Bass of the 2000's

[Chris2112]

On 02/12/2022 at 09:09, uk_lefty said:

Isn't it strange how things turn out... My old Warwick Streamer LX has reappeared for sale in a music shop in Wales. I bought it in 2007 for about £450, sold it 2008 or 9 for about the same. If I wanted to buy it now, more than ten years later... £1,599. 

 

 

Yeah, I was just talking to my brother about a really nice Streamer LX that I played on GuitarGuitar back when they had their shop in the Newgate Centre in Newcastle. Nearly mint condition and with a wenge neck, it was for sale (used) for £650. Wouldn't see it going for less than £1500 now, I don't think they're worth quite that amount. 

 

As for the iconic bass of the 00's, the Thumb and the Streamer Stage II are definitely the ones I'd choose. They absolutely dominated rock music around the turn of the millennium. Warwick were a really popular brand back then, even things like the Corvette Standard were popular for letting you get a bit of that 'sound of wood' vibe. 

[Chris2112]

On 02/12/2022 at 08:53, Hellzero said:

To me the early 2000's are related to the use and sometimes abuse of beautiful woods in natural finish or really weird designs like the BassLab, but except Fodera's nothing has really become iconic.

 

These two BassLab designs were presented at the Frankfurter Messe in 2001:

 

 

 

 

Yes, I agree that the early days of the 00's were a great time for boutique basses. Talkbass at the time was a very frequented by some very affluent users with great taste in high end basses. Obviously internet use was nowhere near as universal then (remember all the threads that said '56k stay away' to warn of high resolution images within). There was a real buzz about amazing handmade basses then. The plague of vintage tat wasn't quite widespread then. 

 

I like Basslab instruments but I think they're maybe too niche to be considered an iconic instrument of the age. Certainly, they do appeal to me as the next step in evolution of the art over simply using carbon fibre. That isn't to take anything away from them, I own a 2001 L-Bow and it is one of the best basses I've ever played and it's the bass I play most these days along with my Spector NS-5CR. 

[Grahambythesea]

The F. Jazz 5 string came out in the 90’s, Ibanez Sdgr seemed popular , but nothing much stands out from then, perhaps I didn’t find the music that inspired.

Oops misread that you’re talking 00s not 90s sorry.

Edited December 4, 2022 by Grahambythesea

[Mykesbass]

One of the biggest bands of that period for international sales was RHCP, and there is no doubt that Flea had a huge impact on bass at the time. So whatever his main bass was - Modulus?

[Chris2112]

One bass above all others that defines that era for me, on consideration, is Jeff Berlin's Dean signature model. Jeff was known (and remains to be known) as a guy who travels light when it comes to basses. He says he never owned more than a couple at a time and he just kept around what he needed to make the music (I think he owns just three basses right now). 

 

After leaving Peavey, and with the sad collapse of Peavey's American guitar manufacturing by business, Jeff was approached by Dean guitars. Jeff was living and working in Clearwater and Dean were based in Tampa (effectively one and the same place as far as we might be concerned). Thus, it was a deal of geographic convenience that they should work together. 

 

The amber colour Jeff Berlin model that Jeff was playing non-stop in this days remains seared in my mind. It was effectively the same spec as his Peavey Palaedium model (except for the pickups). But this was the bass that Jeff was playing when I first discovered his music. He was in a different mindframe and attitude as a player there. He hadn't mellowed (some would say he was at his most combative then) and though his music was dynamic and full of inflection as he sought to legitimise the bass as a solo instrument in jazz, he could absolutely blow over changes when he wanted to. Some of the performances of that era were downright fearsome in their virtuosity. Looking back, his reinvention as a jazz musician was complete and he has broken new ground with the electric bass. 

 

Consider below a performance from that era. Stunning, masterful stuff. His legato was never as slick or never-ending as it was in those days. Jeff told me he had actually drawn back on the style and techniques he favoured in that era because he didn't want that sound to become cliché. My preference is actually for his earlier rock fusion sound from 'Champion' and 'Pump It' but Jeff's jazz phase was a stunning realisation of a musical vision and it was all channeled through a very distinctive bass guitar. 

 

 

[Rich]

Yamaha RBX? 

[itu]

20 hours ago, Chris2112 said:

As for the iconic bass of the 00's, the Thumb and the Streamer Stage II are definitely the ones I'd choose.

But Streamer is known as an exact copy of the Spector NS-2, and NS-2 was introduced in 1978 or so.

 

The talks about boutique and 2000 sound slightly soft to me. Smith, Suhr, Surine, Vigier, Modulus Graphite, Tobias et al. started late 70's or 1980's, just like Fodera. I did see that era, and I think it was clearly earlier than 00's.

 

When these "Mustang is a great bass" guys (read: Nirvana) came out in 90's, all cheapo bass prices rose to incredible levels. Friend of mine was in the States and wanted a reasonably priced and good instrument. He commented, that every Fender was overpriced, and even lousy instruments were considered as vintage. He bought a very nice G&L, because no one connected George & Leo to Gruhn - and Fender.

 

A specific instrument is pretty tough to connect to music overall to these latest decades. If we think about genres, maybe Wartburg can be connected to metal. Jazz and boutique may be somewhat connected, although Fender is amazingly strong there.

 

Yes, the Fender bass thing is still going strong, and from this standpoint it is understandable that Fender is hesitant to introduce anything new. They can sell the same instrument made in China, Korea, Japan or Mexico (or Mexican parts crafted in the US) and put whatever price tag to it. Updates are simply few "new" colours. So boring, but they sell well. Custom Shop is for those who can not choose wrong name like Suhr. Sadowsky, Lull et al.

 

As basses are somewhat complicated, how about amps, or accessories? 1970's Peavey and acoustic, 1980's Trace, GK and SWR, 1990's D-class, 2010's lighter cabs, effects... 

[Chris2112]

3 hours ago, itu said:

But Streamer is known as an exact copy of the Spector NS-2, and NS-2 was introduced in 1978 or so.

 

The talks about boutique and 2000 sound slightly soft to me. Smith, Suhr, Surine, Vigier, Modulus Graphite, Tobias et al. started late 70's or 1980's, just like Fodera. I did see that era, and I think it was clearly earlier than 00's.

 

 

 

You don't have to tell me about the link between the NS-2 and the Streamer, I know the story well and FWIW I much prefer the Spector. Spector are without a doubt my favourite wooden basses and if you told me that was all I could play for the rest of my days. 

 

Also, I don't think (nor was it stated as a prerequisite for mention in this thread) that the iconic bass of an era had to be made then. My choice of Warwick basses was due to their popularity around the turn of the Millennium and the first few years going forward. The Thumb and Streamer Stage II both date back to the 80's and yet they found themselves suddenly in very prominent positions in the nu metal scene and thus they were probably the most visible basses in the whole rock world for a period of time. It helped that as they came to be known as the brand of choice for nu metal they had a huge marketing push and they were well supported by their US distributor, Dana B. Goods, giving them a big sales boost and putting those instruments into stores. Prior to that point, Spector had undoubtedly been the top boutique choice for rock bassists in the US and Warwick managed to steal that crown for a few years. You literally couldn't turn on the TV or open a rock mag without seeing or hearing Warwick basses, and then perhaps to even more indelibly leave their mark on that era, the buzz died out as the music world moved on.

 

Along those same lines do I mention boutique basses, as with the Talkbass crowd at the time there was a huge buzz about brands like Pedulla, Ken Smith, Fodera etc. All basses that had lineage going back two decades or more at that point but having found prominence with a significant group of players talking about basses on the internet and generating a buzz about them.

 

 

 

[cetera]

1 hour ago, Chris2112 said:

 

YMy choice of Warwick basses was due to their popularity around the turn of the Millennium and the first few years going forward. The Thumb and Streamer Stage II both date back to the 80's and yet they found themselves suddenly in very prominent positions in the nu metal scene and thus they were probably the most visible basses in the whole rock world for a period of time. It helped that as they came to be known as the brand of choice for nu metal they had a huge marketing push and they were well supported by their US distributor, Dana B. Goods, giving them a big sales boost and putting those instruments into stores. You literally couldn't turn on the TV or open a rock mag without seeing or hearing Warwick basses, and then perhaps to even more indelibly leave their mark on that era, the buzz died out as the music world moved on.

It's amazing what 'giving your basses away for free' to multiple new endorsees will do for a brand's visibility 

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by cetera

[itu]

1 hour ago, Chris2112 said:

It helped that as they came to be known as the brand of choice for nu metal they had a huge marketing push and they were well supported by their US distributor, Dana B. Goods, giving them a big sales boost and putting those instruments into stores.

 

Along those same lines do I mention boutique basses, as with the Talkbass crowd at the time there was a huge buzz about brands like Pedulla, Ken Smith, Fodera etc.

True, DBG was everywhere at the time.

 

Talkbass group may have been active, and some newer/younger players have found a wider selection of instruments. I still didn't see any bigger happening at the stores, be it used or a new bass. What I have seen during the years is the crave for "the bass I couldn't afford, then". The bass that was impossible to buy when money was tight, may be an option after years of work. Probably this is a sudden interest, like when old friends meet - or whatever.

 

Quite many basses have been reasonably priced. Those higher end, but not so rare instruments are affordable today compared to the times when pasta&ketchup was close to special after weeks of dry bread and porridge. At least I remember such times while studying. A red Status in the music shop window was cute, but downright impossible to buy. (Well, the situation is nearly the same again, as Dawn and Rob, and, you know.)

Edited December 5, 2022 by itu

[Old Horse Murphy]

The Sue Ryder Bass, surely 

[Misdee]

Well, to me the Warwick is a bass of the 1980s/early 1990s. I suppose by the early 2000s Warwick's marketing had shifted its focus more  towards the  modern rock genre, giving their basses a bit of a different media profile.

 

According to my recollection the early 2000s bass trends were characterized by a preponderance of active Jazz-style basses and the burgeoning revival of the Precision Bass, especially with flatwound strings. These trends were primarily influenced by Marcus Miller and Pino Palladino respectively. And they are still with us twenty years later.

[Count Bassy]

On 02/12/2022 at 08:09, uk_lefty said:

Was there an "iconic" or distinct bass guitar that you think of in the years 2000-2009?  Warwick maybe?  My band have done a "00's night" a few months back and it was successful so we're doing another tonight. We're thinking this could be a way to get out there to more venues so trying to build it up... So at the moment I'm playing a Stingray which is a pretty universal bass from 70's onwards, but if I were to go for something more period correct for the look.... Interested in opinions here. Thanks! 

 

Us bassists eh? We think the audience cares (or even notices) what bass we play.

[Machines]

On 05/12/2022 at 09:46, Rich said:

Yamaha RBX? 

 

RBX has been around in a few different forms. That's a late 90s model most likely, they revamped it in the 2000s to be more like this, of which I still have mine from 2004 (defretted and refinished in that time though).

 

[Grimalkin]

I wanted to try a Warwick Streamer five string around that time, I had a short endorsement with Warwick for a while but the neck profile wasn't for me so I returned the bass. The endorsement didn't come for free, and you had to be recommended.

[nilorius]

One of Fender's.

[paul_5]

No matter what the bass was they'd all be going through Ashdowns at this time, no?

[Barking Spiders]

On 02/12/2022 at 12:47, Nail Soup said:

I couldn't name a bass that reflects that period - but I'm not a hardware person as such.

I'm not sure the audience will be able to either... I think they could just about do : Violin Bass 60's, P Bass 70's, Cricket Bat 80's.

Me neither.  A lot on BC seem to be more into that side of things than me. I couldn't tell you what models came out in the 2000s. For my money it's been all down hill since the StingRay came on the market.

[LeftyJ]

20 hours ago, paul_5 said:

No matter what the bass was they'd all be going through Ashdowns at this time, no?

Aye, those were everywhere back then! I was playing through an ABM300 C210T myself at the time. Bought one new, traded an EBS Gorm 2x10 for it. Quickly got a 1x15 extension cab because at 8 Ohms, the internal speakers weren't nearly loud enough to support a band. The abundant sub bass (yes, also with the subharmonic generator off) made it hugely inefficient and sucked up all these watts. I had to cut the lows to 9 o'clock to punch through a mix. I was never really happy with that amp. I've been playing EBS again ever since selling the ABM in 2009. 

[paul_5]

I know what you mean. Every 'open mic', studio job, and sometimes even some dep gig I've ever done has had an Ashdown combo somewhere.

 

Never found one that I liked. Plenty of folks swear by them though, so they must be doing something right.

[nilorius]

On 02/12/2022 at 10:37, Doctor J said:

Nah, Streamer was the bass of the 90's for me (alongside its daddy, the Spector). So many bands were using that design in the 90's. If anything, it was going out of style in the 00's. What about an Ibanez SR, one of the fancier wood ones? Or a Bongo?

Yeah - could be Ibanez sr.

[Hellzero]

The Ibanez SR series aka Soundgear started in 1987 with the superb SR 1000 CT1 (I sold mine to a friend a few months ago), so definitely not the iconic bass of the 2000's.

 

 

[DGBass]

I remember there being lots of 5 string action around that time and I even jumped on the bandwagon myself with a Yamaha BBN5L bass. Only 5 string i've ever gigged and it was a regular feature from around 2000-2003 for me. 5 string Soundgears were very popular amongst my local rock/metal fraternity, as were Stingray 4's and Fender Jazz basses. I suppose you could also ask what was the popular bass in the 2000's featuring on mainstream  music TV or for a particular genre of music. Or even your local scene. Fenders always seem to feature in any decade and any genre music. They still do even now.  Bands like A Perfect Circle released Mer De Noms in 2000 and I remember putting down my Yamaha for a while and realising my Fender P was still cool in 2000, especially after watching Paz Lenchantin rock a P Bass during a performance of Judith on MTV. 

5 stringers though are what I associate most with the 2000s.

[40hz]

I think maybe this thread has two sides?

 

If we're talking what people/weekend warriors were playing and what was common in shops and on stages, then it surely has to be P-Basses and Jazz Basses through an Ashdown of some sort. 

 

If we're talking what bass embodies the era or came out and wowed people in a distinctive way, my vote 100% goes for the Musicman Bongo. It got people talking like no other bass and was the big new thing. Coming from one of the larger manufacturers too, it had coverage in a way that bespoke, coffee table type basses didn't and don't.

[Hellzero]

@40hz your analysis is perfect, and you're right, as others mentioned too, the more than ugly bad taste Ernie Ball (MusicMan) Bongo really represents the 2000's.

 

It appeared almost like a joke in 2003 and is still there (almost) 20 years later, when everybody was persuaded it wouldn't last a year...

 

So, designing a bass looking like a toilet seat is the way to relaunch the sales: it says a lot about how the bass is perceived worldwide! 🤦🏻‍♂️