Most influential basses

[morrow]

Yup . Epiphone never made electric basses until they were bought by Gibson . The Rivoli was made in the Gibson Kalamazoo plant . Alongside the EB2 . I have a Cromwell lap steel , another badge used by Gibson .
Epiphone did make uprights before Gibson bought them .
The Japanese factories are really confusing though . Ibanez might have been using several factories at the same time , and each factory might have been selling the same instrument under various badges . That would be like Gibson contracting Danelectro or Kay to make a cheaper Epiphone .

[Dave W]

The Epiphone and Ibanez situations aren't equivalent.  The Epiphone company was and is completely owned by Gibson, and the original Epi basses were made in a Gibson-owned factory. Ibanez has always been a brand name owned by Hoshino, and always contracted out.

Still, Ibanez is every bit a real brand with its own designs.

Chris is talking about influential basses, not who manufactured what.

[Pilgrim]

The Epiphone and Ibanez situations aren't equivalent.  The Epiphone company was and is completely owned by Gibson, and the original Epi basses were made in a Gibson-owned factory. Ibanez has always been a brand name owned by Hoshino, and always contracted out.

Still, Ibanez is every bit a real brand with its own designs.

Chris is talking about influential basses, not who manufactured what.

That fits what I have heard, Dave.  Wasn't Matsumoku the Gibson-owned factory? I understand that factory made Epis along with Univox, Lyle and some other brands, and I believe that Gibson staff trained the Matsu workers to build the guitars, but I didn't know that Matsu was Gibson-owned.

[Basvarken]

What I meant was that in the sixties Epiphone basses were built in the Kalamazoo factory. So according to Morrow's opinion Epiphone did not make bass guitars.


I don't think this discussion is relevant to the topic that Chris started. He is asking which bass guitars have been the most influential. Not which factory has built whatever brand.

[lowend1]

It's "Ampeg Dan Armstrong". Jeez. I thought I was among the elite here...

[Rob]

What I meant was that in the sixties Epiphone basses were built in the Kalamazoo factory. So according to Morrow's opinion Epiphone did not make bass guitars.


I don't think this discussion is relevant to the topic that Chris started. He is asking which bass guitars have been the most influential. Not which factory has built whatever brand.

Yup!  Getting off course here Commanders.

[Dave W]

What about the Vox Wyman?

[ilan]

What about the Vox Wyman?

Are you sure it was a very influential design?

I'd also look for the origins of the boutique amoeba/organic shapes. Ritter maybe?

[Dave W]

Are you sure it was a very influential design?

No, that's why I put the question mark there. 

[ilan]

I think it was the first, or one of the first, oddly shaped basses. Maybe it deserves a mention for that.

Other than the cool shape it was a poorly made and awful sounding Italian bass.

[Dave W]

My first bass was a Vox Spyder IV. Tone like hitting a wet cardboard box. The finish was way too thick. But it wasn't poorly made.

[Rob]

The phantoms were well made and came with a free baseball bat.

[Granny Gremlin]

I really don't understand the Mustang on that list.  Not that popular at all - then or now (more now, but still - it's what people get when they want a P but fear the long scale).  Likewise both the V and VI?  I'd say loose the V - esoteric.

Shergold Marathon 6 - really?  Y'all know I'm a JD/NO fan but 1 star player does not an influential bass make.

I love LoZ Gibsons, but again, not that influential.  Nobody else even picked up on the pickup design.

Aristides - ok do you want influential or interesting, because sure it's nerdworthy but I dunno about influential.

If you're including a Dano, better be a longhorn (sure they had the first VI, but the only person that influenced was maybe Leo Fender).

And I hope your list wasn't in any sort of order.

You may also want to consider the EB1, sure it didn't pan out but it was the 2nd to market, first with a set neck, shape begat the Hofner, and the sidewinder pickup design carried through to not just subsequent Gibson bass models, but influenced their guitar pickups too.  Also unique (first anyway - someone else did this later but forget who) with the vertical playing a la double bass with the telescopic leg.  Also set the standard for short scale length.

Wal might make the list - very popular for a time.... but then you might have to include the Gibson EB4 because they totally copped the pickup design, though it was more successful when Wal did it.

In addition to Alembic being the first boutique bass, it also popularised active electronics and dummy coils.

Oh - BC Rich (Mockingbird or whatever) - enter the pointy era and picked up where Alembic left off with active electronics. 

[Basvarken]

I really don't understand the Mustang on that list.  Not that popular at all - then or now (more now, but still - it's what people get when they want a P but fear the long scale).  Likewise both the V and VI?  I'd say loose the V - esoteric.

Shergold Marathon 6 - really?  Y'all know I'm a JD/NO fan but 1 star player does not an influential bass make.

I love LoZ Gibsons, but again, not that influential.  Nobody else even picked up on the pickup design.

Aristides - ok do you want influential or interesting, because sure it's nerdworthy but I dunno about influential.

If you're including a Dano, better be a longhorn (sure they had the first VI, but the only person that influenced was maybe Leo Fender).

And I hope your list wasn't in any sort of order.

You may also want to consider the EB1, sure it didn't pan out but it was the 2nd to market, first with a set neck, shape begat the Hofner, and the sidewinder pickup design carried through to not just subsequent Gibson bass models, but influenced their guitar pickups too.  Also unique (first anyway - someone else did this later but forget who) with the vertical playing a la double bass with the telescopic leg.  Also set the standard for short scale length.

Wal might make the list - very popular for a time.... but then you might have to include the Gibson EB4 because they totally copped the pickup design, though it was more successful when Wal did it.

In addition to Alembic being the first boutique bass, it also popularised active electronics and dummy coils.

Oh - BC Rich (Mockingbird or whatever) - enter the pointy era and picked up where Alembic left off with active electronics.

+1

[Chris P.]

Thanks! But too late! 

I'm here to ask your advice. My list was a first thought and I was curious. If you scroll through the subject, you see a SECOND list and the LO-Z Gibsons, the Mustang, The Aristides are off the list and some new ones are added. But still thanks! It confirms some other opinions.