basses built to play....

[LukeFRC]

Hey


Ended up reading something on here last night that got my brian thinking... in a way I wanted to type out and get other folk's oppinion and thoughts, hell it will probably become another thread where 90% of people say that any Fender Precision is the be all and end all of everything... but....


[b]Dafonky[/b] started thread looking for a [b]Stenback[/b] bass, interesting - I had never heard of them so did a little web browsing... first a photo of Basschatter Davlovski's bass for those who already have seen too many words, (yes, precision, ampeg and good cab handles I get it.... anyway... )



and found Tom Stenback's website [url="http://tomstenback.com"]here http://tomstenback.com [/url]
Finnish luthier - making jazz bass basses - available in black, white or natural only. Seemingly hand making most the hardware and... well not being stupid when it comes to their marketing.
Some lovely shot videos where it seems him and the other guys sit around making minute adjustments to basses to improve them....

Probably the video makers/that american fella, fault but It's all a wee bit too much hipster/makeing-movement-porn for my liking - very Kinfolk reminded me of this here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBb9O-aW4zI

and before we start on the "how much is it costing?" thread like the fodera:worth it? thread something struck me...

I've owned dozens of basses now, and tried out dozens more.
But comments on the videos about the musicality of an instrument and ability to get different tones out with changes in hand technique really made sense to me,

My main bass has that evenness across the fret board and ability to just change the sound with how I attack the strings, or just moving the right hand slightly.
My other basses have a lot less. (In fact playing the BB1200 at a gig the other day I was getting so confused by how it sounded until mid-gig I realised that digging in in the way I normally would didn't work the same way...)

And then I thought about how a lot of bass makers I've seen seem, from their stock instruments and things on here at least, be more interested in some rare and fancy top wood and triple accent lines or something, than how the thing sounds.

I guess that's audience as much as anything, Sadowsky have always seemed (to me at least) to be designed around a decent 'working' instrument, overwater seem to go for similar goals..

So I guess my questions are how does that musical responsiveness get designed/built into the instrument*?
What are you looking for?
Can it be built in, or do you play a ton of instruments to find it**?
Who else apart from Stenback focuses on this first?




[size=2]*If that is even the goal. I know some basses are designed more a a flat stable platform, for example the PeaveyT40 almost totally uncouples the strings from the body with a massive bridge and heavy body. It's the least resonant instrument ever... and a joy to play live because of that.
** cos that is one way to do it, and also why yes your harley benton may very well be the greatest bass ever made... or even that precision you play with through an ampeg and a cab with proper handles... [/size]

[linear]

I think a lot of it may be that few people see bass as an instrument of creative self-expression where the harmony between instrument and player is paramount. For the vast majority of people a bass is the thing you buy if you want to 'play bass'.

Also, for an electric bass, the bass is only part of the story. The amp, cab and things like compressors have a hige effect on how the instrument responds to the player.

Edited March 18, 2016 by linear

[Cameronj279]

Any good instrument is built to play.

[neilp]

Amps cabs and compressors have NO effect on how the instrument responds to the player. They do have an effect on the sound of those responses

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1458342206' post='3006908']
Any good instrument is built to play.
[/quote] though I would have thought there are a fair few companies that design the product that will give the best return to their shareholders, and playability comes second

[Machines]

All musical instruments are built to play?

[skelf]

I can't imagine any builder building a bass without sound/playability as a major factor. I use many fancy woods but I don't see how that means that playability/sound is not taken in to account.You seem to be equating plain with playable not sure I can agree with that. Every builder I know is on a constant quest to improve all aspects of their instruments Mr Stenbeck is in no way the exception in that respect maybe his marketing is better than most, in which case well done to him.

[Defo]

All hands are different, just like all arms and brains.
All basses are different too, I can't get a decent sound out of Fenders which puts me in a real minority, like wise the fact that Dingwalls suit me very well.

[Lozz196]

[quote name='Defo' timestamp='1458478573' post='3007863']
All hands are different, just like all arms and brains.
All basses are different too, I can't get a decent sound out of Fenders which puts me in a real minority, like wise the fact that Dingwalls suit me very well.
[/quote]

Well put, I`m similar but with Stingrays, I just can`t get a good sound from them, but absolutely love them when others play them. Whereas Fenders - well to nail it exactly, Fender Precisions - well I`m at home on those.

Everyone is different, it`s the luck of the draw finding the instrument that suits us the best.

[Tdw]

I think although most basses are perfectly playable some are more "built to play" than others, playing a rickenxxxker is like night and day compared with playing a kubicki, in my opinion anyway. although of course some of this may be down to individual style and body shape.

[Kev]

As far as basses that are not built to play is concerned, the first I thought of was Rickenbacker. Or anything with pickup covers. Or any that restrict access to the upper frets. Or anything with neck dive. I name these as these literally inhibit playing in favour of aesthetics, or at least for my technique they do.

Id like to hope most basses are built to play!

Edited March 20, 2016 by Kev

[ead]

I not so sure about the fancy woods being an impediment to playabilty. I have several coffee tables, they all play nicely and fit in well with the bands (sorry boys nights out) I play in. They would definitely let me know if they didn't.

Goodness knows what might lurk under the thick paint and lacquer that some basses are covered in (I have some of those too). So for me it's all about playability as I don't have the skill or technique to overcome the faults in the poorer instruments.

[CamdenRob]

[quote name='skelf' timestamp='1458388926' post='3007154']
I can't imagine any builder building a bass without sound/playability as a major factor. I use many fancy woods but I don't see how that means that playability/sound is not taken in to account.You seem to be equating plain with playable not sure I can agree with that. Every builder I know is on a constant quest to improve all aspects of their instruments Mr Stenbeck is in no way the exception in that respect maybe his marketing is better than most, in which case well done to him.
[/quote]

I have to agree with this... Just because attention has been paid to the appearance doesn't mean sound and playability have been ignored.

If anything I'd be inclined to think that a bass which has clearly had time and attention spent on it's appearance would also have had the same level of care gone into the other aspects of the build.

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='skelf' timestamp='1458388926' post='3007154']
I can't imagine any builder building a bass without sound/playability as a major factor. I use many fancy woods but I don't see how that means that playability/sound is not taken in to account.You seem to be equating plain with playable not sure I can agree with that. Every builder I know is on a constant quest to improve all aspects of their instruments Mr Stenbeck is in no way the exception in that respect maybe his marketing is better than most, in which case well done to him.
[/quote] fair challenge, maybe it was wrong to pick on fancy woods.
Stenbeck has got good marketing, it's a very good marketing preposition.
For what it's worth the maker who I most regularly hear people say "the bass is really responsive to playing variations." About is ACG. Is stenback just shouting about something that everyone does?

[skelf]

As with any bass builder I suppose how you choose to market your product is to a degree an extension of what you think is important. Unique selling points are hard to come by so any you feel you have should be mentioned. Care and attention to all aspects of the build are very important but above a certain point I think it is fair to assume these are a given and not an USP as such. Personally I have spent a great deal of time on the pickups and electronics because I am looking for a set of sounds that I like so I tend to mention those above other aspects of the bass. The pre-amp is to a degree an USP. It is not the only filter pre-amp but it is the only one with that set of features and the DFM is only available in my instruments. However I don't think I neglect the other aspects because of that. I am always looking for feedback about what works what could be better from anyone. But I am my own harshest critic and generally that drives what I do.

Edited March 21, 2016 by skelf

[EmmettC]

I really like plain(ish) basses, I love the look of a Stingray or a jazz, I'm really partial to Sunburst, and I think a nice piece of Ash is the best looking wood to make a bass out of. Electronics aside, making what I consider a nice bass is a pretty simple task.

That said, I don't think that a Natural Ash Jazz is necessarily more playable, or better sounding than a flame maple topped through neck with a figured fingerboard. In fact working out how all the different woods for the top wings and through neck work together could make the bass a lot nicer sounding, and perhaps because it doesn't have a traditional shape it might be better balanced.

There is a place for all kinds of builders, and everyone has different taste in looks and sound, but I definitely don't think one luthier is making more playable instrument just because they don't use exotic woods.