undertowmac Posted June 13, 2003 Share Posted June 13, 2003 hey all, yeah im new here! HI!!!!!!!! Anyways i have a question maybe someone could answer for me....i am looking to get a new bass for playing punk/metal what would be my best choice and please keep it as cheap as poosible. Maybe 5-600 dollars? And what are the best strings to use for this type of music? As you have guessed I havent been playing long (still using my starter bass) but i want to get a reliable one for upcomong shows. Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted June 13, 2003 Share Posted June 13, 2003 Originally posted by undertowmac: i am looking to get a new bass for playing punk/metal what would be my best choice and please keep it as cheap as poosible. Maybe 5-600 dollars? And what are the best strings to use for this type of music? See if you can find some Fender Precisions to try out, a second-hand MIJ or MIM should be within your budget, maybe a MIA if you get lucky. String-wise, for maximum cut and growl I'd recommend some stainless steel roundwounds, 45-105 gauge. DR HiBeams have an excellent reputation and are probably worth the extra over GHS, Fender et al. When you're trying out basses, don't plug the bass in at first, play it unplugged and see what the tone is like. If it has a natural resonance, plenty of growl and thickness and good sustain, and no bad dead spots, then it's worth plugging in. If you get lucky and find a cheap bass that sounds really good unplugged but bad through an amp, then all you need to do is drop in a decent pickup and you'll have an excellent instrument at a low low price. If it doesn't sound good acoustically there's very little you can do to make it sound better. Alex Barefaced Ltd - ultra lightweight, high ouput, toneful bass cabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickT Posted June 13, 2003 Share Posted June 13, 2003 Hello there mate, Welcome to the forum. In terms of gear and in particular strings, you may well get a great variety of answers, as this kind of thing is a very personal choice. However I will give you my thoughts and try to justify them, in that way I hope that you will have a few things to think about and listen for when you are trying out gear before you buy it. In terms of basses I would go either with a Fender Precision (P-bass) or Jazz bass (J-bass). You can buy Mexican Fenders quite cheap. Of the two I would go for a Jazz myself, 'cos I prefer the neck and I find that I can get more different sounds out it when compared to the P-bass. Although alot of punk guys play P-basses and P's are kind of an industry standard as a basic sound. If you're not taken with either of these, then I would recommend that you check out the Warwick RockBass. Warwicks are played by alot of rock guys and they have a great ability to punch through a heavy layers. Plus they look cool and the are well built. (I have heard nothing bad about the RockBass although I have not tried on out myself.) In terms of strings, I would go with a set of stainless steel roundwounds and either 40-100 gauge or 45-105. The steel should give you some brightness to help you cut through the band. Also neither of these sets will be so light that you are robbed of low end grunt. Strings are in many ways a much harder thing to advise about than basses or amps. The string is one of the few direct points of contact between you and your instrument. The strings must feel right under your fingers. Also different basses will react differently to the same strings. If you buy a Fender it will probably come fitted with a set of Fender strings. I like Dean Markley Blue Steels and DR Marcus Miller Fat Beams. The DR's are quite expensive as strings go. The type of strings that you need will also depend on how sweaty your hands are and how long strings last with you. Change your strings when they are not making the noise the want anymore. For me that means once every few months, largely 'cos I have very dry hands. The bass player from Wet Wet Wet changes strings once before soundcheck and once before the gig, and he's playing 5 different basses. Well those are my views. When you go and try out gear try the bass acoustically first does it sound thin and nasty unplugged? Ask advice of other players, it might also help to take down a Walkman to the store. If you are going for a sound that is similar to someone in one of your favorite bands then play them a tape or cd of this band and explain that this is the kind of sound you are going for. Go to a few stores, don't necessarily buy from the first one. Check out various options. Well I hope that gives you a few things to think about. If you want any more advice then tere are many many many knowlegable people on this site. Also get familiar with the search facility as it may be that the answer to your question has been posted previously. Welcome again. Free your mind and your ass will follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickT Posted June 13, 2003 Share Posted June 13, 2003 I should have said as well that you should spend the money on buying good cables. That goes for speaker cables and instrument cables. I use Monster cables (the Rock ones, they are big and thick) but they are not cheap. Don't spend anything less than £20 (about US$35) on instrument cables. Cheap cables will sound bad and break easily, also get someone to show you how to store cables properly, there is a right and a wrong way to wind up your leads. Free your mind and your ass will follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted June 13, 2003 Share Posted June 13, 2003 this is the obligatory first post flame. actually, it's not really a flame at all, but honestly, undertowmac, learn to use the search feature! if you had used a search, you'd have found a million choices for a bass in that range. and you'd have already realized that you'll just have to go out, play a bunch of basses, and buy the one that feels, sounds, and looks the best to YOU. no one else can make that decision. we can only help you find specs or give our own experiences with specific models and manufacturers. you absolutely should not trust our recommendations over your own hands. your hands have a lot more to say about basses than we possibly could, especially in the most prolific pricepoint in the bass market. go out and play some basses! i gurantee you there is no bass in that price point that you will keep for the rest of your life without having a complaint or wanting another bass. it truly doesn't matter. just choose one you enjoy now. there will be more later, and if you end up hating it, sell it. alex was very sage in recommending play a bass unplugged first. i agree that in choosing a bass, you absolutely must like its unplugged tone. that is the foundation of its sound and the source of what the pickups actually send to the amp (or preamp). if a bass sounds bad unplugged, it probably sounds bad plugged in. good luck buying a new bass. i assure you, you won't make a mistake, especially if you have specific questions that you raise to the "experts" here. but there is no possible way we can answer an open-ended question like yours with any authority. all we could do is make you more confused. good luck. happy shopping. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETE_COMBS Posted June 13, 2003 Share Posted June 13, 2003 Try any IBANEZ or LTD, and for punk music try mediums on your bass Pete Combs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.