OT: ESP B-500 or Spector Rex4 bass choices

[doc_backmask]

I've been turned on to this forum by Kazrog, so I must seek your advice. I plan on playing both of these basses, but any help is always welcome. I'm mostly wondering what the difference is between the maple body versus the mahogany body. The ESP seems to have better electronics (I already play with the EMG Hz's on another ESP) and fingerboard.

Thanks in advance,
doc

 

[KeithRT99]

maple is much heavier and brighter. there's probably a bit more low end too. Mahogony is nice though, it's warm and well rounded. what i recommend is to get a bass with passive pickups, i hate actives on bass.

 

[Kazrog]

Arch Enemy used active pickups on Doomsday Machine, right? I know that Sharlee plays passives live, but in studio is a different story I think. In any case, his bass tone is godly, the closer to that we can get, the better.

 

[sparkyness]

Just remodded my old Fender Jazz with passive Bartolini's. Unbelievably good pickups. Warmth and growwwwwlllllllllll. I had actives in my old basses for years, but always found them inconsitent from one day to the next. I was at the stage that I was putting in a new battery for every gig just for reassurance that the tone would be there. I doubt I'd switch back to actives now I've got these Barts.

On the active side of things, a lot of metal dudes use active EMG's. Rob Trujillo's tone is monster (although his current cash cow band sucks) on some of those old Suicidal albums and that's all EMG's.

 

[JBroll]

Harder woods generally mean brighter tone. Maple will be pretty bright (too bright for a guitar body, in my opinion), mahogany will be more full in the lower regions (think Les Pauls or Schecters).

I was under the impression that HZs were the EMG passive pickups, but I've only looked at them for guitar (and hated them). I don't know if the brightness of actives would go well with a maple body, but I can certainly see them being useful in a dark and bassy mahogany body.

Jeff

 

[KeithRT99]

sharlee uses a ric for that tone. i'm not saying actives are bad, im just saying passives are a factor you may want to focus on.

 

[::XeS::]

Emg HZ is an active bass pickup.....and a passive guitar pickup

 

[JBroll]

Thanks for clearing that up - by no means a bass expert.

On the subject of bass, for anyone using the downshifted guitar track method - do you do any special compression or EQ to make it 'sit' better? C4 before or after shift? MaxxBass?

Jeff

 

[nwright]

The B-500's are all active though, not HZ's, just active EMG's and active preamp. Our bass player is endorsed by Warwick, but picked a B-500 up on ebay for cheap and digs the hell out of it. The 35" scale keeps the tension nice and tight (his 'wicks are 34" scale) and the active setup sounds awesome. Overall, for the money, these basses are killer, IMO. If you can, try before you buy, though. I've played some 500 series LTD guitars that had shitty fretwork (rough edges - no binding), but his B-500 bass is nice and smooth and no rough fret edges. The dude has an assortment of Warwicks and previously played Music Man, Spectors, custom shop BC Rich's, Custom shop ESP's and he seems to dig this one over all the others for metal.

 

[Kazrog]

sharlee uses a ric for that tone. i'm not saying actives are bad, im just saying passives are a factor you may want to focus on.

I think Andy said that he used a different bass this time, with active pickups.

 

[cobhc]

Well on the 2nd gig on the dvd, he's using an ESP bass, and I'm sure he had that on some of the video's as well. But maybe that's just an endorsement thing.

 

[doc_backmask]

Our bass player is endorsed by Warwick, but picked a B-500 up on ebay for cheap and digs the hell out of it.

Which bass did he use to record Judgement? That part towards the middle where the bass shines sounds pretty nice.

doc

 

[CGord]

I wouldn't pick the Rex bass just because it's ass ugly.

 

[puremetal666]

Emg HZ is an active bass pickup.....and a passive guitar pickup

Incorrect. HZ's are passive. Most basses combine the HZ PASSIVE pickup with an active EQ...


http://www.emginc.com/displayproducts.asp?section=Bass&categoryid=31

I do not like HZ's much, but love active EMG bass pickups. I would get the B-500, it has active EMG's in it...

 

[JBroll]

Any of you guys happen to know what kind of sound one could get using a bass pickup in a guitar (6 or 7 string)? I know the LGM Leviathan 8 has an EMG 45DC pickup in the bridge as standard, how would this kind of thing work on a 6 or 7 string?

Jeff

 

[doc_backmask]

Thanks to all of you guys. I ended up picking up the ESP. It should be on my doorstep Wednesday. I'll let you know how it sounds.