Custom Bass

[SamKStaley]

First post ever so don't be too critical.. lol

 

Ive been playing bass for roughly 6 years, picked it up when i was 12. Been playing on a Jazz Bass for some time. Went to a local guitar show and played and 5 string fretless bass and loved it... but it got me thinking on what would my dream bass be, because eventually im going to build my own

 

I play stuff from led zeppelin to rage against the machine to the white stripes to megadeth to ac/dc to iron maiden to green day to alice in chains... getting into some blink 182 syle stuff recently... i think you get the idea...

 

Ive played countless shows with groups ranging from my high school jazz band to garage bands. When i play i dont try to mess with my settings, as i cant really hear the difference when i do. I also use the boss tuning medal, super octave, mega distortion, flanger, and a crybaby.

 

I have two questions:

1) should i invest in another standard bass or build my own?

2) what would you put on/in a custom?

 

A few of my ideas would be

- 5, 6, or7 strings(i like playing bass chords)

-fretless (i hear they are the bomb, but i dont know)

-White or a white and black design body w/ black harware

-body shape like a ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String

-hot pickups (i dont know much on active vs passives except the need for a battery in actives)

-possibly 3 pickups? would some passives better suit me?

-volume for each pup(what about tone? i read something on an EQ like setup with low mid and high knobs)

-pup selector, possibly like a strat style?

-possibly a kill switch?

-i was ready on a trem bar and it didnt seem that practical, but then again you guys may know better

 

Like i said, these are just ideas and im looking for any you guys have! I love playing, and do it whenever possible. Its in my blood. Its in my heart. It is my soul

[jeremy c]

You could build yourself a bass, either from scratch or from various parts that you buy. I hope you have a reasonable amount of woodworking experience if you choose the first option.

 

Six strings is plenty. I play a lot of chords on a four string. (let's just say that I CAN play a lot of chords....I'm rarely in a situation where it is necessary or tasteful to play chords.)

 

Go for passive pickups and an active preamp that will have the eq you mention.

 

None of the bands you mention use fretless basses, so you'll be carving out new territory if you decide on fretless. Chords will be difficult on a fretless.

 

The ESP bass you mention is being sold for a great price. You could buy one and refinish it in the color you want and depending on your budget still have enough money to buy a fretless as well.

 

Building a bass is going to cost more than the ESP.

 

Did I say welcome to the Forum?

 

Welcome to the Forum!

[Ross Brown]

Welcome!

[Bob Gollihur]

Welcome III!

 

What I hear from your comments is that you have really only just begun your journey into the world of bass, and I think make such a deep and expensive commitment to one direction is premature. Take it from this old dog -- you can only guess at what a homebuilt instrument will sound like. It takes a lot of time and money, and you'll never be able to sell the result for what you put into it.

 

I'd strongly suggest haunting all the stores in a wide radius as well as possible craigslist scores in your area to explore what you really want to feel and hear. Also, accept that what you want today is almost guaranteed not to be what you'll want five years or less from now, as your musical vocabulary grows and new musical experiences change your taste.

 

Enjoy the trip! Bob

 

P.S. If messing with settings don't yield a difference you can hear, spend some personal time without all those effects and discover what the bass sound like before it is altered beyond recognition. Otherwise, it won't matter what bass you buy or build.

[Richard W]

Welcome to the Forum. I wish I had started playing bass when I was 12.

 

As for your ideas, I say just go ahead and pursue all of them. You'll learn so much along the way, it will be fantastic and make you a better player, even if an idea doesn't pan out the way you want or expect.

 

As Thomas Edison said: "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

 

You might even pick up some wisdom among the folks on this forum. It's a good bunch of people.

[Bottom End]

Welcome!

 

I agree with most of what has been posted above, especially buying something used that's close to what you want, and then paying for the mods or doing them yourself.

 

+1 on fretless, it's a great way to learn the fretboard, and intonation or ear training, plus it can sound fretted, or not just by the way it is played and the effects used. Getting a defretting job done is usually cheaper than buying a replacement neck. A lot of the bands you mention don't feature a bass player who plays fretless, but a lot of their songs could just as easily have fretless parts. Tony Franklin rocks out on fretless, and I think you'll see more of it in the future.

 

 

[Wally Malone]

Welcome Sam! I agree with all that has been said here already. Jeremy and I played in a bass band playing jazz standards and both had the opportunity to take on the chordal role. As he stated, chords on a fretless are more difficult. Also, extended range basses (six and above)come in varied string spacing and is an individual decision. As an example I had a six-string Alembic with 19 mm spacing between the strings. I recently sold that to purchase an Ibanez GVB 36 with 14 mm spacing. Many Ibanez six-string basses have 16.5 spacing. As Bob stated above, get out and do the rounds of stores in your area and play every bass you can get your hands on.

 

Wally

[SamKStaley]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

 

I went out and played on a fretless 5 string ltd and liked it a lot. Im thinking that may be my next step as its only marked at 399 and i get good discounts off of the marked price.

 

I want to get something that that gives me more ability to do whatever i feel like whenever i feel like it. plus im not trying to mimic other musicians sound, i do things my way and rock out with it.

 

I rarely plug in the effects i mentioned above, but on occasion they are a blast!

 

I guess im asking what you guys would do if you were in my place. what you you buy? anything music i should look into?(please dont say flea or claypool, lol)

 

as for modifications(i wont be building anything from scratch anytime soon), im thinking you are right about the passives, but im unsure what a pre-amp is, lol. i dont know too much about the inner workings, but i do plan on learning when i have the time.

 

Thanks for taking the time on this noob haha!

[Richard W]

anything music i should look into?(please dont say flea or claypool, lol)

 

Are you asking for recommendations on music to listen to with great bassists? The mind reels...you could start with James Jamerson and his stuff on all the great Motown recordings...anything by McCartney (Beatles and afterwards)...John Paul Jones with Led Zeppelin...John Entwistle with The Who...and that just scratches the surface.

[Eric VB]

I want to get something that that gives me more ability to do whatever i feel like whenever i feel like it.

The reason there are so many string instruments -- bass, guitar, cello, banjo, harp, hurdy gurdy, piano, etc. -- is that there isn't one that "does it all".

 

Strictly in terms of electric bass guitar, most music was written for a 4-string in standard tuning. One of the common exceptions I've run across is country music which often calls for a 5-string.

 

I do have an 8-string; it's range is similar to a piano. Like Jeremy mentions, though, a lot of that range is not (tastefully) usable in most ensemble settings. It's more appropriate for solo work. However, my only other bass is a 4-string so when I have to play a county song I play it on the 8-string.

 

The biggest drawback to extended range basses is that they weigh more. Over the course of a long rehearsal or show the 8 will wear me out a lot faster than the 4.

 

Proper muting can also be a challenge since most times I'm only playing one string at a time so the other 7 strings will need to be muted. To make matters worse I'm playing the middle strings.

 

Anyway, a fretless 5 would be a good addition to a standard 4. You can always add more basses later. But I really don't think you'll find one bass that does it all.

[Eric VB]

I guess im asking what you guys would do if you were in my place. what you you buy? anything music i should look into?(please dont say flea or claypool, lol)

Certainly there is benefit to listening to a particular bass player to learn about new techniques. One guy who is particularly good at many techniques is Victor Wooten.

 

Someone linked to his YouTube video of, I believe, "Amazing Grace". While it does showcase several techniques I think the video is even better at showing Victor's total understanding of music.

 

It's not the fact that he can slap/pop that makes the song interesting, it's the fact that he understands the arrangement and what makes the song work.

 

Unlike the dearly departed Jaco Pastorius, Victor offers a bass camp. Others here have attended. You may want to consider it yourself.

 

As an alternative I would suggest listening to anything, but listen to the whole song. What makes a song work? Vocals, guitar hook, drums, solos ... even bass? Try to understand how all those parts work together to make a greater whole. That will make you a better musician.

[jeremy c]

More players for your listening pleasure:

 

If you are going to play fretless, you have to listen to Jaco Pastorius. You might not like the music, but this is where fretless bass became a legitimate instrument.

 

Two great studio players: Marcus Miller and Nathan East.

Both have played on thousands of recordings in a variety of styles, way too many to list here.

 

Anthony Jackson is a brilliant 6 string player (and maybe the first at that instrument). What he does is sometimes a little subtle.....while driving the whole band he is also reharmonizing the song from the bottom up.

 

Darryl Jones. His credits include Miles Davis, Sting, Madonna, and the Rolling Stones for the last 19 years. That's a pretty well-rounded resume.

 

Robert Trujillo of Metallica. Most people will tell you that he was even better in Suicidal Tendencies.

 

Matt Freeman of Rancid. Brilliant pick player. That band would not exist without him.

 

Robbie Shakespeare and Family Man Barrett. Two great reggae bassists who reinvented what a bass line could be.

 

Steve Harris of Iron Maiden.

 

And how could a list like this make sense without Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead.

 

[Michele C.]

No, I do not suggest you to build your own bass, not yet.

Choose something that you like when you play it. If you build a bass you will know how you like it after much spending in dollars and time.

If you want to break out of the mainstream, try a different bass, like a G&L with tons of options soundwise, thanks to two splittable pickups.

I have also found the Yamahas, even the cheap ones, very flexible. I like those pickups and the preamps are fine. Discrete components, well chosen mids make mi B14 very interesting. I think the high end ones with neck through should be excellent, and they should have a pretty good fifth string, according to Ed Friedland on Youtube.

Be wary of tests: what cuts it in the shop might not be what has all the nuances you look for. Take time.

As for players, those who shaped my taste are Jack Bruce, who soloed below Clapton's solos, Greg Lake, great mix of jazz and rock, Chris Squire, one of the first to sound nasty and busy with a right to do so, Steve Swallow, such a sense of singing melody, Graham Maby, roaring flatwounds in the first Joe Jackson records. Ah, also The Cure and Depeche Mode.

[Seamy ALB]

I would play a lot in different situations and try to pinpoint what you like and what you don't like about your sound or the band. When you are clear on this you will be ready to make a custom bass or order one. There are so many variables to sound, playing situation type of music and how you feel day to day that impact on what type of Bass you'd like to invest in.

 

Of course if you are loaded go ahead man live the dream!!! There was a topic here a few years ago about peoples dream basses it was a fun read.

 

Player wise check out Geddy Lee, Billy Sheehan, Frank Bello, Cliff Burton, Mike Dean and for fretless Death Metal Steve Digiorgio.

[picker]

You might enjoy listening to Tim Bogert of Vanilla Fudge, he's a a pretty amazing player. That's the only name I hadn't seen mentioned that I would advise you to listen to.

 

When you said "build your own bass" were you talking about doing your own woodwork, or having it done for you?

[Wally Malone]

+1 on Tim!

[Bottom End]

If you want to break out of the mainstream, try a different bass, like a G&L with tons of options soundwise, thanks to two splittable pickups.

+1 on the G&L, even my Tribute sounds great for numerous different bands.

 

BTW- DuG Pinick of King's X plays an 8 string, great sound.