i m looking for a bass guitar that suits a beginner and a professional
- Thread starter 1300cc
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bnolsen
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Your safe answer will be to buy a used fender precision bass (or jazz bass). MIM or MIA.
Then there's ibanez, yamaha, squier VM series.
Gretsch Junior Jet II (short scale), short scale played by "royal blood"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S8N1oXpKc8
his guitars are stock (the pickups are great) but he runs a very sophisticated pedalboard setup.
Amp is important as well, you have that yet?
Then there's ibanez, yamaha, squier VM series.
Gretsch Junior Jet II (short scale), short scale played by "royal blood"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S8N1oXpKc8
his guitars are stock (the pickups are great) but he runs a very sophisticated pedalboard setup.
Amp is important as well, you have that yet?
BigD
Well-known member
Ive really been lusting after that exact grestch,id love to find someone who'd trade me one for a acoustic of mine but they seem to be hard to find used. That video really cemented in my mind that id like one lol but id also need an amp
bnolsen
Well-known member
I have the older single pickup g2202 I got used (but pristine) cheap. I also had a nice squier bronco (really nice neck) I bought used for 60usd, put new rails pickup, 4 saddle bridge and flats on it (sadly not quite the right strings). Decided I didn't need 2 4 string short scales and sold the bronco to a professional music writer who seemed to love it when he picked it up. The bronco was nice, but the gretsch still felt better all around.
BigD
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That seems to be the general consensus on these things after some research, that the feel and playability is great for the price range.
BigD
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Im probably going to end up with a fender vintage mod jaguar,ive heard out of the box they are pretty good and at half the price of the grestch it makes more sense for me
BigD
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Although i think the fender headstocks are god-awful ugly
RichM
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I've never been a Fender fan in anything, but damned if I don't play an American Special Jazz Bass. Fender just gets basses.
pbagley
Well-known member
There are so many basses out there that address differing needs. I would need to know more about what you plan to do with the bass before I could be too specific.
That said, I love my G&L bass - very traditional P-Bass feel and sound. They have made a lot of different basses, many in the Fender image, some models are very innovative and better suited for for one style over another. Used pricing is attractive. I've heard nice things about the Korean made Tributes but I've never played one.
Carvin makes a good bass for the money. Some people love them, some hate them. I have an LB-75 which is pretty versatile, and it's at the opposite end of the spectrum from my G&L. I think used Carvin may be the best bass for your money.
You may want to check out talkbass.com when researching basses. The classifieds are full of good used basses.
bnolsen
Well-known member
you can find plenty of good used basses on craigslist as well. Just need to find one with a straight neck and frets that aren't too chewed up. Most everything can be adjusted on a typical electric bass.
The squier vm jag is a pretty common "starter" bass. You can do a lot of mods to them, and they may well need the mods. The one advantage of the gretsch junior jet series is that there's zero reason to do anything to the instrument except change strings. They tend to be gig worthy right out of the box without having to throw money after pickups, electronics, etc. I guess a more accurate statement might be that the pickup is great and there's not many aftermarket replacements out there to tempt one to start messing with it.
A thing to remember about bass. Tweaking your sound is something you do for you, maybe also for the recording studio. When playing with a band all that matters is that you don't sound bad. Almost no one cares about the nuances of your tone, etc.
The squier vm jag is a pretty common "starter" bass. You can do a lot of mods to them, and they may well need the mods. The one advantage of the gretsch junior jet series is that there's zero reason to do anything to the instrument except change strings. They tend to be gig worthy right out of the box without having to throw money after pickups, electronics, etc. I guess a more accurate statement might be that the pickup is great and there's not many aftermarket replacements out there to tempt one to start messing with it.
A thing to remember about bass. Tweaking your sound is something you do for you, maybe also for the recording studio. When playing with a band all that matters is that you don't sound bad. Almost no one cares about the nuances of your tone, etc.
pbagley
Well-known member
And all the bass players said "ouch". The masters felt the disturbance in the Force from our collective pain. The pain of questing toward our perfect tone and style at great personal cost in time and money, only to learn that it has all been for nothing. No one cares.
Take heart. I, for one, care. Play on, my friends. Play on.
RichM
Well-known member
Absolutely right. John Entwistle, Geddy Lee, Sting, Chris Squire, Paul McCartney, Victor Wooten, Jaco Pastorius... they all have exactly the same sound and you can't tell one from the next. Nobody cares.
RichM
Well-known member
And all the bass players said "ouch". The masters felt the disturbance in the Force from our collective pain. The pain of questing toward our perfect tone and style at great personal cost in time and money, only to learn that it has all been for nothing. No one cares.
Take heart. I, for one, care. Play on, my friends. Play on.
I'll double down on that, pbagley-- any band that gives a damn about their sound cares.
bnolsen
Well-known member
Absolutely right. John Entwistle, Geddy Lee, Sting, Chris Squire, Paul McCartney, Victor Wooten, Jaco Pastorius... they all have exactly the same sound and you can't tell one from the next. Nobody cares.
Walk up to anyone on the street and ask them who these people are. Who really knows that sting or paul mccarney are actually bassists?
RichM
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Everybody I know.
Debby
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Do you really think that the tone of a bass doesn't matter? -that the only standard a bassist needs, within a band, is to "not sound bad?" -and that the general public is unaware of very famous bassists? Or are you just having a bad day? If you're having a bad day, I hope it gets better.
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Jon Moody
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Wow. How much do you gig out, because that's the complete opposite of what I've encountered.
LDS714
Well-known member
Are those bands hiring?
Because around here, I keep an arsenal of basses handy mainly due to people being picky about tone.
we tigers
Well-known member
I have 5 basses and they all sound totally different. I choose my instruments based what sound is needed and the combination of amplification and venue. It I always come back to my trusty Precision with flats. I use that 70% of the time.
I'd recommend a Squier classic vibe or vintage modified precision or jazz. They are the best bang for the buck imho.
I'd recommend a Squier classic vibe or vintage modified precision or jazz. They are the best bang for the buck imho.
pbagley
Well-known member
Had a conversation with another bass player last night and he mentioned that his old band was very picky about his bass tone. They were also a little concerned about the look, but mostly they cared about the bass tone fitting the music they wanted to perform.
Sometimes the band does care.
Sometimes the band does care.
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