TheJonJonJonJon

2 hours ago, Jackroadkill said:

Years ago, I was a moderator on an air rifle forum (don't worry, I'm fully recovered).  There would be howls of genuine rage issued every time someone stated that they preferred the .177 calibre over the .22 or vice-versa; such arguments would be pursued with all the zeal of the Great Schism of 1054, and the combatants would only pause to unite when someone mentioned the existence of .20 and .25 calibres, before battle would be rejoined, insults would be exchanged and I'd have to put grown men on the naughty step.

 

I suspect I may have found the bass-playing equivalent.

I had a Theoben Rapid 7 MK2 in .20 that I used for field target. Kept up with a lot of the .177 guys to be fair 😬

Of course 4 is enough but, when it isn’t, then a 5 will be. Likewise the 6+ string bass players might say a 5 isn’t enough for what they need.

I’ve nearly always had a 4 and a 5 in my rack. Currently the 4 gets the most playtime but, I like having the extra versatility of a 5 available to me.

I’m actually pretty settled with my Jazz and GK 212 combo and a few pedals

…I am however, still not settled on a 5 string. I currently have a Dingwall Super P 5 string which is an excellent bass but, after spending some time with it, I’m not sure about the P bass sound in a 5 string format. I think if it had been a P/J pickup configuration it would have been bang on the money sound wise.

Oh yeah GAS …still want to spend some time with a Stingray 5! I think I need to scratch that itch!

Had a set of AKG headphones (can’t remember the model) for almost 20 years and when they broke I got some Yamaha HPH MT5 Studio headphones and they are great for bass! 

A Wal bass for people who aren’t doctors and lawyers 🤣

1 hour ago, Supernaut said:

Fender to release a new bass design... 

Let’s be honest here, would anyone buy them if they did? People would just moan it wasn’t a P or J variant!
 

I had a Dimension 5 and that was a great bass but, I rarely saw anyone else use one. Same for the pawnshop reverse Jaguar, Meteora and Rascal etc…

If you stuck a blindfold on me and asked me to tell you which bass has a BBOT or a hi-mass then I couldn’t tell you. I fit hi-mass bridges because they look cool.

Last song I listened to was ‘Love Online’ by Donny Benet. If you haven’t heard of him he’s a beast of a bass player who makes 80s style pop.

30 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I hate buying and selling basses but i agree 100% that bass price doesn't guarantee a great bass. My Geddy Jazz CIJ i got new in a sale at £625 around 2010 and its just a fantastic bass. Compared to the pricier USA Jazz basses i've owned or tried over the years it just knocks them out the park IMO.

Dave

 

100% agree! One of the best basses I’ve owned was a Squier James Johnston Jazz Bass. Everything about it was far beyond its £380 price tag. a bass I sold but, wish I hadn’t!
 

Further up the scale I recently bought and returned a Sterling Ray 35 (I loved the purple sparkle finish with the black hardware and roasted maple neck). For a £1300 bass, the list of issues was as long as my arm! Absolute crap.
 

15 minutes ago, White Cloud said:

It doesn't exist. It's an idea not a reality.

Some here would argue that isn’t strictly true but, I think there is some truth to this.

38 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

My "one bass" has to be a fretless, and a sixer.

 

I've been playing bass for 40 years now, been a semi-pro (meaning I still had a job) for around two decades divided in two periods and met someone in the early 90's who changed my perception of what is a really good instrument, a master luthier named Christophe Leduc, who has become a friend over the years.

 

During these 40 years, I've owned and played over 400 basses including around 40 Leduc basses, but I always come back to these Leduc basses and especially one Leduc bass that I sold twice and bought back twice.

 

This is a bass that I now own for something like a decade or a bit more, bought to the first owner that I knew and chased it for a decade or a bit more as he didn't want to sell it, and is like an extension of myself.

 

This "one bass" is this Leduc Masterpiece MP 628 SF with a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard:

 

 

 

But, I ordered a custom Leduc U-Basse 6 fretless, also with a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard as they are my favourites, a bit more than 5 years ago and got it for my birthday last month.

 

It's a totally different instrument with its patented floating soundboard and the ability to split the magnetic pickups and the twin piezo pickup.

 

I met a story teller this weekend and it was an instant match, she tells the stories and I enlighten them with just a fretless, so this custom Leduc U-Basse 6 fretless will become the new extension of myself and that "one bass" as the sound palette is broader and fits perfectly the needs for this new project, and I already feel at home with it:

 

 

 

And there's a third sixer fretless which is also that "one bass" and is a gift from my wife, a Le Fay Remington Steele 6 RHT CC CAP Big Block with a stainless steel fingerboard and an amazing tone:

 

 

 

So, I own 3 totally different "one bass" for different purposes and reasons.

 

Now, the quest is over.

Absolutely stunning looking basses!! 

1 hour ago, Dan Dare said:

The obsession with chasing "the one" applies to a lot more than basses. There is no ultimate "one", just our current unattainable ideal. The minute we have it, we hanker after something else. It probably stems from our tendency to become bored once a desire is satisfied. As soon as what was previously a pipe dream becomes reality, it gets absorbed into our everyday existence. I guess continuing dissatisfaction is the reason humans no longer live in caves and hit things with wooden clubs. So it's not all bad.

 

My old '72 J that I've had since the early 1980s is the instrument I always come back to, so I guess that's my "one". 

I suspect this is very much the case. Some people are never satisfied (myself included) and as others have said, half the fun of all this is in the chase.
 

It would also seem the sentimental value of an instrument has a large bearing on whether it is “the one”.

I did almost sell my CS 64 Jazz but, took it back from the shop after talking myself out of it, and I was genuinely relieved to have it back so maybe this will be the one that hangs around. If Basschat is around in 30 years and someone posts this same question I might be able to say that Jazz was “the one” 😁

2 hours ago, Rayman said:

For me, there’s no #1. They’re tools. I’ve had hundreds of them over the years, some a bit crap, some sublime, and everything in between. I gave up looking for the bass many years ago, because all of the basses I’ve had that were awesome ‘keepers’ have been sold.

 

There’s a few I wish I still had, but mostly I’m not bothered. I think the thrill is in the chase rather than the ownership of the instrument.

I think this is largely where I am. I think even if I went down the custom build route I’d be happy with it until I wasn’t and then move it on.

Me and my ‘murder face’.

Recently parted with the Fender Elite Jazz 5. Note the double strap. It was 11lbs+ and 2 hour gigs and 3 hour rehearsals got a bit uncomfortable!

Just now, Dad3353 said:

 

Yes, and I can ...

 

Whats the story behind this one then?

So I’m sure many of you are in the same boat of trying to find that elusive “the one” bass or trying to chase a tone in your head that may or may not exist.

I am a self confessed bass junkie and it doesn’t matter if I buy a £400 bass or a £4000 bass, I’ve never managed to really bond with any to the degree that I could say ‘OK, this bass is a keeper’ or think ‘I definitely don’t ever want to part with this bass’. 

The only bass I can think of that came close was an early 2000s Warwick Standard Corvette 5 I had which was my first high end bass and took me through music college and many gigs and foolishly, I sold it some years back. Thinking back on it, I feel like that bass was ‘the one’ but, I didn’t realise it at the time. Hindsight eh?! 

So does “the one” bass actually exist and who here can claim they have actually found that bass?

Resurrecting the thread with my new to me Super PZ-5

These are killer basses! My friend has the 5 string. Gibson really dropped the ball when they stopped producing these!

Just traded my Dingwall NG for Graeme’s Super P! Top bloke and absolutely cracking bass! Not only that but, he went out of his way to drop by my place on the way to his gig! Perfect transaction 👍

Shameless plug - If you do manage to move it on, I’m selling my Dingwall NG2-5.

NOW SOLD
 

Dingwall NG2 5 string in matte Ducati white.

In excellent condition and the only mark I could find is on the upper horn by the strap pin (pictured).

Action is super low and the bass plays and sounds amazing. The Darkglass preamp is actually very versatile and can dial in a decent range of tones - I play funk, blues and blues rock on it! And obviously, being a Dingwall, the low B sounds incredible.

I also recently fitted a tortoiseshell scratch plate from TinyTone. The old carbon one is included. Also comes with the original gigbag, tool kit and a spare set of Dingwall stainless steel strings. Comes fitted with a set of Schaller strap locks too.
 

Weight of the bass is 8.8lbs/4kg.

I’m after a Stingray 5 so that’s currently the only trade I’d consider (can add money for the right one). 
 

Collection preferred. Located in Worthing, West Sussex.

8 minutes ago, SuperSeagull said:

 

@SuperSeagull Well I’m actually putting mine up for sale if that fancy ever gets too great to resist 😜