Suggest a bass?

Quattroste

I'm looking to get a Bass guitar for as little as possible. Basically I'll use it for recording so it will go directly into Cubase or similar.(Don't have a bass amp)

I know nothing of Basses except that the Bacchus basses look really good but would be out of my price range. A mate has a "Shine" bass which seems OK but any other decent entry level suggestions. Second hand is also an option.

If you must have a figure to work with I'd like to keep it below €250

fish-head

Have a look on Adverts.ie, there's usually the odd cheap bass floating around there. A Squier Jazz bass would suit you pretty well I think, they've nice thin necks and aren't total pieces of junk, for the money.

The_g-man

http://www.thomann.de/ie/yamaha_rbx_270_rm.htm
Or throw one of these:
http://www.thomann.de/ie/hoefner_pickup_63_h511b.htm
onto:
http://www.thomann.de/ie/harley_benton_beatbass.htm
Putting the second one on will take you over budget, but where's the fun in having a budget?:p

feylya

Bit over budget but this is €340 shipped

Quattroste

Where Feylya?

Any thoughts on this
http://cgi.ebay.ie/NEW-ALDEN-JUPITER-ACTIVE-BASS-GUITAR-gabj_W0QQitemZ120104376374QQcategoryZ4713QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I don't like the Beatbass much.

Quattroste

Double post Sorry!

Doctor J

For that budget I'd say get one of those SX 70's style Jazz basses and use whatever's left to upgrade a few parts. They're fundamentally pretty decent and you should be able to dig one up second hand for €150 or less.

Yes, I'm quite serious

feylya

It's on Ishi. Actually, just listen to the Doc. Those SX's are lovely, for the price.

Doctor J

And the beauty of them is, as they're sticking to the basic Fender design, it's pretty easy to replace the parts that aren't up to spec with something better without the need for major modification or adjustment.

Quattroste

Only seem to be on ebay in the States though. $130 or thereabouts but shipping on top of that aswell.

Doctor J

They have them in Waltons, check them out to see what you think in there and then keep an eye on the oul Buy and Sell for the one you actually buy

They are very, very good for the money.

Rigsby

I agree about the SX's. I had one for about 18 months before upgrading. They are a very good guitar for the price. They might need a small set up to start with. Not sure if Waltons can or will do set ups though.

Quattroste

Just checked out the Waltons website and I could get one from the US plus shipping etc and it wold still be 1/2 the price.

Last questions and probably a very important one. What's the P and J mean.

This is the one i like. http://cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=012&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=220100596659&rd=1&rd=1

Doctor J

It refers to the pickups. P is precision, J is jazz. PJ is a combination of both. That one you linked is a PJ (split precision pickup in the neck, jazz pickup at the bridge). The SX P bass I played didn't do much for me but the 70's J was quite impressive, but it could just have been down to setup. Generally, anything taking mostly after a Precision will have a bigger neck too, so definitely try some out before you buy off the net.

Eoin Madsen

I wouldn't buy a bass on that budget to be honest. You could buy a damn fine set of bass samples though.

Doctor J

Nothin like sittin back with a beer, game of footie on the telly and chilling out by just doodling absent mindedly on your bass samples. Yeah!

singloud

I'd recommend a Squier P or J bass.
head to a music shop and try them both out, Fender basses are the most common so they're a pretty good benchmark and a Squier is pretty good bang for your buck

If your unsure a Squier P bass is decent and is very very common, it'll be a good entry level one for you to learn your craft on and is an excellent all rounder for your price bracket. It'' be a useful benchmark for testing other basses against if you decide to continue and need a better instrument.

Quattroste

Eoin Madsen wrote:

I wouldn't buy a bass on that budget to be honest. You could buy a damn fine set of bass samples though.

Yeah, I thought of that, and i do use them when I want to put a simple bass line to a riff. I'd like to come up with a few bass riffs though and add the guitar later.

It's more for the fun than anything else. Nothing serious and no upgrades. Yeah right

Doctor J

The SX basses sound ok, seriously. Even if you're unhappy, add new pickups. Simple. Bass samples Jaysus.

punchdrunk

save another hundred quid and find a used mexican jazz bass!

Eoin Madsen

Quattroste wrote:

Basically I'll use it for recording so it will go directly into Cubase or similar.(Don't have a bass amp)

Doctor J wrote:

Nothin like sittin back with a beer, game of footie on the telly and chilling out by just doodling absent mindedly on your bass samples. Yeah!

You drink beer and watch the footie while you're recording?

Doctor J wrote:

The SX basses sound ok, seriously.

They sound frakking dreadful, and they feel even worse to play. In my experience and opinion.

Dord

Eoin Madsen wrote:

They sound frakking dreadful, and they feel even worse to play. In my experience and opinion.

I've had quite the opposite experience with them, theyre a good bass for the money. with a few upgrades they're a great bass.
i think i spent about €70 on upgrades for it, money well spent.

Eoin Madsen

Yeah, preferences do vary. I can respect a difference of opinion.

...without feeling like I have to ridicule it out of fear that my own suggestion is being threatened.

Rigsby

joe robot wrote:

I've had quite the opposite experience with them, theyre a good bass for the money. with a few upgrades they're a great bass.

I agree.

Keyzer

joe robot wrote:

I've had quite the opposite experience with them, theyre a good bass for the money. with a few upgrades they're a great bass.
i think i spent about €70 on upgrades for it, money well spent.

What upgrades did you put into it?
New pickups?

Quattroste

Doc. Have you heard anything about "Brian" basses? They are a sister company of Bacchus. There's one on U-Box for cheap.

Dord

Keyzer wrote:

What upgrades did you put into it?
New pickups?

yup. the original pickup was pretty good, i just wanted something a lil hotter.
i got a Reverend 10K Precision style pickup and also a Leo Quan Badass II bridge.

Doc. Have you heard anything about "Brian" basses? They are a sister company of Bacchus. There's one on U-Box for cheap.

I wanna know about these too, mainly cos my name is Brian
it'd be cool to have a bass with my name on it

Doctor J

Eoin Madsen wrote:

You drink beer and watch the footie while you're recording?

They sound frakking dreadful, and they feel even worse to play. In my experience and opinion.

Yes, I only ever play bass when I'm recording, it's the only reason I ever pick up a bass.

They're not that bad. I've heard a lot worse and I've p[layed a lot worse... a lot worse.

Korvanica

One question...

Why do you want a cheap bass for recording?

Surely you want it to sound good ?

Quattroste

I'm a guitarist. I have never played bass so I decided to get a cheap bass to play around with. As it turns out I have bought a Neil Shoeman(Who the fuk is Neil Shoeman I hear you say) handmade bass from the UK. Looks nice, haven't a clue how it sounds or plays or anything. Will post pics when it arrives.

Kenny_D

How'd you come across that?

Quattroste

GStormcrow wrote:

How'd you come across that?

Bored in work = Ebay

Quattroste

Well the bass arrived yesterday but will be returned to the seller. One of the tuning pegs was broken and the there were scratches. The body was also cracked. You can see in the pictures:

http://homepage.mac.com/ste_mooney/PhotoAlbum9.html

I suppose it's a lesson to be learned in regards to buying gear you don't see other than in pictures. Supposedly new handmade bass, I don't think so. Lesson learned.

The_g-man

Sorry to hear it, from the closeup pics it looks like it could have been sweet.

Doctor J

Jaysus, you couldn't take one pic of the whole thing just for a look-see, no?

Quattroste

Yeah I noticed that when I was putting the reply up.

I'll take one tonight and add it.

Quattroste

Here you go Doc. Not sure I really liked it.

http://homepage.mac.com/ste_mooney/PhotoAlbum10.html

Doctor J

Interesting. Fair play for having a gamble, sometimes you win and sometimes you don't but it was worth a shot, I suppose.

Dord

hmmm... it reminds me of a wishbass

i still think you should have bought an SX
then again i tell everyone that.

how much did the bass set you back anyways?

Quattroste

Interesting. Fair play for having a gamble, sometimes you win and sometimes you don't but it was worth a shot, I suppose.

True. Still in hindsight, a "handmade" bass for €400 just doesn't sound right.

i still think you should have bought an SX

It's still an option. I still want a bass but the budget has gone up a bit .

What do you think of this?
http://cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=004&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=140110899548&rd=1&rd=1

Doctor J

The buget has gone up?

Ok then, Bacchus, a few dinks, about €400 including shipping. To the u-box with you!

Quattroste

I'm there. Never ordered from UBox before so I might need a hand.

It wasn't me!

That Bacchus is damn tasty. Saving for one myself these days.