Baloney Balderdash

Utter nonsense! EQ'ing the bass to sound the best is not emulating a sound, it's making the bass sound optimal, EQ'ing happens even if you plug the bass straight into your amp, the way your bass is constructed, your string choice, the way you pick the strings, the strings you use, and not least actually EQ'ing is very much happening in the amp, and the specific cab you use EQ your tone a lot. Further more saturation will happen to some extend in the amp part of a setup, as well as the speaker units will likely distort to at least some degree as well, heck, even the cable you use from your bass to the amp will affect the output signal of the bass. There is no logic behind claiming that a bass plugged straight into an amp somehow sound better, quite on the contrary. And in no possible way is the difference even remotely close to the difference between an electronic keyboard and a grand piano, not least because an electric bass is in fact predominantly an electronic instrument (the tone of the bass is for a large part electronically generated, also the name strongly hint at this too, an electric bass). Just because you don't know how to use pedals properly to shape your tone, doesn't make it true that they somehow inherently lessen the quality of your tone (but of course they will do so if you don't know how to use them properly). I do agree though that you can't make any given bass sound like any other given bass without compromising on the quality of the tone, each instrument does have a inherent tone characteristic that to some extend will always shine through, that doesn't however mean that it's tone can't be improved on or be made to sound closer to your personal preferences by for instance the right EQ'ing, without for that reason compromising the quality of the tone, in fact rather quite on the contrary.

You might run into impedance issues using a Y cable to split your signal, which potentially can cause signal loss (basically tone suck), better to get a signal splitter/ABY box with an active buffer to avoid this happening.

The JMJ Mustang might be a fantastic bass, but I just can't live with the really poor upper frets access of all the Squier and Fender Mustang basses, so if I do get something Mustang like it will by far most likely be the considerably cheaper Harley Benton take on it, which beside considerably improved upper fret access also comes with a properly contoured body. Though the next bass I foresee acquiring will be one of those new metallic green Squier Paranormal Rascal basses.

Not Trace Elliot related, though I am in fact a big fan of the old Trace Elliot amps and the tone they produce, and even if I currently doesn't own one I do regret selling the one I did own, and I do absolutely plan on reacquiring one of the old SS Trace Elliot amps at some point in the future (luckily the SS ones are both a quite common find on the used market and goes for relatively cheap money). Though I might end up getting the newer current production Transit B bass preamp instead, from the reports I've heard it actually nails the old classic Trace tone pretty spot on, and certainly comes closer than the ELF micro amp in terms of that, and certainly significantly lighter and easier to transport than one of the old Trace amps, though also a good deal more expensive than what a full old original Trace Elliot amp typically goes for used. But really what I just wanted to say was that the EHX tubes is my preferred brand of tubes too, and I got the EHX 12AX7EH tubes installed in all my tube preamps (sounds like I own a million tube preamps, all 3 that is, 2 of which are currently in active "always on" use as part of my main "amp-less" bass setup, and the remaining one in active use as well, but as part of my recording setup).

To get the familiar comfortable short 30" scale length of your Höfner, the Mustang-esque Harley Benton MV-4MSB Gotoh Deluxe Series, hands down (199£/229 Euro) : https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_mv_4msb_gotoh_bk.htm Just astonishing value for the money. Or for something even cheaper, but still genuinely great, check out their cheapest P Bass model, the Harley Benton PB-20 SBK Standard Series (111£/129 Euro): https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_pb_20_sbk_standard_series.htm But really you can't go wrong with pretty much any Harley Benton bass. They just seem to be one step ahead pretty much any other similar priced budget brands in terms of quality.

I don't care about anything, unless other people do, and trust me no one does. Now excuse me, I'll be off shooting myself... On a more serious note, while I do care about looks (which though doesn't mean looking brand new and clean, like it have never been used and just been polished for two hours straight) functionality is by far the primary concern. If an ugly bass plays amazing I will buy and use it, if an amazing looking instrument sounds and plays like crap I most definitely will not buy or use it. I will however most certainly try to pimp a bass to look as close to my personal preferences as possible. Personally I love how my lowly Ibanez Mikro Bass both plays and looks (mind the knob closest to the neck is now red):

I own a The Box 502 PA passive 1 x15" woffer/mids driver + 1.7" high frequency tweeter PA speaker, and I am very impressed by it, outstanding, but at the same time tight and punchy, low end response (much better than most other PA speaker, regardless of price really, but especially at that price point, even most dedicated bass cabs), and overall very well balanced, articulate and clear sound. Just amazing value for the money. I use it as a FRFR cab, and it works exceptionally well for bass. Only downside really is that it weight about a ton.

Looks great, and nice low price too. That said I am probably more likely to get a the Mustang-esque Harley Benton, at about same price tag, or even more likely spend a bit more and get the new Squier Paranormal Rascal Bass, as my next bass, which spec wise is a bit more up my alley, and honestly likely slightly better quality too.

I just turned my main, an 28.6" Ibanez Mikro Bass with an EMG Geezer Butler P pickup installed, from F# standard tuning, as I otherwise has it tuned to (that is 2 half steps above regular 4 string bass E standard tuning), to B standard tuning, uninstalling the low F# string and moving the others up a nudge, and then adding a thinner high D string. Let's see how this works out... Definitely better articulation and definition (which was a bit lacking on the low F# string, due to the increased stiffness of the strings as you move up the fretboard that comes with the shorter scale), and great for chord work, as well as that extra upper range sounds beautiful for melodic stuff, which I do like a lot, but not sure about how I feel about loosing those additional low notes. For how I use my bass, as a solo and mainly bass and drums duo sort of thing, it does kind of makes sense though. But if I end up liking it this way I will most likely restring it with a set of strings suited for A standard tuning, so called "tenor bass" tuning (that among others Stanley Clarke is famous for utilizing a lot), a full step down from the current B standard tuning (I just didn't have reasonable fresh strings of the correct gauge to tune it to A standard tuning). Eventual I might get an EHX Bass9, which is capable of pitching down you signal with an impressive low latency and great tracking while sounding remarkably authentic to a real bass, for if I need to go lower. Now I know the obvious reply as a question to that would be to why not just use the 5 string Mikro Bass, which I do own, but first of all that would require a pickup upgrade to get it to sound like I want to, plus I really like both the feel and idea of the just 4 strings.

Because these, unlike the other suggestions in this thread, are passive and not buffered you could potentially run into impedance issues.

Boss LS-2.

Danny Carey, Tool drummer, plays jazz as well.

That's because it is a paradox. How are you going to play the same phrase but only once?

You are right, it was Gibson, and it was in 1998, thanks for correcting me. Edited my post to be factual correct.

I use an "amp-less" setup, primarily for the sake of consistency in tone. That is more or less the same tone whether I run it through a headphone amp my studio grade (basically just meaning FRFR) headphones for home practice, though a poweramp and a FRFR PA speaker for band rehearsal/jam, or through a venues PA system at a live gig, plus it just allows you to be much more specific when dialing in your tone. Which is relatively complex and consists of: Mosky XP Booster (clone of the Xotic EP Booster V1) -> XVive Undulator (tremolo, but never actually engaged and used exclusively for its great buffer) -> EHX Black Finger (tube driven optical compressor, with 2 preamp tubes operating at proper high 300V plate voltage, mainly used as a tube preamp stage, with some very subtle compression dialed in, driven to just on the edge of the breakup point) -> Zoom B1Xon (mainly used as reverb unit, including the {very subtle plate reverb -> subtle spring reverb} patch that is part of my basic "clean" tone) -> Boss LS-2 [Loop A + Loop B Mix] (effects loop switcher/mixer) ->{ [Loop A Send] -> Joyo Oxford Sound (clone of the Tech 21 Oxford pedal, which is an all analog emulation of an Orange type amp, dialed in to deliver a low gain overdrive, and mixed with the NUX MLD Bass Preamp from effects [Loop B]) ->|+|<- [Loop B Send] -> NUX Melvin Lee Davis Bass Preamp + DI (loaded with a digitally emulated Aguilar Tone Hammer amp, and an Ampeg SVT-212AV IR cab simulation, with a subtle low gain overdrive blended in at a 50/50 clean/drive ratio, and mixed with the Joyo Oxford Sound from effects [Loop A]) => [Loop A Return] + [Loop B Return] (mixed at an approximate 1:2 ratio) => [LS-2 Output] }-> ART Tube MP Project Series (tube preamp and DI) -> [Effects Return] (basically poweramp input) of Peavey Solo Special 112 (160W SS guitar combo, modded with a speaker output, with the build in 12" guitar speaker disconnected and instead hooked up to a FRFR PA speaker) -> The Box PA 502 (passive 300W RMS/1200W Peak FRFR PA speaker, featuring a 300W RMS 15" bass/mids woofer/driver and a 100W RMS 1.7" titanium high frequency tweeter horn) That said I do own a few amps, an old 200W Peavey XR-600B PA amp, which though needs to be serviced to work properly (just need to have a proper cleaning performed as well as having a couple of pots replaced, so not going to be overly expensive, and I think definitely worth it), a crappy lowly 40W Fender Mustang guitar combo, which I converted to a head, and a 160W Peavey Solo Special 112 guitar combo, which is what I use the poweramp section of, modded with a speaker output and having the internal 12" guitar speaker disconnected and hooked up a FRFR PA speaker instead, for my "amp-less" setup backline. The Peavey amps does both sound genuinely great, and the lowly budget Fender Mustang amp does actually not sound all that bad either, that is at least as long as the DPS powered section of voicings and effects are bypassed. I very much regret being stupid enough to sell my 60W all tube amp Ampeg B-15S, a Dynacord 50W all tube amp Bass-King, and a solid state 130W Trace Elliot GP7SM 15" combo, that I once also owned. Though plan on and will no doubt acquire a new used old classic Trace Elliot amp (that is from the 90's, before Trace Elliot was sold off and went through a couple of owners before finally getting sold to Peavey, which eventually reintroduced the brand) in some form at some point again (or might just get the new Trace Elliot Transit B bass preamp, which is supposed to replicate the classic Trace tone quite faithfully), as those are quite common to find used and goes for quite reasonable prices, and might get a Dynacord Bass-King again too, as those are usually quite reasonable priced too, though more uncommon to find used. Eventually, if I ever get that kind of money to spare, I might acquire a new Ampeg Portaflex PF-50T, which is based on the old B-15 amps with some modern upgrades and currently still in production, and is 50W, all tube amp as well like the originals, as well.

Similar specs to the EMG Geezer Butler P as well, which is actually based on a vintage Fender 60's P pickup, and is cheaper than both. But which I can warmly recommend. Love how the one I have installed in my main bass sounds, and then it is dead quiet, even in a bass that hasn't otherwise been properly shielded, as it is shielded internally and got shielded wiring as well, with the ground running as a braided shield all along and around the insulated lead/hot wire.

I would change having dropped out of Menfolk, a hardcore and noise rock influenced math rock band that I was playing bass in around start 00's, missing out on being part of their first full length release (I did help compose a couple of songs on it though), and also missing out on playing at the Roskilde Festival, Scandinavia's biggest rock festival, with them. And if it would have been possible I would have liked changing the reason for that, same reason why I am too unstable to dedicate myself to being part of a band today, suffering from bad mental health.

Congratulations. I would definitely get one of these could I afford it. Seems like an amazing instrument. I do own a Harley Benton GuitarBass (take on the Fender Bass VI), but as BigRedX mentions the string spacing is a bit tight. That said there's just something about just having 4 strings to deal with that really appeals to me, it forces you to think differently when using it like this, that is as mainly a melodic/solo instrument, sort of both covering the role of what a guitar and bass otherwise would. So I use my 4 string Ibanez Mikro Bass like this, which has a scale length of just 28.6", which I have tuned to F# (that is 2 half steps above regular 4 string bass E standard tuning) for this. Having composed a number of songs using that bass for a sort of stoner/doom rock project I call "all I nil" (6 regular songs, some quite traditional, other less, more alternative, takes on the stoner/doom rock genre, and then 3 instrumentals with more of a folky vibe to them), where I plan the main foundational instrumentation of the songs to be just bass, drums and then vocals, but then adding some more sparingly, more sort of flavor oriented, other instrumentation as well (still need to record the songs properly, but all the bass parts and the basic form of the songs are already in place, and I have tested it out playing with a drummer friend of mine, and it actually work really well as far as I am concerned). My point with this being, that if you think out of the box, and neither treat your bass as you traditionally would a bass or as a low tuned guitar lacking 2 strings, it is absolutely possible to successfully get away with and have fun playing and composing on a 4 string bass solo. As said though if I had the money to spare I would absolutely get an Eastwood Hooky Pro 6 Bass, however even so I think I'd likely still predominantly play and compose on my 4 string.

A compressor pedal and an EQ pedal of some sort would work great for this.

Never knew John Lennon liked to dress up in girls clothes and play bass...

I have always thought Enter Sandman sounds like a commercial jingle (the original that is): Fanta Light! Into night! We're off to Never Never Land!