Hey every one im learning bass too i'm looking at buying just a standard fender strat for 249.99 im taking lessons from a bud, i was just wondering if its a good idea to buy that bass...

Written by Derwood on 03.10.2010 at 22:12

I'm a fan of Ibanez basses, personally. I prefer a cheap Ibanez to a higher end Yamaha (have owned a couple different models of both over the years), so I'd go with the GSR 100 though it is a low end instrument. I haven't played with Cort basses, so I can't comment on that one.

I picked up an Ibanez Iceman 300 series a couple months ago and it is by far my favourite bass I've ever owned. The active pickups give so much more control over the tone and the neck is a thing of beauty to my short stubby fingers.

cort basses are nice my friend (the one thats teaching me) has one it was 600 bvucks and well worth it!

Written by Boxcar Willy on 14.10.2010 at 22:02

Hey every one im learning bass too i'm looking at buying just a standard fender strat for 249.99 im taking lessons from a bud, i was just wondering if its a good idea to buy that bass...

That's actual the style of bass that I'm looking for when I buy a new bass. Maybe something more expensive since it'd be my second instrument. Fenders are pretty decent and have a long history of being used for heavy music because of the look and sound.. but you never know until you try it yourself (goes without saying lol duh for me).

Written by Boxcar Willy on 14.10.2010 at 22:08

Written by Derwood on 03.10.2010 at 22:12

I'm a fan of Ibanez basses, personally. I prefer a cheap Ibanez to a higher end Yamaha (have owned a couple different models of both over the years), so I'd go with the GSR 100 though it is a low end instrument. I haven't played with Cort basses, so I can't comment on that one.

I picked up an Ibanez Iceman 300 series a couple months ago and it is by far my favourite bass I've ever owned. The active pickups give so much more control over the tone and the neck is a thing of beauty to my short stubby fingers.

cort basses are nice my friend (the one thats teaching me) has one it was 600 bvucks and well worth it!

That would be me I didn't know i was teaching you ? :|

Written by Boxcar Willy on 14.10.2010 at 22:02

Hey every one im learning bass too i'm looking at buying just a standard fender strat for 249.99 im taking lessons from a bud, i was just wondering if its a good idea to buy that bass...

Fenders are terrible tanner! go with cort or esp

Asking for an ibanez and a marshall amp for christmas... cant wait

I play a 2009 Mexi Fender J-Bass. I used to play a Schecter Custom-4, but the neck was way too thin for my giant sausage fingers. I'm thinking of upgrading the pickups to Basslines, but I might be willing to take on the project to upgrade to EMG's. Any suggestions?

Yes for christmas i got a limited editon kip winger Jackson and ,odd, tranzamp practice amp, i have about 6 hours on it. i love to play the intro to hammer smashed face and holy diver! ive waited a long time for this and its finally here!

Bump.

holy shit, this thread is way dead. now that its over two years, maybe there are some new musicians that play bass on this site, or old members that progressed? lets get the ball rolling again.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 03.10.2010 at 23:43

Thank you all fellas, I've been asking to a lot of people and everything seems to point to the Ibanez GSR 100 so I will contact the guy during this week, I just hope the bass is in good condition and that there's no dead frets or anything like that.

After that I will try to contact the guy with the bass/amp combo and ask if I can just buy the Warwick 30Watt.

I didn't know you played bass.

Well the cool cats are usually bassists, haha

I've upgraded my rig again.

So now with my main project I use a Ibanez SR 1200 and run in through a B3K OD pedal followed by an MXR M80 just for the DI and slight eqing.
I will be upgrading my Darkglass B3K to the B7k so then I'm just going to have one pedal.

With my sorta side project, that I just joined, I play my old Ibanez GSR 200 and use the same pedal set up, so when I do get the B7K I'll have just one pedal.

If you're interested in checking my bands out.
Inner Sanctum - Groove Thrash/Death I guess
Shepherd - Sludgy doom with some noise rock

Also for dudes looking for a good OD pedal, you've gotta check out the gear from Darkglass Electronics. They make some mean gear.
I used the B3K for about 9-10 months and I decided to go for the B7K coz it was definitely worth it.
You can check them out here : Darkglass Electronics

Written by Spirit Molecule on 11.02.2013 at 16:16

Well the cool cats are usually bassists, haha

I've upgraded my rig again.

So now with my main project I use a Ibanez SR 1200 and run in through a B3K OD pedal followed by an MXR M80 just for the DI and slight eqing.
I will be upgrading my Darkglass B3K to the B7k so then I'm just going to have one pedal.

With my sorta side project I just joined I play my old Ibanez GSR 200 and use the same pedal set up, so when I do get the B7K I'll have just one pedal.

If you're interested in checking my bands out.
Inner Sanctum - Groove Thrash/Death I guess
Shepherd - Sludgy doom with some noise rock

Also for dudes looking for a good OD pedal, you've gotta check out the gear from Darkglass Electronics. They make some mean gear.
I used the B3K for about 9-10 months and I decided to go for the B7K coz it was definitely worth it.
You can check them out here : Darkglass Electronics

Yes we are

so what made you decide on using different basses for the bands? is it just for convenience, due to setup/action? I mean, that's probably what I would do.

I never heard of the company but it looks pretty cool. Personally, I really want an EBS valvedrive or even their cabinets. A former bassist of katatonia uses EBS and for some reason I've had my eye on them even though I never tried it.

I heard Eye of False on your thrash bands page, its pretty neat actually. Great production too :O I will check out your other band later.

That b3k pedal seems pretty neat even though i'm not using any (yet), i'm quite happy with my yamaha rbx 375 which is ridiculously versatile...especially for it's price

i got a question though, does anyone here play fretless bass? the reason why i started playing bass in the first place was to one day be good enough to play fretless but i think it's not that kind of a transition where you can just practice enough on the fretted, then get a fretless and instantly be good, i think i'll have to get a fretless one and start getting familiar with it, practice with it. So, looking back at this thread it looks like noone here plays fretless...maybe someone started in the meantime and can share some experience? i'm kinda playing with the thought of getting something like this for practicing. Perhaps when i have more spare time

http://www.thomann.de/de/harley_benton_hbb500fltbk_5string_fretless_ebass.htm

yeah it's a 5 string...i got used to it and it became like a habit, now it feels weird for me to hold a 4 string in my hands

example

Written by Malphas on 11.02.2013 at 17:27

That b3k pedal seems pretty neat even though i'm not using any (yet), i'm quite happy with my yamaha rbx 375 which is ridiculously versatile...especially for it's price

i got a question though, does anyone here play fretless bass? the reason why i started playing bass in the first place was to one day be good enough to play fretless but i think it's not that kind of a transition where you can just practice enough on the fretted, then get a fretless and instantly be good, i think i'll have to get a fretless one and start getting familiar with it, practice with it. So, looking back at this thread it looks like noone here plays fretless...maybe someone started in the meantime and can share some experience? i'm kinda playing with the thought of getting something like this for practicing. Perhaps when i have more spare time

http://www.thomann.de/de/harley_benton_hbb500fltbk_5string_fretless_ebass.htm

yeah it's a 5 string...i got used to it and it became like a habit, now it feels weird for me to hold a 4 string in my hands

example

I'm not going to be a big help for this but only thing I can really compare is when I used to play cello. Certainly that helped prepare me for bass (moreso when I'd have to play it like a contrabass), but definitely as long as you are comfortable with tone and know it is supposed to sound like, and where then I'd say go for it. Plus if you still aren't sure you can always cut small strips of electrical tape (white) and put them above the neck where you could see it looking down until you get comfortable

That's good you got used to the 5 string, I will probably get one eventually but what really want is a warwick infinity:



its just so goddamn sexy

Yeah there are quite a few good looking basses out there (but you have to take in consideration that "good looks" vary with taste)
what i personally am longing for is this though:
i must have it! xD


btw all fretless basses have the dot inlays on the upper side of the neck, marking frets #3, 5, 7, 9, 12 and so on...
this is what i mean:

http://www.woodwiz.com/epoxy/elbarberi.jpg if you can notice it here

it's better visible here:

http://www.woodwiz.com/epoxy/sidelines850.jpg

so i think getting used to it won't be that much of a problem
just in case, there are also "fretlined" basses but if i'm gonna go for it, i want the real thing

That's a pretty sweet looking bass. what kind do you have right now?

oh ok, didn't know that well for sure by now, i mean it wouldn't be a problem since you already have the experience.

psh, fretlines on a fretless... amateurs!

Well, right now i'm using this Yamaha RBX 375 which i got for about 350 euros (new of course)



Bolt-on, 34", Rosewood fingerboard, Alder body, Maple neck, 2 active humbucker pickups, D'Addario 45-65-80-100-130 roundwound strings

through this Behringer BXL3000A which i got for about 250 euros (bought new too)



300watt, 15" aluminum cone speaker, 2 channel, 7 band EQ (and a shitload more features but these are the most important ones xD)

all of this purchased about a year ago



and to be honest i'm very happy with both of them, especially if you consider that they are both relatively cheap (ok, they have one or the other flaw but only minor). The combo amp is pretty good and with 300w it's loud enough to play up to medium "sized" gigs without needing additional speakers and you can still be heard clearly. But i'm espacially surprised at the bass. It's only flaw is that with 34" (which is standard neck length for 4 string basses) it's just a little bit too short for 5 string (35" is standard) so the B string is a bit wabbly so i have to keep the action at the maximum on that string (and of course that means that in order to keep a good balance the action on the other strings is a bit higher than i would like it, but it's no biggie), i'm amazed at how versatile it is, you won't have any problem playing jazz, funk, blues, rock, metal, anything...all you need to do is play around with the knobs. The sustain is great, the fabrication couldn't be better, this thing is an indestructible tank. literally. it can keep up with any 1000$ bass

Written by Malphas on 11.02.2013 at 18:56

Well, right now i'm using this Yamaha RBX 375 which i got for about 350 euros (new of course)

Bolt-on, 34", Rosewood fingerboard, Alder body, Maple neck, 2 active humbucker pickups, D'Addario 45-65-80-100-130 roundwound strings

through this Behringer BXL3000A which i got for about 250 euros (bought new too)

300watt, 15" aluminum cone speaker, 2 channel, 7 band EQ (and a shitload more features but these are the most important ones xD)

all of this purchased about a year ago

and to be honest i'm very happy with both of them, especially if you consider that they are both relatively cheap (ok, they have one or the other flaw but only minor). The combo amp is pretty good and with 300w it's loud enough to play up to medium "sized" gigs without needing additional speakers and you can still be heard clearly. But i'm espacially surprised at the bass. It's only flaw is that with 34" (which is standard neck length for 4 string basses) it's just a little bit too short for 5 string (35" is standard) so the B string is a bit wabbly so i have to keep the action at the maximum on that string (and of course that means that in order to keep a good balance the action on the other strings is a bit higher than i would like it, but it's no biggie), i'm amazed at how versatile it is, you won't have any problem playing jazz, funk, blues, rock, metal, anything...all you need to do is play around with the knobs. The sustain is great, the fabrication couldn't be better, this thing is an indestructible tank. literally. it can keep up with any 1000$ bass

cool, I've heard alot of good things about yamaha basses. its great when a relatively cheap bass surprises you with how well it works especially after a few adjustments. i have a cort action bass, 4 string, the cheapest of the line, but i played gigs that had a lot of emphasis on clear, crisp tone of the bass and it really surprised me as well. my favorite setting high low's and a quarter on the treble, no mids. my bass has taken alot of beatings too lol i can't believe that it's still in one piece. i mean stuff like, it falling off to the site and the head hitting a table or something that hurts my soul but yeah... its a tank. and i can agree with you, i've gone to stores where i played with basses 2-3x more expensive than my bass and i thought mine played better.

only problems i've had is the truss rod due to the really dry weather here, but after i learned how to adjust it myself, no big deal. same thing with the wiring, since it was made cheap it got messed up somehow, but i got it fixed and haven't had a problem with the passive electronics for years.

I play with DR strings, 95-40 (the smallest) in standard B tuning. for some reason i really love the small strings and it allows me to play more fluidly with my fingers. I don't know anyone else that plays such small strings for a low tuning, but it really works great :p I want to try elixir strings though. it actually really doesn't sound too bad doing slap/pop, i can play all the rage against the machine songs just fine. its not ideal for that style in this tuning, but i play death metal mostly anyways so I don't mind.



I've had a 300w 15" too actually, that's what I played in small to medium sized gigs and it worked also pretty well. eventually i want to get a 410 cabinet, that would be sweet.

EDIT: behringer makes great amps!

Yeah cheaper instruments in the end often turn out to be more reliable than expensive ones because of the solid fabrication and simpler design even though there's not much to it. It's kinda weird lol

about the strings..i guess it's just a habit, once you get used to it, it works well for you and even though it might be odd to someone else...that's because they are used to doing it differently, that's the good thing about bass, there's no "right way to play" you gotta figure out your own style and no 2 bass players play identically xD

btw since you're playing in B standard tuning...why not 5string? there are 2 advantages i can think of right now: tighter strings (ok that once again depends on how you are used to play) and more versatility. Personally i play in A tuning (1 step down) it kinda feels better for me for death and thrash metal and i'm using a more aggressive tone with less low frequencies, boosted mids and a bit of highs

Written by Malphas on 11.02.2013 at 21:07

Yeah cheaper instruments in the end often turn out to be more reliable than expensive ones because of the solid fabrication and simpler design even though there's not much to it. It's kinda weird lol

about the strings..i guess it's just a habit, once you get used to it, it works well for you and even though it might be odd to someone else...that's because they are used to doing it differently, that's the good thing about bass, there's no "right way to play" you gotta figure out your own style and no 2 bass players play identically xD

btw since you're playing in B standard tuning...why not 5string? there are 2 advantages i can think of right now: tighter strings (ok that once again depends on how you are used to play) and more versatility. Personally i play in A tuning (1 step down) it kinda feels better for me for death and thrash metal and i'm using a more aggressive tone with less low frequencies, boosted mids and a bit of highs

it really is, in this band i had the singer made me play his expensive fender ATK (its not in press anymore) but I was really hesitant to be rough it. and what do you know? the neck cracked in half from nothing lol

indeed, there's still alot I'd like to learn on the bass but I'm too busy practicing the stuff I like

that is true. it probably seems more logical to get a 5 string lol but im stubborn to get one i guess the real reason is I haven't played one that I really liked yet, and its difficult to tell at the stores because they usually don't keep the action in a good level and let it get really stiff. it would be nice to have that accessibility though, I find myself playing past the 12 fret pretty frequently on some songs. though I bet standard A on a 5 string would sound pretty brutal, so that sounds like another plus. i definitely wouldn't be able to do that on this 4 string.

Written by Sunioj on 11.02.2013 at 16:33


Yes we are

so what made you decide on using different basses for the bands? is it just for convenience, due to setup/action? I mean, that's probably what I would do.

I never heard of the company but it looks pretty cool. Personally, I really want an EBS valvedrive or even their cabinets. A former bassist of katatonia uses EBS and for some reason I've had my eye on them even though I never tried it.

I heard Eye of False on your thrash bands page, its pretty neat actually. Great production too :O I will check out your other band later.

Two separate basses coz the bands have different tuning. The thrash band is standard D and the sludge band is standard B.
It's quite strange that you use 40's for B tuning. I'm using 45s on mine with b tuning. I've used 40's with the thrash band before, but I prefer the 45's. Need to try and see if I can get a heavier gauge for the sludge band, that should be fun to try.

Written by Spirit Molecule on 11.02.2013 at 22:17

Two separate basses coz the bands have different tuning. The thrash band is standard D and the sludge band is standard B.
It's quite strange that you use 40's for B tuning. I'm using 45s on mine with b tuning. I've used 40's with the thrash band before, but I prefer the 45's. Need to try and see if I can get a heavier gauge for the sludge band, that should be fun to try.

yeah, it all started when i played in standard tuning. i just found it alot easier to play fingers on it because someone suggested it, so it just kind of stuck until i decided to downtune everything. though i will say picking on these smaller strings (in this tuning) doesn't sound as good imo.

Dude i got the solution for all of your problems with the 2 bands and 2 different basses



lol

just check this interview (almost at the end) about the double neck bass

It doesn't really travel that much though, especially with all of the airplane restrictions.

i damn near pissed myself.

by the way, do you guys have any songs that you particularly like warming up with? after doing scales and speed drills, i usually put on a few katatonia, dissection and at the gates songs before I get into the really fast shit.

Yeah you would need a HUGE case to bring that one with you lol

and yes, for me those songs are mainly some stuff by gojira a bit of dimmu borgir, some malevolent creation and scepticflesh and a couple by death (finger picking...just saying this because some of the ones i mentioned use a pick xD)...i could play with a pick if i had to, but i'm not very skilled, as one of the reasons i prefer playing bass over guitar is the finger picking..i just love it, it gives the whole thing a more organic feel

Written by Spirit Molecule on 11.02.2013 at 16:16
Shepherd - Sludgy doom with some noise rock

This is very fucking rad dude. I like it a lot.

Written by Malphas on 12.02.2013 at 00:26

Yeah you would need a HUGE case to bring that one with you lol

and yes, for me those songs are mainly some stuff by gojira a bit of dimmu borgir, some malevolent creation and scepticflesh and a couple by death (finger picking...just saying this because some of the ones i mentioned use a pick xD)...i could play with a pick if i had to, but i'm not very skilled, as one of the reasons i prefer playing bass over guitar is the finger picking..i just love it, it gives the whole thing a more organic feel

yeah, I'm the same way. i like to actually feel the strings whereas with the pick i don't feel like the strings are sounding the way i want them to, plus its a bitch getting sore muscles from shredding in the middle of the song :p though a meaty pick sound is a great thing sometimes.

Ofc the pick sound can be great that's why i practiced a bit so that i can play at least some simpler stuff for now, and yeah that's a technique i didn't have the time to perfect yet but i'm still young, it's gonna happen sooner or later

Written by X-Ray Rod on 12.02.2013 at 00:35

Written by Spirit Molecule on 11.02.2013 at 16:16
Shepherd - Sludgy doom with some noise rock

This is very fucking rad dude. I like it a lot.

Haha thanks man, glad you liked it. I just played my first gig with those dudes on Sunday.

Written by Malphas on 12.02.2013 at 01:05

Ofc the pick sound can be great that's why i practiced a bit so that i can play at least some simpler stuff for now, and yeah that's a technique i didn't have the time to perfect yet but i'm still young, it's gonna happen sooner or later

hah i really suck with a pick though, i think its kinda of a tradeoff. i wouldn't expect alex webster to be as good with a pick or the dude from or Sharlee D'angelo to likewise to be as good with his fingers, though it would be good to have both. i also pick weird, i don't use a pick but clench my thumb and index finger together.

I started playing with a pick, but eventually stopped, now when i try to use it, it just gets knocked out of me hand.


I'm thinking about getting a stingray bass and then using my jackson for B tuning, but I'm not sure what colour. (probably a seafoam green or baby blue)



I'll probably buy a kit so I can paint it myself.