guitarJ Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 Hi BC community - am hoping you may be able to educate a guitarist who is a long way from Kansas... Am looking to get some pointers for getting a first bass. Just sold one of my 6 string flock and have around 1k to put into a bass - though am more than happy to pay £150 if that makes sense. Am looking to use it to record some jazz / funk lines (assuming have a clue what to do with it) - love the music of Marcus Miller / Stanley Clarke / Stanley Banks / Paul Jackson etc. From my experience of guitars, I prefer to get a nice used instrument so I don’t take a big hit if I move it on - for similar reasons would prefer to avoid niche basses too. I have a MM EVH (since 91’) and cant get rid of it as the neck has the waxed finish and is amazing (tho not so great for jazz) so I would have MM on the list assuming the necks are also waxed. Fender Jazz will have to get a look - any guidance on which are the better series - if they are anything like strats, the variance in px and feel is massive. Other names which don’t feature much in the 6 string world i have no familiarity with - Sadowsky, Lakland, Warwick etc I’d like to get a short list of ones to try out (when that’s possible) and I’d really appreciate any guidance you have. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidder652003 Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 https://www.thomann.de/gb/marcus_miller_v7_vintage_swamp_ash_4_nt_2.htm jobby done..! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 (edited) With restrictions being lifted, the best advice I can give is to go a shop with a good range and play a bunch until you find what feels and sounds right for you. As a start point, a Fender Jazz and Precision and an MM Stingray (or Sterling) are some to try. Then you could move onto some of the other 3 makes you mention, all of whom make a very fine bass. If you can get to The Gallery in Camden, they’ll look after you very well, have all of those you mention and then a load more. Edited June 23, 2020 by ezbass 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealting Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 (edited) Sadowskys are phenomenal - I have two NYCs, but you won’t get one for USD1k until the new Metro Expresses come our. Did you mean £1k? The pound isn’t what it used to be. I’m a guitarist first, and came to bass later. My first bass was a Yamaha TRB6 😂 Unconventional, but a great bass and I still own it. In your position, I’d get a secondhand Fender Jazz and a secondhand Fender Precision, and see how you like them, then sell them on and get a nicer version of the one you want. Edited June 23, 2020 by therealting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarJ Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 36 minutes ago, ezbass said: With restrictions being lifted, the best advice I can give is to go a shop with a good range and play a bunch until you find what feels and sounds right for you. As a start point, a Fender Jazz and Precision and an MM Stingray (or Sterling) are some to try. Then you could move onto some of the other 3 makes you mention, all of whom make a very fine bass. If you can get to The Gallery in Camden, they’ll look after you very well, have all of those you mention and then a load more. Thanks for the info - hopefully things normalise soon and I’ll check out The Gallery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarJ Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 22 minutes ago, therealting said: Sadowskys are phenomenal - I have two NYCs, but you won’t get one for USD1k until the new Metro Expresses come our. Did you mean £1k? The pound isn’t what it used to be. I’m a guitarist first, and came to bass later. My first bass was a Yamaha TRB6 😂 Unconventional, but a great bass and I still own it. In your position, I’d get a secondhand Fender Jazz and a secondhand Fender Precision, and see how you like them, then sell them on and get a nicer version of the one you want. Appreciated - sounds a good plan. Won’t be long before £1k is less than $1k so I will have to avoid those Sadowskys ... for now.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky_lowdown Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 Save yourself a load of money and get a Vintage v90 reissued bass, superb for jazz and funk. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloke_zero Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 10 hours ago, ezbass said: go a shop with a good range and play a bunch until you find what feels and sounds right for you. Seconded - there is so much to think about, neck profile, pickup and then when you're in a shop some basses speak to you and some don't - basses I thought would ring my bell just didn't come alive in my hands, and as a guitarist you may want to travel further up the neck than some so fingerboard radius can make a big difference there. I'm sure you'll be ok if you can't make it to a shop, but it can make the choices much much clearer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarJ Posted June 24, 2020 Author Share Posted June 24, 2020 1 hour ago, hooky_lowdown said: Save yourself a load of money and get a Vintage v90 reissued bass, superb for jazz and funk. Theres a lot to like about this ... will def add to list to try out - thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarJ Posted June 24, 2020 Author Share Posted June 24, 2020 3 minutes ago, bloke_zero said: Seconded - there is so much to think about, neck profile, pickup and then when you're in a shop some basses speak to you and some don't - basses I thought would ring my bell just didn't come alive in my hands, and as a guitarist you may want to travel further up the neck than some so fingerboard radius can make a big difference there. I'm sure you'll be ok if you can't make it to a shop, but it can make the choices much much clearer. I took me > 20yrs and many guitars to find the neck profile that suits me - I suspect basses would be no different. I have already seen a lot of discussion on BC about nut width thickness which isn't such a big deal on 6 stringers. Plus I have tried tons of pickups but never seen an active one, so there is a load to understand. Obvs the fight against GAS is not going to make this an easy process during the learning phase! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloke_zero Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 5 minutes ago, guitarJ said: to find the neck profile that suits me Tell me about it - it wasn't until I picked up a 70's Stingray that I suddenly went 'Ahhh!' and then had to quickly put it down as it was about 2.5K! Looking at your list of players it seems like Jazz bass style would be a reasonable place to start - narrower neck etc - it's all very personal! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mastodon2 Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 (edited) As someone who was in a similar position, but making a total switch to bass guitar, the best advice I can offer is this; buy the bass you want, not the bass you think you need or the bass others tell you will be best for you. Bass players can be a conservative bunch. Think about how you want to sound as a player and let that guide your selection process. Edit to add, guitarists can be very conservative too, just for balance. Edited June 24, 2020 by Mastodon2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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