Advice? Guitarist looking to learn bass for home recording plus maybe jamming with friends

[Numerov]

I'm sure you guys will have seen similar posts!

I've listened to lots of bass playing on Youtube and think a PJ configuration would suit me the best.
Also think passive would be best.

Shortlist

1. Squier Vintage Modified Precision PJ
2. Squier Affinity Precision PJ
3. Yamaha TRBX174
4. Yamaha RBX170
5. Yamaha RBX270
6. Ibanez GSR200 (this has an active circuit which I would probably get bypassed)


Looking for following advice

Is the guitar well made or is it likely to have problems?

Does it stay in tune?

How good is the precision split coil pickup

How good is the Jazz bridge pickup?

How good do the pickups sound when you blend them?

Thanks

Mike

[Grangur]

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the world of bass. Many guitarist have come to this point and not returned!

Something you will see here is many folk say the sound is in the fingers. Depending on the music you want to play, the choice of bass guitar is of less consequence than you think.

You would do well to go down to a music shop and try some basses and learn more about the sound and feel under your own fingers.

What matters more is where, over the pickups you pick the strings.

Learning to play good bass lines is probably more important than all the points above.

Edited December 2, 2016 by Grangur

[bazzbass]

[quote name='Numerov' timestamp='1480648117' post='3186115']
Looking for following advice

Is the guitar well made or is it likely to have problems?

Does it stay in tune?

How good is the precision split coil pickup

How good is the Jazz bridge pickup?

How good do the pickups sound when you blend them?

Thanks

Mike
[/quote]

welcome Mike

first, it's a bass not a guitar anymore hehe

Don't automatically think a PJ is better than a P or a J coz often it isn't. The bridge Jazz pickup is really anaemic,it just adds some treble to the combined sound, on it's own it's crud. On a jazz bass the bridge pickup does very little imho. So it won't add much to the P pups if anything at all.

What sort of music will you be playing? this is more relevant.

Then choose a Squier VM P or J, not PJ

Edited December 2, 2016 by bazztard

[Numerov]

Thanks for your advice Grangur and Bazztard.

Bazztard - if I decide that between a P bass and a J bass - I prefer the P bass then why not have the flexibility of the PJ bass?
On a PJ bass when I want a pure P sound then I can cut all the volume on the J pickup.
Any other tones that involve the J pickup in some way would then be additional.
Would that work?

Music I would be playing would be very varied - blues, classic rock, indie, folkie stuff maybe some southern soul.


Thank you

Numerov

Edited December 2, 2016 by Numerov

[Mykesbass]

From those styles you just listed I'd go for a P. I'm sure you will get plenty of other opinions though!

[paul_c2]

I disagree with the above comments re: the PJ twin pickups, it obviously does give a wider variation in tone control. I have a Jazz bass and use it all the time, including during recording.

Tuning stability: basses are generally much better than guitars at remaining in tune, although of course travelling (in and out of a cold environment etc), putting in and out of the case and knocking the tuners, taking a cold instrument and playing it (so it gradually warms up) etc will mean it will go slightly out of tune as it warms up, which is what you'd expect from the science/physics. Once you've been playing them for 15-20 mins they'll generally stay in tune for a long while.

Regarding the different basses listed, I didn't know they did a Squier VM Precision with 2x pickups, I know they do the Affinity version though. But with the range you've listed, it would be best to try them all out and see which one you find most comfortable playing. I am well used to the Jazz bass style, I recently tried an Ibanez and was unimpressed - there was nothing much wrong with it, just didn't feel that comfortable playing, or sound that great - not sure why though. I did try a Precision (and a Jazz) and it felt absolutely fine though. Never played a Yamaha. But this is a personal view, you're best trying them all out. None of the ones you've listed are "duff" so in theory any of them would suit okay.

[paul_c2]

ETA: Yeah you're right, the Squier VM Precision has 2 pickups in PJ configuration. The range is weird! All the Precisions have 2 pickups, except the fretless, 5 string, Affinity ones with the starter pack, or the most expensive (Custom Vibe) one.

[SH73]

[quote name='bazztard' timestamp='1480659311' post='3186120']


On a jazz bass the bridge pickup does very little imho. So it won't add much to the P pups if anything at all.

[/quote]

I am not entirely sure about this lol.

[Lozz196]

I`d go for the VM Precision PJ - I`m yet to read anything bad about the VM Series, and why not have the flexibility of adding in the J pickup to give some "bite". Duff McKagans sound wouldn`t be the same without the J pickup.

[Geek99]

Norris regularly gigs a PJ - I've had a few VMs and they have all been superb

[thegummy]

Something I've found from buying basses/guitars is that compromises never really work and there's rarely a "best of both worlds" option.

Even if you turn the bridge pickup's volume all the way off, the P pickup isn't in the same position as it is on just a P, it's closer to the neck to make room for the bridge pickup

[SubsonicSimpleton]

Get yourself to a music shop(or several) and try the different basses on your list+anything else they have that is in your budget(both sitting down and standing up with the bass on a strap) - if you don't get on with the neck, or general ergonomics of the instrument you are wasting your time and money.

So what you want to consider is IMHO;
Do you like very skinny necks(jazz/Ibanez SR), very chunky necks(classic 50s P) or something in the middle.
Is the weight of the instrument an important consideration.
Are you more comfortable with 34" scale or 30" scale.
Which pickup types produced a sound you liked with you playing (youtube demos are of limited use, because youtube compresses everything, and you have no idea how much the sound you are hearing has been altered by the recording method used, how much it is coloured by any other equipment it has been run through, or what processing has been applied to the audio)

You might find during this process that something jumps out at you as feeling just right, in which case stop analysing and buy it - but don't go into the shop thinking 'man I really need an [xyz]' because you can bias your own perception so heavily that you end up with something that isn't really right for you.

Once you've found something that 'fits', you can do a lot to change the sound with your choice of strings, and your technique before you start considering pickups/pedals/amps/cabs.

[JapanAxe]

'I'll just get an inexpensive bass to use for home recording', that's what I said to myself all those years ago...

[tedmanzie]

[quote name='Numerov' timestamp='1480648117' post='3186115']
I'm sure you guys will have seen similar posts!

I've listened to lots of bass playing on Youtube and think a PJ configuration would suit me the best.
Also think passive would be best.

Shortlist

1. Squier Vintage Modified Precision PJ
2. Squier Affinity Precision PJ
3. Yamaha TRBX174
4. Yamaha RBX170
5. Yamaha RBX270
6. Ibanez GSR200 (this has an active circuit which I would probably get bypassed)


Looking for following advice

Is the guitar well made or is it likely to have problems?

Does it stay in tune?

How good is the precision split coil pickup

How good is the Jazz bridge pickup?

How good do the pickups sound when you blend them?

Thanks

Mike
[/quote]

Get a Precision, seriously, stop even thinking about it, the lack of faffing around will save wasted years off your life!
All you'll have to think about is where you like your tone control positioned.
I was in a similar situation to you, pickup configurations can be good on an electric guitar, but I've had a Jazz and it was a pain in the a**. Bass is bass-ic !
If you carry on thinking about PJs you'll next find yourself thinking about more than 4 strings if you can get away with leather trousers on stage.

Edited December 3, 2016 by tedmanzie

[Bigwan]

I'd go Yamaha BB424X if I were you...

[njr911]

I use mostly a Jazz (neck pickup solo'd) to get a P esque sound as I prefer smaller necks as I did what you're doing and shifting codes from guitar and found the neck transition easier.

I also prefer offset guitars.

Saying that I also have a USA P, and a Jazz bass Special (PJ)

There's nothing to say you can only have 1 bass

[Numerov]

I tried out a Squier Vintage Modified Precision PJ bass today.
Definitely a well-made instrument.
Wasn't keen on the glossy neck.
Don't know if this was because of a bad setup but with both the p and j pickups on full - to my ears there was only a subtle difference in tone.

I've seen youtube videos with both Squier infinity and Vintage modified precision PJ bass where with pickups on full there was a definite difference in tone.
Would I be be better off trying to buy an Infinity PJ second hand at the best possible price and then do pickup upgrades if I'm not happy?
Something like an EMG set can be had for £140 and a Bare Knuckles set for £160.
Getting them fitted would cost me £40-£50.

If I could get the Affinity PJ for say £120 - would the approximately £320 total outlay give me a better sound than a new Vintage Modified PJ for around the same money?

[Geek99]

You can solve the glossy neck easily with some wire wool

[thegummy]

[quote name='Numerov' timestamp='1480713235' post='3186719']
I tried out a Squier Vintage Modified Precision PJ bass today.
Definitely a well-made instrument.
Wasn't keen on the glossy neck.
Don't know if this was because of a bad setup but with both the p and j pickups on full - to my ears there was only a subtle difference in tone.

I've seen youtube videos with both Squier infinity and Vintage modified precision PJ bass where with pickups on full there was a definite difference in tone.
Would I be be better off trying to buy an Infinity PJ second hand at the best possible price and then do pickup upgrades if I'm not happy?
Something like an EMG set can be had for £140 and a Bare Knuckles set for £160.
Getting them fitted would cost me £40-£50.

If I could get the Affinity PJ for say £120 - would the approximately £320 total outlay give me a better sound than a new Vintage Modified PJ for around the same money?
[/quote]

I suppose only you'd know if you were happy with the feel of it. I'd personally stay well clear of Affinity, those are the proper cheapo Argos ones. Some may think that's ignorant of me and they may be right but I wouldn't buy one.

Aside from the pickups, they will have cheapo tuners and bridge.

Don't sleep on the Yamaha BB424 suggestion, they're £340 brand new. Never played one myself but they're highly regarded and cheap Yamahas are generally very good for the price

[thegummy]

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1480713833' post='3186732']
You can solve the glossy neck easily with some wire wool
[/quote]

I like how often this is mentioned. Gives me confidence to buy the 50s P I so desire, safe in the knowledge that if the glossy neck annoys me there's a fix

[Grangur]

[quote name='Numerov' timestamp='1480713235' post='3186719']
I tried out a Squier Vintage Modified Precision PJ bass today.
Definitely a well-made instrument.
Wasn't keen on the glossy neck.
Don't know if this was because of a bad setup but with both the p and j pickups on full - to my ears there was only a subtle difference in tone.

I've seen youtube videos with both Squier infinity and Vintage modified precision PJ bass where with pickups on full there was a definite difference in tone.
Would I be be better off trying to buy an Infinity PJ second hand at the best possible price and then do pickup upgrades if I'm not happy?
Something like an EMG set can be had for £140 and a Bare Knuckles set for £160.
Getting them fitted would cost me £40-£50.

If I could get the Affinity PJ for say £120 - would the approximately £320 total outlay give me a better sound than a new Vintage Modified PJ for around the same money?
[/quote]
When you say about having the 2 pups on full and there not being much difference in tone, what do you mean?
Do you mean you tried the the P on full and the J off, then you tried the J on full and the P off?

Upgrading basses is a debatable subject. If you're keeping the bass and selling isn't an issue, then that's fine. But if you improve the pups in and Affinity, then when you come to sell it's still an Affinity. Folk won't pay much more for the fancy pups in it. If it were me I'd get a good used bass. That way you get good value for money.

[paul_c2]

Have you considered a Jazz?

[Numerov]

Answering Grangur's last post:
When I was playing on the Vintage modified PJ - When I had the P pickup on full and then at the same time turned the J pickup on full - the difference in tone wasn't very noticeable. The sales guy thought that was because the factory setup of the pickup heights wasn't done as well as it could be. When I had the J pickup on full and turned the the P pickup to zero the J pickup sounded weaker than I was expecting. So perhaps the sales guy was right or maybe the J pickup on this particular bass had a problem. But it did not give me confidence to buy the instrument. I also see your point about upgrading an Affinity - that if I tried to sell it on I wouldn't get the money back on the upgrades. But I'm looking to own a bass I can learn on and use for recording and maybe jam with friends. I just want it to sound right - so would not be looking to sell it.

Answering Paul_C2's post.
I did pick up and try an Affinity Jazz - and really liked playing it and liked the variety of tones it can make. But whenever I've heard comparisons of a J bass against a P Bass on Youtube where a guy is alternating between the 2 basses and playing along with a track that's been recorded - to my ears the P bass tends to sit in the mix better in more cases. Also because the J bass is brighter (because of the 2 single coil pickups?) there's much more percussive string noise. As a novice that string noise will be worse compared to experienced players. So my hopeful idea of the PJ bass was to have that P sound as a basis and then mix it with the bridge J to get a some of that J bass vibe.

Here are 3 youtube videos comparing a P bass to a Jazz bass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XLfd0j5G_8

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-pT2I0O7GY"]https://www.youtube....h?v=x-pT2I0O7GY[/url]

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

On the first 2 videos I think the P bass wins no problem.
On the third video I think it's closer - but the percussive string noise on the J Bass really bothers me.
On the 2nd and 3rd videos I believe the tone is fully on for both basses - so maybe if the tone was rolled off a little on the J bass, then maybe the percussive string noise would reduce to make it more similar to the P-bass??

So I can see the appeal of the J bass - but I'm wondering as a beginner I'm better off getting a PJ bass so I've always got that reliable P bass sound to fall back on and can add some J bridge tones when I get a bit more adventurous. Does that make sense? If I get good at the bass - maybe look to get a J bass in the future??

Thanks for everyone's advice so far and definitely very happy to hear more.

My quest will continue!

Edited December 3, 2016 by Numerov

[barkin]

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1480687672' post='3186431']
I'd go Yamaha BB424X if I were you...
[/quote]

+1

[bazzbass]

[quote name='SH73' timestamp='1480676187' post='3186267']
I am not entirely sure about this lol.
[/quote]

yeah I should have said MY MIM Jazz's bridge pup is anaemic.

that's why I just bought a set of SD 1/4 pounders to try out


to the OP, the better jazz pup is the neck, so a better combination would be the J neck and a P pup, not P and J bridge imho ymmv

Edited December 3, 2016 by bazztard