I think I want a bass....

ZoSo0789

ZoSo0789

New member
yep, I think it's about time I've owned a good decent affordable bass. I've always loved listening to a good bass player (in fact, I'd rather listen to Jack Bruce's walking bass behind Clapton's solos on Crossroads....). Problem is, I know zip... nothing about what to look for in a bass. Woods, differences in pickups, scale lengths, or even the number of frets is "standard" on a bass..... clueless. If any on yall could give me a quick schooling on basses, I'd much appreciate it :). In the meantime, I want a decent bass; nothing expensive, and not a hunk of crap.... maybe the $200 to $300 range. I'm naturally drawn to wanting a Jazz bass, and itll take some **** good arguments to convince me other wise. Things I'd like to be able to play with it.... John Paul Jones, Jack Bruce, John Entwistle, old Geddy Lee, and hell even some some older metal all and possibly funk-out some Flea. Any ideas? What should I keep an eye out for?
 
Re: I think I want a bass....

SX is by far the best brand dollar for dollar. 109 bucks and you can get a guitar easily comparable to 200-300 range.

www.rondomusic.com

As for what to look for, if you're wanting a jazz bass stick with the standard stuff. Maple offers a brighter, crisper sound while rosewood gives it a smooth, deeper tone. I prefer rosewood on my basses, but it's up to you to make that choice.

Also, if you can spot one, Fender did a run for awhile of JP-90s. They're MIA, have a J bass bridge pickup and a P bass neck pickup. Best of both worlds in my opinion. Once they're properly setup, they're awesome. I know a guy who's picked up a few in his lifetime as gifts, and he never gave more than 300 for one.
 
Re: I think I want a bass....

whats really the difference between a precision's pickups and a jazz's pickups?
 
Re: I think I want a bass....

and i have to ask.... for 100-150 bucks... whats truly the quality of these SX instruments? I've toyed around with the idea of them for awhile, but I really have no idea what to expect. From the photos, they all look **** nice... decent finish and quality look. The specs for each guitar show they're all made from their respective 'should-be-made-out-of' and no 'poser-*whatever wood*' types of materials. What corners are cut to make these guitars so cheap?
 
Re: I think I want a bass....

Some will disagree, but I put my SX bass on par with a MIM Fender. I have the PJ version giving the best of both worlds. They are better quality than the SX guitars which also have a good rep around here.
 
Re: I think I want a bass....

I've worked on several, owned two, and EX-250 here owns one of their basses. I've owned two teles from them. The finish is pretty good, alder bodies (laminated for trans finishes). The corners that are cut to make these so cheap is hardware, electronics, and the big factor is labor. Chinese labor is incredibly cheap, and I've actually heard that they don't "pay" their employees so much as give them food for working. I don't know if there's any truth in that, but I have heard it on more than once.

The difference between the P bass and Jazz bass pickups are pretty night and day. Jazz is smooth, sexy, and mellow. Much like you'd expect jazz to be. The P bass however is more alive, punchier, in your face. They're a terrific mix together. Especially if you have a blend pot (like the JP-90).

As for the SXs, you really cannot go wrong. They're great for the money, and even better for the quality. I've seen MIM Fenders roll out with worse going on than these guys.
 
Re: I think I want a bass....

hm..... i think I might have to look into one of those Jazz or JP-90 copies there.... as long as the wood isnt total crap, good playing neck, and decent construction I dont see where I can really go wrong. I mean I'm not by any means a bass player and dont plan on trying to be, but I just want something halfway decent to play around on from time to time. Without paying for pickups that cost as much as the guitar itself lol, what brand of pickups should I look into that will fit in it?
 
Re: I think I want a bass....

Seymour Duncan of course. Really, if you're not doing too much bass playing right now I'd suggest you hold off on a pickup swap. I was happy with my cheap ass ceramic pickups in my tele. Set the amp to the right settings and I got some pretty good tone. It wasn't by any means amazing, but it passed for stage use.
 
Re: I think I want a bass....

If I were you I'd ebay a MIM Jazz bass if that's what you want. Down the line you can upgrade pickups, but in the overall big picture my MIM has served me well.
 
Re: I think I want a bass....

275-350 in my area. Depending on age and condition. Check your local craigslist, see what they might have available.
 
Re: I think I want a bass....

now here another curious question, because I've kind of been hearing this in terms of guitars: will I be better off buying one of the upper lines of Squier (like vintage modified, or classic vibe, etc) versus the lower line of MIM Fender?
 
Re: I think I want a bass....

In terms of "getting more for your money" yes. But, if you're looking at resale value as a factor, no. Personally, I'm still going with SX. You get a whole lot of awesome for not a lot of dough. If it comes time to sell, part it out and you've made your money back.
 
Re: I think I want a bass....

My favourite bass is a the Fender Jazz Bass so wanting to buy a cheap bass I was naturally drawn to the Squier Jazz bass. A couple months later, the Jazz Bass is stil my favourite bass and the Squier exceeded what my expectation from it would be (which granted I wasn't it expecting it to be great). I'll probably swap out the pickups down the road for more powerful ones, but the stock ones still give those signature tones.

Whatever you get, I'd say go for a 33" scale length. Standard number of frets on a bass are 20 frets, although some basses have a 24 fret neck.
 
Re: I think I want a bass....

Its hard to go wrong with a MIM jazz bass... either that or a Yamaha.

The stock folded metal bridges are junk... even on the american stuff. Best thing you can do is add a Leo Quan badass II which will improve the tone, sustain and tuning stability by 1000 fold. I'd do that before pickups... and have!
 
Re: I think I want a bass....

Its all about the Squier vintage modified 70's jazz bass.

Don't be put off by the squier on the headstock, this thing is all business and conquered much more expensive basses during a 'bass shootout' I did with my brother. You get a maple body, maple neck, maple fret and seymour designed pickups. Its snappy and clear but you still get deep, powerful lows all for $300.

http://shop.mobro.net/browse.cfm/4,7644.html
 
Re: I think I want a bass....

Rowan said:
Its all about the Squier vintage modified 70's jazz bass.

Don't be put off by the squier on the headstock, this thing is all business and conquered much more expensive basses during a 'bass shootout' I did with my brother. You get a maple body, maple neck, maple fret and seymour designed pickups. Its snappy and clear but you still get deep, powerful lows all for $300.

http://shop.mobro.net/browse.cfm/4,7644.html
Click to expand...

yeah I'm looking into that one. I'm really drawn by the looks (I love black inlays and the natural finishes on fender bodies), but I'm mainly worried about the all-maple-ness of it. I want the really old school smooth, warm, deep, rumbling tone which is usually more common with rosewood and alder (or ash) that Jazzes are normally made of. But it's definatley in my eye...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top