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Your Four Basses Forever

#82
1) USA G&L L2000 or ASAT 4-String - thin neck/low radius
2) 1968 thru 1972 Fender Jazz 4 String, sunburst, tort, rosewood w pearl blocks
3) 5-String Fender Deluxe Jazz V that looks like the one I own but plays and sounds like my Sire V7-5
4) 10-String Chapman Stick (my new love)
 
#87
Marleaux Consat 6 Custom
Warwick Thumb 6 BO
Music Man Stingray 4
A 5-string of some description

I own the first three, when I come across the right 5-string I'll be complete. I'm pretty sure that were I to win the lottery tomorrow, I'd only buy another bass or two.

Amps on the other hand... I'd need to use some of the winnings to buy a warehouse for the amps I'd buy :D
 
#89
pilotjones said:
Your Four Basses Forever

I have an idea for a little game that should be fun and maybe even enlightening. It’s based on one I enjoyed on a car blog, but adapted for our interests.



The main idea is: If you could have any four basses in the world for the rest of your life, cost no object, what would you choose?

Here are the rules:

1. Forever. You may only own and only play these four basses, for the rest of your life.

2. Cost no object / no monetary value. These basses (or the materials) will be bought for you. You may not sell them or give them away, and you may not buy others or have others gifted, or make others for yourself. The four will be destroyed on your death. So, they have zero monetary value. All service, including wear items and refrets, is free for life.

3. No mods. You can specify your pickups et cetera, but once you receive the instrument it stays that way forever, aside from replacing strings or worn parts. No defretting a fretted, or fretting a fretless. Yes, you may change string types and brands.

4. No prestige / historical / hero worship. For example, you can ask for a perfect replica of Jaco’s Bass of Doom, which feels, looks, and sounds precisely the same and is indistinguishable from the original, but not the actual BOD. This is about playing bass, not provenance.

5. Types of instruments. Fretted and fretless bass guitars, ERBs, ABGs, DBs, Chapman Sticks, Warr guitars, Ashborys, bass ukes, bass banjos and the like are all good. Must be a bass-range stringed instrument, or bass-range plus. Let’s leave out things like pianos and harps where you don’t pluck the string and/or you don’t stop the string against some kind of neck to change the pitch. Also, note that if you play DB, be sure to include one, or you won’t have one.

6a. Actual instruments. Specify an actual brand or builder, and the model and aspects of the instrument to be bought or built. Not just ”a bass that sounds like x and plays like y and looks like z.” And of course, you can list an instrument you already own.

6b. Your own build is OK. It doesn’t have to be a purchased instrument, if you’d like to include one or more of your own builds. The magical anonymous patron will cover your materials, and any subcontractor costs. But the same rules apply as far as no modifications after the fact, no sales, etc.


I think this will be fun!

I’m putting this on the Luthier's Corner first, and after a while I intend to post on the main Basses forum. We can see what the differences will be, which will be interesting, and may even be useful for those here who build as a business. (I know cross-posting is generally not allowed, but mods, please let me know if you think it will not be OK in this particular case.)


Now have at it! Feel free to elaborate on the details, that makes it all the more interesting.
Click to expand...
That's an easy one.
Missed out on the SB-2 but Yellow Fever or Orange Metal Flake would do.
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#90
I would say P-J-Ric-Ray, with the J being a fretless and the Ray being a 5-string, but then if my favorite specific '77 black eagle were available again that would scuttle the plan as it's a fretted J-style bass. Maybe I would request that one for the J spot and ask that it arrive to me defretted with subtle fretlines.
 
#92
1. My Killer B custom shop P bass. Since a lot of studios and musicians feel a P Bass is a must, I will start with mine. What makes it different from a Fender but makes me love it more is the all natural neck, Hipshot tuners and bridge and the Nordstrand Audio NP4a pickups. Those are my favorite Precision style pickups made.”

2. Sadowsky Will Lee 4 string. Highly figured koa body, highly figured, roasted birdseye maple neck and fretboard, Nordstrand Jazz style pickups, and abalone dot inlays.

3. Sadowsky Will Lee 5 string. Highly figured quilted maple body, highly figured, roasted birdseye maple neck and fretboard, abalone dot inlays, the finish would be their faded transparent blue finish. I think they call it Bahama burst or something like that? And Nordstrand super J and super P pickups.

4. Killer B custom shop Ronny Cates signature series 5 string bass. I worked with Ronny on designing the bass. I would get the identical bass that we built for him. Mahagony body with a highly figured flamed maple top. The finish was trans white, highly figured, roasted birdseye maple neck and fretboard, abalone dot inlays, Hipshot string through body bridge and lightweight tuners, Nordstrand Audio pickups. Probably 2 Big Man or Big Blades pickups.
 
#93
I’d be happy enough really with the Top 4 that I already own:

2015 American Standard P, 3-tone sunburst (alternatively, a white one would be cool)
2013 American Standard J, white (sunburst would be fine though)
2013 MIM Mustang bass, white
2014? O Bong acoustic bass

If I really had my druthers though, I’d upgrade the acoustic bass to the current Martin acoustic bass (I forget the model number), and as for the rest, sorry, but I’m a-modding! Either that, or I’d order exactly what I want as custom orders from Fender since as far as I know they don’t make any models stock that are exactly what I want.

Actually, I’m not so much a Jazz guy, so my Jazz is fine as it is — I like it, and if I liked it any more, I might play the others less! I’ve already added a Series-Parallel push-pull, so that stays.

Anyway, I’d get nitro finishes on all (less critical on the J, but what the heck), an "Original ‘62 Precision Bass Pickup" in the P (and a slightly differently colored burst than what I have on my Precision), and have the fretboard on the Mustang bass re-radiused to 9.5".

That’d do me quite sweetly. All are 9 lbs. or under, which is important to me, especially as i’ll be getting continuously older during "the rest of my life"
 
#94
Well I guess that I’m very lucky that I already have two, possibly three, of my four (#livingthedream)...

1) 1985 Wal Custom Series Mk I four string (bought in 1992 or 93)
2) 1979 Wal Pro Series IIE four string (bought in 2001)

A9E2C451-1BA6-434F-83C1-AE3C26988672.jpeg


For number 3 I will plump for my other bass...

3) 1981 Aria SB700 (with a Creation Audio Labs Redeemer active buffer preamp installed) - bought in 1982, my first ever bass.

A002449E-221B-44E4-B06A-5AA3478620B9.jpeg


Which just leaves number 4. I think that I’d probably plump for luthier/small producer built hot jazz and I think it go for Maruszcyk (?) or Sandberg with a rosewood board, light ash body, bridge humbucker and neck humbucker or single coil. It would probably look not too dissimilar to this...

218F96B3-0CDD-49A0-9471-185D713BFB44.png


I could DEFINITELY live the rest of my life with that!
 
#95
I would choose as my numer 1 my Fender classic 60s Jazz bass reissue. However, I modded it a lot, so I think it's against the thread. So, all stock, I'd choose:

1-Yamaha BB735a. I have one and I'm sooooo in love with it
2-Fender American Standard Jazz Bass. Because I love jazz basses
3-Gibson Grabber G1. In my wish list for too long
4-Epiphone Jack Casady. I didn't like it at first when I got it but now I love it
 
#97
I actually have them already:

NS Design Radius CR5
Steinberger XL-2
Custom jazz - Warmoth mahogany/goncalo alves body, MIM Fender maple neck, Barts, OBP-3, Hipshot detuner
Peavey TL-5 with Barts, EMG BQC,

They do everything. Done. Forever.

Amps, however.... I'm afraid I may never stop (sob, sob..)
 
#98
I may have them already.
1. Warwick Covette $$
2. NS Design Omni Bass CR4M
3. EBMM Stingray 5H Fretless
4. EBMM Stingray 5HH Fretted

These are my main line up. I have a Warwick Corvette Std. bubinga but it's loaned out to a friend right now.
My main 4 are stock and I might miss having a 6 string in there but I never keep them around long when I have them.
 
#99
Do I have to pick four? I’m already perfectly happy with three of the basses I have and really don’t want anything else TBH.

- Fender American Elite Precision. This is my go-to, sounds amazing in passive mode, sounds great in active mode with an EQ that allows me to punch through a mix, and overall is just a blast to play.

- Fender American Standard P-bass. This is the one I keep my flats on. Very nice old-school vibe.

- American Music Man Sterling H. Probably the best neck out of all the basses I’ve played. Fast and furious and gives me a nice tone that is different from the rest. Very lightweight (at least mine is), nice and compact for a full sized bass, and mine has a nice bit of mojo that I really enjoy.


Really I could whittle it down to a single bass if I had to (would go with American Standard P). I don’t need anything super-duper fancy, I’m happy with what I have.
 

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