Boutique Basses

[ch willie]

There are some incredible boutique basses out there.

I'm fond of the old brands, but I'm open to new bass makers. And yet, those incredible boutique basses often look like they'd be at home on the stage with Dame Edna, Liberace, or Cher or someone who dresses in neon yellow and purple jumpsuits. I'm sure they sound great. I see "stars" playing them.

Alembics have class. Fender basses have a clean look but are surprising bad asses. Rics are a little crooked, but they're a sturdy slab of thump. Lakland, G&Ls, Music Man, Warwick, Ibanez, Yamaha--Call me blind, but these basses all have class

These newer boutiquies? Imagine a Jaguar beside a gawdy parade float. That's a charcoal gray Jazz Bass beside one of the overly-busy, elaborately carved, and superduper necked basses.

I'm speaking generally--of course there are glaring exceptions. I'm not arguing that this is a blanket truth. I've seen some magnificent boutique basses and some dog Precisions. And yet, there are some realllllllly horrible looking things being built by fantastic luthiers.

And when did bass players begin to play 24 individual strings off a neck two feet wide?

Just a bit of satire. I have one foot firmly in tradition and one in the new, but I love older brands and models of instruments.

[DanTheBluesMan]

there are times when I'm strictly a fender all day kind of guy. Then I see youtubes of guys like Dave504 playing that sunburst Music Man Stingray, or I hear the Ric in Deep Purple's Made In Japan being played by Roger Glover and it's like "Fender who?"

I like Alembics, Phil Lesh of The Grateful Dead was one of the first players I ever knew of who played one. IIRC they were gosh darn pricey back in the day and they were pretty much made to custom order. Only successful working pros could afford them.

By and large, though, I'm still firmly rooted in the 4-string camp. Do what you will with the body and the electronics, I don't do no aircraft carrier deck wide necks.

Speaking of necks, I came this >< close to giving away the drill press I bought for my neck project, when I was emptying the storage unit. I was leery of trying to move it on account of my recent back trauma. At the last minute, I decided to hang on to it because I want that bass built. It wasn't as bad to move as I thought.