Has anyone bought a bass on a whim just cos of its looks?

[Staggering on]

Yes. I have bought three double basses in 4 years and two of them were blondes because I love the look. The third one that I bought in January of this year is the one I should have bought in the first place and it is not a blonde. Right now I have my new non-blonde that will be my forever bass and I still have one of the blondes but it will have to go. Multiple EB's don't take up too much room but a couple of DB's take up a lot of space in my very small house and are more sensitive to temp and humidity so require more care. I should have known, the worst relationship I have been in was with a blonde...🙄

[lemmywinks]

7 hours ago, Bassassin said:

All the time, probably my main criterion for any bass purchase ever. And that's a lot of basses.

 

Couple of examples, one good:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love that GT, somehow manages to look like its own thing despite being incredibly derivative.

[pfretrock]

8 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Yes, a good few years ago I was in Coda Music in Stevenage and I saw a Mex Fender precision in white/rosewood, there was something about that bass that I just had to have it. I`m currently trying to resist the temptation with a bass up for grabs on here, same colour scheme.

Did the same thing with the same bass in Birmingham. Since I'd never even picked up a bass before, it was the one I picked out from all the others, no use me trying it. I  coud not play! Tend to use an narrow neck Ibanez these days, but whenever I pick up the P , it's just Wow! Oddly I find J's hard to play, luckily I was not attracted to those in the shop.

[rushbo]

7 hours ago, Bassassin said:

And one absolutely bloody awful:

 

 

The Lottery Of Functionality aspect might well be a factor in the whole thing, but I don't know. I just like shiny stuff.

 

I'm generally not a fan of headless basses, but that looks lush.

[Bolo]

[Jimothey]

I got this bass off ebay just because it reminded me of a Fortress and it was 3 miles from my house and it was only £50 

 

 

I didn't like the colour but I just had to have it, i have refinished it now tho......... 👍🏻 

 

[Owen]

57 minutes ago, Bolo said:

Yes! I would be all over one of those like a bad rash. 

[Shaggy]

Aesthetics is a priority for any bass I acquire, but the only one bought purely on looks alone - a mid ‘60’s Vox Wyman Bass; I’d always loved the teardrop shape and funky “f” hole.  Fairly horrible playing ergonomics, but surprisingly big, punchy sound.

[dmccombe7]

white Ric 4003 back in 80's. Moved it on fairly quick tho as just couldn't get the tone i was looking for. 

Would like to have another one tho.

Dave

[Bassassin]

12 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

 

 

Love that GT, somehow manages to look like its own thing despite being incredibly derivative.

It really doesn't have a single original idea - P shaped body, skinny maple/blocks J neck and Stingray pickup & EQ! Somehow it all works though, it's a lovely thing to play & really doesn't look or feel like the budget bass it is.

 

11 hours ago, rushbo said:

 

I'm generally not a fan of headless basses, but that looks lush.

Yeah. That's what I thought - this was a Crack Converters blag where I thought - a Laurus/Marleaux lookey-likey for £150? How bad can it be?

 

As it turned out, very!

 

 

[stewblack]

Has anyone bought a bass on a whim just cos of its looks?

 

Yes. Often.

[stewblack]

19 hours ago, MacDaddy said:

These are only £166 from Thomann so probably not much cop. I've never played one but still really want one! 😆

 

 

 

Don't be so quick to judge on price alone. There are some true pearls available for peanuts out there.

This is a, erm, striking pearl.

[tauzero]

Yes. I was looking for a 5-string that was as nice to play as my Warwick JD Thumb 4-string. I saw one on That Ebay, in Vietnam.

 

 

 

As it turned out, it was a brilliant bass to play and sounded pretty good. I'd just bought a Squier Precision Special 5-string and that went straight out for sale, it was so inferior to the Antoniotsai.

 

The Antoniotsai is still here, now sporting black knobs, Bartolini pickups and a Delano preamp.

[WishICouldWalk]

Bought this to get over selling my much loved 78 jazz. I bought it because of the looks but it's also a killing instrument as well.

 

[zero9]

I’d like to hear from someone who doesn’t buy a bass based on looks, because most of us do.

 

I suppose if it’s for recording only, it’s the sound which matters (looks not being important if you’re on radio 😉).

[tauzero]

49 minutes ago, zero9 said:

I’d like to hear from someone who doesn’t buy a bass based on looks, because most of us do.

 

I suppose if it’s for recording only, it’s the sound which matters (looks not being important if you’re on radio 😉).

 

I didn't buy my Warwick JD Thumb based on looks, as back in the 80s it looked rather odd. I bought it because it was such a great bass to play.

[Dan Dare]

Bought one of these on a whim last autumn. Sounds good, fortunately, although it lives up to its name in the weight department. Extra wide strap definitely needed.

 

[RhythmJunky]

Is there any other way to buy a bass ?

[StickyDBRmf]

I'm not going to have the shop owner or salesman take it down from the wall if I'm not attracted to it. It's like a car or a woman. If I'm not attracted to it I'm not even gonna take it out for a test drive. Not being glib here. It's a whim until it gets in your hands - then it's a commitment.

But...

My Pedulla was a special order (after I had played one). And the 12-string Chapman Stick was ordered from photos on website - dark bamboo.

Mail-Order Brides?

[Leonard Smalls]

I bought a Parker PB51 cos it looks crazy! Plays well, mind and is comfy if you have it high...

 

[Nail Soup]

I have a very slow turnover of gear, but if I do then looks are really important.

Most basses are doing to sound and play OK. Only some are going to look right.

 

When Basschatters are talking about tuners and wood and all that stuff it normally doesn't grab my interest.

When Basschatters talk about how beautiful a bass is it does get my attention. However, about 75% of the time I think "god, that's ugly" and 25% "drool".

That's how subjective looks are.

 

[Fishfacefour]

I didn't buy my Sandberg because of looks. I didn't like the natural + tort initially, I thought it looked like furniture, but it's really grown on me.

 

 

[Barking Spiders]

When I say whim in the OP I mean I never even had the slightest intention of buying another bass.  I didn't even go away to have a think. I just bought it like i was buying a pack of gum. Not quite the same as planning to buy one and choosing one that's a looker.

[dmccombe7]

14 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

When I say whim in the OP I mean I never even had the slightest intention of buying another bass.  I didn't even go away to have a think. I just bought it like i was buying a pack of gum. Not quite the same as planning to buy one and choosing one that's a looker.

See where you're coming from now but i dont think i've ever bought a bass on a whim like that.

I've always known beforehand what i was looking for. Sometimes it worked, other times not so much.

I prefer to do a little research these days. Was different back in 70's and 80's where you had to read magazine reviews. These days its so much easier to get reviews on youtube or online.

Dave

[Shaggy]

16 hours ago, tauzero said:

Yes. I was looking for a 5-string that was as nice to play as my Warwick JD Thumb 4-string. I saw one on That Ebay, in Vietnam.

 

 

 

As it turned out, it was a brilliant bass to play and sounded pretty good. I'd just bought a Squier Precision Special 5-string and that went straight out for sale, it was so inferior to the Antoniotsai.

 

The Antoniotsai is still here, now sporting black knobs, Bartolini pickups and a Delano preamp.

Loving that - I have an Antoniosai mandolin; decent enough as an instrument, but the MOP / abalone inlay work is just incredible.