Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

What do certain makes of bass say to you?


Linus27
 Share

Recommended Posts

[quote name='Dr.Dave' post='486809' date='May 13 2009, 11:14 AM']Confession time.

I must admit that any expensive bass guitar makes me think 'This guy is serious'.

I'm embarrassed about it because that's totaly wrong on many levels and my better self doffs my cap to all of you with cheaper basses who are both hugely dedicated and bright enough not to think like me.


I'm afraid too that if a guy picks up any bass - hangs it chest high , tucks his arm round the end and extends his thumb parallel to the strings I think 'here we f**king go' and do a runner to the bar.
That's wrong too.

I'm a dinosaur. Don't know why half of you put up with me.[/quote]
I agree with you to a point, but i'm always pleasantly surprised (and jealous) when someone gets on stage and plays the hell out of a beginner ibanez or something and gets a really nice sound out of it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote]For example, if you play a Gibson TBird, you must be on heroin - or, if not, you'd like to be. That kind of thing[/quote]

God knows what my collection of strumpets says about me then ! Especially the Italia Modulo Tipo3 ...........

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alembic: quality, adjustability bit OTT looking player knows what hes doing.
Warwick: low mids, great in band settings
Jazz bass: work horse, simple, suits purpose
P bass: boring, boring looks, boring sound, boring bass lines
Rickenbackers, Rock n roll, ugly, unpleasent tone
Ibanez: does what its designed to do, good sound.
ACG: nice, innovative
Musicman: cool, aggressive, responsive

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

When all is said and done..if the thing has been around for 50 odd years and they still make them, they must be doing something right..

Having said that, how many Gibsons or Rickkies that age are going to be playable...?? if they ever were in the 1st place.. :)

Edited by JTUK
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rickenbacker: Macca, Geddy, Lemmy, Cliff Burton, Scott Reeder & countless others can't be wrong.
Jazz Bass: slim neck & great tone.
Precision Bass: tree trunk neck & great tone. Simple but good.
Warwick: great for slap style, not much else unless your name is John Entwistle.
Overwater: drool-worthy but expensive.
Gibson Thunderbird: solid, great tone, neck heavy.
Gibson V & Explorer: "Are you ready to rock...?"
Aria Pro: Bring back the classic SB's
MusicMan StingRay: great looking and playing, but they all sound the same.
Alembic: sexy, but expensive. For well off Stanley Clarke/Mark King fans only?

Edited by Skybone
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

[quote name='spinynorman' post='487110' date='May 13 2009, 06:13 PM']My thoughts are a bit different. A Fender makes me think "this guy is a musician who just wants something that works". That accounts for about 80% of the people I see playing, whether live or on TV. For almost anything else, there's an underlying statement about personality or lifestyle. Sometimes it's hard to see, others are more obvious. For example, if you play a Gibson TBird, you must be on heroin - or, if not, you'd like to be. That kind of thing. :)[/quote]


"Dinsdale!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='484768' date='May 11 2009, 07:25 AM']I'm glad you picked that up Silddx, as I was going to let it slip so that I didn't sound like a broken record! :)

Even the heaviest Warwick I have ever owned (solid birds eye maple body) was under 10lb and most have been between 9lb - 9.5lb (and I've owned a few by the way). The dreaded black hole bass commonly referred to as the Thumb bass is still unlikely to tip much over 9.5lb, heavy for its size but no worse than a lot of Fenders and Fender wannabes. In my quest to reacquaint myself with my love for the Jazz tone, I've purchased 4 Jazz or Jazz style basses and 'every' single one is heavier than my 3 main Warwicks! :lol: Believe me, Warwicks are no better or worse than 99% of other manufacturers of standard sized/scale basses. There are exceptions to every rule and yes a Bubinga Corvette may be a bit heavier than an Ibanez SR bass or whatever but you can draw that comparison between virtually any two basses.

Phew... however I don't think this is the last we shall hear of the dreaded 'Heavy' Warwick theory! :rolleyes:[/quote]

I once tried to SIIs in the Bass Centre (early 90s?) and one was really light and one was really heavy. The only apparent difference was one had a PJ configuration and the other 2 Js! People should get used to the fact that no 2 basses necessarily weigh alike. My Ricks have varied hugely, as have all the Wals, MMs, Fenders, Statii etc etc etc I've tried.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For what it's worth Yamaha started out making Pianos. They moved to motorbikes later.

[b]Musicman[/b] - Solid, reliable, punk
[b]Status[/b] - Not interested at all. Prefer more traditional looking basses
[b]Warwick[/b] - Again not interested. Always associated them with people who play hard rock. Played one, wasn't blown away.
[b]Gibson Thunderbird/Flying V[/b] - Heavy. Form over function
[b]Spector[/b] - Again, never appealed to me.
[b]Wal[/b] - Don't really see what all the fuss is about.
[b]Fender Precision[/b] - Ask somebody to draw you a bass and they will probably draw this. Dependable, solid, good sound. Punk. Seems to be the current 'bass of choice' for the hip bands out there
[b]Fender Jazz[/b] - The smart choice. Which is why I have one. :)
[b]Fender Telecaster[/b] - Never heard or played one. The Telecaster design on a bass looks pants IMO. Head is way too small.
[b]Fender Jaguar[/b] - Look really small. Always thought they were good for girls because of this.
[b]Rickenbacker[/b]
[b]Yamaha[/b] - Good basses for the money. Most feel a little small, but good range of tones.
[b]Ibanez[/b] - Played an Ibanez guitar - don't want to play an Ibanez bass.
[b]Alembic[/b] - Who?
[b]Lakland[/b] - Never heard/played or seen one. Can't say I'm overly bothered about trying one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='stunbass' post='633250' date='Oct 22 2009, 10:45 AM'][ overwater.... Sean Connery

Fender.... Roger Moore

Gibson... George Lazenby[/quote]

Shurely not, Miss Moneypenny……….

Fender……Sean Connery
Wal………..Roger Moore
Alembic….Pierce Brosnan
Warwick…Daniel Craig
Gibson……Pussy Galore
Ibanez……Austin Powers :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[b]Traben [/b]- Like and old Volvo, Big, built like a tank and you wouldn't want to have a head on collision with one

[b]Fender [/b]- Ford Saloon, bog standard you know what you're getting

[b]Ibanez [/b]- Mitsubshi hatchback, reliable, great value but just a tad "generic"

[b]Sadowsky [/b]- Lexus, just a tarted up Toyota, overrated.

[b]Wal [/b]- Jensen Interceptor, British, well made, big bucks and sought after

[b]Warwick [/b]- BMW, popular, well made, not everyone's cup of tea, those that've got 'em, love 'em, those that haven't hate 'em.

[b]Alembic [/b]- Rolls Royce, well made, pretty, status symbol but just not really functional for dropping the kids to school

[b]Squier [/b]- Skoda Octavia, cheap but amazing value and design overseen by a quality company

[b]Yamaha [/b]- Volkswagen, well engineered, good value just not liked by everyone.

[b]Gibson [/b]- Citereon, why oh why do they bother??? Some eccentric people like the 2CV despite its obvious faults (Gibson Thunderbird) but apart from that, garbage.

[b]Spector [/b]- Porsche, have a great reputation, the higher end models are a bit of a status symbol, very well made.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='silddx' post='483631' date='May 9 2009, 11:40 AM']Musicman Stingray - Melinda Messenger
Status - Katie Price
Warwick - Germaine Greer
Gibson Thunderbird/Flying V - Jodie Marsh
Spector - Sara Palin
Wal - Heidi Klum
Fender Precision - Angelina Jolie
Fender Jazz - Madonna
Fender Telecaster - Hillary Clinton
Fender Jaguar - Maxine Carr
Yamaha - John Prescott
Lakland - Pixie Geldof
Sadowsky - Peaches Geldof
Bass Collection - Myleene Klass
Ibanez - Paris Hilton
Washburn - Jerry Hall
Alembic - Arsenio Hall
Shuker - Royal Albert Hall
Gordon Smith - Local Scout Hall[/quote]

PMSL!!
Course, we all will probably have very different opinions of said women... so we're left to guess who you fancy as to which basses you like!
Status - Katie Price... you mean tawdry cheap and easy, or quite nice back in the day before all the plastic bits got added? :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

here's what I find myself thinking...

JayDee - this bloke wants to be Mark King

Rickenbacker, Gibson - this guy will probably look cooler wearing it than he sounds

Fender P - oh cool, I love hearing nothing but root notes all evening :)

Fender Jazz - cool! this person has good taste in basses

Sadowsky - in a Burnley pub? this person has more money than sense

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Linus27' post='483301' date='May 8 2009, 07:56 PM'][b]Fender Precision[/b] - Punk, workhorse, obvious, simple, bland, boring but great, perfect bass tone.[/quote]


If I were a punk and could sing in perfect tone, Id be a P Bass then

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...