Quote:
Originally Posted by pennsiveguy
Shorter scale basses sometimes sound okay, but there's no escaping the physics of it; the shorter the scale, the less "bass-y" it's going to sound.
Start with the Fender Precision and Jazz Basses. There's a reason they're so ubiquitous. The P-bass is the go-to for Rock 'n Roll, and the Jazz typically has some sounds that work well for blues and jazz. The P-bass has less taper in the neck, which some people prefer and some don't. It really comes down to what feels comfortable in your hands and your ears. Your technique and hand position come into play too, but I'd say (some day when we're able to go to a shop and play stuff) just go try out a bunch of basses. Try to bring along your own "mini-rig," a portable device you can plug any bass into, and your own headphones or earbuds. Otherwise you're plugging into different rigs at every store, which brings into play a whole other big set of variables that will make for "apples vs. oranges vs. bananas" comparisons.
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Yeah you’re right - the more I think about it, the more I realize the tone I specifically want is almost certainly the result of the longer scale length. I think my hands are just locked in 25.5in so I’ll just have to break out of that which should be a fun challenge! These days I primarily judge guitars by their playability and acoustic qualities these days since once they’re plugged in, pickups can be tailored to the guitar’s resonance and tonal qualities. I assume it is similar with bass? Obviously though I’m not well versed enough with bass to judge them acoustically as my ear hasn’t been trained to it. The next step for me I think will just be getting a consensus good all around bass (P Bass seems like a safe bet) and just playing to develop technique and decide what tonal qualities I like.