easiest to play best sounding bass for newbie bass player?

[photonstudios]

Suggestions for a bass guitar for a moderately capable guitarist/drummer who wants to probably just use bass for jamming and recording direct (as guitar is my main instrument)??

I have no idea where to start and am not currently living near a massive guitar store where I can play alot of different stuff. I would only want a 4 string and I have only ever played my friends or bandmates basses in the past and haven't kept up with decent quality well priced basses.

I am lusting over a Parker Fly bass but that's unlikely in the short term as they are so expensive - I played one once and it felt so nice I swear it made me play better. Just a few pointers or good websites with reviews would be cool. Also any VST dsp suggestions you use to record direct bass would be cool. I have tried RBass and that made it sound really fat and warm but again I don't have experience with recording much bass guitar...

thanks for any tips/hints

P.S. anyone have the newish Parker Mojo Flame Cutaway? I would love to hear some reviews on that. I am also keen on that but happy with my Tele tho I want something versatile and powerful since I dont have my Les Paul studio lite anymore...

 

[Hard2Hear]

I still think the Musicman SUB is the best value good quality bass. Mine sounds great and is really easy to play.

I also think VST's for bass are a waste of money and processing power when a cheap Art TubePac does such a great job for a bass di.

I used to have several Parkers, but havent had any since Washburn bought out Parker a few years ago.

H2H

 

[ermghoti]

Mexican Fender Jazz, or Carvin's bolt-on both leap to mind. The Carvin would be a touch nicer, and can be bought in kit form, you just wipe on a tung oil finish, screw the pieces together, and do a set-up. Either would be about $300.

Both sound good, with good pickups, and a more narrow neck than P-type basses, which would be appreciated by guitarists.

 

[giraffe]

Mexican Fender Jazz, or Carvin's bolt-on both leap to mind. The Carvin would be a touch nicer, and can be bought in kit form, you just wipe on a tung oil finish, screw the pieces together, and do a set-up. Either would be about $300.

Both sound good, with good pickups, and a more narrow neck than P-type basses, which would be appreciated by guitarists.

i second this.

 

[mikeh]

Bass is not my main axe - but I do own a Fender MIM Jazz bass, an Ibenex GRS 200 and a Peavey Dynabass (I love the Peavey).

I started with the Fender (about $400), but found it hard to adapt to the thicker neck, the bulk of the guitar and the weight. I heard many people praise the Inbenex (about $200), so I tried one - I found the thinner neck and lighter weight much more comfortable and I can get around the fret board so much easier and faster.

I recentkly bought the Peavey from a friend ($200) - I've wanted it for years (ever since he bought it new back in the 80's). The Fender now collects dust and I will probably sell it or trade it soon.

That all being said - I think the Ibenex GRS is a good low cost axe that a guitar player can adapt to very easy.

A bass player I use to work with was (I suspect still is) a huge Carvin fan who owns 2 or 3 Carvin basses (I don't know the models) and he loves his Carvin gear. I never tried one and can't offer personal opinion.

 

[ROblows]

I was in the same situation and a MIM Fender Jazz bass was perfect for me.

 

[gbondo9]

My old drummer (who doesn't play bass), just bought this: Washburn XBG100 to have around is house so people could jam with him.

I mostly play guitar, but Ive got a five string and Ive played bass in a couple bands/gigs.

Albeit the washburn doesn't have alot going for it feature wise, I was really impressed with the sound quiality and feel. For the price, I would recommend this as an option.

Todd

 

[jeffree]

Photon, I'm also a guitarist (and drummer), but I needed bass for my recording work; I was tired of the synth lines. So I spent some hours in my local GC trying different models in the sub-$300 range, asking questions, and then reading online reviews when I came home. I wasn't planning on it, but I eventually decided to buy one of the cheapest I found--Yamaha rbx170--because it felt and sounded so solid, especially for the money. I had the sales guy bring out several of this model so that I could choose one with the best neck. The lower-priced Ibanez models felt nice, but the slimmer necks and lower action didn't suit me, especially when fret buzz is such a killer for bass while recording. I've spent a couple of weeks recording with my new bass and am extremely satisfied. Very good sound (overall), acceptable action, and no buzz whatsoever. $160 well spent, and an extra $20 gave me a 10-year warranty. I'm certain that a pro bass player would want a heckuva lot more, but for laying down decent bass tracks on my recordings (and really enjoying the process), I'm totally there.

J.

 

[-=¤willhaven¤=-]

I play two Parker Flys and an ESP Horizon... I opted for a MusicMan Stingray 5 for home recording. Why? After hearing lots of good basses played through great amps, my favorite bass tone was the Stingray. Now I just need to wrestle my Tech21 bass driver away from my dad so my tone will be awesome recorded.

My old bass player has gone through many basses in his day. A fender P-bass with P/J pickup combo, a Rickenbacker (which taught us why people call them Clickenbackers), a high-end Ibanez 1305 (my second favorite), Stingray 4... he now has another Fender 5 string. All of this was through the most expensive Ampeg or GK heads you could get at the time.

I haven't heard the Parker basses. I suspect they're good, but you don't really see many of them.

 

[Sirnothingness]

I've found that non usa Fender equipment to be decent instruments at decent prices. Yeah, Mexico has a good rep for quality.

 

[jfrog]

Ibanez GSR200....

- $209 at guitar center

- A low price isn't worth much if it sounds like crap. The GSR200 actually sounds decent & they've got 2 pickups for some sound variation.

- They've got a narrower neck than a lot of basses, which is good for us guitarists who only occasionally play bass.

 

[-=¤willhaven¤=-]

Yeah... Ibanez is definitely the way to go if you need a thin neck (or more appropriately, thinner string spacing, especially with the Soundgear series). I have average sized hands, but I find the Stingray 5 to feel allright. It feels noticably larger than a guitar, but not in a bad way, just different.

 

[photonstudios]

thanks for all the great advice and opinions! i really appreciate all the posts and opinions. I will check out if I can find any of the ones suggested here and try them out.

 

[David Katauskas]

Ibanez GSR200....

- $209 at guitar center

- A low price isn't worth much if it sounds like crap. The GSR200 actually sounds decent & they've got 2 pickups for some sound variation.

- They've got a narrower neck than a lot of basses, which is good for us guitarists who only occasionally play bass.

I too have this bass and it works extremely well. It's a bargain IMO.