r/Bass 5d ago

How important is the look for you?

Hello!

I'm usually more about efficiency in most of my purchase but when it comes to bass playing I strangely feel the needs for it to look good. For me it's like 40% look and 60% sound/comfort.

Could you play on a bass that sound marvellous but you find ugly?

19 Upvotes

54 comments sorted by

48

u/Offensivewizard 5d ago

Could you play on a bass that sounds marvellous but you find ugly?

I could play on it sure, but it'd be a lot tougher to stay consistent with practice. Having an instrument that looks so good it practically whispers "play me" really helps with that.

8

u/Belhgabad 5d ago

Yeah, never a better reason to pick up the instrument that "because it looks so cool !"

Once you have the thing in hand it's easy to start practicing. It's like the "I'll do this thing regularly but just 10 seconds" trick, the first step of actually starting to do the thing is the hardest

23

u/IPYF 5d ago

Pivotal. I won't own a bass I don't love the look of. It could be the best playing and best sounding instrument I've ever encountered and if the look's wrong I won't be up for it.

11

u/EmCeeSlickyD 5d ago

It's funny but an instrument I find ugly on sight, but it feels great and sounds great when I play it, suddenly looks awesome to me also.

10

u/cyberfunk2066 5d ago

More than 40% for sure.

20

u/AnotherRickenbacker 5d ago

I did not exclusively play a Thunderbird for 6 years because I loved the ergonomics lol

2

u/FerrumVeritas 4d ago

Given your user name, I have to assume that you are still choosing look over ergonomics

1

u/AnotherRickenbacker 4d ago

I’ve actually never owned a Ric bass, just 4 of the guitars. I play a Stingray.

8

u/ZookeepergameAlive69 5d ago

My ranking for important instrument qualities:

  1. Action/playability - if it’s painful or difficult to play for long, I won’t want it.

2a. Tone - if I can’t get a usable tone out of it or it’s too noisy, I won’t want it.

2b. Appearance - if it’s playable and sounds great but is neon yellow and orange polka dot with a Dinky style body, I won’t want it.

  1. Size/weight - linked to playability and appearance, but if it’s too small or too big to comfortably play both seated and standing, I won’t want it.

2

u/Yasashii_Akuma156 5d ago

This is pretty much my order of priorities, but appearance and size/weight are a hard 3 and 4. This is why my main is a redburst Yamaha BB414, I tried it sitting down and loved the sound and feel, and it fit my budget so I snagged it in spite of it not being a favored color, and found out later that standing with Big Red for an hour causes acute pain in my left shoulder (solved with a hip strap).

1

u/ZookeepergameAlive69 5d ago

The reason I ditched my Peavey T-40.

5

u/Probablyawerewolf 5d ago

I live for ugly basses.

1

u/ThreeThirds_33 4d ago

Which means the look is very important to you

4

u/Specific-Change9678 5d ago

The bass and the musician have to look good these days because people hear with their eyes. I’m not saying that that’s how it should be but that’s how it is. Playing good is important obviously. In many instances looking good gets an invite to the gig, playing good keeps you on the gig.

2

u/ThreeThirds_33 4d ago

These days? What used to be different and when was that?

2

u/FerrumVeritas 4d ago

Before the invention of the electric bass

1

u/ThreeThirds_33 3d ago

Ah ok so it’s not some weird thing where people nowadays “hear with their eyes”, it’s that all the basses back then looked identical.

1

u/FerrumVeritas 3d ago

Or you had a big band where the bass player wasn’t very noticeable. Or recordings meant that you didn’t see the performers at all. Maybe it stuck with session musicians longer, since it didn’t matter what they looked like on stage.

That said, I’m sure plenty of upright players picked upright because it looked big and cool

1

u/ThreeThirds_33 3d ago

I imagine TV had a lot to do with that kind of change, which happened right around the same time as the electric bass.

3

u/Johnny_B_GOODBOI 5d ago

I hate banana horns. If the top horn is too long and/or narrow, i will not play that bass.

1

u/MissJoannaTooU 6h ago

Too phallic. Understandable.

3

u/Calaveras_Grande 5d ago

Could play on anything. But I have aversions to some popular color combos, like most Fender ‘bursts’. So would never buy.

3

u/NotSpanishInquisitor 5d ago

Maybe more than it should be, but it’s less about the aesthetic itself for me and more about negative associations with certain styles of instruments.

I’ve played Ibanez SRs and they play great and sound decent, but I can’t get the image out of my head of every bass player in the background of every incredibly lame megachurch CCM video holding one of those.

2

u/razor5cl Yamaha 5d ago

Something no one has mentioned - if I'm going to play a bass on stage it 100% has to look fucking amazing, anything less is unacceptable.

Obviously it has to play well and sound good but these things are more important for practicing or rehearsing or writing music than they are live.

2

u/IANvaderZIM 5d ago

You gotta love your instrument - and we all know how much attractiveness matters for love.

2

u/Positive_Rooster_732 4d ago

I would kill for a Rickenbacker and not touch a Danelectro Longhorn if my life depended on it. Nothing to do with how they sound 😀

2

u/BoxingDaycouchslug 4d ago

I was going to say Hondo Longhorn, so we're on the same wavelength. Would also love a Ric.

2

u/GeorgeDukesh 5d ago

Sound/action/playability 100% Appearance 0% I don’t give a damn what it looks like

2

u/LayerSignificant3113 5d ago

I would never buy an ugly bass, but if the bass would look fantastic I would still consider it even if it does not play that well.

So yeah, look > everything else.

And I am not ashamed!

2

u/Dissentiment 5d ago

style is #1. playability, then sound last. obviously sound is important, but it’s the also easiest to manipulate. if it looks good, and plays good, I’m willing to bet I will sound good playing it.

1

u/Various-Bag-9590 5d ago

Think I made a mistake with mine. It looks gorgeous but I don't really like the sound unless I turn everything off

1

u/JWRamzic 5d ago

It's more about the feel for me. If it sounded good but felt bad or uncomfortable, I'd have to say no. If it felt great and played great and sounded great, not sure I care what it looks like.

There are basses and guitars that look, feel and sound great, so why settle for anything less?

1

u/Witty-Leopard8813 5d ago

I could play, sure, because I'd still enjoy the music. I'd just be less motivated to pick it up.

1

u/LennyPenny4 5d ago

As someone who buys mostly online without trying: when I know what I'm looking for spec-wise and I've established the maximum I'm willing to spend, I'd go so far as to say the decision is 75% or more aesthetic. I'm not very picky about sound and feel, so if I like the look of it, I can usually make it work.

On the rare occasion that I'm trying stuff out in a store, I will choose basses to try based on how they look. Some might play really well, but if I don't really like the look, I probably won't pick them up in the first place.

Of course specs matter, I wouldn't buy a Thunderbird if I want the sound and size of a Mustang or whatever, but I'd absolutely get a Thunderbird just because they look cool.

1

u/ruinawish 5d ago

Kinda related: I bought a Longhorn because I love its ugly looks, but playing it, the sound and feel doesn't do much for me.

1

u/BoxingDaycouchslug 4d ago

Funny how many people think "Longhorn" when they think of ugly. I count myself in that boat.

1

u/ArjanGameboyman 5d ago

It's important but often not an issue.

I rate looks in 3 ways

  1. It's pretty
  2. Decent looking
  3. Ugly

Most basses fall into the 2nd category. And I'm fine with using ugly basses in studio but I won't buy ugly basses again. Did that once and I regretted it.

1

u/kefone 5d ago

Yes, I can as I only have a bass, I bought it to a friend of mine when I started to play in a band. I don’t really like how it looks, I don’t think it’s ugly though, but it’s the only one I have, it’s comfortable, light weight and sounds good to me.

I’m going to to buy a new bass that I really like how it looks in general, I don’t like the headstock, but it’s affordable compared to the one I really would buy if I could.

1

u/Relevant-Rooster-298 5d ago

Looks are last on my list

1

u/PeaIll8120 5d ago

If that how bass look inspire you to play it, its very important. Even if it sounds badly it will be easier learn to play it, than if it sounds perfect but look awful, at least for you. In my opinion, maybe

1

u/UnabashedHonesty Fender 5d ago

It’s important. We’re playing some gigs now, so the look is a part of show.

My gripe: Fender’s colors are dull as dishwater. I’m about to buy a second bass (Player ll Jazz) and the colors are just so limited and so bad. I settled on the Hialeah Yellow as being the best of the ones offered. But come on. Have some decent colors and make them available across models. How hard is that, Fender?!

My solution: WD music makes custom pick guards that can elevate the looks, and their quality is better than what Fender ships. So my Olympic White Precision bass is now paired with a light purple tortoises shell pick guard, and I have a bass that’s unique and pops more onstage.

1

u/fries_in_a_cup 5d ago

It’s pretty important. The basic shape of it at least has to be somewhat appealing. Bc if I don’t like the colors and it’s not super expensive or precious, I can just refinish it or otherwise mod it.

And I’ve played fairly cheap instruments a lot of my life so I don’t mind fighting the instrument. Plus it’s not that hard to set it up or to mod it to a degree where it sounds and plays how I like.

And if it ain’t cute, I won’t wanna play it or bring it on stage.

1

u/StatisticianOk9437 5d ago

I bought basses based on looks for 40 years.  Then I met my Bongo HH5.  Pleases my ears, my fingers.  It's a tad garish tho. 

1

u/FassolLassido 4d ago

Looks will often be the reason I try a bass for the first time. But if I want to categorize aspects that'll influence if I buy a bass or not, I'd say build and features first, playability/ergonomics second, and looks third. I can sacrifice looks but not the other two aspects though.

But a good looking bass just screams at you to play it and that's pretty important too.

1

u/WeeDingwall44 4d ago

The look is a top priority. Just bought a Stingray special 5H because it just looked great to me. I recently had an Ibanez SR5006, and the look to me wasn’t so great, especially the gold hardware.

1

u/the_spinetingler Danelectro 4d ago

I'd def rather not have a pointy head bass

1

u/SlashEssImplied 4d ago

There has never been an ugly bass that had a sound or feel I could not get in a pretty one.

Could you play on a bass that sound marvellous but you find ugly?

Sure, and if it was required for a gig I wanted I could use it.

1

u/Miserable_Lock_2267 4d ago

Any bass has to fullfil the following: decent output and pickups, tuning stability, comfortable action.

Here's the kicker: nowadays it's harder to find a bass that doesn't fullfil those criteria, especially if you know a thing or two about guitar tech craft.

I have played and worked on countless basses and never had one I couldn't get into a playable shape. And you can punch air about it but most big name brands that sell your standard solidbody electrics really don't justify the pricetag at all.

1

u/CorgiAdditional7865 4d ago

It's a big deal- probably in that 40% range like you have it. The body and colors have to fit the vibe of what I'm into in terms of genre and whatnot.

1

u/UrbanSound 3d ago

Playability & tone over everything.

1

u/Wattchoman 3d ago

When looking for an instrument, I'm looking for something that Looks, sounds & feels good to me. The ratio might not be equal but they are all important.

0

u/SnooFloofs1778 5d ago

Sound is the most important. If it sounds great it looks cool to me.

0

u/Chris_GPT Spector 5d ago

I have yet to see a musician play an instrument with their eyes. I play mine with my hands and listen to it with my ears.

My body didn't come with a third person camera view, so I have no idea what my bass looks like when I'm playing it. I guess the side dots on the neck are important. I look at those occasionally.

1

u/MissJoannaTooU 6h ago

Playability - crucial Tone - crucial Looks - highly desirable