4000

It was probably me & mine. Seriously though, this is kind of the point. The variations in fretting and plucking techniques are so vast. Plus "factory setups" don't necessarily factor in different string gauges, tensions, the sound you're after (affected by setup) etc etc. I always have my neck pretty much dead straight both for sound and playability. I'll add that my 2 Rics aren't setup as low as I would normally go, simply because they're 45 year old instruments and the tolerances aren't there, so I have to compromise a bit.

But setup preference is hugely dependent on many factors and there can be enormous variations in how people play. I once played a bass set up for someone where I couldn't even fret the note properly it was so high, never mind actually play it. Yet he hammered the living daylights out of it and sounded great doing so, so it obviously wasn't a problem for him. Whereas I once had a couple of people attempt to play one of my basses only to be met with nothing but buzz, whereas when I played it it didn't buzz at all, even when I dug in (for me). I once tried setting up a bass to Roger Sadowsky's preferred measurements, just to see what it was like. I hated it and couldn't get my thing going at all. To me a factory setup is like a one size fits all sweater. It's never going to actually fit everybody.

Of all the many basses that I've had, at all price points, the only ones that have garnered any attention from casual punters are the Rickenbackers. I usually get "Ooh a Rickenbacker! (or two)" at most gigs. I blame the Beatles. ;-) Everything else, from Squier to Alembic via Wal and several dozen other things, nothing, nada, zilch. One musician once asked if my Warwick Dolphin was an Alembic. However nobody identified the actual Alembics. ;-) The only other bass that drew any vague interest - still limited - was my first Jaydee, which had a Saturn 12th fret inlay and tailpiece. That got "ooh, Saturn!" from about 3 people. ;-)

I experienced exactly the same thing, twice. And the same with every Fodera I've played save one, which I thought was ok. Whereas the first Everson I played felt lovely, as did the first Sei (and many more afterwards).

Rock n roll is dead? Quick, somebody tell Josh Homme....

I always find factory set up to be way higher than I prefer. Bear in mind everyone plays differently. I both fret and pluck very lightly.

I've never played a Ritter, but I've played (and in some cases owned) all the others mentioned initially and many, many more; Spector, F Bass, Sei, ACG, Everson, Ken Smith, Warwick, Jaydee, Modulus, top end Warwick, Sadowsky, Enfield, Elrick, Curbow, Vigier, Steinberger, GB, Pedulla, Overwater, Jerzy Drozd, Wood & Tronics etc etc; the end is listless. Never played a Stenback but as they're essentially a super-Jazz then it wouldn't be my bag anyway. Never played a GUS, although I think they're cool and I would like to. The best built out of everything I've played would have to be the top end Alembics. I'm not talking the '70s ones as they can be hit and miss; the more recent ones, relatively speaking. The woodworking and finishing on my custom Triple Omega was flawless and made my Wals look like I'd made them in woodwork class. That's not to say it was a better instrument though as that's totally subjective, that's just based on actual build quality.

Lada Riva? Ooh, salty. 😂 Well most of the Gibsons since the originals haven't exactly been accurate reproductions either, have they? And for what it's worth, I would personally think the more accurate-sounding pickups (as relating to the 60s models) are far more important than pretty much anything else, seeing as to me the most important thing about a T Bird is how it sounds. FWIW I've played plenty of TBirds over the last 38 years, including the originals and many of the various copies....as I'm sure have several others here.

Of course it's all ultimately about personal preference, but it's perfectly possible that my thumbs have an effect on my left hand technique and may affect my preference. What I meant was, maybe it feels different to me because it affects the position of my hand when playing, so a flatter radius no longer becomes such an advantage to me when playing fast. It certainly doesn't seem to help me play faster. I was simply wondering aloud if the increased flexibility of my hand when using a more rounded board negates some of the advantages experienced by others using a flatter board.

In this case though, the Epiphone is a more accurate reproduction of a '60s TBird than any Gibson. So why spend more on a Gibson when it's not as good? Besides, it's part of the same company.

Again, I don't really find this, even with guitars (and I do play guitar). I don't know if the fact I have double-jointed thumbs (a la Jaco) helps in some way.

I like the pickup cover (although my Rics haven't currently got them on) because I rest my hand on it, a la Chris Squire and many famous other Rick players.

Cool read!

I've had the same issue in the past, and probably will in the future. When I had my first 4 string Sei built I didn't specify the radius - never even occurred to me at the time - and it didn't feel right to me; the radius was much flatter than I was used to and I just couldn't really adapt to it. That'll be changed on the next one (that's assuming I ever manage to get to the ordering stage - the universe seems to have it in for me this year, financially speaking, and every time I get the money together I'm hit with some vast expense out of the blue). I think a flat radius with smaller frets is my worst possible combination. The main exception was my old '91 Warwick Dolphin Pro 1. Somehow that neck, despite being all wrong on paper (chunky, relatively flat radius), just felt really, really comfortable. The exceptions generally have been Warwicks, although certainly not all Warwicks. For instance I never really got on with my '91 Streamer Stage 1. EDIT: The book was What Bass by Laurence Canty and Tony Bacon. The player was Laurence Canty; I've just checked and he said when his first fretless was built he requested it had the same curvature as his fretted and he then spent a couple of years being uncomfortable on it. He said he discovered his mistake when playing a de-fretted Fender with a rounder fingerboard which instantly felt much better. He offered good advice actually, he said that before ordering his second fretless he played several "conversions" and had his favourite measured so the fingerboard would be identical.

I don't generally like flat boards (with the odd exception); they don't generally feel natural to me. In fact I generally prefer more of a vintage radius. I remember an article in a bass book I have somewhere (forget the name) where IIRC the author said he had a fretless neck made with a flat-ish radius and couldn't work out why he didn't get on with it until he played another with a much more heavily radiused board, which he much preferred. I believe he then had his board reshaped. It's one of those things you probably have to try to know.

As I’ve said before, they’re one of the few basses I find at all comfortable, but then I mostly play with a pick and learned to play on one. The slab front and binding I actually find really comfortable because of where/how I rest my arm; ironically I had to sell a contoured 4004 because it aggravated a nerve problem I have (which also happens with most other basses, the worst culprits being the Fender Jazz and Status basses). I even had to return an Ibanez SR - which was otherwise great - because of how uncomfortable I found it.

If we're talking Japan, this is one of my all time favourite singles, and the only track ever that was guaranteed to get me on a dance floor, with the possible exception of Night Fever or Staying Alive😉:

Here's another of mine: It occurs to me that I tend to favour either melodic, busy, driving lines (Entwistle, Squire etc) or very simple, hypnotic ones....

Probably my favourite Stranglers album. Tremendous.

Here's another of my faves:

Obviously there are the usual contenders like Peaches, Rhythm Stick, Dancing In the Moonlight etc, but many of mine will have come from Chris Squire. We've already had Close to the Edge (or part of it), so I'll throw in this:

Another contender:

Speaking of Zender, this is one of mine (and one of several of his):

Couldn't disagree more with this statement. Zender's line is miles better. The album version is much straighter, far less succinct and more importantly, way less funky.