Your number one and why

[largo]

My number one bass isn't even mine, it's my Dad's '73 Precision. Bought new and the only bass he's ever owned since then. It's beat up, has an old leather strap and must have at least 4,000 gigs under it's belt. I learned to play on it and my Dad still has it sitting in his little studio.

[dazza14]

My Squier VM Jazz, bloody love this instrument! Have had it for five years since I bought it from PMT in Oxford for £250 brand new (why these basses are now over £300 is anyone's guess) and it's still the only Fender or Squier Jazz bass I've tried that I've liked. Every gig I've played since 2010 - except maybe two or three - has been played with this bass and it has the most amazing punk tone and can easily switch to a reggae, thumpy tone with very little variation to the instrument, just a fiddle with the tone control and I play closer to the neck for the reggae. I'd never sell this bass and I can't even see myself needing anything else... although I do like the Humbucker Squier Jaguar basses...

[dazza14]

[quote name='Thunderbird' timestamp='1385934847' post='2293898']
My go to bass at present is my Vintage V4 Icon I have modded it a bit and it is pretty much all that I need in a bass and it is the cheapest bass I have ever owned it is certainly not the best bass I have owned but it is just so comfy to play and sounds pretty damn good too and I am not worried about it getting scratched and stuff like I am with other basses I own or have owned
[/quote]
What mod's have you done to your bass? I own one of these and as much as I like it, it's always interesting to know what others have done to improve it...

[Lozz196]

My 2011 US Standard Precision. It just "works" if you know what I mean. The sound is exactly what I want, and it`s so easy to play it almost feels as if I`m playing fresh air. Not too heavy either, and in my fave colour scheme, white/tort/rosewood.

[leschirons]

An OLP Stingray 5. Bought from Josh on BC. Sounds great, feels great, stands me in £80 plus a drop of petrol and I can gig it anywhere with no worries about damage etc. None of the dear stuff gets a look in now.

If I could have one bass back that I sold though, it would be my old Status 6 string from 10 years ago.

[xilddx]

Most of mine have been brilliant, Hohner Jack Bass, various Warwicks, Squiers and Fenders. But I adore my 1983 USA Standard Jazz. And my new heavily pimped Squier VM Jag with a new neck is hot sh*t too. They both look gorgeous, they both have slim shallow necks with my favourite Fender Jazz profile, they both sound different but they pump bass out like a 10 scale earthquake, although the POD X3 can take care of most basses.

I love them both to bits. I like that the Jazz is 30 years old, I always wanted an old Fender but all the 70s ones I tried felt weird, and I wasn't impressed with the feel or build quality. '60s way too expensive for no real advantage. This one is a beauty, bought from the lovely Pestie on here, and I had The Bass Doc make me a gold PG. It's a real looker and plays like a dream.

I love that I won the Squier Jag in the Bass Bash raffle, it came to me for some reason, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but it's active and has a big tone, and one night I just thought ZULU BASS! and came up with a concept very quickly and got the parts and put it together. I love Hipshot so that's where the parts came from and The Bass Doc cut me a gold PG and I sprayed it with the Lion's head. It's a single purpose bass for a single band, it needed to be a dub detonator. It is.

Edited December 2, 2013 by xilddx

[M@23]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1386011853' post='2294619']
My 2011 US Standard Precision. It just "works" if you know what I mean. The sound is exactly what I want, and it`s so easy to play it almost feels as if I`m playing fresh air. Not too heavy either, and in my fave colour scheme, white/tort/rosewood.
[/quote]

I just got my first US Standard P and know exactly what you mean. It just fits. The sound it makes is the one I want from a bass guitar.

[Roland Rock]

Even though I play my W&T 95% of the time, if there was only one I could rescue from a burning building, it would be my 78P

[theyellowcar]

Right now I can't stop playing my VM Precision. Lovely slab of wood, classic warm precision tone, and it only cost £270!

[icastle]

Ibanez SR505.

I wanted something a little different to the regular PB\JB sound and this fitted the bill nicely.

Super skinny and fast neck with a nice growl and bark to it, this bass gives me the distinctive (within my genre) sound I want with the minimum of faffing about.

[flychris]

I don't have number one, I alternate between them, just the Skjold I don't play because I prefer play on 5ers.

[Old Horse Murphy]

My 1989 Trigger's Broom P Bass is the only bass I will never part with.

It started life as a bog standard Fender USA P Bass that I bought from Don Mackrill's music shop in Edgware with some money I got from a summer job and a bit my parents gave me after my GCSE's. My Grandad took me to look at the shop but I was £50 short of the asking price. Fortunately for me, my Grandad made the difference up and I walked out with it

Over the years it's had a change of pickup to a 62 Reissue, along with a 62 reissue pickguard (it was also fitted at one stage with a P Retro, hence the extra hole by the tone knob).

It has also had a new high mass bridge fitted and a few years ago I had to replace the neck as the original was unplayable due to becoming more and more banana-like. I bought and fitted a new series Fender US neck around 2007/8 and it's a wonderful thing.

At various stages with the waxing and waning of the fashion Moon it's had a Badass on it and also been fitted with pretty-much every colour pickguard imaginable!

About 5 years ago, I asked Martin Sims to fitted side LED's after a run of gigs where I couldn't see a thing due to dark stages etc. They work a treat but are very expensive.

As I said, it's a real Trigger's Broom and probably not worth a great deal to anyone but me. It's had a pretty interesting life so far and has shared stages with Ruby Turner, Beverley Knight and Alvin Stardust, along with the countless bands I've been in over the years.

I know every ding and dent on it and love it all the more for it. Whenever I get a new bass, the P Bass takes a back seat until I come to my senses and realise it's still my number 1. I played it yesterday while trying to learn a few new songs and have fallen in love with it all over again

Edited December 30, 2013 by Old Horse Murphy

[Lozz196]

Great history on that bass Nick.

[gsgbass]

For me it's almost a tie between my Precision, and my Fretless Jazz. As much as I like the looks, and playability of the Precision, the Fretless Jazz has a slight edge, because of the smooth, effortless playing without the frets. They both have a great tone though.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/9DBjDLh.png[/IMG]

[badboy1984]

My part build P/J bass. Why? because it feel and sound better when playing live ....... is a bass i'm comfortable playing live.

[Telebass]

All mine are essentially parts basses now.
My main one consists of a Squier VM body and an Allparts maple black blocks neck.
It's sunburst with tort and fitted with an SD SPB-2 pickup. It weighs just under 7lbs and sounds great. Following closely is my old faithful 2003/4 MIM P body, wearing an American Special Jazz neck. Maple/black/black.
They both do what they are supposed to and I never have any complaints about the sound!

Edited December 30, 2013 by Telebass

[tauzero]

My Warwick JD Thumb 4-string. I've gone over to 5 strings now but it would take something very special to induce me to sell the Thumb. The neck is lovely (that's what sold it to me) and the sound has that rich complexity that you can only get from twin pickups (and not all of them at that). Reading this triggered me into getting it off the wall and having a little play, and I've fallen in love all over again.

[risingson]

Mine is my '78 Precision that I bought from Lozz196 earlier this year. I was a Jazz bass player since I was 14 or 15, stayed like that until I was about 21 before I got another P-Bass and over time my preference has changed completely to Precisions. It isn't a light instrument but I love how substantial it feels. Almost everyone who's played it says how intimidated they are by the thickness of the neck but I've never found it to have hindered me and I love the feel of it. It sounds massive, it fills a mix brilliantly just where I need it to.

I still like Jazz basses, in fact I've just bought a 1974 Jazz that I'm really enjoying playing but it would be the first to go if I needed to rid myself of one of the instruments I currently own. But there is something very right about a P bass that I'm not sure can be topped by any other bass I've played. I've used quite a few high end instruments but I always come away thinking how much they don't really say that much about me. My P-Bass is very personal now and I doubt I'll ever get rid of it.

[shizznit]

For performances, my #1 is my Shuker. For recording, my Lakland. Two very different sounding basses. The Shuker has a very balanced tone and sits well in the high mids which really projects well on stage on FOH. Plus, it's very light and comfortable to play whilst standing. The Lakland's tone is much more rounded and flexible. The range of tones I can get from that bass really helps when recording and I have used it for all kinds of styles of music. My other basses do get used when I get bored of playing 5 string or I need to play some intensive slap which I really don't like to do on a 5 string.

[Old Horse Murphy]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1388316559' post='2320619']
Great history on that bass Nick.
[/quote]

Thanks Lozz. Hope you're well

Edited December 30, 2013 by Old Horse Murphy

[thebassist]

I had a £200 Ibanez about 19 years ago when I was 16. It was the smoothest bass I ever had but I didn't like the way it looked so sold it on. I was so stupid - looks were more important than playability back then.

[molan]

At the moment it's my, relatively, plain simple Ritter Cora. It's not the most expensive, or flashy, one I have and it doesn't have the 'mojo' of my '63J. However it's just a great all round gigging bass. Weighs very little, is a dream to play and the alder/maple combination sounds just right to me

[skej21]

[quote name='marcus bell' timestamp='1385856831' post='2293023']
What's your favourite bass you've ever played/owned and why....

Mine is my jaydee supernatural roadie 1981, reason being my dad gave it me a few years ago and I pretty much learnt everything I know now on it, and it plays itself, sounds awesome Aswell
[/quote]

Change *jaydee* for *Fender Geddy Lee jazz* and *dad* to *grandad* and this is pretty much the same thing for me!

[Kev]

Over the last few years I have realised the Warwick basses are the best instruments for me. Have owned several high end boutique instruments, including top-end Roscoe and Wood & Tronics instruments, and tried even more, and I have always come back to Warwick. Whilst I am sure I will always succumb to GAS and give other builders a go, I doubt il find anything better for me. The growly tone of the African Hardwoods is just spot-on, and the feel of the wood and the fingerboard is just right. The bridge is a superb design and the (brass) adjustable nuts are a great innovation. A Wal is still on my list of basses to try, though. I fear the day I play an Mk model as it may cause a rethink that I certainly couldn't afford!

Number one as of right now is my Warwick Dolphin Pro I from 2010. Superb quality, completely changed my view on non-vintage Warwicks. Has a superb range of tone with the electronics that seem to be able adjust to any mix in a variety of styles, perfect weight and balance at 9lb 3oz and just suits me in every way. Most gorgeous use of ovangkol I have ever come across too . It will be tough to better.

Edited December 30, 2013 by Kev

[spongebob]

My Ricky 4003. It's now my only bass, so by default is my no.1! [size=4] [/size]