i pan kick and snare up the center 90% of the time i mix and i don't have a problem getting it to work.
i've panned all the drums hard left and the bass hard right on certain songs for more of vibe......but i wouldn't call that any sort of typical approach.
if the bass in up the center and you only have one track of it, phase is irrelevant (at least for the bass).
if you really want to pan it, then just use your ears. you want to avoid adding too much weight to one side of the mix that you can't balance out on the other.....this of course is very general, i've done plenty of mixes that are weighted to one side or another....but typically it's not with the bass.
mono compatibility is a big issue. and as i agree with Max that things are getting really "smeary" i also disagree by the fact of listening to many current albums in mono in my studio. you lose a lot of the glitz and glamour, but the mix still pounds through with bass, drums, guitar, and vocals in mono....and for rock n roll, that's what is important.
big rock band, with kick, snare, bass, and lead vocal all panned up the center.
Urgency