what bass should i get?

[infectdsniper]

i found a post that was similar but it was just over a fender or ibanez.

im wondering what bass most of you guys would recommend in the 300-600 US range

from recording with whatever bass that comes in iv found i like the tone i can get out of most basses with active pickups but i just want something i can rely on when the bands bass just isnt working.

so with all that said im leaning toward a fender jazz bass with intentions to put jazz bass emgs in it. what do you guys think?

has to be a 5 string as well

 

[spiderjazz]

I'd recommend checking out a 5 string jazz before laying down cash. I got one recently, and I found it very hard to get the low B to be solid without going up to big enough gauge strings. There's a reason that a lot of of 5 string basses go up to a 35" scale.

Edit: I have heard that the more recent (post 2009 I believe) fender mia jazz 5 strings have made a couple of improvements to give a tighter B, so could be worth looking at them.

 

[oroinvictus]

+1 to fender jazz basses, and +1 to 5-string 35" scale basses. In my experience, a genuine fender (read: not squier) jazz bass will not steer you wrong. Hugely versatile for tons of musical genres, great tone, great construction, fair pricing.

 

[infectdsniper]

okay cool then i will prob do that. and any opinions on going for the emgs? and is there a big dif in made in mexico and made in america? thanks you guys.

 

[oroinvictus]

I personally wouldn't get EMGs if I had a choice of pickups. Their HZ passive pickups certainly aren't terrible, however I find fender's stock pickups to deliver better tone. That's just my experience. As long as the p'ups are passive, you should be okay.

 

[egan.]

Yeah -1 on the EMG's. The reason to go with a standard is because it has a known great working sound. If you want more flexibility I'd suggest installing a preamp with a true bypass switch. This would give you the option to run "factory" or engage some boost when you wanted.

 

[infectdsniper]

really? its not really a boost im after. its just that active pickups on bass seem to have a wider range of sound possibility in my experience but then again iv only been recording for a little over a year now so i guess thats not that much haha.

well ill take your word for it and just try to get a long scale fender jazz and if i dont like the sound it has i can always search for what pups to get later

but any experience here with made in mexico vs made in america? it seems some people say the only difference is set up quality and others say the pickups are diff. should i get MIA just to be safe?

 

[oroinvictus]

I've never owned a mexican-made guitar so I can't speak to their quality. If you want a really wide range of sound possibilities, you want passive pickups.

 

[infectdsniper]

well as long as they clank with new strings i will be happy

 

[Headof75]

really? its not really a boost im after. its just that active pickups on bass seem to have a wider range of sound possibility in my experience but then again iv only been recording for a little over a year now so i guess thats not that much haha.

well ill take your word for it and just try to get a long scale fender jazz and if i dont like the sound it has i can always search for what pups to get later

but any experience here with made in mexico vs made in america? it seems some people say the only difference is set up quality and others say the pickups are diff. should i get MIA just to be safe?

As Egan says the way to go on bass is passive pickups active preamp.

 

[Jaymz]

I thought active pickups *ala EMG* were the dogs bollox for the grind?

 

[egan.]

To clarify, I don't have a problem with actives. My opinion on this is that the J is a great studio bass because it has a known sound and playability that is always workable for a very wide variety of styles. Some folks will disagree but to me the J is the sm57 of basses-- not always the best but always rock solid. I suggested a preamp in case you are occasionally looking for a little more scoop or modernness but didn't want to lose the tone that makes those basses what they are.

However, if you want an ultra modern EMG sound I'd suggest you buy a bass that already has DC's in it. The EMG J's are good pups, but they neither sound like passive J's nor do they have the quintessential EMG soapbar tone.