Bass Purchase issues...

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Atom Bomb

Atom Bomb

Wtf is a PRS
So i have been spending the last little bit trying to get myself outfitted with a bass and an amp.

Spent the odd hour at the local music store. I have a chum that has been a steadily gigging touring bass player the last 18 years or so and he told me to go with my gut primarily. But not to sacrifice too much based on cost. i was told to stay away from Squire indeifinitely. Epihpone is a 50/50 crap shoot craftmanship wise as a last resort. And pretty much anything fender is going to be of decent quality provided its not made in china...

So.

I test drove the following

A fender percision both an american and mexican...
An Epihpone 'SG' style Negative EB whatever the fuck it is.
An Ibanez BTB200

It was half hour to closing time so i didnt really get a rig put together to hear them but oddly, the Epiphone EB negative one, won in the playability and feel department.

The neck on it looks short. which to me when i go back saturday to plug it in, will probably mean wont have that much of a deep bassy tone?

I wasnt fussy about the feel of the ibanez at all. The Fenders were o.k. but im not sure if i like how high up the strings were? Is that just how it was set up from the factory?.

Bearing in mnd i have mainly been playing guitar for the last bunch of years and havent played bass for a long time...Could that be why that Epiphone bass felt so comfortable? DO i have to switch up my mind set on what comfortable is when playing a bass?

Or should i just wait till i can plug them in and have a crank on it for while to really make my mind up.

My friend has been great thru this and basically told me that something will grab me when its ready, which i think there is a certian amoutn of truth in.

But i just thought id ask how some of you all go about it.

And i guess i should say that my options for amps im looking at test driving are as follows...

Traynor DB400
Gallien-Krueger 600BL 300watt Amplifier
Gallien-Krueger 410BLX - 400watt 4x10'' 8ohm Cabinet

The prices are about right on par with each other and meet my budget but i am sort of unfamiliar with both brands...


Any and all comments welcome please.
 
Gallien Kruger is a major bass amp manugacturer and their amps are pretty well regarded even though they're reasonably priced.
You could feel comfortable going with that and you'd have a pretty nice bass rig.

As for bass ..... yeah, if the Epi is a short scale bass it's gonna feel better to a guitar player.
As a bassist myself, I have to say I absolutely hate the way short scale basses sound. A prominent mid range and limited low end extension.
Having said that, there are some who would disagree ..... I have seen people that say they like the sound of a short scale ...... I actually can't understand why; and the majority definitely prefer long scale but still, you should be aware of that.

Schecter is another cheaper bass that's pretty decent ..... very similar to Ibanez.

I agree with your friend ..... if it's just for recording then go with what feels best to you.
But, personally, I would go for a different mindset and learn to play the longer scale and if you're thinking of going with a 4X10 then perhaps this is gonna see live use as well?

One thing that I like about my 5-string is that the long scale forces me to play and think differently than I do on guitar. It helps to keep from sounding like a guitar player noodling around with bass.
Even after decades of playing both, I find it useful for getting myself in 'bass player mode.'
 
Thanks for the tips. And i figured there has to be something lacking in the short scale bass. It just doesnt seem right? Speaking in terms of sound. but we will have to see i guess.

I used to play bass for a few years in a punk ska band i beleive it was a Fender Jazz Percision? If there is such a thing? It was my buddies? and i just remember having a hell of time doing so of those fast runs. The neck just seemed so long....But i'll suck it up.

I will test drive a few more. I think they did actually have some schecter ones. I'll have to investigate them too.

It might see some live applications? most definaitely a few jam sessions, but mostly my own recording use. Is a 4x10 a little too much? I mean if i went with say a step up in GK amp head and a step down to like a 1x15 cab or 2x10 cab by some other manufacturer it might be more suited to my needs? and if in the chance i saw a live application the Long and Mcquade here has a stellar rental program i could rent a 4x10 or one of those 8x something orother monstroseties.

Thats another angle i never really though of ????

Is it a safe assumption i can mix breeds of manufacturers eh?
 
4X10 is a bit much for just recording. You're only gonna mic one of those speakers.
Of course, the larger cab makes for deeper bass response. But I think a 2X10 would do fine. I play quite a few gigs with my Gallien Kruger 2X10 even though I have an awesome Ampeg SVT-410HLF cab.

As for going up in the GK line for a more expensive head if you save on a smaller cab ...... you'll mainly just get more power by doing that. For recording I don't see the point although for live work I, personally, like a little more than 300watts so it may be worth it for live work.
But for recording I don't see it as benefiting you any. I'd just save the money.

You can certainly mix different manufacturers.

There are/were Fender Jazz basses and also a Precision bass. They are different basses though.
 
The grinch has declared i must wait until after chrsitmas bills are paid to embark on this mission.

gay. :confused:

Oh well more time to figure shit out.


Pretty convinced im going to roll with a GK head for sure. Didn't matter what i plugged into it it sounded good saturday. Even the short scale Epiphone... weird.
 
I still own and play my Fender Precision bought new in 1975,

I play through a GK 800RB with various cab set ups, 1 x 15 EV cab, 2 x 1 x 15 EV cabs and for large shows the both 15 cabs plus a 2x 10 cab. The best sound I ever got was from my GK head and an Ampeg 8 x 10 cab supplied while I was on tour. GK rule.

I also own a 1994 Fender Jazz Fretless (Japan), a 1989 Fender Acoustic Precision (hollow body) with a fretless Jazz neck, a Ibanez BTB 5 string (35" scale), and 2 x Maton Ibis (1964).

I use different basses depending on what style of music I am playing.

If I were to have to buy 1 bass it would be my Fender Precision the best all round bass. If you find it uncomfortable try a Jazz (remember Giddy Lee plays a Jazz). Remember also different years had different neck profiles, and stick with USA made or pre 1995 Japan Made Fenders.

Cheers

Alan
 
First, if it is a primarily a recording bass, screw the amp for now. Save your $$$ until you need an amplifier to gig out. And even then..... if you buy a SansAmp RBI you'll do as good or better than many amps costing many times what you pay for the RBI. The recorded tone will be great. Gospel.
As for the bass, I know you won't have any direct test drive abilities, but the gamble will be worth it. Again, you save a bundle. The answer? eBay. I know, I know. :rolleyes: But try the the kit-builds from people like bikebassnut, buildabass, or slonk (slonk18?). Check out this auction;
http://cgi.ebay.com/CUSTOM-JAZZ-OR-PRECISION-BASS-HAND-BUILT-PRO-SETUP-4U_W0QQitemZ260519565496QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item3ca82d18b8
I promise you, you won't get a bass 1/10th as good for ten times the money. I still get a lot of compliments on my bass. I think I paid maybe $500 for it. What kind of Fender can you buy for $500? A stolen one maybe.
 
I've found short scale basses seem to work well for recording. But, YMMV. I also have grown to like Pbasses for recording. Also, don't discount Squiers out of hand; I've played quite a few that were excellent axes. (Played a few Squire Turds, also). As far as why one bass feels better than another, it could be neck shape, neck width, strings. But one of the most important is setup, which is often neglected in stores. A Jazz that is setup properly is one of the sweetest axes out there, just like properly setup Ripper! :p
 
ranjam said:
I promise you, you won't get a bass 1/10th as good for ten times the money. I still get a lot of compliments on my bass. I think I paid maybe $500 for it. What kind of Fender can you buy for $500? A stolen one maybe.
Click to expand...

Sorry ranjam, I did not realise we are talking CHEAP! I thought we were talking good. Also what is wrong with second hand? for $500 there would be a lot of good second hand basses out there.

Cheers

Alan.
 
A couple of the bass players I was working with are also guitarists and encouraged me to pick up a bass rig for sub work. You can make some money for sure.

I wanted a squier jazz because I wanted to be able to screw fender parts on it and geek out. I wanted it to be roughly OEM compatible with fender. I found a bunch of used squiers that were freaking horrendous. I guessed that they'd be fine after a neck adjustment. i think alot of inexperienced bass players play a bass until the neck needs adjustment and then sell it because they think it's shot. I had one that I was going to grab for ~$199. It was a decent squier jazz with no gig bag or anything.

I went to samash on my lunch hour the next day and saw a MIM fender P-bass for like $230. The thing was like brand new and had a nice setup. Plus it was blue. Maybe I should search the forum to see if I posted here what I paid for it. I know it was cheap. I am thinking $230.

Anyway, I am just saying that mexican fenders aren't that much more than a squier.

Just to mention it, I got an old peavey mark IV and a 1x15 fender cabinet that is as big as a dishwasher. I played a gig with a guy at a country club who had to wait a month to get paid. He offered me the bass rig rather than wait a month, so I took it. I think it is a pretty solid setup and I have less that $500 in the whole shootin match. Just to geek out, I put together a little pedal board, too with a compressor, a chorus and this wicked envelope filter thing, none of which I ever use unless I am goofing around at home.
 
yea what cephus said... RE: geeking it out.

It was half thinking the Fender Precision i played that i wasn't fussy over probably wasnt set up the best in the shop casue it was a mexican one. So i could ask them to make proper adjustments for me and try it agian. I mean they are going to have anyway at somepoint right?

And my bass playing friend also suggested the Mexi percision becasue i can order newer and better pickups later on if im not 100% thrilled with the sound of the mexican pick ups. And have the prcietag still ring in a little lower then the american made...?

I don't know. Im sitting on it till after chrsitmas now anyways. So more time to shop and ponder.

Second hand is a possibility for sure.
 
Atom Bomb said:
The grinch has declared i must wait until after chrsitmas bills are paid to embark on this mission.

gay. :confused:

Oh well more time to figure shit out...
Click to expand...

I'm assuming you are new to the bass, don't have any bass gear at this time and you haven't given used gear much consideration, so forgive me if I'm wrong on all those points...

My advice: BUY USED

Buying used saves you the cost of depreciation (usually 25%-50% of original cost) and if you don't like it or decide you just want something different you can get most if not all of your money back when you re-sell.

Don't know if you have Craigslist or a similar free internet classified ad site in Nova Scotia, but that is the best place to buy gear hands down.

The bigger the metropolitan area, the better the selection and ability to find gear on the cheap.

For your bass guitar, your friend is right on. But the one that feels and sounds right to you. You'll have more fun and play/practice longer on it.

As far as an amplifier, if you are just starting out you won't need much, but it's much harder if not impossible to coax good bass tones out of a cheap practice amp than with a cheap guitar amp.

I'd recommend 10" speaker minimum, 30 watts minimum.

Compression, effects, and extension speaker jacks are great if you can get them within your price range. Whatever that might be.

Older, used Peavey gear is hard to beat in the bang-for-the-buck category. Peavey bass gear is notoriously heavy, rugged and best of all C-H-E-A-P.

From Craigslist I picked up a Peavey combo 300 bass amp for $30 (needed some work and clean up) and an extension peavey 15" bass cab for $40. For $70, the cost of some screws and a little elbow grease, I have a rugged, reliable rig that I could play with anyone, anywhere, at ANY volume. It's not elite gear, but I'm not an elite bass player either (yet! hah!).

The best advice is to spend your money commensurate with your skill, experience, and expectations for future needs. You can always upgrade on birthdays and Christmas! ;)

Good luck!
D
 
Check out the Fender Highway One's. There's a huge thread on them over @ www.talkbass.com.

I went with the Highway one Jazz in honey blonde. For the price I couldn't believe I was getting an all american Fender with the badass II bridge and the double graphite rod neck. The thing played to perfection straight out of the box. I hear nothing but rave reviews of them, and everywhere I gig I get asked about my bass and it's amazing sound and looks.
 
Hmm. This is a sticky situation. I am def not new to the bass thing. I did play bass in a punk ska band about 13 years ago for a few years. However, it was a side project that we did, to play expand our horizons and each of us took up a different instrument. Soelly for learning and broadening that somehow managed to catch on and ended up being our main act for well over three years... Weird? Didnt see it happening really.

So i did have a bass and an amp.. but it wasn't mine? I had no choice in the matter. i played guitar, so for the switch up i used my pal's gear. Being none the wiser i accepted the bass and amp as being awesome. So.

It was a fender precision i remeber it being really hard to play those uber fast scale on, and it was physically heavy as fuck, considering i used to giv'r live. So...

And WE did have a peavy something and yamaha G100 we did get used, and the peavy was deadly.

So more or less, my original post i lacked clarity (as usual) and totally left this out. I think mainly becasue that set up in that scenario i had zero input or ability to change it...

In this situation i have complete control of it you know? Buying new is an option. I have checked around the used places here pawn shops etc, and there wasnt much. alot of squires and walmart sears model.. whatever those might be..?

Not sure about craigslist? I'll check into it.

But thanks. Everyone.

Actually went ot find a piano book for the little lady last night and ended up test driving an Epiphone Thunderbird and LOVED the feel of it.. .agian... got there at 10 to closing time and didnt plug it in, but safely the best feel i have found yet!!!!
 
Atom Bomb said:
...Actually went ot find a piano book for the little lady last night and ended up test driving an Epiphone Thunderbird and LOVED the feel of it.. .agian... got there at 10 to closing time and didnt plug it in, but safely the best feel i have found yet!!!!
Click to expand...

Those are the coolest looking basses IMO. I haven't tried one, but I heard the necks are FAT. Was that true with the one you checked out?
 
Yea man. the whole thing felt fat. It was great. and one big perk for me was the input jack was on the butt.

I play lefty and upside down. so 70% of the basses i looked at the input jack is a huge pain in hte ass. NOt the case with this guy.

IT was really great though. It felt good. It felt solid. It was setup beautifully. The action was impeccable.. (for my taste) low, and just the way it sounded not plugged in i was really impressed with. I'm sure that was just the strings or whatever but no. Was really pumped on it.

I really wanted to plug it in and have a giver, but it will have to wait till the weekend or next week.

I good good vibes from this beast.

here is the website specs on the one i dry humped...

http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=305&CollectionID=12
 
I've got a '92 Gibson thunderbird I'll sell you cheap. and by cheap, i mean really expensive.

TBass.jpg
 
Nice.

there were no gibsons there sadly. Not that i am that cheap.

I have standards.... :confused:

nice rig....
 
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