it and wish all my basses had this. Admittedly, I like a lot of middle-aged guys I do have a beer belly, but the other folks I've had try it out don't and they've liked it, too.

What are your top 3?

None of those are priorities or even desired for me, different strokes and all.

My 3 would be:

-one passive pickup
-simple volume/ tone
-lightweight but balanced

 

[Geri O]

Truss rod wheel.

 

[S-Bigbottom]

Magnetic battery cover.

 

[Phreaky Phriday]

This is why i build my own

 

[MrLenny1]

Variety is the spice of life, so 5 string Active basses with a mid-range control are my choice. I have 3 of them.

 

[logdrum]

The wheel truss rod adjustment - I thought Ernie Ball has a patent on that and may have just expired
Low Battery -- it fails on many acoustic guitar preamps , I know even high end ones like Braggs on Fishman. As expected like a Toyota the Takamine ones don't fail -- well at least my 27 year old guitar hasn't. I think Godin told me there is extra drain on these LEDs. Also just like choke style erotica, adds excitement at the thought of your battery failing at a gig.
Curved edges body -- adds to cost and many don't dig it. I love me an old slab tele

 

[CletusMarley]

Truss rod wheel. Rolled fretboard edges.

 

[jnewmark]

Pretty subjective topic, so I guess I'll add my two cents. Truss Rod Adjustment ease: I play Fenders and some models come with the truss rod adjustment at the top of the neck, in fact, most of my Fenders have this adjustment, so not a big deal. LED Light for weak battery: I do not play active basses, so this doesn't matter at all, to me. I would love to see some numbers on who plays active or passive basses, maybe I should start a poll? Body Shape: As mentioned above, I play Fenders and their contour shape has always felt comfortable to me, and I have tried other basses, so, again, not a concern. " I know there's a contingent of TBers who think that if Jamerson didn't have it in 1963 we shouldn't now, but for everyone else...", I thought this was a little humorous. Jamerson never changed his strings, played with a mute under the bridge cover, had way high action, and played the heaviest LaBella flats that they made. I seriously doubt us Jamerson fans actually do all that to get his tone, although I do admit that using flats and a mute definitely gets you close. Its his actual playing that most of us go nuts over trying to figure it all out.

 

[Discount Bassy]

1. Six strings
2. Carbon fiber necks
3. Dual EMG's

Just kidding...

1. Durable, minimal tool setup adjustments.
2. Consistent quality.
3. Ergonomics consistent with actual usage prioritized over nostalgia and novelty.

 

[ardgedee]

• Truss rod wheel at the base of the neck. (SBMM Ray34) So, wait, you mean I don't have to take screws off to remove a plate to shove an Allen wrench into a cavity that I can't see into very well? I can just turn a dial? Yes, please.

The higher-end Ibanez basses have truss rod access behind a sliding cover. No screws to fiddle with. I don't have strong opinions about whether the truss rod access should be at the head or heel, but I figure if it's going to be at the head they did a decent job of dealing with it. As far as adjustments go -- I haven't had a problem though I can see how others might. Mostly, if I have to adjust the truss rod often enough for the method to bother me I'd probably start thinking about swapping the bass out for one with a more stable neck.

• Low battery indicator. (Yamaha BB734a). If the battery is getting low, just tell me? I mean, crazy, right?

Paradox of a low-battery indicator is it has to consume power to operate and shortens the battery life. That said, iirc Audere offered it as an option.

• Curved body. (Spector Dimension NS5). I'm sure this is cost-prohibitive to manufacture, but wow do I love this.

Shouldn't make building all that much more complicated, we're in the CNC era.

Again, Ibanez has done this from time to time. Their Ergodyne series had arched bodies for iirc all but the lowest-tier models. It's not a final-word kind of solution but the Ergodyne I have is very comfortable to play. I would also like to see other companies adding this feature. What a few companies and builders do -- which is more similar than you might expect to arching the body in terms of result -- is taper the body across the bout, so it's thinner up where you rest your arm and thickest at the control cavity.

 

[TheReceder]

What I value in a bass
1. Any bass that I can afford.
2. Any bass that I can convince my wife that I need
3. Any Bass

Seriousley though..
1. I agree on the truss rod adjustment wheel.
2. Just bought a Reverend Wattplower. Perfect weight and great to play sitting
3. Balance, Neck Dive is my Kryptonite.

 

[ctmullins]

The truss rod wheel is fine I guess. It's just a bit of an eyesore. I've been building with an allen key truss rod at the end of the fretboard, with a small channel for the wrench. Some of you might think that's an eyesore I suppose....