Best/Favourite bass and why?

[Lozz196]

So, many years on from when this thread started and glad to say that my fave bass is still a US Fender Precision. 

[ots]

I've only been playing for a couple of years, but in that time I must have had 20 or so basses pass through my hands.

In that time, 3 stand out - and I still have them

1. Yamaha TRBX 604 - I know a weird choice, but the neck is sublime and the electronics are first rate. 

2. Sandberg Electra VS 4 (P Bass) - the Sandberg attention to detail and quality is amazeballs, this instrument is better quality than the US Fender Ps I've had

3. Fender Mustang - I've had a couple, but my current JMJ is a keeper.

I also have a 2006 MM Stingray that I'll never sell - but that's because it's my son's favourite.

 

Plenty more to try 🙂

 

[tauzero]

I still have the JD Thumb, which did get an outing about three years ago. Favourite bass that I use would be my Sei Original 5-string fretless.

[paul_5]

My bitsa fretless Jazz. 
2 piece ash body, maple neck, rosewood board.

 

mmmmmmmmm

[uk_lefty]

Musicman Stingray. So, so easy to choose. Why? I bought it from brand new with a nice tax rebate after discovering accidentally I'd been overpaying tax by a considerable amount for a long time. Went into Wunjos and under no pressure chose the bass I wanted for thumping out covers in pubs, halls and at weddings and functions. It's my number 1 live bass for its massive, massive ballsy sound. You can slap it, you can pick it, you can gently fingerstyle it but you get the best out of it by digging in. The tone and punch of this bass fits perfectly for pop and rock style stuff. The neck is perfection. The EQ is intuitive and so easy to use. It's really lightweight and it looks fantastic. The only thing it doesn't do is subtlety. If it were a dog it would be a stupid, slobbery Great Dane that only wants to play 24hrs a day and jumps all over you. It will chew up your shoes but never sh!t in them and you'll just love it even more.

 

If my house were on fire it's not the first bass I'd run back in for. That would be the "worthless" Kramer I got for my 18th birthday and have loved ever since. Many basses have come and gone but the Kramer stays. That's the bass that is just so natural for me to play. Sadly it's looks, and it's sound, don't fit all occasions.

[bartelby]

On 07/02/2014 at 15:00, bartelby said:

Favourite bass: my EBMM Stingray as it's light, comfortable and easy to play.

Bass I play the most and gig: Fender Steve Harris, because it sounds bloody awesome!

 

To update.

 

Favourite bass: Aria Pro II SB B&G, because it's really easy to play and it looks awesome.

[Baloney Balderdash]

Well, while certainly not my dream bass, which it is very unlikely I will ever get the funds to have custom made for me, at the moment it is my quite recently acquired Harley Benton GuitarBass (heavily Fender Bass VI inspired instrument, but with a fixed TOM style bridge, and a few other welcome differences, like for example a much flatter 14" radius fretboard, and a pickup switching system that actually works for immediate pickup combination changes on the fly while you are playing).

 

My first Harley Benton, and despite all the praise I've read and heard about their instruments I was still blown away by what amazing value this instrument is, it really is true what I've read and heard, a simply a mind boggling, truly astonishing, level of quality compared to the money they ask.

 

And after initially struggling a bit with the super tight guitar string spacing I am actually feeling quite at home on it now.

 

Such a joy to play.

 

Would you imagine, practically perfectly leveled frets from stock, and an absolute perfectly cut graphite nut, and that on an instrument that costed me what equals just about 190£ from new.

 

Even the grains of the neck wood runs perfectly straight along the length of it, as it ideally should.

 

Just wow!

 

How is this even possible?

 

Well admittedly the pickups are intolerably noisy when not touching any metal parts, creating a ground connection for the bridge ground wire, but aside from that they do actually sound genuinely great, and if it wasn't for that noise I wouldn't have any reason whatsoever to upgrade them, in fact I ideally would actually prefer exactly those pickups, just without that horrible loud hum.

 

It also do have a couple of slightly sharp fret ends, but nothing that really bothers me, or that I even notice, unless specifically focusing on it.

 

And that's about it as far as flaws goes, as far as I have been able to identify at least, and I did actually do a pretty thoroughly attempt at specifically inspecting the instrument for such.  

 

Otherwise seemingly absolute perfection, though I guess one likely would be able to find better tuners (the stock one aren't exactly bad though), a broader saddle part of the bridge, that would allow for proper intonation of a wider variety of string gauges (though the stock one does work perfectly for the strings and tuning of my personal preference), and this instrument is on the rather heavy side too, but those aren't exactly flaws as such.

 

Well, and of course the strings it came with was pretty horrendous, and it did need a setup, even if the one it came shipped with, while not perfect, actually was pretty decent and absolutely playable, with pretty comfortable string action, without any fret buzz whatsoever, but those are things you ought to expect from just about any new instrument you buy, regardless of price point, at least from any mass produced instrument that you don't physically in person buy directly from a shop that offers a personal setup according to your personal preferences, but is shipped to you with a standard factory setup. 

 

 

 

I wouldn't mind a 4 string custom made 30" short scale MENSINGER Cazpar though, which might, might that is, just get within my range of what I can afford to spare for a bass, at some point at least.

 

Something like this, just in matte black finish (or perhaps transparent black with a spalted maple top?), not 100% certain about the pickup choice, gold hardware, monorail bridge pieces, 17mm string spacing, and a figured Ebony fretboard:

 

Or perhaps even a 30" short scale 6 string Cazpar, same specs, except 16mm string spacing:

 

And I would definitely love a Simon Farmer Gus Guitars G3 Baritone (which is a highly unique take on the Bass VI concept), that is 30", 6 strings, but a slightly wider 45mm nut, and 12mm string spacing at the bridge), like this, just in black, or possibly purple, with gold horns, like the guitar and bass he made for Prince:

http://www.gusguitars.com/product.php?model_id=10

http://www.gusguitars.com/modelpics/gpic10.jpg

 

But that's like totally unrealistic, I will most definitely never get that kind of money to spare, unless I win in lotto, or inherit a large sum of money from a rich uncle I never knew I even had, or a generous Nigerian prince that isn't just an e-mail scam, but even then priority would be the custom dream bass that I have meticulous though out to my very specific specs and design, matching my personal ideal preferences in detail, which though is not really all that realistic that I'll ever get the kind of money required to have made either, and then if I still have enough money to spare I would get that Simon Farmer Gus Guitars G3 Baritone as well. 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2022 by Baloney Balderdash

[Beedster]

Fretless Ric, always had a very special vibe, beautiful pipey highs, growly mids and thunderous lows, always made me feel great on stage, great for rock but sold it as I moved into genres to which it was less well suited. Not unlike my old Modulus Sonic Hammer, the Ric was almost too much of a good thing at times

 

But if one came up for sale and I had the cash, I’d buy it, even though I am no longer a bass guitar player 🤔

[Skybone]

Still loving the 4003.