kwmlondon Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 And which would you feel pigeon-holed playing? I'm gonna kick off and say I'd happily own a Fender Geddy Lee Jazz bass. I love early-to-mid-70s Fender Jazz basses and the GL ones have a great reputation. They're proper disco funk machines, as well as being great for rock. I'd feel able to use one of them in pretty much any situation I'd use a 4-string. I don't think I'd get a Dingwall NG as it seems just a bit too focused on the hard-rock/metal genre, though I think they're awesome instruments. I own a Combustion and I can kind-of sneak it into a lot more situations than the NG without looking like I'm in the wrong band! The darkglass tone capsule is also less versatile than the EMG. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrevorR Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 (edited) The three that spring to mind are the Fender Geddy Lee Jazz, the Fender Marcus Miller Jazz and the Epiphone Jack Cassidy Semi-acoustic. All very well known bassists but with basses that you would be happy playing in all sort of contexts. The fact that two are flavours of Jazz bass probably helps their transferability. The bass I’d feel pigeonholed by would be any pointy metal type bass. They look silly enough in their coven genre but utterly ridiculous anywhere else. I saw Chuck Berry at a festival in 1983 and he was clearly using a pick up band. The bass player had an Explorer shaped bass - an Aria ZZB IIRC. Playing Maybelline and No Particular Place To Go it just didn’t look right! Edited March 10 by TrevorR Typos 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 Modulus Flea, extraordinarily versatile, does what Flea did with his but so much more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 The Fender Roscoe Beck was just a great bass, arguably the best sig bass the big F ever produced and as not a load of folk were/are aware of Mr Beck’s work, it certainly transcended the artist. I think I’d feel pigeon holed by a Fodera yin/yang or a Status Kingbass, but I’m never likely to find out. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 I don’t feel at all pigeon-holed playing my Fender JMJ (Justin Meldal- Johnsen) Mustangs. That could well be down to I’m not familiar with his work, just have the basses as they’re just really good instruments that fit my needs. Similar to the above I’d probably feel pigeon-holed by anything pointy/metal oriented. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwmlondon Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 Yeah, totally, I’d forgotten the while pointy headstock thing! You don’t see so many these days… 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 (edited) Another thumbs up the Fender JMJ mustangs. Phenomenal basses. I'm sure JMJ himself is a great player, however I'm not particularly interested in the music he's involved with but he certainly specs up a great signature model. Initially I liked my first blue JMJ mustang despite the roadworn finish, but that finish does makes it possible to enjoy playing it without worrying about getting a knock or ding at a gig. I've since added a black one to the collection, plus a second blue one with a view to getting it refinished in a custom colour. Edited March 10 by Jean-Luc Pickguard 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 That set me off on a quest to find a signature bass that I would consider owning - surprisingly, I found one, the Kiesel Amos Williams Signature 5-String Headless Bass. Doesn't look like there's any for sale though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 44 minutes ago, Lozz196 said: I don’t feel at all pigeon-holed playing my Fender JMJ 21 minutes ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said: Another thumbs up the Fender JMJ mustangs. Phenomenal basses. Ultimately, they’re just a ‘66 reissue, so any artist association is secondary IMO. Great basses, no question. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 Just now, ezbass said: Ultimately, they’re just a ‘66 reissue, so any artist association is secondary IMO. Great basses, no question. Not quite, they were modelled after a particular bass JMJ owned which he wanted to be replicated as close as possible. He preferred the pickup in this bass to others he had played, and this was replicated by Seymour Duncan for the production model. Also the headstock is noticably thicker than is normal for a mustang bass which is an idiosyncrasy of his original one. There were several prototypes made until he was happy to sign off on it. I believe the only thing he was disappointed about that Fender wasn't able to include on the production model was that his original bass has a thin curved 'veneer' fingerboard, however the factory was not geared up for this so the signature model has a slab fingerboard. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 I’d happily play the Ida Nielsen Signature Sandberg, I nearly bought one a year or so back, not because of anything to do with Ida or what she plays, it’s just a lovely bass, 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 I'm just going to straight out say that the Epiphone Jack Casady Signature has more than transcended JC's use of it. I would go so far as to say it has become over a 27-ish year production run (and counting) one of the go-to answers to the question "which long scale, hollow bodied electric bass should I buy?" I don't think I've ever played a lick of Jefferson Airplane or Hot Tuna on mine. It's a great sounding bass regardless of the genre being played. Furthermore, I don't feel pigeonholed by any bass. I don't give a crap what other people think of the bass I'm playing. I pick them on a whim and if anyone has a complaint, they're welcome to come on stage and take over and do a better job. I'll play a Mockingbird or an Explorer in church, or at a country gig, and I'd play metal on my JC because I DGAF. People who complain about these sorts of things should remember that they use their ears for listening, not their eyes 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 27 minutes ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said: Not quite, they were modelled after a particular bass JMJ owned which he wanted to be replicated as close as possible. He preferred the pickup in this bass to others he had played, and this was replicated by Seymour Duncan for the production model. Also the headstock is noticably thicker than is normal for a mustang bass which is an idiosyncrasy of his original one. There were several prototypes made until he was happy to sign off on it. I believe the only thing he was disappointed about that Fender wasn't able to include on the production model was that his original bass has a thin curved 'veneer' fingerboard, however the factory was not geared up for this so the signature model has a slab fingerboard. Interesting stuff, I had no idea. But to look at it doesn't scream signature model. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattpbass Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 41 minutes ago, Reggaebass said: I’d happily play the Ida Nielsen Signature Sandberg, I nearly bought one a year or so back, not because of anything to do with Ida or what she plays, it’s just a lovely bass, I play the 5-string for the bulk of my gigs and it’s fantastic, way better than the American Elite/Deluxe Jazzes (jazz’s? jazzi?) I was using previously. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyJohnson Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 The Mike Lull Paul Anthony model. Chortle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwmlondon Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 1 hour ago, Reggaebass said: I’d happily play the Ida Nielsen Signature Sandberg, I nearly bought one a year or so back, not because of anything to do with Ida or what she plays, it’s just a lovely bass, Gonna see Ida next week! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 Alembic brown bass. White Moon. Fretless StingRay. 3 string fretless StingRay. 2 string fretless played with a slide. The first 5 string Modulus. 5 string Parker Fly. Koa Pensa-Suhr. Carved Rickenbacker. Double neck Rickenbacker. Pink JayDee. Fretless Klein bass. Six string Ken Smith -> six string Yahaya. Peavey TL. Peavey Rudy Sarzo. Jack Daniels. Star bass. Höfner. Manson. Kubicki Ex-Factor. Zon Hyperbass. Hagström The Swede. Overwater C bass. Yahaya Attitude. Whichever of these would certainly sound different in my hands, but never mind. These have been the basses and players in my youth, and still are. Of course there are others. (I'd like to find someone to Mosrite, Atlansia, Ibanez [well, Gerald Veasley is already there], Burns, Danelectro... and if someone does not know the players of the basses mentioned, I think I can add them later on.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowB_FTW Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 (edited) 31 minutes ago, neepheid said: Furthermore, I don't feel pigeonholed by any bass. I don't give a crap what other people think of the bass I'm playing. I pick them on a whim and if anyone has a complaint, they're welcome to come on stage and take over and do a better job. I'll play a Mockingbird or an Explorer in church, or at a country gig, and I'd play metal on my JC because I DGAF. People who complain about these sorts of things should remember that they use their ears for listening, not their eyes Thank you for saying this. I see here it mentioned quite a lot that this or that bass isn't suitable for this or that type of music and I just think to myself "WTF", because a bass is a bass is a bass and a Thunderbird can be used for country just as a Jazz can be used for doom metal. I've been reticent to speak up on this though until now because it seems to be some sort of perceived wisdom that I've been counter to the notion of. Mark Edited March 10 by LowB_FTW Typo 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackroadkill Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 2 minutes ago, LowB_FTW said: a Jazz can be used for doom metal. In my last band the bass player used my plywood Squier Jazz, tuned to C, for some very heavy, very dirty stoner metal and it sounded the mutt's nuts. He tried a bass that was more typical in the metal arena (active circuitry, pointier shape, etc etc) and it just didn't have the punch of that Jazz bass. I still play it now for nasty downtuned noise. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 17 minutes ago, kwmlondon said: Gonna see Ida next week! Nice one, I’ve never seen her ,but if it’s anything like some of the videos I’ve seen she looks like an amazing player 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGhostofJaco Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 For me the Sadowsky Verdine White. It really just feels like its own instrument and not a signature model. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 I know this thread is about basses, but in addition to my JMJ mustang basses, I also own a Ben Gibbard signature guitar which is a really nice MiM recreation of the mustang guitars he uses, this specifically being a 70s Ash bodied mustang with one piece maple neck/fingerboard. It also has a few quirks favoured by BG such as simplified wiring and a blocked trem. Unlike an original 70s example which would have used heavy northern ash making it rather heavy, this is nice & light due to the swamp ash body having weight relief chambers routed out. It is irrelevant to me that it is a signature model as I wouldn't be able to name a single Death Cab for Cutie song. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 (edited) Sire Marcus Miller. I bet he doesn't even know about half of them.. Edited March 11 by miles'tone Marcis? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazycloud Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 Alembic Stanley Clarke Sig (and my similar S1s). The only thing they transcended was me, but I played them whenever I wanted in whatever genre I wanted because they were awesome. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr4stringz Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 11 hours ago, neepheid said: DGAF Interesting tuning. 3 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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