Best budget bass for recording

[pennylink]

What would a good budget bass be ($200-$250 new or used) for direct recording purposes?

I'm a guitarist, new to recording with a Q10/Sonar into my PIII 800 with 512 RAM, and will use it to lay down some simple bass lines.

My music style is fairly eclectic, but mostly falls under folk-rock and blues.

Since at this point I don't own a DI, Bass POD or J-Station, would it make more sense to get a dual pick-up bass, as opposed to a single pick-up bass, in order to to get more useable sounds? My Q10 does have Hi Z inputs.

Better sounds from active or passive?

Thanks !!!

 

[bongolation]

Pickups must be passive and humbucking.

Almost any bass with that type of pickups will be fine for your purposes. Shield the bass's electrics if they already aren't.

Everything else is secondary.

Just get a clean track/loop down and you can manipulate the sound digitally to make it sound like whatever you want with plugins. Don't worry about dual pickups for your purposes here.

 

[Wide Awake]

Better sounds from active or passive

For $200-250 you should buy a passive. A used Fender Standard Jazz Bass or Precision Bass would be excellent. If you could find a used Yamaha BBN4 that could be good too.

 

[pennylink]

OK, I admit it, I'm ignorant when it comes to bass guitars. Do Precision and Jazz have humbuckers or are they single coils?

Would older Peaveys like T-40 or Dyna-Bass record well? They seem quite plentiful and affordable, yet relatively well-made...

 

[Wide Awake]

OK, I admit it, I'm ignorant when it comes to bass guitars. Do Precision and Jazz have humbuckers or are they single coils?

The Precision (P-Bass) has a humbucking design. (from 1957 on) Two single coils mounted side-by-side, with their coils wound in opposite directions and one of the two magnets reversed. That design cancels out any 60-cycle hum.

Most stock Fender Jazz Basses have single coil pickups. When you turn both pickups up they act like a humbucker because they have opposite polarities- that Leo Fender guy was a genius to design like that.

There are lots of options though in aftermarket pickups. I bought Dimarzio Ultra Jazz pickups for my Fender Jazz and they sound incredible....they are humbucking pickups, cost me $95.

Humbuckers usually have a darker powerful sound and less highs than a single coil design, that's because they have an increased number of wire turns. Single coil pickups have strong midrange punch and clear highs. Most noise problems people have in cheap basses are due to electrostatic buzz created by poor shielding of the pickups and/or the control cavity.

 

[64Firebird]

Take a look at Jay Turser. A lot of bang for your bucks. Cllick here.

 

[Gidge]

I use a Fender Squier P-Bass that i picked up for ~ $129 thru a J-Station and it sounds good to me......

 

[Unsprung]

I use a Fender Squier P-Bass that i picked up for ~ $129 thru a J-Station and it sounds good to me......

The best thing I did, for my Squier P-bass, was when I bought my Vox T-25 combo. I'm guessing that a Tele would sound okay through it, as well, but mine is a Squier Fat Tele, and trying to play the humbucker through the bass amp is a tad too muddy for my tate. Eventually, I'll get another Tele (with 2 single coils), and a Bass POD, but then I'll have to try a Squier P-bass through one, to make sure what I've got will sound good. I think they've got a Schecter bass plugged into the display Bass POD, at Guitar Center Indy.

 

[pennylink]

Thanks everybody, I appreciate all your input.

Just so I understand, why wouldn't you want to use active electronics to record direct? Too noisy?

 

[DaisyCutter]

Try an Essex bass. SUPER cheap (the jazz bass I bought was $119).

Check out the forums at talkbass.com.
Do a search for Essex and you'll see many, many fans of the Essex basses.

 

[jdier]

Thanks everybody, I appreciate all your input.

Just so I understand, why wouldn't you want to use active electronics to record direct? Too noisy?

Active tend to be too noisy. Great for shows, not the best for recording.

I would suggest that you go to local music store and browse the cheaper used stuff. I would try to find something around $100.00 that has either a jazz, precision or combo (jazz-bridge/precision-neck) pick up arrangement.

Concentrate first on playability. You are a guitar player, so you know what I mean... does it feel good to you, are the strings well spaced for you, is it easy to play scales at different points on the neck without too much strain or fret buzz. If those things check out, I would then test the intonantion a bit to hear how that is.

I would then pick out some new Dimarzio pick ups and have the store install them and set up the bass for you. You should be able to get out of there for $225 - $250.

If you just buy a $250 new bass from the web you may wind up with some very crappy electronics. But, a fender squire for $150 + $100 for dimarzio electronics might work well for you.

The peavey stuff you asked about is all well engineered and made in the US by and large. It is rock solid gear that you can get cheap and will hold value!

Hope this helps.

Jim

 

[pennylink]

I went with a T-40 off eBay. Little-played 1983 in great condition(black/black pickguard) with maple/rosewood neck and OHC for $200. Strings need changing though...

Just got it and recorded direct into the Hi Z of my Q10, then put a little compression on it. I must say, for a first attempt, I'm pretty happy with the results!

Thanks everybody for your feedback!!!

 

[BrainCase]

I scrounged up an Epiphone Les Paul Special, two passive humbuckers, 239 on musiciansfriend.com. Works like a champ. Go through the new Bass V-amp. I like the sound of it, although I'd like to get the opinion of a more seasoned bass player, cuz all I know is what I got, and my opinion might not mean d!ck.