Got around £300 to spend..... what do I go for?

[cameltoe]

I posted on here a while back about wanting to get a second bass, around the £300 mark, to go with my P bass. So- first things first- I'm in a regularly gigging band, it's a folk/rock type affair, similar in feel to bands like dropkick murphys, flogging molly etc, and as such I like to get a nice punchy feel from my bass (which is why I went for a P bass in the first place), with clear tight low-end and a not-too-bright top end. But- it's my only bass. So, wanting to take advantage of the governments interest free credit 'take it away' scheme, I thought I'd reinvest the £40 a month I recently re-aquired after I finished paying my TV off, and use it to buy a spare bass. I've only had 3 basses my entire life, an Epiphone EB-0 (sounded ok, nice meaty bottom but not really enough note definition) Esp LTD B-405 (sounded OK, but a little Hi-Fi for my taste. not enough punchy power- was a bass you heard rather than felt, and I want both!) and my current Mexican P bass (which I love, if I can get the EQ right. Love it when I get that tight, punchy low end, but can sometimes sound a little dull, and sometimes not enough definition and clarity in the bottom end). I've also had the use of a older rickenbacker 4003 (didn't like the sound of that, just always sounded wooly or twangy to me). Thats all the experience I have of bass guitars. So.....I don't know if or why i'd need a passive or active, (I know the difference, but I don't know the difference it makes to the tone of the bass) , what bass I can get for the money, which brands to avoid, whether I need it to be thru-body or bridge stringing, or anything that will make a difference to trying to get a bass I like the sound of. Trying a load out isn't the answer- 1) I live in cornwall, and as such we have very limited access to music shops. There are really good ones near us, but they mostly stock Squiers and random second hand basses, as well as Ibanez entry-level stuff. 2) How good it's sounds in a music shop, will not reflect how good it will be playing in a full pub with the rest of the band, going through either a 350w 4x10 Hartke, or my 200w 1x15 AC EURO amp. So really all I can do is take a punt. I need a bass that I like the look of, that has 4 strings not 5 (couldn't get on with them on the LTD) and is easy to play like my P bass. That I can get a nice defined, punchy low end, can hear all the notes clearly and doesn't sound too dull but also doesn't sound too thin or Hi-fi. That can go through both my amps and I can get a good tone from. If it makes a difference, I far prefer the sound of my P bass through the Hartke than the AC EURO. For me, the AC makes the note definition too dull, and the bottom end always sounds too flabby.

Make any sense at all? I've just had a drink....

Cheers if you can throw any suggestions my way! Oh and yeah I know that strings make a big difference- I usually like the sound of nickels, especially fender 7250's and the D'addario ones

[OutToPlayJazz]

Squier Classic Vibe Jazz. The best "under £300" you'll ever spend.

[Doddy]

Try out whatever you can. You may be surprised what you end up liking.
But I'd recommend the Squier Vintage Modified or Classic Vibe series.

[thisnameistaken]

Maybe look at the Yamaha BB414 or 416.

[cameltoe]

Cheers....

Yeah I looked at the VM Jazz before, really like the look of that. Never got to try one out though. As far as the Yamaha's go, I've heard some really good stuff about their instruments, although for me, it's still a bit tainted with the stigma of Yamaha being 'school instruments' so to speak.

I'd like to know more about the Ibanez SRX series (no idea what the differences are between the 360, 430 or any of that nonsense), and also more about the ATK series I've seen. The ATK's look really nice, but I'm a bit put off by the whole 'massive body and neck' description. I really don't want a behemoth of a bass, plus it's really pushing my budget. As for the SRX's, those big humbuckers look awesome, and I keep hearing the words 'big sound' and 'punchy' in their descriptions, so i'm also considering these options.

Ideally, I want to get a bass I can get a decent sound of out my smaller (200w 1x15") amp with, as I'm forever EQ'ing it to get what I need, which I rarely do.

As for passive or active, i'm still none the wiser.

My mate swears by Washburn for all his stuff (although he's never played bass), and I love the look of the T24.

[bh2]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='601764' date='Sep 17 2009, 10:01 PM']Squier Classic Vibe Jazz. The best "under £300" you'll ever spend.

[/quote]

+1... you can always drop in a preamp, I've a J-Retro in my Jazz, absolutely superb.

OR

Squier CV Precision... Looks and sounds fantastic!

Edited September 18, 2009 by bh2

[henry norton]

If I had 300 quid to spend on a bass for all occasions I'd look for an early Japanese Jazz bass (early 80s Tokai, Squier or mid 80s Fender Japan). You probably won't find one within your budget on Ebay but you can sometimes find them in local ads. Instead of getting suspect wood and electronics made in China you'll be investing the money in an instrument that is (in many peoples opinion), better than the US built Fenders.

Just thought, you could spend the money getting a really good preamp, (ACG Filter, Aguilar or suchlike) and/or J or MM pup fitted to the bridge position of your Mex. Precision. Preamps are moderately useful on budget basses but you won't get a huge amount of control on a bass costing less than 300 quid.

Edited September 18, 2009 by henry norton

[EdwardHimself]

[quote name='cameltoe' post='602410' date='Sep 18 2009, 06:14 PM']As for passive or active, i'm still none the wiser.[/quote]

Well active is like the sound of the ESP, lot of treble and definition, although i'm surprised you couldn't get enough low end and/or punch out of it because generally you also get that with an active curcit too. Maybe you could have turned the bass up and the treble down on the EQ?

[cameltoe]

[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='602475' date='Sep 18 2009, 07:30 PM']Well active is like the sound of the ESP, lot of treble and definition, although i'm surprised you couldn't get enough low end and/or punch out of it because generally you also get that with an active curcit too. Maybe you could have turned the bass up and the treble down on the EQ?[/quote]

I played with it quite a bit if i'm honest, and although there was no lack of low end if I needed it, it never felt quite as punchy as the P bass, and yeah, it all sounded a bit hi fi for me.

I'm up for any suggestions, and I'm pleased how many people are recommending the Squier's.

Any word on the Ibanez's?

Oh and I will have to buy this bass new, as it's a finance job, so 80's ebay bargains are no good

[lee4]

Yamaha BB414.Big body,but a good sound(try the bridge pup with the tone rolled off).

[Pete Academy]

Peavey Millennium. Unbeatable IMO.

[cameltoe]

Love the look of the Cort C4H. Can't seem to find anywhere that offers it with finance though.

[bassmachine2112]

hiho,this might sound daft but you seem to be happy with your p-bass and your forever havin to eq your amp.
Might I suggest that 300 quid might be better spent on gettin a good amp set up ?.Just a thought ,it can make a serious difference.A good pre amp can be a good investment as well.
I,m goin to get shot down in flames here but here goes,try a behringer bdi21 s/h they are cheap and if you don,t like it not much lost but will transform your sound and if you like the direction it,s going then sansamp,hartke bass attack,mxr di80 and others are worth considering and you can use them as a DI box for PA and recording.You also have the option of goin ampless through a PA,no more heavy lifting.
I know it will not satisfy the GAS but worth considering.

[henry norton]

[quote name='bassmachine2112' post='602710' date='Sep 19 2009, 09:43 AM']hiho,this might sound daft but you seem to be happy with your p-bass and your forever havin to eq your amp.
Might I suggest that 300 quid might be better spent on gettin a good amp set up ?.Just a thought ,it can make a serious difference.A good pre amp can be a good investment as well.
I,m goin to get shot down in flames here but here goes,try a behringer bdi21 s/h they are cheap and if you don,t like it not much lost but will transform your sound and if you like the direction it,s going then sansamp,hartke bass attack,mxr di80 and others are worth considering and you can use them as a DI box for PA and recording.You also have the option of goin ampless through a PA,no more heavy lifting.
I know it will not satisfy the GAS but worth considering.[/quote]

+1 on that. I mess around with a Behringer v-bass when I'm playing my EB-0. That gives a pretty big range of sounds if you prefer to forego the finance on a Sansamp. Mine cost 60 quid! I know everyone here hates Behringer but at that price....

[EdwardHimself]

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='602517' date='Sep 18 2009, 08:34 PM']Peavey Millennium. Unbeatable IMO.[/quote]

I was going to suggest that bass too. Honestly, if you want punch then this has it in tonnes. It CAN sound hifi but turn the treble down and the mids up and you've got a very nice growly midrange tone.

Edited September 19, 2009 by EdwardHimself

[CHRISDABASS]

hey!

first of all i'd suggest you look mainly at second hand instruments! you will get a lot more bass for your money that way and you might be supprised just what around £300 can get ya!

I would probably go for something like a G&L Tribute! very versatile instruments!

there's one here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=59533"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=59533[/url]

or maybe a nice second hand Jazz

[EdwardHimself]

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='602809' date='Sep 19 2009, 11:40 AM']hey!

first of all i'd suggest you look mainly at second hand instruments! you will get a lot more bass for your money that way and you might be supprised just what around £300 can get ya!

I would probably go for something like a G&L Tribute! very versatile instruments!

there's one here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=59533"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=59533[/url]

or maybe a nice second hand Jazz [/quote]

did you not read? He can't.

[cameltoe]

[quote name='bassmachine2112' post='602710' date='Sep 19 2009, 08:43 AM']hiho,this might sound daft but you seem to be happy with your p-bass and your forever havin to eq your amp.
Might I suggest that 300 quid might be better spent on gettin a good amp set up ?.Just a thought ,it can make a serious difference.A good pre amp can be a good investment as well.
I,m goin to get shot down in flames here but here goes,try a behringer bdi21 s/h they are cheap and if you don,t like it not much lost but will transform your sound and if you like the direction it,s going then sansamp,hartke bass attack,mxr di80 and others are worth considering and you can use them as a DI box for PA and recording.You also have the option of goin ampless through a PA,no more heavy lifting.
I know it will not satisfy the GAS but worth considering.[/quote]

you have a point, but I already have 3 amplifiers, a 100w Ampeg, 200w AC EURO (the one that doesn't sound great) and the 350w Hartke. For most gigs, I use the AC. Pubs round here are small, and space is usually at a premium so it doesn't make sense to lug the big Hartke around unless I really need to. Having said that, it could be that most of the reason behind me not liking the feel of the AC comes from the single 15" speaker. Looking around, alot of similar amps use a similar set up, so I may be no better off. In hindsight, I should never have bought the Hartke combo and instead gone for a decent amp head and a 4x10 cab and a seperate 2x8/10 cab, then I could just switch speakers for the bigger gigs.

The reason I'm focusing mostly on another bass, is because my P bass is my only bass. I don't have a spare, none of the guys in the band have one I can use, so if something were to go wrong at any point I'd be properly stuck. At the mo I'm gigging at least once a week, 3 times last week, and I wouldn't have time to sort anything before the next gig came along. On top of that, I really haven't played many basses, so I'm still at a stage where I don't actually know what I like and dislike, I'm just judging it on whether it feels weird or not.

I read an awesome review of a peavey zodiac bxp in some guitar magazine, and as well as the millenium coming highly recommended looks like that's where the safe money could go. Although I'm still taken by the cort. Cort basses, anyone? I don't know much about them but I think I remember them being fairly well regarded.

[OutToPlayJazz]

Cort? Yes, the Korean Cort factory is very highly regarded. Never been particularly taken by the product, though. Just a little boring. The little Curbow model with the slap switch is nice enough, but you're still better looking at Yamaha BB's, Ibanez SR's & Squier Classic Vibes.

Just make sure you play as many basses as you can in this price range. Whatever the brand, if you like how it feels and how it sounds, you're onto a winner.

Rich.

Edited September 20, 2009 by OutToPlayJazz

[agoulding]

I rekon Yamaha trb. I got my 1004 for under £300. New.

[nash]

not sure if anyone has already mentioned but there a jap jazz in the for sale section on here for £340.

[chris_b]

You're bass is good enough. If you want to get different sounds or a more flexible EQ I'd look at an outboard pre amp, for instance EBS, Sansamp or Sadowsky.

[bassmansky]

squier,either vintage modified or classic vibe series,both give a great sound and value for money as well.