I'm looking for suggestions & outliers that I might not have considered for mid-level bass to noodle on.
Going by the few basses I've owned (P-bass, and a MM Sub 'Ray - the USA one) and/or played, and the ones used by my favourite players, my preferences are:
- 34" scale
- Jazz nut width (38mm)
- Active EQ, preferably with mid-range sweeps/selectors
- 24-fret (preferred, not essential)
- HH/MM configuration (I think)
- Satin/oil/open-pore finish (again, preferred but not essential
- Modern/quirky designs - anything other than a P or J really!
- Four-string, unless someone can absolutely convince me that I need those extra four notes...
I've recently bought a Sire M2 and and M7 from Thomann to try out. I liked them both, particularly the latter, but I'm sending them back as I'm not entirely sold on the finish on the M7. They have a new all-swamp ash model coming out soon that I'll probably end up getting if nothing else takes my fancy, but I may as well use the time in between to daydream a little more. The M2 was fine, but a little dark-sounding for my tastes, and didn't feel as refined as the M7 - which is to be expected!
I'll mostly be playing with a pick, and focussing on rock/prog/metal genres - the tones and approach that Justin Chancellor gets out of his Wal is what I'm looking to get in the ball-park of, but I don't expect to nail that on a tenth of the budget!
So far my shortlist is looking like:
- Used Warwick Corvette Standard / $$ if I can find one (~£5-700)
- Sire M5
- Cort B4
- Used Ibanez Soundgear (MIJ/Premium for the better hardware & electronics)
- Warwick Rockbass Infinity
- Sire P7
- Sire J9
- Spector Pro4
The latter three seem nice enough, but are lower on the priority for me due to the fewer frets and more traditional looks!
I'd love to justify something fancier, but at this point in time I'm still pretty new to bass-playing so it feels somewhat premature. I get that there's some overlap with this thread and the "what all-round bass" one, but I'm keen to see if there are anything else that gets suggested closer to my req's & preferences.
*edit* I'd also looked into a GSP build, but by the time I factor in pickups, EQ, and hardware it goes well over my budget!
Comments
+1
Fender/Squier Dimension Bass, perhaps? You would be very lucky to find an American one within your budget. The Mexican ones came in various pickup configurations. The variant with the triple coil pickup model could prove interesting. The Squier Dimension Bass was only available in single pickup format but this would be easy to modify.
Ibanez/Soundgear and Cort are very similar in many respects. Your decision could come down to your taste in onboard pre-amp systems or brand name pose value.
Again, there are occasional bargains to be had. The German and Korean ones are nicer than the Rockbass derivatives.
IMO, the stock MEC Dynamic Response J-style pickups are an oxymoron. I replaced them with a pair of the ol' Seymour Duncan Active EQ series "switch" pickups and simple VVT control pots. This is the bass guitar that I keep on a stand near the computer for roughing out the bass parts in recording projects. It does most things, from clean/clear to rough/growly and entirely in response to playing technique rather than electronical shenanigans.
... is missing Yamaha. Excellent build quality and materials. Just check the nut width before trying one out.
I'd left off Yamaha intentionally as something about them visually just doesn't appeal to me from what I've looked at online at least, though I have no doubts to their quality.
My wife's chipping in too as a first anniversary prezzie, so I do want it to be somewhat more special than an entry-level bass.
John Myung does ok with them in Dream Theatre for that type of music, I just happened to hit on lucky with it though I suspect rather than it being the going rate.
I've also got a Sire V7 which feels as nice to play and is very well made. It's got a great preamp.
I have this for sale and it has leds, little more than you stated but not much.
£875 Warwick FNA
https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/warwick-fna-jazzman-bass-with-sims-led-s-german-made./1374901823
My suggestion for a pickup upgrade was going to be the Delano Hybrid 4. Unfortunately, Delano does not offer a reversed Hybrid 4 for the neck position. If they did, it would set the J coil in the correct position for believable Fender tones.
Get some Wal type grown too.
https://speakerimpedance.co.uk/?act=two_parallel&page=calculator
Yup, genuinely does - my wife said the same thing when I just got home with it, she asked if I could take the strap button off so she could “borrow” it
Make a profit!
https://speakerimpedance.co.uk/?act=two_parallel&page=calculator