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Swiss Army Knife Bass


Stealth
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A Lakland was the bass that covered that amount of territory for me, but I never set out to copy the sound of a record only to get the feel.

These days I'm playing many of those styles on a P bass, so really any bass can do the job, if you play it right.

Edited by chris_b
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Sandberg . . . Either a VM or TM . . . . So that's equivalent to P/MM or J/MM. The MM pickup splits into a J and they will go fully passive inc tone control in addition to the really musical active pre. Under a grand second hand or imported.

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I want one of these:

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS02YaLw1uM"]https://www.youtube....h?v=MS02YaLw1uM[/url]

[url="http://www.warwick.de/en/Warwick---Products--Instruments--Customshop--Basic-Bass-Models--Starbass-SC--Starbass-SC-4-String--Starbass-SC---851--4-string--Pictures.html"]http://www.warwick.d...--Pictures.html[/url]


A little outside my budget ATM however...

Edit - I can't find an exact € - but It seems the Star basses from the custom shop are all €6,000 or more. Guess I have to get saving.

Edited by PlungerModerno
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I am a big fan of P's and J's, but I reckon for all genres, then a Spector does it all. You just can't do metal on another bass quite the same and yet they can still do country, reggae etc. I'm gonna go against the grain and stick with Spectors even though I always use a P and a J !


Edit: sorry, just re read it and seen its for under a grand. Second hand Spector or agree that Sandbergs are amazing too !

Edited by ubit
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"I want one of these..."

Me too! Here's another interesting variation of a sliding pickup bass - [url="http://www.spaltinstruments.com/instruments/vviper/"]http://www.spaltinstruments.com/instruments/vviper/[/url]

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[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1438582797' post='2835503']
... around a grand? I'd go Sandberg.
[/quote]
[quote name='King Tut' timestamp='1438583926' post='2835510']
Sandberg . . . Either a VM or TM . . . . So that's equivalent to P/MM or J/MM. The MM pickup splits into a J and they will go fully passive inc tone control in addition to the really musical active pre. Under a grand second hand or imported.
[/quote]
[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1438586862' post='2835521']
Second hand Spector or agree that Sandbergs are amazing too !
[/quote]

Yep, the fat MM pickup on the VM overcomes the tendency of the J pickup to sound a bit thin against the P in a P-J configuration. Also the active bass control fattens the fundamental up to at least the G at the 12th fret, not just the really low notes.

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Whereas I agree that it's often the player and not the bass that matters (Rick James with a Rickenbacker for instance) I can see where a very versatile bass can add to a player's sonic palette and boost confidence because of it. 2 basses spring to mind, but you'd have to go secondhand, a Fender Roscoe Beck or Stu Hamm signature.

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[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1438589887' post='2835548']
What is wrong with:

Pretty much any bass --> decent compressor/limiter --> decent overdrive/distortion --> decent graphic EQ --> decent amp with suitable bypass switch usage?
[/quote]

This set-up cannot entirely overcome limitations of pickup configuration/placement, and neither can your fingers or playing style.

I first learned bass on a Precision. Very nice it was too, and it did nearly everything I wanted it to, but there was one sound that I could not get out of it - a certain fingerstyle sound that I heard lots of virtuoso/technical players doing. For a long time I thought it was my fault that I couldn't 'get' this sound - I did think it was all down to some kind of lack or limitation in my fingerstyle technique. And then one day I tried a Jazz bass for the first time, and soloed the bridge pickup, and BOOM! there was exactly 'that' sound. It wasn't anything to do with my fingers (or a compressor, or any other box of tricks) at all.

Edited by GrammeFriday
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[quote name='Stealth' timestamp='1438558366' post='2835474']
Im inclined to disagree. There are some real one trick ponies out there that even the most magic of fingers wont drag away from what they do best.
[/quote]

Like what? Just interested to know your views. A lot of what you ill be covering was probably recorded on these type of basses anyway.

Agree about the Laklands, i had a 55-01 and it did seem to cover a lot more ground sonically than a standard P or J.

Oh, and dont forget your 5th string :-)

Edited by dave_bass5
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[quote name='ikay' timestamp='1438587309' post='2835526']
"I want one of these..."

Me too! Here's another interesting variation of a sliding pickup bass - [url="http://www.spaltinstruments.com/instruments/vviper/"]http://www.spaltinst...ruments/vviper/[/url]
[/quote]


Interesting is right! Cool idea - a swipeable pickup . . .

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[quote name='ikay' timestamp='1438587309' post='2835526']
"I want one of these..."

Me too! Here's another interesting variation of a sliding pickup bass - [url="http://www.spaltinstruments.com/instruments/vviper/"]http://www.spaltinst...ruments/vviper/[/url]
[/quote]

It's definitely an interesting concept...

IMO pickup placement makes a bigger difference to the sound of a bass than anything else.

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