Favorite Surf Bass

Surfabilly

Joined: Apr 21, 2006
Posts: 852
Connersville, Indiana, USA
7 Contributor Pins

Posted on Jun 07 2014 09:44 PM

With two P-basses (a Squier Affinity & a Fender Standard), my Fender Bass VI and a Epiphone EB3 SG bass, I shouldn't want for "just the right tone," although one of these days I'll eventually add at least one Jazz Bass to my collection.

—

Fast Cars & Loud Guitars!

Top

ncgalt1984

Joined: Nov 27, 2013
Posts: 235
Greenville, NC
United States

Posted on Jun 07 2014 10:05 PM

For versatility you really can't beat a P-Bass or Jazz Bass. However, one of my favorite sounding basses of all time was Dallas Good from Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. He plays a Gibson Thunderbird. Give it a listen. It was the perfect tone for their sound.

http://youtu.be/ebHfMRw--sE

—

Kevin
The Out of Limits
www.facebook.com/theoutoflimitsband
https://theoutoflimits.bandcamp.com/

Top

dp

Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 3546
mojave desert, california
United States

Posted on Jun 09 2014 10:41 AM

Gibson made several swell sounding basses: I really like the tone of the Gibson Victory Bass (1980s)...and Mike Watt's EB-3 (EB-0 short scale) sounds incredible...

Top

Teiscofan

Joined: Feb 21, 2011
Posts: 513
Ontario
Canada

Posted on Jun 09 2014 11:38 AM

Any Teisco bass.........okay I may be biased.
A good friend of mine swears by his Gibson victory bass.

—

I am not obsolete, I am RETRO....

Top

walksupright

Joined: May 26, 2014
Posts: 13
Toronto, Ontario
Canada

Posted on Jun 19 2014 11:29 PM

Great thread! I'm a P-bass with flats guy myself, but it's good to read a shout-out to my hometown band, Shadowy Men:
ncgalt1984 wrote:

For versatility you really can't beat a P-Bass or Jazz Bass. However, one of my favorite sounding basses of all time was Dallas Good from Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. He plays a Gibson Thunderbird. Give it a listen. It was the perfect tone for their sound.

Reid Diamond was the bassist for the band and he sadly passed in 2001. Dallas Good of the Sadies stood in for him during a brief reunion a few years back, but used Reid's bass, with the permission of his widow. I saw them on that 'tour' a couple of years ago and the Thunderbird was ever-present, massive and sounding fantastic through a 70s Ampeg SVT and two Mesa-Boogie 15s. The guitar player, Brian Connelly and I were talking a few weeks later and told me that Dallas was a bit nervous, filling in for such a massive player as Reid, but was incredibly rehearsed and nailed the parts. BC also told me about that Thunderbird - I believe it was a '76. The pickups used to be very microphonic and the bass had serious neck dive. But I can't imagine the sound of that band without the Thunderbird and Reid Diamond's huge influence. Thanks for mentioning!

Top

walksupright

Joined: May 26, 2014
Posts: 13
Toronto, Ontario
Canada

Posted on Jun 19 2014 11:31 PM

Darn! I keep messing up when I post! Must be my age and senility creeping up on me. the second paragraph wasn't supposed to be a quote. Sorry!

Top

surfgtrnut

Joined: Dec 26, 2008
Posts: 122
Binghamton, NY
5 Download Pins

Posted on Jun 20 2014 11:48 AM

Hagstrom F 400 Swedish made, sorry no pictures at this time.

Top

so1om

Joined: May 10, 2012
Posts: 492

Posted on Jun 23 2014 12:50 PM

The real answer? Whatever sounds best to you.

Ok... Let's see.. Running through my basses over the last 35 years that I have. Note: they are generally either played thru a Fender Musicmaster Bass amp with a 15" or a GK600 with a single 15". I use rotosounds and never changed them. The Bass VI has what was put on at the factory.

The 1969 Gibson Eb-3, 30" scale. VERY hard to get a good sound out of it. You need a good active box or amp with active controls to get rid of all the mud. It was designed when amps/performances/venues.. everything was smaller. (and yes. I know they still make them and Jack Bruce Trevor Bolder and a slew of guys played them.. But they were also using the technology of then. Playing with picks, etc.) Every so often i'll pull it out to play and it's fun and balanced, but never a good sound.

The 1989 Squier (MIJ) Jazz bass. All around-fantastic slim fast low action neck. trouble free until last month and a pot shorted out. I replaced that with a CTS. I felt bad that I had to ream out the hole in the plate for the larger shaft mount.

But.. the tone is great with basic controls. I'm a huge fan of passive controls on the bass and do actually turn those knobs. Sounds great thru a Mesa 400, a Fender Musicmaster bass amp and currently, a GK-600.

Early 90s Fender (MIJ) Bass VI reissue. Only instrument that I've had a pickup go out. Thin cheap wiring, floppy switches. The bass plays pretty well, but it is more of a niche. I can see it for some surf, 60s pop and related. I can't see myself using it for hard rock, etc. it just doesn't deliver the BASS. I did find it to be a good complement when you have a keyboard player in the group. I also like it when accompanying a couple of acoustic players. you're adding bass but not driving the band/sound with it. I also used it in a mod/power pop band and it also matched the guitar players 67 Fender XII.

2006 Epiphone Thunderbird. A friend of mine gave me this for Christmas one year. I have always loved the style and shape of the Fire/Thunderbirds. It's heavy, has humbuckers, decent controls. As it was a gift, I started playing that a lot without ever really COMPARING it to the others. Action is decent. I played that in my hard rock/early punk band for years.

So last fall I started a new band. More 70s guitar driven bluesy boogie van stuff. I started with the Thunderbird but I forgot how clubby the neck was and how long it felt.. and heavy. I tried the Jazz at the next practice and bang... it all fell into place. great speed on the narrow neck, super low action, great tone control, lighter.

So my "vote" is a jazz bass for surf. I think you have the speed/action for runs, you can dial in a dark or bright sound whereas the standard P has only one pickup.

You also open up the possibilities of matching the rest of the group with colors and all that. Visually, people often associate surf and Fenders in custom colors.

I have heard good things about the Jaguar basses, fender has a slew of basses in all kinds of combos of neck profiles, pickups.. almost endless.

And not to mention all the other 1000s that are out there. look with your ears first.

Top

skatexedge

Joined: Sep 06, 2011
Posts: 53
Maricopa, AZ
United States

Posted on Jul 03 2014 03:00 AM

Anyone like Danelectro basses? I saw a Dano '63 model that looked and sounded like it would work in a surf band.

Top

crazybassist

Joined: Sep 10, 2012
Posts: 14
Nashville, TN
United States

Posted on Jul 03 2014 10:12 AM

skatexedge wrote:

Anyone like Danelectro basses? I saw a Dano '63 model that looked and sounded like it would work in a surf band.

Yeah, man! Love Dan-O's. Great bass for a surf band.

—

Crazy Aces on facebook
at Reverbnation
my personal website

Top

CrazyAces

Joined: Jul 31, 2012
Posts: 4054
Buffalo, N.Y.
3 News Pins

Posted on Jul 03 2014 02:15 PM

Dano-O's and Jerry Jones work great.
Both have been used to play our music.
LOVE the short scale ones

—

http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock
http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic

Top

skatexedge

Joined: Sep 06, 2011
Posts: 53
Maricopa, AZ
United States

Posted on Jul 04 2014 03:47 AM

Cool. I'm thinking about picking up that Dano 63 to add to my P-Bass and OLP 5-string basses. =)

Top

Jaque_Kilauea

Joined: Oct 05, 2011
Posts: 110
Eastern Berlifornia

Posted on Aug 27 2014 04:06 PM

Currently i am playing a danelectro longhorn. I changed the stock strings to D Addario Semi Flatwounds 0.45 0.65 0.80 100. The semi flatwounds take away a lot from the harshness in the high mids you can get from a danelectro. I think my bass sits very well in the mix. Does not get in frequency trouble with two guitars and drums. I love it. In the past i made very good experiences with Mustang bass guitars. Tried Rickenbacker 4001 as well. But this was definitely not surf compatible.

Last edited: Aug 27, 2014 16:07:05

Top

Surfabilly Joined: Apr 21, 2006 Posts: 852 Connersville, Indiana, USA	Posted on Jun 07 2014 09:44 PM With two P-basses (a Squier Affinity & a Fender Standard), my Fender Bass VI and a Epiphone EB3 SG bass, I shouldn't want for "just the right tone," although one of these days I'll eventually add at least one Jazz Bass to my collection. — Fast Cars & Loud Guitars! Top
ncgalt1984 Joined: Nov 27, 2013 Posts: 235 Greenville, NC	Posted on Jun 07 2014 10:05 PM For versatility you really can't beat a P-Bass or Jazz Bass. However, one of my favorite sounding basses of all time was Dallas Good from Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. He plays a Gibson Thunderbird. Give it a listen. It was the perfect tone for their sound. http://youtu.be/ebHfMRw--sE — Kevin The Out of Limits www.facebook.com/theoutoflimitsband https://theoutoflimits.bandcamp.com/ Top
dp Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 3546 mojave desert, california	Posted on Jun 09 2014 10:41 AM Gibson made several swell sounding basses: I really like the tone of the Gibson Victory Bass (1980s)...and Mike Watt's EB-3 (EB-0 short scale) sounds incredible... Top
Teiscofan Joined: Feb 21, 2011 Posts: 513 Ontario	Posted on Jun 09 2014 11:38 AM Any Teisco bass.........okay I may be biased. A good friend of mine swears by his Gibson victory bass. — I am not obsolete, I am RETRO.... Top
walksupright Joined: May 26, 2014 Posts: 13 Toronto, Ontario	Posted on Jun 19 2014 11:29 PM Great thread! I'm a P-bass with flats guy myself, but it's good to read a shout-out to my hometown band, Shadowy Men: ncgalt1984 wrote: For versatility you really can't beat a P-Bass or Jazz Bass. However, one of my favorite sounding basses of all time was Dallas Good from Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. He plays a Gibson Thunderbird. Give it a listen. It was the perfect tone for their sound. Reid Diamond was the bassist for the band and he sadly passed in 2001. Dallas Good of the Sadies stood in for him during a brief reunion a few years back, but used Reid's bass, with the permission of his widow. I saw them on that 'tour' a couple of years ago and the Thunderbird was ever-present, massive and sounding fantastic through a 70s Ampeg SVT and two Mesa-Boogie 15s. The guitar player, Brian Connelly and I were talking a few weeks later and told me that Dallas was a bit nervous, filling in for such a massive player as Reid, but was incredibly rehearsed and nailed the parts. BC also told me about that Thunderbird - I believe it was a '76. The pickups used to be very microphonic and the bass had serious neck dive. But I can't imagine the sound of that band without the Thunderbird and Reid Diamond's huge influence. Thanks for mentioning! Top
walksupright Joined: May 26, 2014 Posts: 13 Toronto, Ontario	Posted on Jun 19 2014 11:31 PM Darn! I keep messing up when I post! Must be my age and senility creeping up on me. the second paragraph wasn't supposed to be a quote. Sorry! Top
surfgtrnut Joined: Dec 26, 2008 Posts: 122 Binghamton, NY	Posted on Jun 20 2014 11:48 AM Hagstrom F 400 Swedish made, sorry no pictures at this time. Top
so1om Joined: May 10, 2012 Posts: 492	Posted on Jun 23 2014 12:50 PM The real answer? Whatever sounds best to you. Ok... Let's see.. Running through my basses over the last 35 years that I have. Note: they are generally either played thru a Fender Musicmaster Bass amp with a 15" or a GK600 with a single 15". I use rotosounds and never changed them. The Bass VI has what was put on at the factory. The 1969 Gibson Eb-3, 30" scale. VERY hard to get a good sound out of it. You need a good active box or amp with active controls to get rid of all the mud. It was designed when amps/performances/venues.. everything was smaller. (and yes. I know they still make them and Jack Bruce Trevor Bolder and a slew of guys played them.. But they were also using the technology of then. Playing with picks, etc.) Every so often i'll pull it out to play and it's fun and balanced, but never a good sound. The 1989 Squier (MIJ) Jazz bass. All around-fantastic slim fast low action neck. trouble free until last month and a pot shorted out. I replaced that with a CTS. I felt bad that I had to ream out the hole in the plate for the larger shaft mount. But.. the tone is great with basic controls. I'm a huge fan of passive controls on the bass and do actually turn those knobs. Sounds great thru a Mesa 400, a Fender Musicmaster bass amp and currently, a GK-600. Early 90s Fender (MIJ) Bass VI reissue. Only instrument that I've had a pickup go out. Thin cheap wiring, floppy switches. The bass plays pretty well, but it is more of a niche. I can see it for some surf, 60s pop and related. I can't see myself using it for hard rock, etc. it just doesn't deliver the BASS. I did find it to be a good complement when you have a keyboard player in the group. I also like it when accompanying a couple of acoustic players. you're adding bass but not driving the band/sound with it. I also used it in a mod/power pop band and it also matched the guitar players 67 Fender XII. 2006 Epiphone Thunderbird. A friend of mine gave me this for Christmas one year. I have always loved the style and shape of the Fire/Thunderbirds. It's heavy, has humbuckers, decent controls. As it was a gift, I started playing that a lot without ever really COMPARING it to the others. Action is decent. I played that in my hard rock/early punk band for years. So last fall I started a new band. More 70s guitar driven bluesy boogie van stuff. I started with the Thunderbird but I forgot how clubby the neck was and how long it felt.. and heavy. I tried the Jazz at the next practice and bang... it all fell into place. great speed on the narrow neck, super low action, great tone control, lighter. So my "vote" is a jazz bass for surf. I think you have the speed/action for runs, you can dial in a dark or bright sound whereas the standard P has only one pickup. You also open up the possibilities of matching the rest of the group with colors and all that. Visually, people often associate surf and Fenders in custom colors. I have heard good things about the Jaguar basses, fender has a slew of basses in all kinds of combos of neck profiles, pickups.. almost endless. And not to mention all the other 1000s that are out there. look with your ears first. Top
skatexedge Joined: Sep 06, 2011 Posts: 53 Maricopa, AZ	Posted on Jul 03 2014 03:00 AM Anyone like Danelectro basses? I saw a Dano '63 model that looked and sounded like it would work in a surf band. Top
crazybassist Joined: Sep 10, 2012 Posts: 14 Nashville, TN	Posted on Jul 03 2014 10:12 AM skatexedge wrote: Anyone like Danelectro basses? I saw a Dano '63 model that looked and sounded like it would work in a surf band. Yeah, man! Love Dan-O's. Great bass for a surf band. — Crazy Aces on facebook at Reverbnation my personal website Top
CrazyAces Joined: Jul 31, 2012 Posts: 4054 Buffalo, N.Y.	Posted on Jul 03 2014 02:15 PM Dano-O's and Jerry Jones work great. Both have been used to play our music. LOVE the short scale ones — http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic Top
skatexedge Joined: Sep 06, 2011 Posts: 53 Maricopa, AZ	Posted on Jul 04 2014 03:47 AM Cool. I'm thinking about picking up that Dano 63 to add to my P-Bass and OLP 5-string basses. =) Top
Jaque_Kilauea Joined: Oct 05, 2011 Posts: 110 Eastern Berlifornia	Posted on Aug 27 2014 04:06 PM Currently i am playing a danelectro longhorn. I changed the stock strings to D Addario Semi Flatwounds 0.45 0.65 0.80 100. The semi flatwounds take away a lot from the harshness in the high mids you can get from a danelectro. I think my bass sits very well in the mix. Does not get in frequency trouble with two guitars and drums. I love it. In the past i made very good experiences with Mustang bass guitars. Tried Rickenbacker 4001 as well. But this was definitely not surf compatible. Last edited: Aug 27, 2014 16:07:05 Top

SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Favorite Surf Bass