worth buying basses

[Nuno Filipe]

Hey guys! I am selling my bass and I have received a couple offers for trades. My knowledge about good basses are not very wide.
So, according to your experience can you suggest what models worth buying for recording? Mainly metal.

Ok, I know that squier jazz bass modiffied 70 is praised by alot of people. What about more models?

I think this could be a really useful topic since will not help just me but everyone who want a solid bass for recording.

 

[mstone564]

Spector's are generally very nice.

 

[colonel_claypoo]

what's your budget? the ibanez SR line is quite a good bang for the buck.
overall though, fender american (preferably deluxe) jazz basses and spectors are my favorite basses for metal in generel. runner up, warwick corvette/double buck or musicman stingray/sterling.

 

[Nuno Filipe]

Well, more or less in the squier jazz bass price range. The squier jazz bass 5 strings costs already almost 400 euros. So I think it´s not a bad budget.

 

[colonel_claypoo]

in that case nothing beats the squier vm 70 or 77 in that price range in my opinion. or get an insane deal for a used instrument on...ebay.
oh, and there's the fender modern player: http://www.thomann.de/de/fender_modern_player_jazz_bass_3tsb.htm
can't say much about that model, though.

 

[decoy205]

My favorite basses to record were:
Marcus Miller Jazz Bass
Regular passive Jazz Basses
Zon Basses
Spectors.
Older Ibanez SRs

Here's a short clip of my Euro Spector Rebop 5 with 2 year old strings:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/49386838/SIH BASS TONE 7.9.13.m4a

 

[Nuno Filipe]

in that case nothing beats the squier vm 70 or 77 in that price range in my opinion. or get an insane deal for a used instrument on...ebay.
oh, and there's the fender modern player: http://www.thomann.de/de/fender_modern_player_jazz_bass_3tsb.htm
can't say much about that model, though.

There is any significative differences between the 77 and 70?

My favorite basses to record were:
Marcus Miller Jazz Bass
Regular passive Jazz Basses
Zon Basses
Spectors.
Older Ibanez SRs

Here's a short clip of my Euro Spector Rebop 5 with 2 year old strings:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/49386838/SIH BASS TONE 7.9.13.m4a

That´s the kind of list that I was looking for. That´s funny how you mentioned passive jazz bass, because I have one jazz bass with active pickups and I dont like it at all.

 

[JonWormwood]

Have gone through a mexi jazz with newer stock pu with active controls, sr505 with bartolinis, Spector rebop with emg hz, and now on a dingwall combustion with dingwall pickups and a b booster. It wins. Out of you budget tho.

 

[decoy205]

That´s the kind of list that I was looking for. That´s funny how you mentioned passive jazz bass, because I have one jazz bass with active pickups and I dont like it at all.

Yeah the actives don't quite have the same punch. Good luck with the search!

 

[Rex Rocker]

Honestly, in my opinion, the higher-end Squier basses can be made to sound pretty decent in a mix, but they're far from being great-playing basses. They're also not THAT great tonally, even when compared to a Mexican Jazz Bass. JMO.

If you NEED a Bass right now or just wanna noodle around with the bass, yeah, the Squier might be alright, but if you wanna take playing bass and getting a GREAT bass tone a little more seriously, I think saving up a little bit more might be a good call.

 

[D20]

Spector's are generally very nice.

These are all I play now.

 

[MatrixClaw]

All the major retailers are blowing out the LTD Surveyor 415 for next to nothing right now. Got mine last week, fucking KILLS! That MM pickup in the bridge is awesome. Sounds better than my USA Peavey Fury with EMG Ps in it and my Ibanez BTB 1305 Prestige, and I ended up getting it for only $303

 

[Sethis]

In that price range Yamaha and Ibanez make pretty good basses.

 

[Nuno Filipe]

Honestly, in my opinion, the higher-end Squier basses can be made to sound pretty decent in a mix, but they're far from being great-playing basses. They're also not THAT great tonally, even when compared to a Mexican Jazz Bass. JMO.

If you NEED a Bass right now or just wanna noodle around with the bass, yeah, the Squier might be alright, but if you wanna take playing bass and getting a GREAT bass tone a little more seriously, I think saving up a little bit more might be a good call.

I must say it´s hard to drop more money on a bass than a guitar, because guitar is my main instrument. So I am not a bass player and I am not doing nothing in a professional level neither earning some money. Besides that I am doing home recordings like most of people here but I know what you are saying. Better spending one time in a good bass than a lot of times in a few low cost basses.

All the major retailers are blowing out the LTD Surveyor 415 for next to nothing right now. Got mine last week, fucking KILLS! That MM pickup in the bridge is awesome. Sounds better than my USA Peavey Fury with EMG Ps in it and my Ibanez BTB 1305 Prestige, and I ended up getting it for only $303

Thanks man! Didnt knew that one but the bass new it´s bit more that you paid for it. So you probably did a good deal.

In that price range Yamaha and Ibanez make pretty good basses.

Seems like BTB and SR models of ibanez are quite good but let me say that yamaha, especially the rbx models sucks donkey balls. I had one, and man, what a piece of crap, honky as hell, I was lucky to sell it! ahah

 

[MatrixClaw]

I love the way my BTB plays, I also own an Ibanez SR500 and I've never been a fan of its tone, or neck. Overall just an average sounding and playing bass, I've yet to play an SR that wow'd me.

The sound of my BTB, and every other BTB I've played, is much preferable to any SR IMO. It's less smooth, more aggressive and the low end actually has detail. Every Warwick and Spector I've played has always had way too much lowend and barely any clarity. I also don't like their necks. Too bad, cause I love the look of the Thumb 5

Even still, my BTB has A LOT of low end. For recording, it sounds huge, but it needs to be slammed with compression to bring out the clarity if you're playing fast riffs skipping between the top strings and others. It needs to have its bass rolled off significantly if I use it live through my GK 1001RB-II and SVT 4x10, otherwise all you hear is the top string. Even then, it still lacks the clarity my LTD has, while still retaining a thunderous low end. With my SansAmp RBI it becomes a much more controllable tone live as the distortion brings out lots of clarity in the top end.

 

[colonel_claypoo]

LTD Surveyor 415 for next to nothing right now.

wow, really? that bass is like $1000 here in germany right now.
where did you get it from?

 

[JonWormwood]

All the major retailers are blowing out the LTD Surveyor 415 for next to nothing right now. Got mine last week, fucking KILLS! That MM pickup in the bridge is awesome. Sounds better than my USA Peavey Fury with EMG Ps in it and my Ibanez BTB 1305 Prestige, and I ended up getting it for only $303

Just picked one up for 274! Natural with maple board. The fact it has real EMG's that aren't the typical 40dc intrigues me. Can you post any samples?

 

[Mago]

I guess the lower Ibanez SR Bass is ok-ish for the price...what can you expect from a 333€ Bass, honestly.
My Bass player has an older SR305, that we did our album with. I struggled quite a bit with it in the mix, but I don't know how much of it was that I trusted him with the bass settings^^

Recorded a newer SR305 last weekend, and I got a useable tone out of it...the newer ones have a tone knob more tho, I don't know what exactly the difference is.
There were some issues with clicks and pops, but I don't know how much of that was the bass, or the players technique.
It worked in the end tho.

 

[Nuno Filipe]

I had the opportunity to trade for a Ibanez SR800 made in japan but because I dont know very well the bass, I did not exchanged. The reviews about the bass are quite good but were also for yamaha rbx that I had I didnt like it at all.

 

[MatrixClaw]

Just picked one up for 274! Natural with maple board. The fact it has real EMG's that aren't the typical 40dc intrigues me. Can you post any samples?

Yeah I paid a little extra and got the amber burst cause its pretty haha. I love love LOVE MM pickups in the bridge, such a unique sound. I actually prefer this one without the neck pickup active. Lots of growl and lowend but plenty of clarity.

Wish I could post clips, but literally the day I got it, I went to record some samples and figured out my SSL converters had randomly taken a crap and now I need to send them in for repair :'(