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Decent affordable bass from Musician's Friend?


aclausen

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Hi all,

 

I'm getting read yto place an order with Musician's Friend for a GNX4 and am considering getting a basic bass to play with and use for recording. Any recommendations?

 

It will be used for all styles of music - folk/blues/rock/jazz - just seeking a good-sounding, affordable bass - don't need any frills.

 

See www.musiciansfriend.com for their selection - thanks in advance for any advice!

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You should probably check the Lowdown Forum for info about basses.

 

However, I would recommend getting a made in Mexico Fender Jazz Bass. Decent quality, and easy to play neck and a wide variety of tones.

 

If the Fender is out of your price range I would say go with a Squire version of the Jazz Bass. I think you can pick one of those up for $200 or less.

 

Second choice would be either a Fender or Squire Precision Bass. Chunkier neck and not as many tones available as a Jazz Bass, but it's pretty much the universal bass.

Mudcat's music on Soundclick

 

"Work hard. Rock hard. Eat hard. Sleep hard. Grow big. Wear glasses if you need 'em."-The Webb Wilder Credo-

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Originally posted by bluestrat:

I'd agree with the Mexican made Fender bass suggestion, except I'd get a P-bass. Mine sounds great!

Blue,

I've got a '74 P-Bass myself and it is very utilitarian. The only reason I suggest the Jazz is that there are times I actually want a bit of top end coming out of the bass. The P-Bass is what it is. It goes from warm to dark. Not a lot of tonal variety. The Jazz on the other hand can go from dark to warm to bright. It also has a slimmer neck profile which could be preferable to the rather chunky neck of the P-Bass.

 

Just my two cents.

 

Mudcat

Mudcat's music on Soundclick

 

"Work hard. Rock hard. Eat hard. Sleep hard. Grow big. Wear glasses if you need 'em."-The Webb Wilder Credo-

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I play an Ibanez GSR200 with my GNX3. Not bad sounding and easy to play. I'd recommend a translucent finish (I have a red one) because that way Ibanez is forced to use better wood for the body.

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One more bass to consider.

 

The OLP Stingray is pretty much raved about on the Lowdown forum. OLP is the Ernie Ball/Musicman equivalent of Squire's relationship to Fender.

 

The bass goes for $229 new at Musician's Friend. I've always been partial to the sound of the origianl Musicman Stingrays. They look pretty cool too.

Mudcat's music on Soundclick

 

"Work hard. Rock hard. Eat hard. Sleep hard. Grow big. Wear glasses if you need 'em."-The Webb Wilder Credo-

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Originally posted by Mudcat:

The P-Bass is what it is. It goes from warm to dark. Not a lot of tonal variety. The Jazz on the other hand can go from dark to warm to bright. It also has a slimmer neck profile which could be preferable to the rather chunky neck of the P-Bass.

 

Just my two cents.

 

Mudcat

Does the Jazz Bass do the low end thunder thing the P-bass does? Those P-bass pickups are great! I play with the tone & volume full up all the time, and there's no need for any other tones, IMO. I love it! :thu:

BlueStrat

a.k.a. "El Guapo" ;)

 

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Originally posted by bluestrat:

Originally posted by Mudcat:

The P-Bass is what it is. It goes from warm to dark. Not a lot of tonal variety. The Jazz on the other hand can go from dark to warm to bright. It also has a slimmer neck profile which could be preferable to the rather chunky neck of the P-Bass.

 

Just my two cents.

 

Mudcat

Does the Jazz Bass do the low end thunder thing the P-bass does? Those P-bass pickups are great! I play with the tone & volume full up all the time, and there's no need for any other tones, IMO. I love it! :thu:
Let's put it this way, I've heard a Jazz Bass sound very much like a P-Bass (IE. big low end rumble), but I've never heard a P-Bass sound like a Jazz Bass (IE. slappy funky, piano clanky, super punchy).

 

No knock on the P-Bass (like I said, I own one). It's just that the J-Bass is more versatile and a bit easier to play.

Mudcat's music on Soundclick

 

"Work hard. Rock hard. Eat hard. Sleep hard. Grow big. Wear glasses if you need 'em."-The Webb Wilder Credo-

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JimK , I've got a translucent red GSR 200 too! It's the easiest played bass I've ever tried. When I played a Fender Precision (american) a couple of weeks ago, I hated it. It sounds better, (I guess, the amp was broken, so I couldn't get a decent sound from it) but I almost couldn't play it!

- Bob Freebird

 

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Bjorn, I agree. The GSR200 is much easier to play then some traditional bases. I guess it's more of a guitar player's bass. Mine needed a truss rod adjustment when I bought it, but since then it's been very easy to play. I run mine through a Digitech RP50 when I'm recording. I'm getting some decent sounds for a complete bass rig that cost about $270, LOL.

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