Great Bass to cover everything in studio

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i_b_tullochi_b_tulloch Frets: 105
I’m setting up a small high quality studio at home. I need a great bass guitar to be able to cover as much ground as possible. I would use it myself for laying down the bass, and others would use it for band practise in the studio room. I like the idea of it being active and passive and I would spend up to £2k to get the right one, but happy to spend lower of the flexibility is there. Looking for a very versatile instrument. I like the classic P bass. Might even consider a classic P bass too.

I like the idea of the new Charvel Pro Mods like this:

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/201118364038025--charvel-pro-mod-san-dimas-pj-iv-lime-green-metallic?gclid=Cj0KCQjw-LOEBhDCARIsABrC0TmAzmqRIT3i-HBW5PAr-0OpemlPO9x8DUcEYcPX5ascO90MwKq6J6caAr-NEALw_wcB

Also I like the fender American ultra precision bass here:

https://www.andertons.co.uk/fender-american-ultra-precision-bass-maple-arctic-pearl-0199012781?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=surfaces

Any opinions on these bass guitars or recommendations for others that would
fit the Bill for an occasional bass plying guitarist?








My Trading Feedback Link is here i_b_tulloch

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Comments

  • Winny_PoohWinny_Pooh Frets: 7731
    You are going to let strangers use your 2k bass for rehearsals!?

    The American ultra will be quite versatile but IMO for 2k buy two used basses.

    1- Rosewood neck mex P bass
    2- 5 string Sterling ray 35 or Stingray

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  • i_b_tullochi_b_tulloch Frets: 105
    @Winny_Pooh there would be no strangers playing it! The studio is for fun and it would only be me and bass players in my band.

    I did think about 2 cheaper bass guitars, so thanks for the suggestion.

    I guess I would rather have one quality bass that does all I ever need it to, and ‘proper’ bass players would take their own basses anyway.
    My Trading Feedback Link is here i_b_tulloch

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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26749
    I definitely wouldn't want to spend 2k on a single instrument to give to other people to fuck up! 

    For my money P bass with flats plus something else with rounds - Stingray is a good bet. 

    Or (depending on what exactly "covering lots of ground" means) a P with rounds and a decent preamp, and something even more vintagey like a Guild or Hofner with flats? 

    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • i_b_tullochi_b_tulloch Frets: 105
    @stickyfiddle thanks for that. It would be mostly for recording blues, rock (classic, heavy rock), drop tuned metal.

    I won’t have much footfall through the place, and I live in a small community, so not at all worried about letting others play it. Most serious bass players will take and insist on their own basses anyway.

    I think P bass seems the most sensible, but I also like the idea of having the active option for more tone shaping when recording.
    My Trading Feedback Link is here i_b_tulloch

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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14321
    You know the form in this forum area.

    The boring, old plodder is going to recommend a P Bass with flatwound strings. Two well-known characters are going to champion the Rickenbacker 4001/4003 (and distortion!). Another funker will espouse the Musicman Stingray. The brachio-phalangeally challenged will say Jazz or Mustang Bass. Somebody with deep pockets will propose either a hand-made British bass, a fretless or both. The spiv element will suggest whatever it is that they need to sell at the moment.

    They are all right and, simultaneously, all wrong. 

    My suggestion is the Sire M Series. The basic build quality is fine straight out of the box. Its EMG35-sized soapbar pickups can easily be changed to another brand. In terms of band politics, a Sire bass is the diplomatic choice. Good enough for your band's bassist to borrow briefly but never upstaging his/her main bass guitar.

    At the end of the day, it does not matter what Fretboarders think. This bass has to satisfy your hands and ears. 
    Be seeing you.
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  • FreebirdFreebird Frets: 5821
    edited May 2021
    I love my American Standard P-bass with TI flats. Boring old plodders of the world unite!  
    If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it.
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26749
    I'm not sure you should take advice on bass from someone with "funk" in their username ;) 
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14321
    My 12:03 post may contain irony, sarcasm or self-deprecation. 
    Be seeing you.
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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    This (albeit lesser-known) character is recommending a Rickenbacker 4003 and a MIM Precision; you should be able to get the pair within budget.
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  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23925
    Sandberg TT4 
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  • i_b_tullochi_b_tulloch Frets: 105
    Thanks folks. Keep em coming!
    My Trading Feedback Link is here i_b_tulloch

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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71956
    Great though my love for the mighty Rickenbacker 4001 and a fuzz pedal is, I actually don't think there's any genre of music that cannot be played (and sound good) on a '57-style Fender Precision - but I'd go with roundwound strings, since you can get closer to the sound of flats with rounds and a tone control than the other way round.

    Active electronics are unnecessary, especially in a studio, since there's nothing you can do with them that can't be done with an outboard preamp - at least if the pickups are still standard high-impedance types. If they're low-impedance you can get a particular clarity with actives that you might not be able to otherwise.

    I'd still get two basses though - the other one fretless, since you can't make a fretted sound like a fretless (properly) or vice versa.

    Third choice - a 5-string, probably something active and modern since almost all of them are.

    It's probably not a coincidence that I have three basses... a 4001, a fretless Aria and a 5-string Ibanez.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • i_b_tullochi_b_tulloch Frets: 105
    @ICBM i like your thinking. Maybe start with a Standard P bass. Will check out the 57 reference too.

    On a side note I have looked for a 1979 Fender P bass as it was the year I was born, and found some interesting pieces. Prices are a bit high though, and can’t help think that a modern fender p bass might be better. Can always change out the pickups. Kind of don’t want to go down that route though, as enough of that with the guitars!
    My Trading Feedback Link is here i_b_tulloch

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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71956
    @ICBM i like your thinking. Maybe start with a Standard P bass. Will check out the 57 reference too.

    On a side note I have looked for a 1979 Fender P bass as it was the year I was born, and found some interesting pieces. Prices are a bit high though, and can’t help think that a modern fender p bass might be better. Can always change out the pickups. Kind of don’t want to go down that route though, as enough of that with the guitars!
    '57-style just means the standard passive model with the passive split pickup and lightweight steel bridge, and a maple fingerboard - or '62 which is the same thing with a rosewood board. A proper USA one or a Mexican Classic/Vintera series won't need the pickup changing, they're fine.

    '79 P-Basses are actually among the least bad examples of late-70s Fenders in my experience - they're usually heavy, but that actually suits them quite well and they sound powerful and punchy. There's really nothing else to get wrong :).

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • i_b_tullochi_b_tulloch Frets: 105
    @ICBM thanks, useful info, I will see what I can find.
    My Trading Feedback Link is here i_b_tulloch

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  • rze99rze99 Frets: 2260
    There’s a reason that many producers want the bassist to use a P bass. It’s because they record incredibly well and occupy the right places in the mix especially punchy and sitting with a bass drum. A used MIM will do it. 
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  • i_b_tullochi_b_tulloch Frets: 105
    @rze99 that seems to be a consistent opinion when reading on the internet. Seems like a safe bet.
    My Trading Feedback Link is here i_b_tulloch

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  • McSwaggertyMcSwaggerty Frets: 657
    Lakland Skyline... Long scale, Jazz neck with Flats
    Fender Mustang, short scale with Rounds.
    Sorted, and change from 2K for a few beers... 
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  • MattBansheeMattBanshee Frets: 1498
    Spend £800 on a second-hand P-Bass (don't put flats on it unless all your clients are pensioners and/or shit) and spend the rest on something else like a nice Ampeg or outboard pre-amp.
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  • i_b_tullochi_b_tulloch Frets: 105
    @rze99 that seems to be a consistent opinion when reading on the internet. Seems like a safe bet.
    My Trading Feedback Link is here i_b_tulloch

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