dclaassen

Love your experience….just reminds me that 99% of people, band mates included, don’t know or care what rig we use….doesn’t stop us from obsessing though…:)

I was around when inexpensive basses were Teisco and the ilk. Really cheap and hard to play. CBS Fenders were uneven. Nobody at that time wanted a Fender that wasn’t pre-CBS. Gibson was just starting to make interesting basses. Most everything else was way too expensive. Kramer, Ovations, etc were just out. It was hard to find a gig-worthy bass that was affordable. I was lucky to find a 63 Jazz. Today, you can buy a very serviceable instrument for £200 or less. Being a real gear snob, I resist this, but admit that having good affordable instruments is real progress, and won’t throw stones.

I like using mine for country gigs. It’s probably the only bass I need, but sometimes I need more bite. I’ve had both lined and unlined. I like the lined, especially when reading charts in jazz situations. Never had a ponytail.

Thanks…it’s pretty much become my most played bass. It sits great into a band mix.

If you wouldn’t mind a longer scale, I love my Spectracore.

Bass of choice into a Hartke kickback 12. I pad into Bluetooth speaker for tunes. No headphones needed.

I always find it fascinating to read these kind of discussions. I am an unabashed gear snob, always will be. Yes, there are inexpensive instruments that are well made, and can be made to be very giggable. Having said that, there are bunches of reasons why top-end instruments are worth the money. In some cases, it's the playability...the instrument can be a lot more responsive to small nuances in your technique. Other times, it's having a monster active system that lets you easily adapt to any and all situations. Fingerboards and fretwork are usually a lot better. I like ebony boards, so there is that. I'm not into looks especially but I guess that is the other factor. As far as using them, I'll play any of my basses down at the Dog and Duck..I just won't leave it unsupervised....:)

Is that a Nathan East Yamaha 4? I've played the 5, but was not aware they made a 4 string....nice!

Rumor...sorry

Rumer is that the "spike" on the headstock is actually a middle finger extended to Fender, Inc....

Agree....with one caution... Some of us are really blessed to have high end instruments in our collection. With the inflated prices of those basses now, I would not be able to afford the ones I have. The hard part is finding an affordable 5'er. I like the Peavey basses if you don't mind an older instrument, and can stand a bit of neck dive. I guess if I had to start over, I'd begin with a Mexican J 5....move up and down from there until I was happy.