At Sweetwater, we’re surrounded by thousands of the coolest instruments available, and, from time to time, we love to feature some of our favorites. Admittedly, guitars snag the lion’s share of the spotlight. So, we decided to show a little love to the bass players out there with this list of 10 bodacious basses, from budget-friendly models to handmade boutique instruments. No matter what kind of bass player you are, we think you’ll agree that we made sure to cover all of our… ahem… “basses.”
- Yamaha Billy Sheehan Attitude Limited 3 – Sonic Blue
- Spector Euro 4 LX Bass Guitar – Ultra Violet Matte – Sweetwater Exclusive
- Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay Special Bass Guitar – Amethyst Sparkle with Rosewood
- Ibanez Prestige SR5000 Bass Guitar – Wenge
- Caparison Guitars Brocken 5-BASS Bass Guitar – Natural Matt
- ESP LTD B-1005 Multi-scale Bass Guitar – Natural Satin
- Fender American Original ’50s Precision Bass – Aztec Gold
- Charvel Pro-Mod San Dimas Bass PJ V – Platinum Pearl
- Sire Marcus Miller P10 Alder 4-string Bass Guitar – Natural
- Fodera Emperor 5 Standard Classic Bass Guitar – Satin Charcoal Frost Metallic
Yamaha Billy Sheehan Attitude Limited 3 – Sonic Blue
Solid, in-your-face, thumping low end – that’s what you’ll find when you pick up the Yamaha Billy Sheehan Attitude Limited 3. This bass, born with help from the sonic luminary himself, Billy Sheehan, sports some seriously sick pickups and an exemplary body design. Yamaha Guitar Development engineers landed on a pickup design that packs Sheehan-like solid fundamentals and low-end tone with a vengeance. Also, the Will Power middle pickup dials this bass’s power up by dusting each note with individual punch. The Billy Sheehan Attitude Limited 3 is a bass with fierce rumbling tone that can weave its way to the forefront or sit comfortably in a mix.
Spector Euro 4 LX Bass Guitar – Ultra Violet Matte – Sweetwater Exclusive
The Spector Euro 4 LX isn’t just another 4-string. This striking sonic monster rides with incredible tonal output feathered with warmth, sustain, and growling bite. Only a Spector bass spits out this kind of tone, that’s thanks to a set of custom-wound Bartolini pickups that really pull their weight. Jazz, funk, metal – the Euro 4 LX has a tone for all. Since 1977 Spector basses have brought a new meaning to player comfort. With the Euro 4 LX you’ll benefit from an elegantly designed body that captures supreme balance and lightweight comfort. Prolonged gigs, lengthy practice sessions? Bring it on!
Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay Special Bass Guitar – Amethyst Sparkle with Rosewood Fingerboard
Take it from Sweetwater, with this bass slung across your shoulders you’ll turn heads. Vintage ’70s aesthetics contribute to the Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay Special’s knock-em-dead appearance, going hand in hand with playability features and a fat, punchy humbucker. The StingRay, seen in the hands of bassists such as Guy Pratt, Cliff Williams, and Flea, struts its stuff with a premium maple neck that plays like nobody’s business – after all, it’s finished with a special blend of wax and gunstock oil. And this bass’s tone? Impeccable low-end punch with electronic capabilities out the window provided by a 3-band EQ and 18-volt active preamp.
Ibanez Prestige SR5000 Bass Guitar – Wenge
When your hands land on the Ibanez Prestige SR5000 Bass Guitar, they’ll delight at the easy playing wenge/bubinga Atlas-4 HP neck. Conversely, your ears will delight in the resonant tonal qualities of its wenge and mahogany body – a urethane coating allows the beautiful wood grain to shine unsullied. A pair of Bartolini Custom humbuckers outfit this bass in sonic trappings of warm punch that meld with the dynamic range of copious genres and styles. It’s true, Ibanez overlooked no detail with this 4-string king.
Caparison Guitars Brocken 5-BASS Bass Guitar – Natural Matte
Let the Caparison Guitars Brocken 5-BASS Bass Guitar slide into your life and it’s poised to become your next family heirloom bass. Constructed with a unique body design, this bass sports a maple core and flies high with Australian blackwood wings. This stunner outputs some serious tonal diversity – put it through its paces and you’ll find tones ripe for rock, metal, pop and even more. Equipped with a killer neck tailor-made for quick and easy playing, the Brocken 5-BASS sports a compound-radius ebony fingerboard topped off with Caparison’s signature clock inlays.
ESP LTD B-1005 Multi-Scale Bass Guitar – Natural Satin
Bassists beware; once you touch the ESP LTD B-1005 Multi-Scale Bass Guitar’s fretboard you may never go back. This bodacious bass’s multi-scale fretboard ensures maximum resonance and sustain from its five strings while also facilitating natural finger positioning. Not to mention, the B-1005 Multi-Scale brings home the sonic bacon with low-noise pickups that dabble in anything from rock to pop to metal. And, if you haven’t had your hands on a multi-scale bass before, Sweetwater bassists can tell you they feel incredibly natural – especially the B-1005!
Fender American Original ’50s Precision Bass – Aztec Gold
Of course, where would this article be without a classic? Feast your eyes on the glowing Fender American Original ’50s Precision Bass. Heart-pumping, thumping ’50s pep lies right behind that split Pure Vintage ’58 Precision Bass single-coil. Its Thick C-style maple neck will keep your hands glued comfortably to its bound maple fingerboard during long gigs and practice sessions. And that finish? Straight out of the golden Aztec sun – you’ll make an impression on the eyes and ears with this revamped classic!
Charvel Pro-Mod San Dimas Bass PJ V – Platinum Pearl
Plug in this next 5-string and it just might blow your sonic doors off. Architected from the classic Charvel San Dimas ’70s alder body shape, the Pro-Mod San Dimas Bass PJ V features expertly engineered pickups that not only bring out well-rounded punch, they also squeeze out every bit of warmth and kick from this bass’s 5 strings. Also, a vast congregation of tone, EQ, and volume knobs assist you to tonal fields replete with classic warmth and clear, superb kick. Top it off with appointments like a fast-playing baked maple neck and eye-catching chrome hardware and you’ve got a 5-string winner on your hands.
Sire Marcus Miller P10 Alder 4-string Bass Guitar – Natural
Mouth hanging open? We don’t blame you. When bassists at Sweetwater first locked the Sire Marcus Miller P10 Alder 4-string Bass in their sights they raved about the gorgeous flamed maple veneer shining through its natural finish. But this bass isn’t just a pretty face. Under the hood lies pristinely powerful tone and impressive playability. Whatever style you roll with, the Marcus Miller P10 can keep up the pace. A Heritage-3 active/passive preamp system lends this bass a chameleon-like tone shaping capability that’ll serve you on a myriad of stages. Did we mention its neck and fretboard play like a dream?
Fodera Emperor 5 Standard Classic Bass Guitar – Satin Charcoal Frost Metallic
Dial up your harmonic techniques and swamping low-end tones with the 5-stringed Fodera Emperor 5 Standard Classic Bass Guitar. This alder-bodied gent sprung from the same hands that produce Fodera’s top-of-the-line models – and you really notice with its glorious resonance and sustain! The Indian rosewood fingerboard acts as a melodic playground for grooves, solos, and anything in between. Replete with active electronics, the Emperor 5 Standard Classic offers tones deep and round to popping and punchy. At Sweetwater we were particularly amazed at how clear these pickups sound!
Conclusion
Phew! Those are enough basses to play a chamber-ensemble version of Spinal Tap’s “Big Bottom.” So, which ones were your favorites? Give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700 and let us know!
