I know there are hundreds of Bass styles to choose from, but does anyone else feel that a large majority of Bass designs are Fugly? Why is that the case?
No
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Cause most donât mod their basses 
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Nope, I donât think the majority of bass designs are fugly. I viscerally dislike two different models Iâve seen, but thatâs about it.
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But no I donât agree with the original question. In fact I kind of think the opposite. I think most basses (and guitars) are works of art. Even the âcrappyâ mass produced beginner ones. There are designs I donât like, and there are designs I like but donât like playing the bass.
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I am a huge fan of the more quirky designs. Ironically the more traditional ones donât interest me as much.
Whatâs interesting (to me anyway) is I am not that way on guitar. I like the classically inspired ones as well.
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Fugly might be too strong a term but I definitely have a specific look I go for and when I skim through sweetwater there are very few that match.
Yamaha TBRX line, Dingwall Combustion, Ibanez SR series, Schecter C series, Sire Marcus Miller M series, and ESP Ltd B and F series body shapes are the only ones I like 100% and wouldnât change a thing on.
Of the above colour options limit the selection even more. Sire have a habit of putting skunk stripes round the edges of the colours I really like, which I donât like.
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I dislike nearly all brown bursts
I donât dislike Danelectro instruments per se, but they make me giggle
Antigua is right out
Otherwise, I love me some exceptionally odd basses. As should be clear by my buying habits and SBV worship.
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Hmmm⌠I kind of agree on the wood colored bursts. Saying that my 6 string and my Reverend are both wood colored bursts. The Epi, Iâve had for decades and isnât going anywhere. The Reverend, Iâll deal with the color because I got the bass for more than half off (and was brand new when I bought it).
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Actually natural ones can be quite nice. Itâs the traditional brown-to-yellow-to-orange-to-black Fender/Gibson style sunburst that I strongly dislike.
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I love the natural wood finishes, Iâm just not a big fan of the wood bursts.
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Sticking with bass physical design characteristics, the classic Fender body shapes (Precision, Jazz) are well-thought out, beloved, and have withstood the test of time. The descendent Music Man body and its polarizing pickguard shape has also become a follow-on modern-day classic.
Other, classic designs include the iconic Hofner violin bass and the venerable Rickenbacker solid body, both famously made famous by McCartney.
Some true modern-day body/headstock bass styles logically derived from shredder-oriented electric guitars.
Other modern, intentionally non-Fender designs came about from the artistic minds and hands of boutique luthiers. The afore-mentioned Marcus Miller M series later adopted many of the design cues from those multi-thousand-dollar basses to manufacture a production model at a ridiculously accessible price.
Of two of the major Canadian small-shop builders, Dingwall and FBass, I much prefer FBass designs. Dingwalls are no doubt great instruments, but fan-fret ultra-modern is not my personal bag. No diss on anyone who digs them, though.
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I think I have the similar likes in taste and styles. Fugly might be too strong of a word but I find it hard to find a combination that I really like without any modifications as someone mentioned. The Yamaha I found very appealing.
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I definitely prefer more modern and/or quirky styles for bass over traditional Fender shapes.
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Hehe, I knew you had good taste 
Nods, the Yamaha and the Dingwall were both love at first sight for me.
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Absolutely!!! Me too. I saw the Combustion and just knew I would buy one.
It was the fan-fret that shook me, all night long!!! I love âem! But I like a âmodernâ style - Iâve got a Steinberger (ok, this is no longer modern, in that itâs really associated with the 80s) but I think itâs just so cool. As is my modern headless Ibanez EHB1000S.
What I donât like is the traditional Fender shape, whether a P, a Jazz or a PJ. Fâugly? I wouldnât go that far, just not for meâŚ
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Itâs all good.
Since we each have our bass prefs and we vote with our GAS wallets, together, weâll keep the various bass builders in business. 
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Back in the day before I bought my Ken Smith
I thought this was the ugliest bass.
3 decades later itâs one of my most favorite looks.
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Form follows function. There is beauty in what they do. No one buys a hammer for its looks. The looks on a bass are the icing
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