What do you want in a bass ?

[Martin Sheridan]

Since I'm getting no response on my thread, "Have You Designed Your Own Bass", let me turn it around to you as players.

What do you want in a bass? I know everyone wants great sound, but what do you like in a bass? String length, bouts, shape. You name it. Tell me. It will help me design my next bass.

[Craig Regan]

Some makers have been building basses with large bottom bouts and smallish uppers like this photo of a Golia bass. It certainly looks unique and they claim the sound is huge.

Another area of discovery could be woods species. Using lumber with beautiful graining or color could be a welcome change from the faux antiquing most commonly seen. Different woods might evan perform better for a bass, willow? walnut? cherry?

Try a different scroll. Animal, human head, etc, etc.

If you complete a bass in 6 months or so, enter it in the Makers competition at the ISB convention this summer.

[Kevin Harrington]

I like Busetto (busseto?) corners. Could be cos I have a great pic of Scott LaFaro looking real cool with his busetto-cornered bass? And Rufus Reid's bass looks great with them too.

The scroll is one of the first thing I notice that will make or break a bass for me (aesthetically speaking only). I like a nice decent sized well proportioned scroll. I'm afraid I don't have the vocabulary to fully describe what I mean but the eyes of some scrolls I've seen are sometimes a little off-centre looking, giving the impression that it's a bit flat to one side. Or sometimes the scroll is just too small for my taste.

Carved heads can be amazing too. Some of them are works of art in themselves. But for me nothing can beat a good old fashioned scroll (with hat-peg tuners) for looks. Except maybe a Gamba-style open scroll...

A nice small design with the purfling below the button can be nice too. Nothing too fancy, I've seen some really nice understated flurrishes.

My old teacher in Cork had a beautiful old French bass that had a lovely curve at the end of the fingerboard. It looked really well on his bass. I can't remember if the tailpiece had a matching (or opposing) curve or if it was straight but I think it was the latter.

Apart from that, I generally prefer darker varnishes (I'm probably not alone there) but I'm not a fan of the fake antiquing process that is now unfortunately so common amoung violin makers.

Anyway, there ya have it, for what it's worth (wouldn't buy many penny sweets I'd imagine!)

[Matthew Heintz]

• Gamba shape
• 41 3/4" or 42" string length
• Simple purfling
• No fancy carving
• Big shoulders are fine (even preferred) so long as the overstand is sufficient to grant full access to the upper register
• Predrilled for Laborie endpin or something like the KC tilt block; or just make sure that the block is sufficiently sturdy to accept an angled endpin. More and more players use these and perhaps more would if basses were already prepared for them.
• Sloane tuning machines or something of equivalent quality
• Chromatic Extension; if it's between having an extension or fancy purling, carving and bee stings on violin corners, I'll take an extension any day of the week.
• I'm a sucker for nice flame, but many of the best basses that I've played have very plain wood and if using plain wood means more time/money for an extension, nice tuning machines, adjustable bridge... by all means use plain wood.
• Flat back vs. carved back: whatever you think works best, but, again, if it's an extra 100 hours to carve a back and you have a nice stable design for a flatback, save the time/money and put it into setup, wood etc...
• Simple bumpers (not everyone's keep of tea, but it's better than grinding the ribs)
• Detachable neck. It is becoming very, very difficult to travel. If your customer flies for even one or two gigs or auditions, you will easily save them hundreds of dollars.

In short, make it totally functional from day one.

[Ken Smith]

With all of these various demands, what are you expecting to spend on a Bass new or old and what are you willing to spend if you are aware that your wishes are beyond your means?

Maybe it would be good to put an expected or wishful price next to your wish list. You can then see depending on the maker and or/quality what is possible and what is not.

Personally, I cannot stand those angled endpins. I like my Basses with as few holes in them as possible. I plugged up one of those angled holes on a Bass that came in and gained about 20% more noticeable volume and depth in tone. I tested this 'dry' before gluing the 'custom fit' Plug in the Bass.

Also good to note besides just your wishes is what you will be doing with this Bass as well as what type/level player you are currently. Sometimes, a maker can suggest things you are not aware of as well as exclude a few things that may not be in your best personal interest.

Have you ever heard of this scenario? ..

Player: Hey, this bass doesn't work as well as I had hoped for. ..

Maker: I made exactly what you asked for. ..

Good communication and well as understanding between maker and player is a Necessity you can't afford to be without, not a Luxury.

Very often, the maker is a better player than the customer and/or works with and for better players than you might ever hope to be. In this case, take the 'Doctor's' advise!

[Matthew Heintz]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

With all of these various demands, what are you expecting to spend on a Bass new or old and what are you willing to spend if you are aware that your wishes are beyond your means?

Good question/point. Since Martin asked in connection with his new build, presumably we're talking about new basses here. My hypothetical price range (not that I'm shopping): $17.5k to $24k. That's a broad range, but, not unreasonable, and, for a plain jane bass, I believe that it would include new basses from most luthiers in the US and Canada, while excluding many across the pond due to the Euro/dollar conversion. Other than the detachable neck, the bass that I described above is plain jane and would, I expect, be on the lower to mid end of the spectrum (flatback gamba with extension). Old basses are a whole different ballgame.

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Personally, I cannot stand those angled endpins. I like my Basses with as few holes in them as possible. I plugged up one of those angled holes on a Bass that came in and gained about 20% more noticeable volume and depth in tone. I tested this 'dry' before gluing the 'custom fit' Plug in the Bass.

Then the KC tilt block or equivalent could be an option. No drilling. Relatively cheap and easy to add and remove. Of course, many notable players feel that the Laborie improves the sound of the bass. Personally, I didn't want to drill. I didn't notice a change one way or the other that I could attribute to the KC tilt block, but I changed a number of other variables, so I really can't determine. The bass did sound better with the tilt block than with the eggpin. In terms of playability, the angled pin made a world of difference for me, but, of course, it's not for everyone. Since Martin asked what I'd like to see, there you have it. You might find that a bass that was designed for the Laborie (rather than a bass later drilled for one by a luthier who may or may not have experience with the process) would have better results.

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Also good to note besides just your wishes is what you will be doing with this Bass as well as what type/level player you are currently. Sometimes, a maker can suggest things you are not aware of as well as exclude a few things that may not be in your best personal interest.

Me = amateur, classical, been playing for 19 years. Other than the detachable neck, the bass that I described above is very close to my primary bass. The detachable neck would have saved me a few thousand dollars and a great deal of hassle, and for a player that is on the audition circuit or traveling to gigs, it could make the difference between affording to go or staying at home; this I know from my limited experience with traveling (between 5 cities over the last 15 years). Some luthiers obviously feel that the detachable neck compromises the bass, but a number of well respected luthiers (e.g., Ross, Lamarre, Hamm, Radelet, Auray, Charton) offer the option. A debate for another day. Radelet and Ross are in the above stated price range; I don't know about the others, but probably not.