discotim Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Morning all! After 25 years of twiddling on a regular six-string, I've decided to jump ship and start playing bass. The desire's been brewing for some time, so I'm keen to get cracking. Having been around the music scene for a whilh, I've got a few ideas of basses I'd like, but to be honest I feel like a newcomer all over again. There's such a massive choice! (how many versions of a Fender Jazz??) Play an Organic six string at the mo. Have toyed with the idea of flogging a couple of my guitars to fund an Organic bass but don't want to make such a big purchase right now. All the gear etc.... Who knows, I may hate playing bass Obviously, I'm aware some £500 basses play as well as others costing four times the amount. One's man's meat etc. Anyway, any advice welcome. Best wishes to all Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Where are you based? What style do you play? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discotim Posted January 11, 2010 Author Share Posted January 11, 2010 [quote name='waynepunkdude' post='708659' date='Jan 11 2010, 11:21 AM']Where are you based? What style do you play?[/quote] Based in Lincs Yep, shoulda mentioned styles etc. In a covers band at the mo. All styles really. From jazz standards to hard rock lol! Not quite sure what kind of style of bass I'll end up playing but I think it's safe to say I won't be the next Mark King! Not really a slappy, funk style man myself - but you never know... Probably something I can develop my skills/style with. My gut's telling me a Fender Jazz. Just not sure which one! Confused? Join the club! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS73 Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 If its a Jazz, which is an excellent choice BTW, I think the Geddy Lee is a fantastic mod version of the standard Jazz, they are around £670 new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 No idea about new prices etc but I think you'll go a long way with a Precision or a Jazz and if you look at the for sale threads here you'll find one. TBH in your price range there are a ton of nice basses you could get, FWIW tho If you find you want to change after a while, a Fender would be easier to shift I reckon.... what do the rest of you think about that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discotim Posted January 11, 2010 Author Share Posted January 11, 2010 Funnily enough I've been looking at a Geddy Lee online... The finish on my Organic is, er, unfinished. After many hours the neck's now smoothed out beautifully and it a real joy to play. Are all Jazz necks laquered? Had a Strat with a laquered neck a few years ago. Couldn't get on with it. Anyone here owned an Organic bass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 £500-£1k is a sizeable budget, especially if you buy second-hand! Try everything you can get your hands on. Hopefully, your guitar playing / purchasing past should stand you in good stead when considering instruments, and you should have an idea of what tone you want and how you'd want it to feel. Got any bass-playing mates? Take one along for a second opinion. Unless you're in a rush, take all the time you need. Do bear in mind that a new set of strings and a decent set-up can make all the difference. Brand-wise, there's loads to choose from. DO have a look at Fender, Musicman, G&L, Warwick, Lakland, Sandberg, Ibanez, Yamaha, Rickenbacker and all the usual suspects, but not exclusively. I've done well out of picking up something I've never heard of that was being neglected in the corner of a showroom! Just because you may not have heard of it, it doesn't mean it's not potentially excellent. Happy hunting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevB Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 For a good all-rounder look for a used US jazz with S-1 switch for a bit of tone versatility, should find one for less than 500. I got one off ebay for less than 400 and it's probably my favourite bass to play and suits different music styles quite well. Will probably keep its resale value fairly well too should you decide to move it on in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 [quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='708692' date='Jan 11 2010, 12:02 PM']£500-£1k is a sizeable budget, especially if you buy second-hand! Try everything you can get your hands on. Hopefully, your guitar playing / purchasing past should stand you in good stead when considering instruments, and you should have an idea of what tone you want and how you'd want it to feel. Got any bass-playing mates? Take one along for a second opinion. Unless you're in a rush, take all the time you need. Do bear in mind that a new set of strings and a decent set-up can make all the difference. Brand-wise, there's loads to choose from. DO have a look at Fender, Musicman, G&L, Warwick, Lakland, Sandberg, Ibanez, Yamaha, Rickenbacker and all the usual suspects, but not exclusively. I've done well out of picking up something I've never heard of that was being neglected in the corner of a showroom! Just because you may not have heard of it, it doesn't mean it's not potentially excellent. Happy hunting![/quote] This seems to be very sensible advice.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discotim Posted January 11, 2010 Author Share Posted January 11, 2010 [quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='708692' date='Jan 11 2010, 12:02 PM']£500-£1k is a sizeable budget, especially if you buy second-hand! Try everything you can get your hands on. Hopefully, your guitar playing / purchasing past should stand you in good stead when considering instruments, and you should have an idea of what tone you want and how you'd want it to feel. Got any bass-playing mates? Take one along for a second opinion. Unless you're in a rush, take all the time you need. Do bear in mind that a new set of strings and a decent set-up can make all the difference. Brand-wise, there's loads to choose from. DO have a look at Fender, Musicman, G&L, Warwick, Lakland, Sandberg, Ibanez, Yamaha, Rickenbacker and all the usual suspects, but not exclusively. I've done well out of picking up something I've never heard of that was being neglected in the corner of a showroom! Just because you may not have heard of it, it doesn't mean it's not potentially excellent. Happy hunting![/quote] Have a few bass-playing mates. One in particular (an ardent headless Status man) would be rather shocked if he knew hat I was up to, so I'm trying to keep my newly-found hobby quiet for now! Ha! I like hearing everone's opinion, not just the few I know. All your input's most welcome! Have to say, I like that Jazz Antigua for sale in the forums. Pity it's out of my reach! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidmpires Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 You can remove the lacquer with a used washing dishes sponge. I use one from time to time and it removes the lacquer nicely, do not use a new one as it will scratch the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 [quote name='discotim' post='708688' date='Jan 11 2010, 11:59 AM']The finish on my Organic is, er, unfinished. After many hours the neck's now smoothed out beautifully and it a real joy to play. Are all Jazz necks laquered? Had a Strat with a laquered neck a few years ago. Couldn't get on with it.[/quote] Maybe a Warwick would be more up your street - curved bodies with wax finishes are common on the top-end models. You could pick up something like that used for under a grand on here (when they come up). Tonally they tend to have quite an obvious mid-range purr-y character to them but they're still pretty flexible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Buy my ACG for a grand, wax finish too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
safc19371973 Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 [quote name='discotim' post='708658' date='Jan 11 2010, 11:20 AM']Morning all! After 25 years of twiddling on a regular six-string, I've decided to jump ship and start playing bass. The desire's been brewing for some time, so I'm keen to get cracking. Having been around the music scene for a whilh, I've got a few ideas of basses I'd like, but to be honest I feel like a newcomer all over again. There's such a massive choice! (how many versions of a Fender Jazz??) Play an Organic six string at the mo. Have toyed with the idea of flogging a couple of my guitars to fund an Organic bass but don't want to make such a big purchase right now. All the gear etc.... Who knows, I may hate playing bass Obviously, I'm aware some £500 basses play as well as others costing four times the amount. One's man's meat etc. Anyway, any advice welcome. Best wishes to all Tim[/quote] Have a look at my warmoth built jazz bass with lindy pups and J-retro preamp for £500 I think this is great value and very versatile for wide range of styles i.m.o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 With your budget you can add Lakland Skyline and MTD Kingston to the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Why is when anyone asks for buying advice they get adverts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 (edited) Don't listen to anyone. Just go out into the retail world and play as many instruments as you can and make your own decision when you've found something that's comfortable and sounds right. If I'd have taken advice in this way I'd never have found my favourite instrument as they aren't popular and are definitely uncool (according to the masses here). Remember too that you might have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince (or princess, or dowager queen or prince consort or whatever it is you prefer). The amp you play it through has a big effect on how you perceive the sound; many of us have sold basses that we should have kept because we didn't like the way they sounded through a particular amp but have found out later that they sound glorious some other amp. A trip to a one of the BC bass basshes is a good idea too, you can play loads of instruments and get a feel for what's what. First instruments tend to be based on one of the standards like a Jazz, Precision, Stingray etc for a good reason, they are very good versatile instruments with huge (almost universal) appeal. Edited January 11, 2010 by Sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 [quote name='Sean' post='708735' date='Jan 11 2010, 12:38 PM']If I'd have taken advice in this way I'd never have found my favourite instrument as they aren't popular and are definitely uncool (according to the masses here).[/quote] This is no fun unless you tell us which horrendous bass you bought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discotim Posted January 11, 2010 Author Share Posted January 11, 2010 [quote name='thisnameistaken' post='708805' date='Jan 11 2010, 01:44 PM']This is no fun unless you tell us which horrendous bass you bought.[/quote] Have no fear. I will keep you posted of my findings. BTW be warned: I'm a bugger for impulse buys. If I like it and it pushes my buttons then it'll be mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 [quote name='thisnameistaken' post='708805' date='Jan 11 2010, 01:44 PM']This is no fun unless you tell us which horrendous bass you bought.[/quote] See my sig, I've got three of 'em. Best instruments I've ever played. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey R Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Will you need any of your budget to buy an amp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stingray5 Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Hi Tim and welcome to Basschat. For my 2p-worth, I'd go along with the notion of trying anything and everything you can get your hands on. If your budget of £500-£1000 is for a bass alone, then you are in a very vibrant section of the market with a wealth of quality basses to choose from. Rather than get into the Bass A vs Bass B vs Bass C argument, I'd just say get out there and have fun looking. Speaking as a guitarist too, I'm sure you'll also come to appreciate that the deep end is where it's at... And don't forget to let us know what you finally end up with. Cheers, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 [quote name='Sean' post='708840' date='Jan 11 2010, 02:07 PM']See my sig, I've got three of 'em. Best instruments I've ever played.[/quote] Yeah I saw that after I posted, don't think I've heard anyone say anything bad about Spectors or Laklands here. It's usually Warwicks that get all the stick but that's usually from the Fender fans who buy and sell basses every other week. I've had my Warwick for five years, that's all I'm saying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-T-P Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Lots of good advice, but for me there are really only two answers with your budget. A second hand US Fender Jazz will cost you in the range of £500 to £650 depending on the condition and age (talking 1990s basses on here, not vintage). You can play a bunch until you find one that grabs you or you can buy the first that comes along safe in the knowledge that you'll almost certainly be able to sell it on without losing any cash. Alternatively, the best value for money bass in that price range is, IMHO, a Lakland 55-01. Really well put together instruments that play and sound great. They'll comortably sit in pretty much any style of music and hold their own and the fact that it's a 5 string will give you a bit of added range you may well find useful if covers is what you're playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 [quote name='P-T-P' post='708972' date='Jan 11 2010, 03:52 PM']Alternatively, the best value for money bass in that price range is, IMHO, a Lakland 55-01.[/quote] Bear in mind that's a 35" scale, might feel very long to someone coming from guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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