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I do want an octave 8 or 12 string, but that’s different.

I do like odd shapes up to a point but ….

The Gibson Moderne would make a killer bass (ok with Thunderbird or V headstock), and I would like a V. They look like Rock-n-Roll.

Then there are a couple of traditional Chinese and Indian instruments that can’t be duplicated with stomp boxes, but that’s a sound thing.

MM

metalmariachi wrote:I do want an octave 8 or 12 string, but that’s different.

I do like odd shapes up to a point but ….

The Gibson Moderne would make a killer bass (ok with Thunderbird or V headstock), and I would like a V. They look like Rock-n-Roll.

Then there are a couple of traditional Chinese and Indian instruments that can’t be duplicated with stomp boxes, but that’s a sound thing.

MM

i accept this challenge and have succeeded in emulating an erhu and a shamisen

Hey,...those doctors, lawyers, coffee table basses and boutique Fender clones keep some people fed and from not hating their lives. Although the "investors" are probably the biggest source of headaches for a lot of small builders. Usually they are the impatient ones and the naysayers and the negative nancies. For them it's not about the instrument it's about the money. I question how many of them actually know how to play a bass,...or what it can do in capable hands.

I like the modern designs,....some of those Jerzy's (the 4's and 5's) have a really interesting design; but the flightdeck fingerboard 457 string bass is way over the top. They barely look playable,...which I know is a leftover cliche from when six strings started gaining popularity,...but seriously,....you're just showing off/overcompensating with a bass like that giant and ugly, disproportionate Jerzy.

The other problem I have with those basses is that as soon as you pull it out at a gig (if you ever have the balls to bust out an $8-10,000 bass at a bar gig),...you'll instantly be judged as either being a skilled player or a jazz/fusion guy or whatever.

I certainly appreciate both aesthetics,...would I bust an $8000 bass out at a bar show? Not likely.

thats why I like most Carl Thompson basses, because they work at bar gigs too.

though really "not bar gig ready" can mean as much as "has a figured top"

but i think thats a weird stigma with bass. to do weird stuff on a bass, you have to have a weird bass (Percy Jones, Matthew Garrison, Les Claypool, etc. even Entwistle and Bootsy) whereas the weirdest guitarists just use normal gear. like hendrix, buckethead and such. i mean yeah you have maybe like Tosin Abasi and his 9 string that he never plays anymore, sticking to a more traditional RG (the most common 8 string) and Vai's Jem is basically an RG with a monkey grip all swagged out, but by and large interesting guitarists use fairly normal gear compared to interesting bassists.

and i want to do weird stuff on bass, so I got a spector which suits my needs and is a fantastic bass (i should play it more often). buuuuuuut I also want a "will get hired for bands" bass too.

Nah, I make my bass my bitch. I'm just glad that this new post-rock deal I got goin' lets me finally play loud and crazy!

Eric! wrote:Nah, I make my bass my bitch. I'm just glad that this new post-rock deal I got goin' lets me finally play loud and crazy!

That's what I'm going for in my new gig as well!

Eric! wrote:Nah, I make my bass my bitch. I'm just glad that this new post-rock deal I got goin' lets me finally play loud and crazy!

Yeah! I do this all day erryday.

i do baby my bass just 'cause it took forever to be able to afford it. but i play that fucker wherever we go, and when it starts getting digs it's not going to freak me out. i bought it for me, am never gonna sell it, and wish i played hard enough to get those awesome grooves worn in under the strings.

but yeah. fuck buying aninstrumet to make money off of it. 'tards.

TB makes me feel like Sasha Gray sometimes....


and less disturbing, 'cause Sasha's the Classy Lady of porn right now...



i love smaller boobed womens.

Wow! That's a lot of dicks!

I've owned the high end and I've owned the low end. I prefer being right where I am in the middle though. I'd definitely own another high end bass at some point, but I don't think I'd order one new made to my specs. Too much fickleness and there are too many used high end basses for good deals to make it appealing anymore.

/the I've ordered 3 high end basses and have sold all of them for various reasons...

And to that end,...I'm really not a stickler for specs,...."oh it has to have this string spacing,...and this scale length and this neck profile,...and this fingerboard radius",....SHUT UP AND PLAY IT ALREADY. And to be honest,...I think most people don't know enough about what works with what and what doesn't to dictate their own specs to a builder. Too often they'll butt heads with someone (the builder) that knows more than then they do but aren't willing to listen,...then when they get their bass built to their specs,...and it's not comfortable,...or working out for them,...suddenly it's the builder's (whose name is on the instrument) fault. Obviously that's a broad generalization,...but I don't think it's to far off the mark.

Also like to point out that we are starting to find a lot of "fancy tops" work their way into the mid range-lower mid range basses. You see quilted tops on Lakland Skylines,...Flamed tops on Japanese Fenders,...and I'm sure a bunch of others that aren't coming to mind. It's cool that they are doing that and it makes the fancy look more accessible to gigging players,...but throwing those tops on high basses,...while not devaluing the instrument,...cheapens the aesthetic.

The innovations I'm seeing in the guitar world,...seems to be with amps and effects more so thatn with instruments. People are interested in boutique handwired amps and I think it's because they want to get around the Chinese made stuff. No slight on the Chinese stuff,...but if I had the money,...I'd rather give it to a guy that is trying to feed his family...rather then some conglomocorp. That goes for instruments,...amps,...and effects. I don't really know if there is a change or innovation in circuit design that has made the boutique stuff desirable, and honestly,...I feel like, at least with guitar,...what's worked for the past 50 years continues to sound great so why fix it. There are plenty of bassists that prefer a vintage vibe,...Fender P into SVT is so ubiquitous,...and for a reason. It sounds good,...it's easy for producers and engineers to work with.

Just to put it out there,...when D. and I get completed with his custom backlog,...he's going to be doing the fancy stuff on a 1-2 basses a month batch and we are going to be working on production designs that are aimed squarely at the working musician market to the tune of 10-15 a month. They will be quality hand made shit of D.'s own designs (drawing on Music Man influences as well as incorporating his own aesthetic). The bodies and necks will be routed by hand (no USCG,...Warmoth,...Mighty Might stuff),....I think we may be milling our own bridges,...I know we will be winding our own PUPs,....I'll likely design a preamp for active basses. Either way,...D. wants his work seen on stage,...instead of hanging in someone's MTV crib.


FWIW,...in my new position,...I'll likely wind up with some high end instruments,...but the scenario will likely include me having a hand in building them, which means I'll likely not pay very much for them. I'm not opposed to owning a D.H. Scroll type bass,...or trading for a Sadowsky,...or perhaps vintage P's, J's and 4001s,...and EB-3s,...and Guild Starfires,...and,....and,...and,...and.

yeah. i've fallen in love with fanned frets, never felt comfortable on a less than 24 fret bass. other than that? fucking REASON people are builders. it's like telling the dentist what tool to be using on my root canal. reason i'm paying YOU the money is 'cause you know what the hell you're doing.

My main bass for the last 10 years has been a Carvin, so I'm definitely not in that "my bass is an investment" crowd. I don't begrudge anyone a nice expensive bass, as long as you play the fucking thing. I wouldn't mind a 4001, or hell even a Wal, but they certainly wouldn't be hanging on my wall. They'd be getting played and getting dings and scratches and maybe even falling off their stand every now and then, just like my trusty Carvin.