pawn shoppin for bass

  • Thread starter Thread starter oh_the_blood
  • Start date Start date
arcaxis you are exactly right.

haha i was just asking for some suggestions on bass' i should look out for when i pawn shop.
 
The original post by oh_the_blood was pretty confusing. When the post first appeared, I almost jumped in to answer the post with a reply to the standard question: "What kind of bass gear might I be able to find in a pawn shop that would get me started on bass?" Then, I realized that he had a particular sound in mind, which is why he was looking at fx pedals and guitar amps and such.

Yes, I'm quite familiar with the sound he is describing. LOTS of people have sought this sort of heavily distorted bass sound, that really sounds more like a distorted baritone guitar than a bass. Not just metal guys, either. Both Chris Squire and John Entwistle have used guitar amps (Marshall's, usually) for the higher frequencies of their bass rig to get a distorted "lead bass" tone.

After thinking about this quite a bit, here are my suggestions for oh_the_blood. First of all, if you choose to use a guitar amp, you'll probably need one that uses a 4x12 to get the low frequencies AND the distortion you're looking for. A better solution (meaning a more flexible way to go - in case you'd also like to have a bass that actually SOUNDS like a regular bass guitar, someday) would be to find a nice bass rig and then stick a distortion device in front of it. Very few bass rigs will provide the amount of distortion that I believe that you are looking for. (I'm not actually familiar with the band that you mentioned.) In fact, the only bass amp that comes to mind that would give this sort of sound WITHOUT a distortion box would be the Mesa Boogie Big Block, and that is only because it has a distortion unit already built in. As for the specific tone you are looking for, you would need to just try out several distortion devices until you find one that gives you what you're looking for. There are the "usual suspects" to consider - the Big Muff Pi, the ProCo Rat, etc... I would strongly recommend checking out the SansAmp Bass Driver pedal. This is a preamp/floor pedal that will give very good crunchy distortion sounds on bass. It actually sounds pretty good on guitar in certain situations, too. You're not likely to find one in a pawn shop, though. People tend to keep 'em forever when they get one. They are incredibly handy toys to have on hand if you are going to be playing any bass at all. You would have to buy one of these new.

As for basses that you might be able to find in a pawn shop, Fender, Yamaha, and Peavey are all sold in sufficient quantity that you might be able to find a good deal on one in a pawn shop. Any of these should be serviceable. As for bass amps, you will probably run across lots of Ampegs, Fenders, and Gallien Kreugers out there. These should do the job for you. Beyond that, it's just a matter of trying lots of them out, and lots of distortion units, until you find the sound that you're looking for.

Hope this helps.
 
A Ric 4001 through a Marshall Super Lead or Super Bass (the bass version of the Super Lead, almost identical circuitry) and a 4x12 is a classic sound - I love Lemmy's tone :)

My rig is a Fender Jazz through a Laney Supergroup via a hotplate into an Ashdown ABM300 and SVT 8x10
 
for what its worth, i have a super shitty washburn bass that my friend bought for $70 at a pawn shop. i also have a crappy marshall vs100 and 100w somethingorother4x12 marshall cab that i've tried to use with it. if you try to play it at a volume even somewhat comparable to a drum set it will make a terrible sound that will make you never want to try it again. but if you have it lower it has a real nice metallic chingy sound.
 
bongolation said:
There is. If you don't believe me, take this to www.talkbass.com and make your assertion on the amp forum.

Bass will wreck the guitar speakers in a guitar amp if you put any volume on it.

I've seen this happen so many times it's not funny. It was such a big problem at my local Guitar Center that they had to rearrange the store layout and take other measures so that boneheads trying out basses wouldn't plug them into guitar combos, crank 'em up and roach the speakers right on the spot.

Listen, it's not especially difficult to wreck the speakers in many bass rigs with a bass, let alone the speakers in a guitar amp.



.
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Believe the man. He's right. I've fried a few cabs myself. Hell, some bass cabs have trouble!
 
lbanks said:
Believe the man. He's right. I've fried a few cabs myself. Hell, some bass cabs have trouble!
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Did you miss the last couple of posts? Talk to Chris Squire, John Entwistle, Lemmy, Joey Demaio, etc.

Yes, if you try to get a normal bass sound, you will screw your speakers up. If you are doing what has been described, you will be just fine.
 
:confused:

trying to get a bass sound - ANY bass sound from GUITAR gear is not smart. Sure, 50 years ago there was no distriction between the two, but now there is. Modern guitar gear and bass gear is VERY specialized. Besides, if you tune a little skinny string down to the same note as a big fat string, the big one will be giving off more low end due to more mass. So even though some guitar gear will shelve out these frequencies before they get to the speaker cab, you've gotta know that some do NOT and you WILL blow the cabs connected to guitar gear that does not shelve out these frequencies. It is soooo much easier to just get a bass amp and decent bass effects if you want a distorted bass sound. If one MUST use guitar gear for bass, I suggest you string the bass with the lightest guage strings you can get and use the oldest guitar amp you can find. That's the safest way to use the *wrong* tools for the job.


So Lemmy uses guitar gear for his bass. Great. His bass sound isn't that good anyway...... :eek: :D
 
Bassman Brad said:
Both Chris Squire and John Entwistle have used guitar amps (Marshall's, usually) for the higher frequencies of their bass rig to get a distorted "lead bass" tone.
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Entwistle used Marshall / Sunn Coliseum guitar amps (during the 70's) at full treble/no bass for the high end as you say. He used bass amps (full bass) and cabs for the low end at the same time. I won't say anything about Squire, the Stevie Nicks of bass players.

But the point is, if you plug in a bass guitar to a little guitar amp and if that bass knob is up a notch and you decide to turn it up - it will blow the speakers. This guy is not looking to buy a hi end amp and a lo end amp with matching cabs. He wants to jam LOUD, and jam now, and if he does this thru a guitar amp/cab, the desired effect will not be met without TURNING UP THE BASS. And that's when the speakers smoke.

Hope this helps you.
 
Zed10R said:
:confused:

So Lemmy uses guitar gear for his bass. Great. His bass sound isn't that good anyway...... :eek: :D
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Your idea of what a good bass sound sounds like is not the issue. The 'proper way to achieve a good bass tone' is not the issue, it is a sound.

Plugging a Hammond B-3 into a row of Marshall Majors and distorting the crap out of them was not what the makers had in mind and will not get you the intended tone of the instrument. But it worked really well for Deep Purple (people are still trying to cop that tone) and Styx.
 
Farview said:
Your idea of what a good bass sound sounds like is not the issue. The 'proper way to achieve a good bass tone' is not the issue, it is a sound.

Plugging a Hammond B-3 into a row of Marshall Majors and distorting the crap out of them was not what the makers had in mind and will not get you the intended tone of the instrument. But it worked really well for Deep Purple (people are still trying to cop that tone) and Styx.
Click to expand...

I know, Farview....it's all good....I know what the issue is. Just havin fun. :D
 
Back to the pawn shop question. I don't know what pawn shops are like where you live--but if they're anything like the ones where I live, they're a rip-off. What pawn shops charge here I can usually buy the same model for new through someplace like AMS or MF. And the stuff in the pawn shop is usually in crappy shape--stuff I see usually requires at least a neck reset and refretting--on top of the dealer's already outrageous price for worn out garbage.
 
There is both an up side and a down side to pawn shops. There is a lot of crap hanging in them, and there is the occasional really good deal. You just have to know what to look for. Pawn shops tend to "specialize" in certain products, don't go to the one with more gold than Fort Knoxx or more guns than the Marines, hit the ones with the walls lined with guitars and amps, at least you will have more of a selection that way. Ignore the name on the headstock, for the kind of thing you have in mind a "cheapo" may work fine, if it plays well. Passive pickups will probably work better for your project too and be a lot easier on your amp. A compressor, whether built into the amp or an inline unit will also be a usefull tool to have. A bass through a Tube Screamer will allow you to have lots of push without cranking the amp. Zoom and DOD both make multi effect processors for bass with about the same features as their units for guitar, multi units tend to be a little noisy but for metal/grunge a little background noise isn't much of a problem.
Hope some of this helps. There has been lots of experimentation with effects for guitar but imo the bass has been largely overlooked when it comes to doing more than just providing the bottom end. Experimentation leads to discovery so go for it.
 
Farview said:
Did you miss the last couple of posts? Talk to Chris Squire, John Entwistle, Lemmy, Joey Demaio, etc.

Yes, if you try to get a normal bass sound, you will screw your speakers up. If you are doing what has been described, you will be just fine.
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The amps those guys use are Marshall's and Mesa's. That not the same as using just any guitar amp.
An as far as pawn shops go, I've found some great deals there. A MIJ Fender Jazz Bass Special-$200. A Fender Squire Strat-$89, a Sunn Bass Coliseum 300 and Hartke 4.5XL-$200. I've also seen some insane stuff: Alembic Rogue-$1400 (should go for no more than $700, IMO). A G&L ASAT Bass for $1500.(I've seen better price on TB and Ebay) Its a crapshoot, no doubt.
 
FX pedal idea

I was looking for the same thing. I play bass as my instrument of choice and before I got my Spectre NS I had a Cort. I was lookin for a ditorted sound that would make my guitarist kiss my ass for cuz he couldn't find a good tone nor did he care to, just wanted to be heard. ANYWAY... I played my crappy cort through an electro-harmonix Big Muff Pi and within 20 seconds of screwin with the knobs I had what I wanted and could have expected from a low end bass. As far as the actual bass itself goes, I wasn't sad over the cort purchase, I'd do it again if my house caught on fire and I had $75. Thats what I paid for my used Cort, good luck.
 
so does anyone recommend some pedals i can put my guitar through to make it an octave lower? or anything else crazy cool?
 
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