Double Bassist Buying 1st Bass Guitar

[gypsyjazzer]

Is there a big difference in buying a fairly good 'low end of the market' Bass Guitar (Say under £200) to paying, say, £1000 or more?
Is it like most like most things in life---'you get what you pay for' syndrome? Your advice most welcome on the good
Bass Guitars---up to say £400--and the one's to avoid.

Thanks

[cocco]

There will obviously be a difference in build quality and materials used in the manufacture but that's not to say that £400 won't get you a good bass. It depends what you're after in terms of style. Active? Passive? Modern in design? Something more old school? Either way I'd buy a yamaha RBX or BB series or one of the higher end squires, Classic Vibe or Vintage Modified. Ibanez might also be worth taking into consideration if that's your type of thing. I'd also highly recommend buying second hand from our classified section where £400 will buy you any number of fantastic basses.

[Len_derby]

I agree with Cocco. I'm a big fan of Yamaha basses (and guitars) and I've got a Squier Vintage Modified Jazz that, at £180 second-hand, is seriously good. If you're ever down Derby way drop in and have a try.

[Lozz196]

Agree re Squier, the Classic Vibe series are great.

[Clarky]

As a long time DB player you *may* prefer a Precision (ie, chunkier width) neck to a skinnier Jazz, but I could be wrong here. At your price point I personally would pay about £400 for a Japanese (CIJ or MIJ) Fender Precision or save some quids and go with a Classic Vibe or 60s Squier, like this one for example (which has the advantage of a passive/active P-retro preamp for a wider variety of tones) http://basschat.co.uk/topic/189672-reduced-squier-cv-60s-precision-with-john-east-p-retro/page__st__20__p__1906286__hl__precision__fromsearch__1#entry1906286

[stingrayPete1977]

You cant play Arco on a P bass you know

[iiipopes]

The traditional price point as to good versus overkill has almost always been the "street" price (good deal on a good day, not the "list" price) of an American Standard Precision bass, or slightly less than that for new bass, and 1/2 to 2/3 of that for a good used bass. This is because an instrument in this price range will be above the mass-produced level of beginner instruments, and will have quality wood, hardware, electronics and finishing, but not necessarily be esoteric in any of these aspects. In other words, a standard workhorse.

What tone are you after to compliment your DB playing? If you are needing a "standard" electric bass tone to compliment certain songs in a standard jazz/dance band gig, then yes, a Precision bass with its signature clean tone and chunky neck are still the standard. Even my custom bass is derived from a P, with the custom modifications to fit my personal ergonomics.

There are many brands and models of electric basses out there. Every person on the forum will have their recommendation, as opinions are, well, everyone has one. Fortunately, build quality overall at all price points is higher than it used to be.

But for a standard doubler, I'm still a fan of a P or possibly a P-J (a bass that has a Precision bass pickup in its traditional location and a Jazz bass pickup in the bridge position), if the J pickup is hum cancelling, if you need a variety of tone rather than just a basic (pun intended), clean electric bass tone.

Strings: Since I "triple" (i.e. double bass, electric bass and tuba) I feel qualified to compare strings. Once you get your bass, then a good set of strings that will last a long time is not the same as a set of double bass strings that can last a year or more. Rounds have the shortest life. Flats have the longest, but not necessarily as long as a set of double bass strings. The set of Fender flatwound 9050CL in gauges 45-60-80-105 have similar characteristics in tone and feel as double bass strings, not too zingy, not too thumpy, and have good longetivity and value-for-money. Other options are GHS or similar "Pressurewound" strings, that actually compress the windings. These also have a good tone that is not too bright or too dark, and last a long time. Many folks are devotees of D'Addario Chrome flats, and they are great for traditional old-school rock, blues and rock-n-roll tones, but I find I need the added growl (think Spirocore) of the Fender flats to be as versatile as I need to be. Of course, at the brightest end of the spectrum are the Rotosound Swingbass and other stainless steel roundwounds, which are very bright, but will lose the brightness after several gigs. Most rockers play some sort of nickel plated rounds, like GHS Boomers, D'Addario XL, or similar. At that point, it's all preference.

Hope this helps.

[gypsyjazzer]

Thanks guys--good info.

[SteveJ]

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/194816-basses-for-sale-westone-fender-yamaha/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/194816-basses-for-sale-westone-fender-yamaha/[/url]

Some options here! ;-)

Steve