Fender Rascal seems to be made for surf music...check it out! I own one and love it.

Never surrender in finding a surfcaster

So where we at on this thread? Noel?

I read some of the initial thread, i think i commented in the middle, i skipped a page and read the last few posts.

For basses and i always seem to end up playing bass in the band which has equated to 30 some odd years...

The 1969 EB-3, great instrument, but you really have to have good amplification and some sort of EQ. Same with even the new Epi EB-0s. That mudbucker just does not have the dynamics for most music. If you're playing in the basement, maybe knocking around at practice, sure. But live you need to do something with it. I feel that Jack Bruce, Felix, Cetera, lots of the EB players were able to use amplification (and picks, technique) to really bring out the bass with clarity. When i was using mine in the 80s, i used a small Peavey TKO 65 combo that wasset just right and then mic'd it and ran DI to the board.

Since 1989, I've primarily used a (bought new then) a Squier Jazz bass. Far more dynamics, more "forgiving" go quickly dialing in a tone, the ability to turn on or the other pickup off -great for the guitar player in me.

Around 1993 I bought a MIJ VI. I never play with a pick because it feels like someone duct taped my hand to the bridge. So using that brought in a whole new aspect. Again, i gota wide range of sounds and a few new runs i could play, but the Jazz was still a go to.

About 2006, a friend bought me a new Epiphone Thunderbird. At the time i was playing punk/hardrock. I think it was mostly out of "obilgation" and thati finally had this bass that looked so cool. I had alawys wanted a _bird, guitar or bass. It plays well, i have the similar Jazz options of two pickups. It's heavy too. By now i was playing a GK amp through a single 15. 400 watts is MORE than enough for any gig around Chicago's music venues.

Long about 2010, i was playing in a "work band" as well. The receptionist, maybe in her late 50s, was playing keyboards, the HR guy was singing, another jazz-based guy on drums, new to playing out guy on guitar, a guy from a church group. We played company functions, innocuous music ranging from Elvis and Sinatra to a few REM and Decemberists songs. Strangely I found the VI to be a good choice. I could fit in between the guitars, the keys, etc. And it could be dialed in for the music pretty easily. I was amusing myself with all the switching options.

So late in 2013, i'm forming a new band. My 70s blues hard rock boogie van originals. We had a practice or two and i played the Thunderbird. it was fine, it was bass. Then due to space (we were practicing in an attic with angled ceiling, maybe 12' x 12' floor area) and whatever reason, i brought out the Jazz bass.

It's like the light went on. This was it, why did i ever put it away? The dynamic range, the control, etc is phenominal. I also remembered... i LOVE the slim neck on this bass. In fact, i never found another on any Squier or Fender, et al. There's something about that MIJ Squier.

Strings. Well? Rotos and i never change them. Ever. When i bought the Bass VI, I never bothered changing those either.

My brother has a ton of basses. Not too long ago, I tried his 60s Jazz bass with the all the covers, the thumb rest AND flat wounds. 1) i couldn't find a place to get in there to play it. 2) my fingers were rolling off the strings. it requires a different approach. 3) it sounded great and it looks freakin awesome in full dress.

I found an Epi EB-0 over the summer with a busted tuner. $75,not half-bad, but still stuffers the muddiness of the 69 Gibson. Active EQ will help. I bought this with the intention of doing a Jack Casady style circuit on it.

At Christmas, my wife surprised me with a Squier Jaguar VM bass. See my separate NBD post, but it is also a mighty player with great sonic range.

So why say a sentance when a paragraph will do? Forget look. Go for the feel of the neck and sonic options. Going between guitar (at home and just making noise with friends) to bass in a band that plays out regularly, those things are key factors.

P-bass and single pickups. They are old standbys and good reliables. I don't think they offer a range of tones that surf and similar styles call for. They're great for country and rock, of course. They'll do in a 60s group. But 2 pickups bring in that range.

And side note, I played a Rascal the other day at Chicago Music Exchange. For me, they fall into the VI range -I found a better use for that where i had keys and a few guitars to work with in the group. Well made, but there is also the Squier VI that is a good option too.

Squire makes a classic vibe tele custom bass that is more of a medium scale. The mudbucker has a fair amount of EB3-like growl. It is working really well in my surf 3 piece I am presently playing in.My only complaint is a can't access the ti ppy top frets as easily as I can on my P bass. If you see one used, go for it!

mj

mj
bent playing for benter results
Do not attempt to adjust your TV set.
https://www.facebook.com/Bass-VI-Explorers-Club-179437279151035/
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I like that tele bass. Two pickups makea nice balance. I bet that is dialed in more for modern amps. For some reason, Gibson never seemed to "fix" that in the base bass models.

ha.. 12th fret. well that's why they're not bass players.

I'll say the rascal has tons of pickup combos and looks good, but the shorter scale and thin pickups sound kinda thin to me, much like the VI. If you're the only bass and you're in a 3 piece, you'll be running the neck pickup of the VI the whole time.

There's no doubt a P is a solid dependable design, but all you have is one pickup and a tone. I don't use effects, I set the amp and play. So all my tone has to come from hand position, attack and what I can dial in. Aside from neck shape and feel, the Jazz and now the jaguar open a lot more options, especially if you like playing around with that tones and blends or if you are a guitar player used to having options, etc.

Playing mustangs all of the time. I like them.
Have three of them. Two CIJ, one MIJ. All three with different 'lacquers'. A sunburst, ocean turquoise metallic competition model and a vintage white one.
They're all strung with la bella for mustang flats and all three sound VERY different. I can't just use them as a substitute when playing live because they need different dials on the amps.
Half of an album we did is recorded with a early 60s P-bass. Sounds killer but if you're used to short scale or regular guitars, with the P it really is 'working time'... couldn't even play standing up. Can't get used to this thick neck.
For some months I lended a J-bass for performing live.. sound was pretty silky too and liked the thin neck.
Guess my ultimate surf bass would be a P-bass with Jazzy neck, medium scale.

Like the look of that rascal too... always wondered how they play.
Never tried a dano longhorn either, love the looks though.
Played a sg bass at guitar center, loved the feel. Sounded surprisingly loud (hot pups??) and 'wooly' to me. But hey... trying a bass out in a shop/guitar center...

Did a few gigs with a Vox violin bass (made in Italy ones). That felt like totally crap to me. Hard to tune, intonate, neck adjustments, ... pfff... Not every pole was as responsive as the other to the strings. Too bad, 'cause I liked the looks somehow.

Guess I'll stick to the mustangs for now

www.LosVenturas.be

Some nice looking basses in this thread! I've always been partial to the stacked-knob 60's Jazzes.

I personally like the '62 AVRI Precision... ...with flats

P Bass. How can we even have this discussion...it's a foregone conclusion. Ideally you have the actual vintage instrument itself, or a good working resissue of some flavor.
Flatwounds, played with a pick (on most songs, though when we do "Tequila," which was originally recorded on an upright, I finger-pluck).
(http://www.groupcaptainandthemandrakes.com/ContactUs.html)
A Mustang would work well too.
I can't understand why someone would want a wider tonal palate..? If have a hankering to play funk, I pull out the Ernie Ball Musicman Bongo or Sterling. This ain't that band, men!

Bass with www.groupcaptainandthemandrakes.com

Last edited: Jan 30, 2015 15:55:54