After 40 Years My instrument Choices

[pmjos]

After 40 plus years of playing bass, going through lots of instruments and slowly buying what I could afford over the last 20,  I thought I'd share my personal modern instrument choices at this point( I mainly play 5's) - what are yours.

 

Vintage 4 string style Jazz - Moollon (I had a 5 but in the end the neck was just too chunky for my hands - but oh the tone)

Modern J/PJ Anaconda - I have a PJ the neck is gorgeous, thin body - modern bright - super playable. Aggressive P tone is stunning for P slap.

Modern P5 - Lakand Vintage P passive - on flats sounds like a 59p thick and thumpy Pino or tiktak Carol Kaye if you want plus that low B. 

Modern MMJ 5 - Lakland 55-94 - not had this long but its the most tonally flexible bass I've ever had.

Fretless 5 - Pentabuzz but mine has Bart soap bars which I really like

Recording - Fodera Imperial Elite ( unchambered mahogany body - weighs a tonne )

 

For my ears Moollon/Anaconda/Lakland are all up there. Not knocking anyone else, I just haven't got to play everything yet.

 

 

 

[Steve Browning]

Rather simple. 9 Precisions. To be fair, one of them has rounds on it!

[Rayman]

Nice collection there….

 

For me though, also 40yrs down the road, I have a constantly fluid and ever changing bass collection. I’ve tried so hard to settle on a few, but can’t. To me they’re tools, and to be honest I rarely get attached to them these days, they come, they go….  If I inserted the current list here, it’ll be different in 6 months. 

[BigRedX]

At one point I had just under 50 guitars and basses plus a load of synthesisers and samplers.

 

These days I'm down to 4 basses:

 

Gus G3 5-string bass active in CAR. This is my main gigging bass with In Isolation

Gus G3 5-string bass passive in black. This is my back-up bass for In Isolation, and for recording when I need a "normal" bass guitar.

Eastwood Hooky 6-string bass. This is my main gigging and recording bass for Hurtsfall.

Burns Barracuda 6-string bass. This is my backup bass for Hurtsfall. Hopefully soon to be replaced with a second Eastwood Hooky.

 

And 2 Guitars:

Gus G1 Guitar with Twin Humbuckers and Vibrato
FretKing Esprit V Custom

 

And whatever plug-in synths come free with Logic.

[Rich]

My 3 main working basses now are:

• Shuker custom 5-string
• Spector Q4 4-string
• Sire V7 5-string

Yes of course I have others  but these 3 get all the gig action.

[Lozz196]

I started on a Kay short-scale bass (their EB-O copy).

 

Now, after having been through many different basses over the years and settling on Fender Precisions for a long time I now, due to worsening back issues, am back on short-scale basses, this time Fender Mustangs.

[Paulhauser]

I do have a small collection of basses but the main ones that I use are these:

 

Spector NS-5XL 

My main recording bass, apart from fretless I haven't used anything else for the last 5 years of recordings (couple of LP's, EP's etc.)

 

Spector Euro 5 Classic

This is now my main gigging bass for one of the few bands I do live gigs with. This gets most of the action though as this band gigs the most.

 

I'm subbing for an Iron Maiden cover band a couple of times a year and this is what I use for that gig

Spector Euro LE1977 (the one on the right, left is it's sister, the LE1979)

 

I don't use fretless that often and certainly not live but when I do use it for recordings and practice this is the one

Warwick Thumb NT6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cat Burrito]

I went from having two Fenders in heavy rotation (for over 15 years) until around the time of Bass forums, more basses than GAK stock at any given time through to a small handful (about 7) of different mid - higher end basses that I rotate. This is over a 35yr journey. 

[chris_b]

For 50% of my playing time I owned one bass, a 1968 Fender Precision.

 

For the other 50% I owned 2 basses. First a US Lakland 55-94 and a Wal mk3, and most recently a Sadowsky MV5 Metro Jazz and a Mike Lull PJ5.

 

ATM I'm checking out light weight basses to replace my Sadowsky. Currently a Cort GB35J, Lakland 55-02 and Ibanez EHB1505. I'll be back to 2 basses by the end of the Summer, when I've found the one.

[Rich]

1 hour ago, Rich said:

My 3 main working basses now are:

• Shuker custom 5-string
• Spector Q4 4-string
• Sire V7 5-string

Yes of course I have others  but these 3 get all the gig action.

The Spector has been extensively modified cosmetically and is wired with coil taps. 

The Sire has been modified with lightweight tuners and a top-loading bridge.

All three are strung with Elixirs -- nickels on the fives and steels on the Q4.

Edited July 31, 2023 by Rich

[Dazed]

How do you find the nickel elixirs compared to steels?

[Ed_S]

I've only been at it 23 years, but I've had a few in that time and am currently running with...

 

Gigging workhorse #1 - Ibanez SR 5 Premium

Gigging workhorse #2 - Sandberg Cali Central 5

Jazz - Fender USA Pro Jazz V

Ray - EBMM Stingray Special 5H

 

NS - Warwick Streamer S1 5 (on order for months - might arrive early next year)

Precision - Sandberg VS5 (planned acquisition at some point in the future)

[Rich]

1 hour ago, Dazed said:

How do you find the nickel elixirs compared to steels?

I think they're slightly brighter, more aggressive. I was hoping they would be, as I use the bass in my ska band and some of the songs are quite in-yer-face.

[Fishfacefour]

4 hours ago, Rich said:

The Spector has been extensively modified cosmetically and is wired with coil taps. 

The Sire has been modified with lightweight tuners and a top-loading bridge.

All three are strung with Elixirs -- nickels on the fives and steels on the Q4.

Out of interest, what tuners did you put on the sire? 

[Rich]

5 minutes ago, Fishfacefour said:

Out of interest, what tuners did you put on the sire? 

Hipshot licenced HB6C 1/2

They're not a direct replacement, I had to drill new screw holes and fill the old ones but it was a very worthwhile mod... they're more precise and smoother than the stock ones, and half a pound lighter.

[BlueMoon]

4 hours ago, chris_b said:

I'll be back to 2 basses by the end of the Summer, when I've found the one.

I love this statement.

 

I’ve told myself this over the last 40+ years of playing. Hasn’t worked for me yet!

[chris_b]

28 minutes ago, BlueMoon said:

I’ve told myself this over the last 40+ years of playing. Hasn’t worked for me yet!

 

As I said, I owned the same  bass for 25 years.

 

Then the internet came along and I went mad and bought another.

[ezbass]

12 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Then the internet and Basschat came along and I went mad and bought another.

FTFY  

[sammybee]

I'm down to two, one with flats and one with rounds.

 

#1 EBMM Stingray 2006 Special Edition in Buttercream strung with flats

#2 Fender US RI 1975 Jazz Bass natural finish strung with rounds

 

Between this pair, I can cover all my bases!

[Linus27]

I've been playing for 37 years and have gone through a whole host of basses, mostly Fender Jazz and Precision's but I have also had Stingray's, Warwick's, Laklands etc. My tastes do change and depending on the project or band I will use a bass that suits it best but its usually a Jazz or a Precision. For the last 10 years I've only played fretless so that brings a whole new range of basses but again, it's only a Jazz, Precision or Stingray. I've also settled down a lot in what I like or want or no longer have a need to gry other basses.

[Dazed]

4 hours ago, BlueMoon said:

I love this statement.

 

I’ve told myself this over the last 40+ years of playing. Hasn’t worked for me yet!

Isn’t this the same lie we all tell ourselves. 

[Dazed]

1 hour ago, Linus27 said:

I've been playing for 37 years and have gone through a whole host of basses, mostly Fender Jazz and Precision's but I have also had Stingray's, Warwick's, Laklands etc. My tastes do change and depending on the project or band I will use a bass that suits it best but its usually a Jazz or a Precision. For the last 10 years I've only played fretless so that brings a whole new range of basses but again, it's only a Jazz, Precision or Stingray. I've also settled down a lot in what I like or want or no longer have a need to gry other basses.

Similar story, I had 2 lovely basses for 15-20 years. Then happened to come across this place. Within a year or two I was up to double figures…… I went from only active “modern” at the time, Warwicks and Wals to now loving some Precision basses which back then I wouldn’t give the time of day to. 
 

[msb]

For years an old Pbass was everything I needed. And then I started adding another here and there. 
Now I’ve got twenty something , and appreciate that some are different.

At some point I’ll trim things , but I still enjoy what I have. There’s really only a couple I’d really have any interest in selling.

[ead]

On 31/07/2023 at 08:28, Steve Browning said:

Rather simple. 9 Precisions. To be fair, one of them has rounds on it!

 

Burn him for he is a warlock.  Fancy putting rounds on a P bass 

[ead]

Aside from my lovely fretless ACGs, I seem to have gravitated towards variations on a P bass theme:

 

Normal P

'54 style P

Attitude Special

Lee Sklar-alike double P

 

Is there a therapy group I can join?