Your favorite bass, ever?

[jjace1313]

I've owned several great basses over the years and still have a few of them. I know it's difficult to single out one bass that you might consider your favorite but just wondering if you had one choice what would it be? For me it's my 1995 German Warwick Fortress One Masterman. It's the easiest playing and best sounding bass of the 30 or so basses that i have owned.View attachment 4126578 It would be the last one that i would ever sell.

believe it or not my parts bass crescent zebra bass body and stock electronics chinese neck maple board plays as good as any gennie fender ive ever had...and ive had a bunch over the years ..p bass copy...but weighs a ton..im getting too old for heavy basses lol

 

[shadven]

This one. Other basses have come and gone, before and after this one. This one has stayed. View attachment 4126873

I’m on the hunt for a red one.

 

[shadven]

My number changed about a week ago. For about two years I’ve been scouring the web, hunting in out of the way places, and generally being a PITA as I searched for a 1955 Fender Precision (original, blonde, contoured). I wanted a player, not a pristine museum piece. I wanted a bass to play hell out of. Last Saturday FedEx dropped this off. It is everything I hoped it would be. That 1955 p/u sounds incredible and the soft “V” neck feels perfect.

 

[2saddleslab]

My number changed about a week ago. For about two years I’ve been scouring the web, hunting in out of the way places, and generally being a PITA as I searched for a 1955 Fender Precision (original, blonde, contoured). I wanted a player, not a pristine museum piece. I wanted a bass to play hell out of. Last Saturday FedEx dropped this off. It is everything I hoped it would be. That 1955 p/u sounds incredible and the soft “V” neck feels perfect.View attachment 4142264

A beauty, @shadven!

 

[Pursizzhun]

View attachment 4136647 30 basses in 10 years and then I played a Devon. I have not looked at another bass in the last 3 years. Nothing plays like a Devon.
View attachment 4136646

Dang! Love the fretwork. Beautiful piece.

 

[deff]

My modified 2013 Gibson EB!

View attachment 4140809

Are those just covers? The original pickups in these sound great. The tbird cover idea is cool. I love these basses.

 

[Rabidhamster]

1967 Fender Jazz bass. Sold it in 1987 in a moment of insanity. View attachment 4135706

Don’t look now but that wasnt a Jazz bass

 

[Killing Floor]

Kubicki Ex Factor s/n 112 bought new direct from Geoff Richardson at Kubicki. I used to have s/n 73 but in a period of complete lunacy I sold it! Arrrrgh! I also miss the sunburst 73 P-bass w/maple neck I bought new. I was too young to know whether it was really great but in my mind no other p-bass will measure up. My first bass love...

Love it. Mine was black and a close SN. Biggest gear regret, after too long on the road I went to school and used my Kubicki to pay for a semester tuition and books. I suppose thanks to that bass I can afford another now. But I miss it so much. Magic.

 

[Chamber]

Are those just covers? The original pickups in these sound great. The tbird cover idea is cool. I love these basses.

They're Seymour Duncan Custom Shop Thunderbird pickups. I was hesitant to switch out the old pickups because they do sound great. But these sound amazing too!

 

[HeavyJazz]

Gotta be my current one, my Sire P7 5-string. Sounds great, feels great, looks great:

View attachment 4135592

I'm on the left, BTW.

Killer boots kudos to your BL.

 

[Jason2828]

Unfortunately, I no longer own my favorite bass. I lost two fingertips on my right hand, twenty years ago. Because I bought into the "if you use a pick, you're not a real bass player" fallacy, I decided to sell all my bass gear and focus on the guitar.

Oh, I have basses, now and I play with pick, but I'm old enough where I don't give a fig what people think of my technique as long as they like the sound.

I told you all of that to tell you this:

I had a 1984 Ibanez Roadstar II bass (purchased brandy-new with a case for about 1/3 what my 1971 Fender P-Bass cost me in 1981 without a case.

The P-Bass was bought in a hurry (wanting "the best", I went with reputation). The Ibanez was a calculated purchase to be a back-up bass which wound up replacing the P-Bass as my primary because it sounded like the fender, but played like ... well an Ibanez.

Dont matter if you pick with your fingers or use a pick many bass players that are at the top of the game use picks some do both pick and finger

 

[JimmyM]

All of these are special to me but the Hammersmith PJ on the left gets the most play since it feels great in the hands and only weighs 7 3/8 lbs since I put a bent plate bridge on it to replace its stocker Badass style bridge. Plus it's the only one where I can use the Hipshot Xtender to tune down to D or B.

 

[p-bass 77]

These 2 are those who stay, the MIM JB is so far the best I've owned. The Rick 4003 left a long time ago but I still kind of miss him...

 

[bubinga5]

K My old killer 1999 5594 deluxe. there are not many high end basses that sound like a 5594 with Bartolini all round.

 

[mcclurer16]

This NYC Sadowsky J5 tops my collection

 

[Rdore2000]

It just arrived this week and has cured any GAS whatsoever. The Music Man Old Smoothie in Chocolate Burst.

 

[dave64o]

It just arrived this week and has cured any GAS whatsoever. The Music Man Old Smoothie in Chocolate Burst. View attachment 4147881

Classically classy!

 

[Tom Doran]

Right now it’s very new to me, so I’m practicing fundamental things. Scales, arpeggios, finger exercises.... and I’m beginning to work my way into the Real Books. So I guess you could say I’m playing jazz music on it.

There are folks out there who have made some real art on it:

Nice! You are the right user for it!

 

[Ric Vice]

View attachment 4146118 View attachment 4146118 View attachment 4146119 View attachment 4146126 View attachment 4146133 View attachment 4146126

K My old killer 1999 5594 deluxe. there are not many high end basses that sound like a 5594 with Bartolini all round.

Same here, love the Cherry Burst by the way. Here's mine from the same year, but not quite as pretty.

 

[coyote1]

Nice! You are the right user for it!

Ummmm....that’s not me playing. That’s how I aspire to play. lol