What makes a great bass?

[tegs07]

As a side topic to the whole Tonewood debate what factors do make a bass “sing”?

There were several comments in that thread about a bass being the sum of its parts and changing elements of the mix making a huge difference. 

During lockdown to relieve boredom I did a few builds. None were as accomplished as some of the talented lot that post here, but it was a genuinely interesting experience. Changing a neck or even a bridge really could alter the character of a bass, affecting the sound to an extent but more the overall feel. I don’t mean swapping a rubbish part for a decent one. One Mexican Fender for example just felt horrible to play. When I swapped the neck over it was a joy.. yet the necks were both Mexican Fender... both maple, different years and profiles though.

For this reason I have often found ’Bitsa’ basses make a great overall instrument but they will be devalued on the used market for not being “original”.

 

 

[Baxlin]

A great bass player. 😎

[tegs07]

16 minutes ago, Baxlin said:

A great bass player. 😎

That maybe why mine never sound so good..

[mikel]

Any bass you personally think is great.

[tegs07]

3 minutes ago, mikel said:

Any bass you personally think is great.

There must be more to it than that though. Are there any luthiers here and if so do you ever assemble a bass before the final finish, play it and think nope that’s not right?

I’ve only recently realised just how important a good set up is and am working to try and master that skill.

[Reggaebass]

For me , the neck profile and shape makes the biggest difference, if I don’t like the feel of it I don’t buy it and I almost know instantly whether it’s for me or not , as far as the sound goes, the choice of strings can make a massive difference ,it took me a long while and a lot of money to find my ideal string, and also a good setup to your preference can make a bass feel totally different , I used to pay for my basses to be setup and I always had to make further adjustments, so I now set them up myself 🙂

[Frank Blank]

A luthier, next question.

[tegs07]

11 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

For me , the neck profile and shape makes the biggest difference, if I don’t like the feel of it I don’t buy it and I almost know instantly whether it’s for me or not , as far as the sound goes, the choice of strings can make a massive difference ,it took me a long while and a lot of money to find my ideal string, and also a good setup to your preference can make a bass feel totally different , I used to pay for my basses to be setup and I always had to make further adjustments, so I now set them up myself 🙂

Cheers some really good points... interesting re setup in particular as it’s such a personal thing only you can really get it right! I definitely need to dedicate more time to getting it right.

Edit: I think I am floundering a bit as I have recently switched to a Jazz and am just working out what is right for me

Edited March 5, 2021 by tegs07

[BassTractor]

Tonewood.
Only tonewood.

Edited March 5, 2021 by BassTractor

[tegs07]

4 minutes ago, BassTractor said:

Tonewood.
Only tonewood.

Don’t start that again...

[Dan Dare]

Shedloads of cash.

[Reggaebass]

2 minutes ago, tegs07 said:

Cheers some really good points... interesting re setup in particular as it’s such a personal thing only you can really get it right! I definitely need to dedicate more time to getting it right.

One thing that helped me massively with understanding the setting up was doing a few builds for fun, the first was a Mexican jazz, I completely stripped it and changed the colour and neck, then upgraded all the parts , it gave me a good insight into how it was put together, I had to look up quite a few things like shimming and pickup heights, but it was an enjoyable experience and a good learning curve  🙂

[Guest aDx]

every bass i have ever had sounds like me....from cheaper to very expensive.

long scale and short scale

[PlungerModerno]

I would say it's anything that makes somebody think it's great! I think it can't be one thing since two basses may be equally loved by two different players which hate the other bass entirely.

Ultimately I think if it sounds great it is great.

[TJ1]

For me it has to be comfortable to hold, if you are going to spend hundreds if not thousands of hours with an instrument, it does not matter if it sounds  John Entwhistle's thunder or whatever, if it is uncomfortable and does not 'fit' your physique, then can be somewhat of a masochistic exercise.

I'm sticking with my Bongo for this reason, obviously a good fit is a personal thing, but it has the added bonus of being unusually light.

[slojo]

 

 

Edited March 5, 2021 by slojo

[police squad]

what makes a great bass

easy

snake oil

[Cato]

25 minutes ago, police squad said:

what makes a great bass

easy

snake oil

There is a part of me that thinks that once you've got the basics - pickup in the right place, playable action, stays in tune - then everything else is just window dressing designed to justify a higher price tag.

And I say that as someone who owns some reasonably expensive (to me that is, I'm not talking Foderas) kit.

Edited March 5, 2021 by Cato

[TheLowDown]

An inexpensive comfortable to hold lightweight bass with no neck dive and where the neck is joined firmly to the body.

[Barking Spiders]

cheap price

[Owen]

The next one. We ALL know that to be a fact.

[grandad]

If it looks like a great bass, if it feels like a great bass, if it sounds like a great bass, then it's probably a great bass. 🙂

Edited March 5, 2021 by grandad

[Bobthedog]

The one that you enjoy playing. Simples.

Maybe not the answer you are looking for but price, woods, neck shape, set up, colour, sounds etc are all variables that are individual to our own preferred styles and tastes.

[TheGreek]

For me:

• Great balance
• Satin finish slim neck
• Brass nut
• High mass bridge
• Light gauge strings
• Low action
• Wide tonal package (pick ups and wood)
   

[tegs07]

1 minute ago, Bobthedog said:

The one that you enjoy playing. Simples.

Maybe not the answer you are looking for but price, woods, neck shape, set up, colour, sounds etc are all variables that are individual to our own preferred styles and tastes.

Well my favourite bass cost either £28 or £38 can’t remember about 16 years ago. It’s one of my least favourite colours, has numerous dents and was made by Hondo about 40 years ago. It just sounds great and is a joy to play.