Bass+amp

christophicus

Ok I am pretty new to the whole playing music thing,so i really am going to need your help. I am going to buy my first bass and would like your oppinions on which modles are good,I also need an amp(is there anything else?)
Where is a good place to get them either online or in a shop.IM in to hard rock and metal,and Id like a bass that plays easily ,I have abpout €700 to spend on all of this,so it would be great if people could give me suggestions

By the way the bass has to be a five string.

Ravelleman

Something like this looks good Ibanez SRX705

christophicus

thanks does anyone one know any stores that are good to buy from in Ireland?

Zapp Brannigan

Ibanez, go with them for your first bass. They make solid and good quality beginner basses.

Your best bet is to go into Dublin and visit Musicmaker and Musician Inc. they both stock Ibanez' so you can compare prices over the two, Tell em your after an amp aswell and they should do ya a deal. But really you want to just use them shops for trying out the basses and then go to Thomann to buy it online for alot cheaper.

christophicus

Cool thanks Slurms>this is my first bass but i have been playing for about 4 months on my brothers vintage metal axxe wraith so I wouldnt class myself as a total beginner(even though i still suck) ,what do you think of them?I Greatly appreciate your shopping advice and would like to hear any advice that anyone has.

Ravelleman

Slurms wrote:

But really you want to just use them shops for trying out the basses and then go to Thomann to buy it online for alot cheaper.

I like your style. It's similar to mine

Zapp Brannigan

Ravelleman wrote:

I like your style. It's similar to mine

Thank you, though the strange thing is I actually found a bass cheaper here than on Thomann :eek:

christophicus

OK here is a bass that im looking at now,ITs an ESP LTD F-255 It looks amazingwhat do you guys think ,has anyone played are ESP a good brand?

Karl Hungus

christophicus wrote:

OK here is a bass that im looking at now,ITs an ESP LTD F-255 It looks amazingwhat do you guys think ,has anyone played are ESP a good brand?

Yes, ESP are a good brand, and that looks like a fine bass.

I wouldn't get it myself, as I'm not a fan of EMG pickups at all. On the other hand, I find the pickeps and electronics in my NJ Warlock Bass very good indeed.

Doctor J

The ESP looks sweet. Great brand. My main bass for the last 13 years has been an ESP.

Zapp Brannigan

I like how EMG's sound in a bass. I'd say try it out and if ya like it go for it.

Mongo

I would also recommend an Ibanez SRX 505.Lovely tone off of them.They record real well too

jesusjones

Karl Hungus wrote:

Yes, ESP are a good brand, and that looks like a fine bass.

I wouldn't get it myself, as I'm not a fan of EMG pickups at all. On the other hand, I find the pickeps and electronics in my NJ Warlock Bass very good indeed.

Sorry about this Im posting from the library and jesus jones was on this comp before me and i cant log out ,so I am infact christophicus!

I was strongly considering getting a NJ warlock 5 string Warlock but many people (including you I think) told me not to get one and I still have not got a deffinate reason as to why?

what dont you like about the emg pickups?

What is it that people dont like about b.c rich warlocks?

christophicus

There is one BIG problem with that thomann website,Its all in german or whatever language that is.

Karl Hungus

jesusjones wrote:

I was strongly considering getting a NJ warlock 5 string Warlock but many people (including you I think) told me not to get one and I still have not got a deffinate reason as to why?

I didn't tell you not to get one, I told you to be aware that it is fairly neck-heavy.

Honestly though, I doubt you'll really get a good reason not to get one, because half the time people will just write off BC Rich as a gimmick simply because of the shape, when they are infact (Barring entry level) fantastic guitars.

As for thomann, click here.

christophicus

Cheers man that is probably the best help I hve received so far,I asked over on musician forums and most of them are all anti B.C Rich for no good reason,one guy did make the point that i might grow out off the shape,if you dont mind could you tell me your age and weather you still like the shape.

Also is there anywhere that you know of in Ireland that you can actually play the nj warlock or esp ltd f 255?

Doctor J

Musicmaker do BC Rich and Instrumental (on the quays) do LTD. Dunno if they'd have the models you want to try though.

Karl Hungus

christophicus wrote:

Cheers man that is probably the best help I hve received so far,I asked over on musician forums and most of them are all anti B.C Rich for no good reason,one guy did make the point that i might grow out off the shape,if you dont mind could you tell me your age and weather you still like the shape.

Also is there anywhere that you know of in Ireland that you can actually play the nj warlock or esp ltd f 255?

I'm 22, had the bass 3 years, and I honestly wasn't really a fan of the Warlock shape to begin with, but the Warlock was the only 5 string Bass BC Rich had available at the time, so I went for it anway. I'm even getting BC Rich to custom build a guitar for me, that's how much I like their stuff.

As the Doc said, Instrumental or Music Maker are you best bets for trying anything out.

christophicus

cool thanks guys you have been a great help.

Is there anyway that you know of to counteract the neck heaveyness?
Also did you get your bass of Thomann?

Ravelleman

You might be able to relocate the strap button to combat it. It will require drilling into your nice new bass though.

christophicus

Yeah ,somehow i dont think im goin to do that.

Karl Hungus

Ravelleman wrote:

You might be able to relocate the strap button to combat it. It will require drilling into your nice new bass though.

I've actually heard that people attatch the strap to the neck plate. I believe Kerry King did this on his guitar, supposed to balance it up very well. I didn't try it myself.

christophicus

Yeah,DId you get anything from Thomann,Also sorry I have to ask Whos in your sig?

Karl Hungus

I've got plenty of things from Thomann, and find them very reliable. It's Opeth in my sig.

christophicus

Cheers thanks.

Does anyone have contact details for instrumental,phoenumber,email address?
I looked in the phonebook andI dont think they are in the 05 area book.

Karl Hungus

christophicus wrote:

Does anyone have contact details for instrumental,phoenumber,email address?
I looked in the phonebook andI dont think they are in the 05 area book.

www.instrumental.ie

christophicus

Thanks,this place looks like the best place to test out bass's in Ireland

christophicus

Does the warlock give you extreamely deep and low tones?

Doctor J

Ummm all basses are deep and low

The fundamental sound of a pickup is determined by it's design and materials and also by it's placement relative to the bridge. A pickup close to the bridge will sound thinner and brighter than a pickup which is placed away from the bridge near the neck. A bass with an active EQ can boost the level of lower frequencies easily enough though you can do this on an amp too. The naturally bassiest bass I know is the Rickenbacker, though you'll never really be heard with a tone like this playing Metal.

christophicus

Doctor J wrote:

Ummm all basses are deep and low .

Yeah i know but some such as the ESP ltd f 255(aparently) dont do the lows that well.

does it downtune well?

Doctor J

Detune? You're looking at the 5 string, right? That'll be tuned as low as B as a default and once you go below A you're going to find it hard to find amplification that can properly project your sound. As an ideal, the lower the pitch, the greater your string length should be (look at a piano for example). A standard bass has a scale of 34 inches (ie it's 34" from bridge to nut) though the general consensus is low B strings sound better over a 35" scale (and there are some 36" basses out there). This is true to an extent though there are plenty of good sounding 34" inch B strings out there. Really though, check out the reviews on www.harmonycentral.com because such things can't be figured out by reading a spec or looking at a picture. See what people who own and play the instruments you are looking at have to say about them.

Ravelleman

Indeed, 35" scale is best. B strings get a bit sloppy with 34".

The Warlock has p bass style pups so it should be quite thumpy and low.

christophicus

Thanks guys ,yeah I am looking at the 5 string and im planning on dropping the B string to A for at least some of the time.

christophicus

Ok im pretty sure that im going to go for the NJ warlock 5,but im going to go up to dublin soon and check out the different bass's.Anyway now im looking for an amp that handles the low end particularly well,Is there a certain manufacturer or modele that is know for its good low end tone?

Doctor J

I have an Ashdown which copes with B and low A pretty well. Just make sure you get a cab with a 15" speaker. 4x10"s don't put out the very low stuff as well, in my experience, unless you're getting real top of the range stuff.

christophicus

Cheers id still appreciate other peoples oppinions.Also do you think the warlock NJ 5will fit in this

http://www.thomann.de/thoiw6_artikel-178331.html

Are there any online reatailers that sell ashwood amps?

Yv

I use a Laney HCM 160B (http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/options.php?id=10155 - actually I bought it from there as well, great service) - it has all the power I need for gigs & practice & suchlike (obviously it wouldn't exactly fill a stadium but it's fine for medium-sized gigs, up to 1000 ppl I'd say). It has an EQ as well as bass, treble, gain & "enhance" controls so it's easy peasy to get the sound you want. There's no headphone jack so it mightn't be a great starting amp but it sounds infinitely better than a cheap little "practice" amp. It's a heavy b*stard tho.

Tough to find another bass amp of the same calibre for under €400.

Aisling88

try an ashdown bass amp!pretty good stuff,great sound and quailty for money

christophicus

Sorry for majorly bumping this thread.I went into dublin the other day to try out bass's,I went everywhere i could think of and they didnt have a warlock nj 5 anywhere.neither did they have the ibanez srx 705 which i later found out has been discontinued,these were the two bass's i was seriously considering.now it looks as though i am going to be getting the warlock nj 5 without even trying it.... unless there is something that the music gods among you can think of for me to do?

Ravelleman

christophicus wrote:

Sorry for majorly bumping this thread.I went into dublin the other day to try out bass's,I went everywhere i could think of and they didnt have a warlock nj 5 anywhere.neither did they have the ibanez srx 705 which i later found out has been discontinued,these were the two bass's i was seriously considering.now it looks as though i am going to be getting the warlock nj 5 without even trying it.... unless there is something that the music gods among you can think of for me to do?

I could've sworn musician inc had an SRX700 or 705...

christophicus

they might have had the srx700 but im looking for the 705,i did see something in there that looked very similar but was not infact the 705

christophicus

OK i have deffinatly narrowed it down to either the B.C rich warlock nj 5 and the ibanez srx 505,if any has any more expeariences with either of these bass's that they woul d like to share ,to help me choose ,please feel free to do so.

Ravelleman

Have you considered a G&L Tribute L 2500? It might be slightly more than the Warlock but it would smoke it and the Ibanez. Very versatile basses. Well thought of on various forums.

christophicus

How would it smoke the warlock and ibanez?im not being rude this is a genuine question.waht kind of music do you play?

By the way does anyone know where to get one of these online?

Ravelleman

Well, the Tribute series is bassically a Korean made version of the USA G&L basses. G&L are widely regarded as excellent makers of guitars. The Tribute series has excellent build quality - they have the same pickups as the USA models, ash bodies with nice grain on them and good electronics. They have 3 dials - treble, mid and bass I think. As well as the dials they feature 3 switches - preamp on/off/treble/boost, series/parallel and pickup selector. When you turn off the preamp it stops using the battery so you never have worry about the bass going dead when the battery runs out. Also when in passive mode you can still use the tone controls, which is unusual for active basses.

The switches and dials allow you to get loads of different sounds - p bass to jazz bass; stingray to sterling; almost anything ('cept Rics).

They're a serious piece of kit for the price. I'm thinking of buying one myself.

christophicus

Cool thanks,are they good for playing hard rock and metal?Do they give you relly low lows?And do you know of a good online site that sells them?,I looked through the suggestions in the thread above and none of them sell these bass's.

Ravelleman

I'd say they'd do metal quite nicely. You'd be able to dial in pretty much whatever tone you want. Music123 have them, though they are based in America so customs duty might be an issue. Then again sometimes you get away without paying.

By the way, the link is to their 5 string section

christophicus

cool thanks,i was hoping to get a retayler in europe.Is the premium better then the plus?

christophicus

When i am buying things i always go for best value for money,would this bass be the best value for money?also can someone put up a link to the manufacturers website cause i want to see a picture of the blue modle.

Ravelleman

I'm pretty sure they're the same thing. There used to be a cheaper Tribute model hence the plus model. Musician Inc stock G&L basses. As far as European online dealers go I can't help you.

feylya

christophicus wrote:

also can someone put up a link to the manufacturers website cause i want to see a picture of the blue modle.

www.google.com

Dude seriously, there's no harm in asking questions. That's why this forum is here. But asking people to link to pages that can be found with a quick search is just taking the absolute piss.

And any decent bass will produce a low sound. That's why they're called basses.