Ever played a bass that made you think you played better?

[Painy]

6 string Ken Smith I played in the old Bass Centre in Wapping.

[MoonBassAlpha]

A Squier Bronco that I bought on behalf of a friend who didn't do eBay. £67.
It was just so effortless to play I could barely put it down, and didn't want to pass it on to its new owner!

[cris the man]

I've always said this, I'm very fortunate my parents saved their child benefits for my 18th and treated me to a rickenbaker 4003 in mapleglo.

Dream bass but an absolutely tank to play.

however, i feel fantastic when i play it.

[Lozz196]

Probably Clarkys Pino Sig Precision, it was just effortless to play. Likewise with the Road Worn Precisions, if only they did a black one........

[Funky Dunky]

Fender American Elite Jazz bass. All my wee technique flaws just disappeared and everything sounded killer.

[MattM]

I find 40-41mm neck (B width Precision or Ray) plus rolled fingerboard edges and flats do it for me. Fortunately my Limelight P has all 3...

[Iheartreverb]

Yes!
My main bass is a Rickenbacker 4003 with flats I'm just so used to the feel and sound and how to work with it that I don't often even want for anything else. Played a Fender American Elite jazz bass recently and bloody hell! I don't often like jazz's, I usually don't like round and I don't usually like active basses but it just felt and sounded amazing!

[ordep]

My Medium scale Fbass. I am just an average player, but whenever I am fiddling with it at home thru headphones, soloing over chord progressions, for some reason I ocassionally stumble upon lines that make me smile. :-) tone and playability really adds to creativity.

[TonyCream]

It's both a natural thing and a psychological thing in my opinion.

The way I look at it is that with a higher quality instrument you're going to produce something that is of higher quality. If something is just easier to play, it suits you, it feels good to hold, the strings are just the right gauge, the action is at a height you're comfortable with then you're bound to be better, without a doubt.

As for the psychological thing; I've felt much more confident on basses that are aesthetically more pleasing. It's that feeling of knowing you look badass with what you're holding and that confidence is something that you can take and run with. I used to have a Peavey Millennium BXP, don't get me wrong it was a nice bass, looked good. A few years back I sold it and got an Ibanez SR 1605 and the difference I felt as a performer was unbelievable. I know this may come across as potentially sounding arrogant but when I hold that bass on stage I know that it's appreciated and what that does for me as a performer really makes the difference.

Edited March 19, 2017 by TonyCream

[chris_b]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1489893602' post='3260631']
Probably Clarkys Pino Sig Precision, it was just effortless to play.
[/quote]
It was a good one, wasn't it.