Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

3'scompany

3'scompany

New member
I decided the next logical step for my writing/recording needs is to buy a bass. I'm tired of trying to squeeze bass sounds out of synth patches and I'm much more proficient on a stringed instrument. I like playing bass, even though I've never owned one, but I'm not really a bass player, so I don't need anything crazy. But... if I'm going to spend the money on one I'd rather it be a one shot deal where I just get something nice enough that I will be happy holding on to for the foreseeable future and not want to replace with something nicer a couple years down the road.

I've been looking at Fender American Jazz and P-basses mainly (~$1k is my comfortable limit), but as someone that is foreign to basses, I was wondering if y'all could give me (1) the cliff notes as to the main differences between the models and (2) suggestions as to other basses in that range that I might look at (I've also been thinking about MM stingrays, though may not want to mess with active electronics).

To be honest, I've been leaning towards P-basses as, from what I've researched / been told, they have a wider neck at the nut and tend to sound a little beefier than jazz basses. Also, a white P-bass with a maple board and anodized gold pickguard is about the most badass looking bass around. Any wisdom y'all want to impart on me is much appreciated.

And I know I need to go play some to figure out what works best for me, but it would be nice to have some general knowledge beforehand so I don't just walk in blind.
 
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Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

Have a look at this - gb94 - I've got one myself and I have to say that it's really nicely made and has some great sounds. It also has a hint of the MM you mentioned with that bridge pickup.
 
Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

I vote for a used MIJ '50's P-Bass.

After that, maybe a used MIM P-Bass.

You could also look at Musicmaster basses. They are still inexpensive, and they are solid instruments.
 
Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

I vote p-bass. I don't have one, yet, but they're always the first one I pick up when I go to try basses out.
 
Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

Have a look at Sandberg bass guitars, they're top notch.
 
Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

Having been in the situation you are in now, I'd say the P-Bass is a good fit. I originally bought a CIJ Aerodyne bass, but found that the neck was too thin for me. I eventually sold it to fund an MIA P-Bass. Beyond the fact that the neck was beefier, I like the fatter sound. One of these days I'm going to get an SD Quarter Pound for it, but the stock has been "good enough" for the time being. Sometimes I question whether or not I really needed to spend the money on an MIA Fender bass, but it is a pretty solid instrument.
 
Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

get a used lakeland or a used sadowsky if you can find one. Those are THE 'sports cars' of pro basses.
 
Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

I was in the same boat as you a few years ago and I ended up with a MIM P-Bass (I changed the pickup to a Quarter Pound). I have no regrets, it's a great sounding bass. Definitely versatile for recording.

I also have a Stringray 5 HH, which has its own awesome vibe, but if I could only bring one to a gig it would probably be the P-Bass.
 
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Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

Hi.

First of all, if you're starting out from guitar, get ready for building up your hand strength.

Example: the standard low E string is anywhere from .046 to .052. The light gauge low E on a bass is .100 -- that's one tenth of an inch. If that doesn't seem like much, consider how fatigued your hands may be after a day of tracking bass parts. Work on conditioning those digits.

Next, a chunky neck may appeal to you, but think about the scale length also. A shorter scale bass works OK for most guitarists, since it lines up well with what your fretting hand is already used to.

Having said that, I'd ask what your primary style would be. Metal, country, pop, jazz?

You've got a price point, that's a start. There's plenty of good selections around $1k. You can't go wrong with Fender, they practically invented the concept. (I kind of like Gibsons, myself, but YMMV.)

However, Ibanez, Godin, a used EBMM, and even some Squiers are well within your wheelhouse.
 
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Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

ginormous said:
Having said that, I'd ask what your primary style would be. Metal, country, pop, jazz?
Click to expand...

Mostly harder rock/metal, but I'm looking for something to be reasonably versatile. I'm also looking to use it for hip-hop songs I will be working on with a friend, as well as for softer acoustic tracks.

I'd prefer a bass with a round, fuller sound. I'm not looking for anything that is particularly percussive or with extreme note clarity/definition, if that makes sense. I'm thinking warm. You'll have to forgive me as I am not particularly good at describing timbres.
 
Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

3'scompany said:
I'd prefer a bass with a round, fuller sound. I'm not looking for anything that is particularly percussive or with extreme note clarity/definition, if that makes sense. I'm thinking warm.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a P-Bass to me, brother.
 
Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

SabbathFan0220 said:
Sounds like a P-Bass to me, brother.
Click to expand...

Yup. P-Bass. Not because I think they are the be all and end all, but because they fit what the OP wants.

I have small hands, and a J-Bass still feels way too cramped for me...aside from the fact that they have a harder time sounding like what the OP says he wants. They also have that crazy taper down to a 1-1/2 inch nut. I don't like it at all. I just put up with it on my Jaguar SS, because it is such a cool bass.

As for hands being too weak and cramping... I play both bass and guitar, and I find that guitar is harder on the left hand. I could play my P-Bass (which is a very difficult to play bass, due to it's thick strings and super high string height) all day every day. But if I play guitar for more than a few hours (especially when playing lots of chords), my hand does start to hurt. The open and full bar chord formations commonly used by steel string guitarists are largely murder on the hand.

About the quality of the bass, I don't think that for the purposes named a really nice bass is needed. Go with a MIJ or MIM Fender on the used market, IMHO. I don't get suggesting things like the "sports cars" of basses for this purpose. Maybe put some reliable pots in, and possibly an aftermarket pickup. But those are very solid instruments for the most part.

The aforementioned Aerodyne Jazz Bass is a great instrument IMO. But when considering the comments, remember that it has a basswood body.
 
Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

I think the most versatile pickup arrangement you could get is the P-J setup. If you can find that in a body and neck style you like, grab it. You lose out on the middle posiiton sound of the Jazz, which is, imo, its most useful sound, but you gain a lot more potential ground than the P will give you on its own.
 
Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

ginormous said:
Hi.

First of all, if you're starting out from guitar, get ready for building up your hand strength.

Example: the standard low E string is anywhere from .046 to .052. The light gauge low E on a bass is .100 -- that's one tenth of an inch. If that doesn't seem like much, consider how fatigued your hands may be after a day of tracking bass parts. Work on conditioning those digits.

Next, a chunky neck may appeal to you, but think about the scale length also. A shorter scale bass works OK for most guitarists, since it lines up well with what your fretting hand is already used to.

Having said that, I'd ask what your primary style would be. Metal, country, pop, jazz?

You've got a price point, that's a start. There's plenty of good selections around $1k. You can't go wrong with Fender, they practically invented the concept. (I kind of like Gibsons, myself, but YMMV.)

However, Ibanez, Godin, a used EBMM, and even some Squiers are well within your wheelhouse.
Click to expand...

"Guitar players are not bass players", most play to thin or with so much crap you loose the bass completely. Now with that said, I think a good versatile bass for lots of music genre is a nice Fender Jazz bass. The neck is a bit thinner like a guitar, and more tones to choose from. This is strictly my opinion, except for my first statement thats fact lol!

If you got a MIM you could save some money and upgrade the P/U's with SD Antiquity II.
 
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Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

3'scompany said:
I've been leaning towards P-basses as, from what I've researched / been told, they have a wider neck at the nut and tend to sound a little beefier than jazz basses.

And I know I need to go play some to figure out what works best for me, but it would be nice to have some general knowledge beforehand so I don't just walk in blind.
Click to expand...

I thought I wanted a P-Bass over a J-Bass for the exact same reasons.

I found that the Jazz bass was much more what I wanted though.

I say stick with a Fender Standard - they are great quality - and the extra mile a USA Fender goes will be unnoticeable for a guitar player playing bass (GPPB).

That's what I've found anyhow.

My P-Bass sounds like POOM POOM POOM POOM, where as a J-Bass sounds to me more like DOOM DOOM DOOM DOOM.

It's a subtle difference if you're not using to trying to pick out differences, but it's the same type of thing as a Strat vs. a Tele to a guitar player - sure, they both sound like a guitar, but after you've heard a lot of both, you can definitely hear the difference.

What I was trying to say is a smoother attack on a J-Bass, a firmer attack on a P-Bass.

Also, check out the Squier Classic Vibe series. I know you're a guy who's willing to pay more for a quality product, but I played a CV Jazz, and I said, out loud, "whoa, holy sh!t."

 
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Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

I too was looking for a decent bass to lay down some tracks a few years back . . . Have to second pretty much everything that I6 says in his post. The J-Bass was more what I was hearing in my head when I thought of a bass sound, the neck seemed more comfortable than the P-basses that I tried out, and some of the Squier basses are really really awesome. I ended up with a 'Vintage Modified' bass that comes with some kind of imported Duncans. Have had no complaints yet:

p39625.jpg
 
Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

Read the reviews of the Peavey T-40...they're killer.
 
Re: Say I'm looking to buy a bass and need some guidance...

 
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