Twincam Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 (edited) Discreets statement would not sound good in a court of law! Hahaha! Edited February 26, 2016 by Twincam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameronj279 Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 The best bass I've played was only made last year. And I've played a few old instruments. Including a 58 P-bass which was easily the worst bass I've ever played in every respect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 [quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1456479478' post='2989383'] Discreet's statement would not sound good in a court of law! [/quote] That would depend entirely on what I was being accused of... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefbaker Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1456479044' post='2989371'] Sofas and arses get better when they get older? [/quote] Of course you know I meant the formation of an arse groove being similar to neck wear fitting in with how you play etc... But I'm now going to say that old droopy arses are the best. Especially leaky ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ead Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Gosh, can an arse be cosmetically enhanced? I clearly lead too sheltered a life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 [quote name='ead' timestamp='1456491354' post='2989555'] Gosh, can an arse be cosmetically enhanced? [/quote] What do you think I'm using for a face..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painy Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1456491887' post='2989568'] What do you think I'm using for a face..? [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LayDownThaFunk Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Does a car drive better after 50,000 miles? Of course not. Usual pre CBS clap trap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1456418631' post='2988873'] Do Basschat threads get better as they get older? [/quote] Ha, ha! This is a nine-year-old thread. NINE!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cytania Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I suspect it's not the wood but all the little tweaks a bass gets as it gets older; truss rod adjusted, saddle height set, pickup height, frets levelled etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkandrew Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 (edited) [quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1456515828' post='2989997'] Does a car drive better after 50,000 miles? [/quote] No but it does take a little while to "run in". Only a couple of thousand miles though, not the 25 years of a classic instrument. I think this is probably also true of basses and guitars - a factory fresh bass probably does have a settling in period which I guess is why they need a second set-up in the store (having been given a little while to settle in) or when you bring it home (and also why you have to re-tighten the screws on flat-pack furniture after a month or so). Edited February 29, 2016 by darkandrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 Maybe it's the player that gets better as the bass gets older. Assuming it doesn't sit in a box under the bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbass Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 [quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1456438539' post='2989145'] It's all poppycock, just play the damn bass [/quote] You know I think ur right and I really didn't want to believe it. Re my earlier post...my new Squire has got the hardest, toughest coating on it I've ever come across, its almost space age..yet the bass is lightweight and rings like a bell....said vintage P is heavy with a thinnish paint job and thuds like a sack full of lead weights..go figure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geofio Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 (edited) As a Ric owner myself i have a new 2015 4003 Maple Glo and i have 2004 Montezuma Brown, now both are excellent basses and sound fantastic the 2004 MB has the older type pickups while the 2015 has the hotter new adjustable pole piece pickups, the Monty to my ears has a richer or warmer sound to it being 12 years old , and the 2015 model has a brighter more lively sound to it, it may just be the character of each individual Bass, as they different piece's of wood, and the MB has Bubinga on the fret board, and the MG has a caribbean rosewood fret board. if it was a matter of only one bass i would keep the MB as it has that lived in warm/rich sound which sounds like a classic Ric tone, as the MG ages i am sure it will mellow and sound richer with time. Edited February 29, 2016 by geofio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_Bass Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 For me a new bass needs some running in. It's too "stiff" out of the box (just like a set of new strings, they need a couple of gigs to settle). But i don't believe that a bass improves its sound with age (like an old wine), i would even say that a bass can sound worse with age as the electronics, contacts, solders, etc. loose quality and the hardware gets worn and becomes a bit loose damaging the tunning stability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethFlatlands Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 I read ages ago (and can't be bothered trying to find any corroborating evidence now) that certain finishes can take years to fully cure, so that might account for at least some difference in tones over the time. As usual, it might not be better to your ears but it might sound more "vintage" once that's happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 A good bass will end up being a good old bass, a piece of crap will always be a piece of crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 (edited) [quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1456748722' post='2991850'] ...But i don't believe that a bass improves its sound with age (like an old wine), i would even say that a bass can sound worse with age as the electronics, contacts, solders, etc. loose quality and the hardware gets worn and becomes a bit loose... [/quote] It's rumoured that pickup magnets actually make pickups sound better as they weaken over time. Not sure if there's anything in it. Edited February 29, 2016 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drTStingray Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 (edited) [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1456784779' post='2992340'] It's rumoured that pickup magnets actually make pickups sound better as they weaken over time. Not sure if there's anything in it. [/quote] I'd heard that as well, amongst lots of other things about old or aging instruments. The words mellower sounding seem to crop up quite a bit as well. It's all very subjective - weaker pick ups may lead to one person perceiving an old bass to have a mellow sound whilst someone else may think it just sounds thin, or even wearing out. If I had one of these lovely old beasts I'd also be scared to have any repairs done for fear of devaluing the instrument - but on the positive side, apart from the highly unlikely scenario it was a minter, I'd be less scared of dinging it. Im really dubious they get better with age but also succumb to the vintage gas from time to time - I played a pre EB Stingray a while back and was highly impressed (I did actually own a new one back ing he 70s/80s) but the gas evaporated when I got home again and played my Classic Ray, 32 yrs it's junior, but itself already 5 yrs old. Edited February 29, 2016 by drTStingray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twincam Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 I sometimes wonder if it's actually the more modern voicing of some basses and that people might prefer the older pu voicing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 (edited) Things were definitely different with the original instruments to start with but whether that is better or not is subjective... I've just ordered a Moollon Classic P which is supposedly built to pre-CBS specs, pickup impedance etc.. even down to the zinc content of the tuners I shall report if it's any better than the excellent modern P basses I have played. I heard something about early Wal pickups being would with imperial gauge wire or something similar? This is apparently no longer available and allegedly has a effect on the sound. As for a bass getting better with age, as others have said a bass definitely wears... whether that makes it better or not again is subjective. Several manufacturers make quite a lot of artificial aging so presumably there is something in it. Beyond the aesthetic, don't Sandberg offer a service where they will vibrate your new bass for a period of time to simulate it having been played for years? anyone know if this makes any difference? Edited March 1, 2016 by CamdenRob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_Bass Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 (edited) I believe that the vibration treatment (yamaha is also doing it in the BB202x) makes the instrument more stable, all those new "stiff" parts get free from any assembly stress and even may release some stress inside the woods. The final result is a instrument that won't move and has more tunning stability. I wouldn't call this an old instrument, everithyng is still new and working properly. This is in fact one advantage for old instruments, those basses are more stable but the ageing of the parts won't make them sound nicer, IMV it weakens the sound quality. EDIT: i can undertand that some people will love the result of the degradation in sound over time, it's just another diferent tone and its not bad, only different. Edited March 1, 2016 by Ghost_Bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Do bass [i]players [/i]get better when they get older..? If so, I should be getting pretty good quite soon..! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanuki Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Old basses are good basses and the older the bass the gooder it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 [quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1456784449' post='2992336'] A good bass will end up being a good old bass, a piece of crap will always be a piece of crap. [/quote] Yup Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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