Top 5 basses to play before you die!

[ThomBassmonkey]

What is it about the really early P or J basses that makes them so desirable? I've never understood it personally, craftsmanship and quality has improved a lot since then, what makes them so special to play? I can appreciate the age of them, but I don't see that it specifically makes them a better instrument.

[risingson]

#1 Sandberg California JJ/JM-4's and 5's - I've played a few of these now, I initially put off trying them out as I thought they wouldn't be my thing. As it turned out they're up there with the best basses I've ever played, and sound wise they outperformed every Sadowsky I've ever tried (and I've now tried a lot of them). Absolutely brilliant construction, electronics, looks and build quality. Brilliant basses!

#2 late 80's/early 90's Musicman Stingrays - Probably the best kind of Stingrays I've come across, the simplicity of the 2-Band EQ and the ease of dialing in a very usable tone very quickly. Love the necks on Stingrays as well, they fit the hand so nicely. Not perfect for every situation but close enough that I'd happily use one.

#3 F-Bass BN5 - I walked all over Stockholm one day trying to find this music store that claimed they had one in, only to get there and find out it was actually the Copenhagen store that had it! Grrrr... so when I finally did get to play one in NYC, it was a massive treat. Great bass, comprehensive EQ, extremely well built with the quirkiness of a boutique build and the traditional capabilities and playability of a 70's Ash bodied Fender Jazz on steroids. I tried an MTD 535 right after it and it totally paled in comparison, despite it being quite a bit more expensive.

#4 Early 50's Fender P-Bass (Single coil) - I'll always be a Fender man at heart, and getting to play one of these really early P-Basses was like a dream come true, the sound that came out of this bass was just incredible; fundamental, warm and so fat. Like the Mecca of bass guitar.

#5 1972 Fender Jazz Bass (Rosewood/Blocks, Sunburst and Tortoiseshell) - Belongs to a friend of mine, it was his Dad's and when he was given it it still had the original flatwounds on it that came with the bass, unfortunately he'd taken them off by the time I got to try it out for a gig but it still remains an era of the Fender Jazz bass that I would recommend people tried.

Edited March 26, 2011 by risingson

[purpleblob]

1. Fodera Imperial 5 string (E-C tuning), I love the sound of Tony Grey and Janek Gwizdala. They look great (imo) and are of fantastic quality.

2. Sei single cut series I custom 5 string (E-C tuning). I have a Sei Jazz which is a really fantastic instrument, whilst I prefer the shape of the Fodera and Adamovic (listed below) I do like the unique style of the Sei singlecut I and there's aboslutely no denying the quality and class of the Sei's.

3. Alembic Stanley Clarke 4 string, simply because SC was one of my earliest real influences and always loved the look of his bass and loved the modern sound, ofcourse it would need to have picollo tuning.

4. Adamovic FBC - only reason I can say is they look sooooo good and I like to try something different.

5. Wal fretless 5 string (tuned E-C), well I've actually got one on order, so I would have this in my list. But I've always loved the Wal's and always regret that I never got a fretless when I had the chance - mind you I didn't have the money at the time, so I had a good reason for not buying it. In my opinion, there's nothing that can touch a Wal.

[risingson]

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='1177395' date='Mar 26 2011, 04:37 PM']What is it about the really early P or J basses that makes them so desirable? I've never understood it personally, craftsmanship and quality has improved a lot since then, what makes them so special to play? I can appreciate the age of them, but I don't see that it specifically makes them a better instrument.[/quote]

I love vintage Fenders for the looks and sounds, I've played a lot of Jazz's and P's but I've honestly always found that the older basses sound quite a lot better... maybe it's a bit of a psychological thing as well, but if I could own any bass and have to play it for the rest of my life it would be an early 70's Jazz.

[MythSte]

I think there are a couple basses that are almost a right of passage for any bass player, whether you like them or not!

1. Musicman Bongo (although a big AL might suffice)
2. Rickenbacker, any will do!
3. Ken Smith/Fodera - as someone said, the birth of studio basses
4. Japanese Jazz/Bacchus Jazz - You can really feel good craftsmanship!
5. Sadowsky - I really do believe these are the best, most solid "traditional" style basses going.

[Cat Burrito]

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='1177395' date='Mar 26 2011, 04:37 PM']What is it about the really early P or J basses that makes them so desirable? I've never understood it personally, craftsmanship and quality has improved a lot since then, what makes them so special to play? I can appreciate the age of them, but I don't see that it specifically makes them a better instrument.[/quote]
Mojo. (see Austin Powers). If people don't get it, fine. We've all got different tastes. I know a lot of players who are delighted with modern gear I wouldn't touch with a barge pole. Good luck to them, pleased they are happy. For me my tastes in music are in a bit of a timewarp so it stands to reason I'd want the type of kit that was used in that era. I'm sure if those players were around now they'd be using the latest gear. But they weren't so it comes around full circle to my first point.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='1177395' date='Mar 26 2011, 04:37 PM']What is it about the really early P or J basses that makes them so desirable? I've never understood it personally, craftsmanship and quality has improved a lot since then, what makes them so special to play? I can appreciate the age of them, but I don't see that it specifically makes them a better instrument.[/quote]
I don't get it either.

Maybe it's down to what you started out on? I would hazard a guess that most people got something vaguely P or J-shaped which influenced their thinking for sound and design.

My first two important basses couldn't have been much further away from the Fender mould, so by the time I got around to trying one out there was little that appealed to me about a Fender bass.

[jontywisp]

- good Fender P

- Sadowsky Jazz (they're all good)

- Stingray 4 (they vary but I've not played a bad one)

- Rick 4003 (better than the 4001 in my view)

I'm lucky enough to own one example each of the above four.

- My fifth would be a nice vintage-sounding semi-hollow or fully hollow.
I've still not worked out if Gibson/Epiphone EB2/Rivoli ; or Guild Starfire ;
or Hofner is the best way to go for this (advice welcome).
Finally if cost was no issue I might check out a Warwick Star Bass under this category.

I think these 5 types cover all the most critical bases / basses
(aside from noodling on things with too many strings, which is not for me)

[Ou7shined]

5 Pingrays. Reason - bitchin' !!

[MattM]

In no particular order, and a few in common with other posters :

80s Status S2 - having been luck enough to have owned a Steinberger XL2, would love to try the UK equivalent. A wee play on a Streamline wouldn't go amiss either

EBMM Big Al - love the design, and would love a fiddle with all the possible configs. As a dedicated 2EQ 'Ray 'set it and forget it' kinda guy, may not be my thing howevs....

pre EB MM 'Ray - ideally late 70's natural/ash with original preamp. Promise not to play "Good Times" guv, honest.....

Kubicki Ex Factor - great looking bass, and another great innovative 80s thang (see Steiny and Status also).

EBMM Bongo - the horned lavvy seat, would like to try out and see if it would outdo the Big Al, albeit this is a blendy active doofer, as opposed to active/passive selector thingy.

[ThomBassmonkey]

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1177452' date='Mar 26 2011, 05:52 PM']5 Pingrays. Reason - bitchin' !!

[/quote]

I have to say, I really like the concept of the pup positioning on that bass. You'd have to pay me a LOT of money to have one in that colour though.

How close does the P pup mimick a proper P? Does it make much difference that it's the other way around (to be honest, that always made more sense to me anyway as the D and G strings are inherently more trebly and moving the pup away from the bridge would help equal them out with the lower strings). And of course, does it do a proper MM?

[daz]

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='1176794' date='Mar 26 2011, 01:12 AM']#5 (a good example of a) Westfield P copy. I've not personally played one of these, but knowing my experience with the guitars and from hearing about the basses, if you get a good one, they're brilliant examples of what a cheap bass guitar is capable of. They can punch well above their weight and with some upgrades can be very capable basses. A friend of mine had a Westfield strat a few years ago that was a complete dog, I did a setup on it and was actually shocked at how well it played afterwards. He ended up buying some new pickups for it and gigging it regularly. I've heard similar tales of the basses.[/quote]


just as a slight tangent to this thread, ive not had enough experience with basses to come up with a list yet really. Though i must agree with what TBM the thread starter says above about the [b][url="http://www.rikkismusic.com/Westfield-B1000-Bass-Guitar"]Westfield[/url][/b] (B 1000) [b]P bass [/b]copies. I have one and it was my first bass brand new from ebay at £79 including postage! So not only did i get it cheap, I am slowly begining to realise what a great bass it is.

Edited March 26, 2011 by daz

[Beedster]

Pre-CBS Precision. The bass tone I grew up with. Light and well-made instruments
70's Precision fretless with maple board. Such an awesome tone and feel. Very very different to rosewood and ebony
Ric 4003 fretless. What a surprise, raw power in fretless form, so easy to play, beautiful neck. Big lows. Iconic looks
Modulus Sonic Hammer. Monster. Makes a Modulus Flea Bass seem like a classical acoustic guitar by comparison
Pre-EB Stingray. The logical successor to the Precision (the Jazz was an experiment that went wrong)

I've owned them all, and with the exception of the Pre CBS Precision, have sold them all as well. If I had the money I'd buy them all back

Edited March 26, 2011 by Beedster

[Beedster]

[quote name='Johnston' post='1177290' date='Mar 26 2011, 02:43 PM']Ricky 4003. Never really interested until I got to see a new Maple glo in the flesh. Never played though as it was fretless.[/quote]

You missed one of the great basses

[merello]

[quote]#1 Any Dingwall.
#2 Sandberg JJ
#3 Warwick Thumb.
#4 ACG Recurve.
#5 (a good example of a) Westfield P copy.[/quote]
In a way I've played 4/5 of those!
7 strings Dingwall - very interesting and I'd love to explore one at high volume and for a few months.
Played a Sandberg basic Ken Taylor and I was mightily impressed.
Had a Warwick Streamer and although it was quality it didn't resonate with me!
ACG - nope!
Westfield P bass - aye - my school has plenty of these and they're great!

[KERMITNT]

1 fodera i never played one i want to see what worth for 10 grand bass
2 aleva coppolo/celinder/sadowsky all this fender clones see if they r beter than original fender 1957 p and jazz 1960 (so that makes me to play the original fenders too) i am cheating i record 4 brand in one bass try
3 ritter this is not a bass is a salvador dali making basses
4 acg this bass is so cool i have to play one for sure but i cant i am too far away from scotland best value for money
5 a Stradivarius contrabass if he made one?

i drunk one bottle of wine i drove back home had an alchocol test which i didnt fail and i am writing that Stradivarius made a contrabass?? my god something happened to me

Edited March 27, 2011 by KERMITNT

[Delberthot]

I'm fortunate to have been able to own and play the vast majority of basses I've ever lusted after. The ones that remain are:

1 - Fender Bass V
2 - Fender Mustang
3 - Gibson Bicentennial Thunderbird
4 - Fender Maple Fretless Precision
5 - Rickenbacker RM1999 aka the Chris Squire Bass

[Lfalex v1.1]

Fender Bass V is a good choice. I could make good use of one.
Fender Roscoe Beck. Still haven't got hold of one yet.
Basslab L-bow. Because it's a bit different.
Something Short Scale.
Something tuned to low F# or whatever.

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='1177539' date='Mar 26 2011, 07:18 PM']I have to say, I really like the concept of the pup positioning on that bass. You'd have to pay me a LOT of money to have one in that colour though.

How close does the P pup mimick a proper P? Does it make much difference that it's the other way around (to be honest, that always made more sense to me anyway as the D and G strings are inherently more trebly and moving the pup away from the bridge would help equal them out with the lower strings). And of course, does it do a proper MM?[/quote]
What colour do you want yours in then?

It sounds like a nice genuine P - there's no mistaking that it is an active P though opposed to a passive woody P. The new position does offer a very even response over the strings, whether it makes up for any deficiencies of the trad style, for once I'd be loathed to rock the boat and just let the ear of the beholder make up their mind.
The MM sounds very authentic especially up the top end (it is a genuine 'ray pup after all) but as a bit of a Stingray purist I'd have to concede that the SD pre operates quite differently - it has a more extended range and as a result with this pup combo the bass could split a liver if you so wished.

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='Beedster' post='1177567' date='Mar 26 2011, 07:51 PM']Pre-EB Stingray. The logical successor to the Precision....[/quote]
Have you tried an early G&L L-1000? The [b]actual[/b] sucsessor to the Precision.

[Clarky]

Ignoring DBs (I would really like a Kolstein travel bass), mine are;

Pre-CBS early 60s Fender P (I am luckyenough to have a 1963 incoming)
1962 stack knob Jazz
Fretless Wall Mach 1 (check out the one in BassDirect, GAS!)
Rick 4001 (early 70s with toaster, checkerboard binding)

Edit: also a 1951 Fender P, the birth of bass as someone has already mentioned

Edited March 27, 2011 by Clarky

[ThomBassmonkey]

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1178028' date='Mar 27 2011, 10:53 AM']What colour do you want yours in then?

It sounds like a nice genuine P - there's no mistaking that it is an active P though opposed to a passive woody P. The new position does offer a very even response over the strings, whether it makes up for any deficiencies of the trad style, for once I'd be loathed to rock the boat and just let the ear of the beholder make up their mind.
The MM sounds very authentic especially up the top end (it is a genuine 'ray pup after all) but as a bit of a Stingray purist I'd have to concede that the SD pre operates quite differently - it has a more extended range and as a result with this pup combo the bass could split a liver if you so wished.[/quote]

If my Dingwall sells instead of getting traded, I'm actually tempted to go to Sandberg and get a quote for a custom PM5 set up in the same way but a 5er and with a J neck. With the delanos and Sandberg build quality it should be a beastie.

[Grand Wazoo]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1177156' date='Mar 26 2011, 01:52 PM']Grand Wazoo - If you want to try a Gus Bass, come to the Dick Venom gig at the 12 Bar on the 13th May and introduce yourself.[/quote]

Unfortunately on May 13th my schedule places me somewhere between Antwerp and Le Havre all going well, sadly I don't think I'd be at home on that date

[Shaggy]

Possibly I've got the wrong end of the stick here (not having read the article), but the 5 I've never tried and would love to before I go to the great gig in the sky, are (more or less in order);

[list=1]
[*]Travis Bean TB2000. They look so cool, owners rave about their tone and sustain, and Mick Karn's weapon of choice for most of the Japan recordings which are so iconic to me.
[*]'60's Rickenbacker 4005 (true hollow-body). Big fan of old Ric's, and of electro-acoustics.
[*]Alembic John-Paul-Jones bass. Uber-cool
[*]Pre-EB MM Stingray (fretless, a la early Pino) I used to own a pre-EB MM Sabre, but apparently the voicing of the pre-amp is different plus the huge magnets of the neck p/up of Sabres slightly dampened string vibration, so just would like to see how different they are.
[*]GUS bass - do they sound as good as they look?
[/list]

A common theme on this thread that many own their dream basses already. I'm fortunate enough to now own 7 of the 8 basses I've consistently GAS-ed for over my playing career of 34 years (8th being the elusive Travis Bean); which I guess could sound smug, but it's my main indulgance as a self-confessed gear-head - at least 25 of those 34 years was with one ratty old bass (usually a copy or something obscure) and one el cheapo amp.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1178323' date='Mar 27 2011, 02:43 PM']Unfortunately on May 13th my schedule places me somewhere between Antwerp and Le Havre all going well, sadly I don't think I'd be at home on that date

[/quote]
Never mind with a bit of luck it won't be our only London gig this year so I'm sure there will be another chance.

It might be worth going into the musical instrument department in Harrods. They stock the Gus G1 guitars. Didn't have any basses last time I was there but that was some years ago.