[Bevo]

Guitar player looking to get into a bass..hook a brother up..what do I want?

I love Metal and the blues and would love a bass that can do both. I may end up jamming with the guys but not in a gig more a garage.
So far I know that I want active pickups but don't know what kind. I would also love a neck through but not sure about if the cost is worth it at this point.
Was at L&M playing a few different models which just got me a bit more confused.

Is there any hidden gems out there that should be checked out? What about a practice amp? I have Line 6 and Traynor guitar amps, will those work till I know what I want?
Used is always better but L&M has some good deals.
Thanks in advance
Bev

 

[Greenman]

Bolt on neck.
Passive single coils.
Nickel round wound strings.
Either P or J bass.
Amp with as much power as you can afford.
Tube preamp section.

Just my 2 cents if you like metal.

 

[james on bass]

+1 on a P or Jazz passive into a tube pre-amp.

You may get an adequate tone from the Line 6 but don't use guitar cabs for bass unless it is just at bedroom practice volume.

 

[JBassJohn]

I'm with everyone else. J or P, don't use your guitar amp and get as much power as you can afford. 100W won't keep up with a drummer IMHO.

 

[Bevo]

Thanks guys..

I thought the active pickups were better, what is the difference..do they work the same way as in the guitars?

The pre amp section, I see that some guitars are available with that..is it better to have it on board or in the amp. Are pre amps required for both passive and active PU's?

I take it the P and J are the Fender models...not a huge Fender fan, is there anything else?

Looks like the Line 6 will work for now..thanks.

Thanks again.
Bev

 

[JBassJohn]

I don't know if active pickups are better. An active system is certainly more flexible. I have 2 basses, one active (MTD) and one passive (Jazz).
The controls on the Jazz are 1 volume for each pickup and a tone. I rarely touch the tone but will sometimes cut back the volume on my bridge pickup.
The controls on the MTD are master volume, blend and bass, mid and treble cut and boost. I've only had the bass for a couple of months so I'm still getting used to what can do with that system.

Keep in mind that Fender Bass does not equal Fender Guitar. Can't hurt to try one.

The tube pre-amps mentioned are in the amplifier. Mine, for example, has a tube pre-amp and a solid state power section. You can get tube power sections but the amp are expensive, heavy and more delicate.

 

[Michelle]

Hey Bevo; You really should look at 5-string basses, I've been playing, dare I say, over 30yrs and just went with a 5-string. Absolutely amazed at how different and how versatile it is.

I like the active electronics because it seems to give better tonality as do the HB's. I play a Schecter primarily because it was in stock, lefties take what we can get. I wanted an ESP B255.

All depends on how you want to sound, the Schecter has a really nice growl to it and I used the growl even when we played "To Love Sombody" by the B-G's and Eric's "Wonderful Tonite", (more fun to play than listen). And we were on a wooden stage, I could feel the bass coming up thru my feet! (you just never-mind there searchin', :tongue: ) It can sound like a P and also like a J, the possibilities seem endless.

Or, as a guitarist, you might want to go with a short-scale, makes it easier to flip back and forth but you lose bottom with a s-s. If you do go 5-string, go with the 35" scale, the B string resonates better, I guess.

There are so many great basses out there, a P-bass is always a sure-thing for tone as is a Jazz bass. Try as many as you can.

Hope this helps
Michelle

 

[JBassJohn]

I know I'm taking this off topic but Michelle I'd be interested in hearing how you find the 5 strings.

When I bought my first one, a Peavey Millenium, I went for one that had narrow string spacing thinking the narrower neck would be better for me. I don't have big hands. It turns out I had a awful time with it. The MTD has the same string spacing as my Jazz and even though the neck is wider I find it much better than the Peavey was.

 

[Bevo]

Well I spent a few hours at L&M and went with the first bass I seen when I walked in the door, 2007 Godin Freeway 5 as in 5 string!! Bass Boat Blue..oh yeah!!!

I tried out all the guitars they had, in my price range of course. The Fenders just didnt do it for me.
This Godin had the most output and felt the nicest in my hands. I did get it in the long scale and boy does it shake the floor.
The cheaper guitars just felt..cheap. this is a mid level made in Canada..ish that feels Very nice in my hands.
Had the Bass guy test all the guitars for me and heard many different tones including the preamp models..This was my fav!

Also picked up a Fender 15W Rumble amp, just the right size for the apartment. I will step up once I get into a band.

After playing around for a few hours I found with Tab I need to keep my thumb on the top string or I got confused. I also tried it with a Pick and it was Way easier no confusion and I could really move with the right hand. Left needs to get a little more stretch yet.
Overall $700 out the door and exactly what I want.

If you guys have some tips please send them over.
Bev

 

[james on bass]

Godin's are nice. Congrats.

 

[Greenman]

Congrats. Godins are nice. Did you get the passive PJ config or did you get the active soapbars? I have a Schecter 5 string 35 scale. You pretty well need one these days but IMHO you can't beat the sound of single coils.

 

[Bevo]

Went with the passives, the output bass for bass was considerably more on the Godin than anything else they had. Had the Fenders, Warwick, Yamaha and a couple of others plugged into the same amp without touching the volume, once we plugged in the Godin the floor shook....Keeper!

I played it for hours yesterday and I am very impressed by how nice and easy it is to play, I had no problem adjusting to the string spacing.
Playing the bass is also very intuitive for me already, if I hear it in my head I can almost play it. After a few years on guitar I still have a hard time with this.
I mastered almost all the guitar songs I knew last night and got onto some other stuff I never tried...Even made up some cool riffs of my own..

Think I will have to join my friends jam on the bass now..

Love the bass
Bev

 

[JBassJohn]

Congrats on your transition from the Dark Side.:rockon:

 

[Bevo]

Last I met up with some friends to jam, not that I knew many tunes yet..It was still fun. I did know some of the songs so we had a good session with those.
They also gave me some advice as to how to follow along and after a bit I could anticipate the changes..Needless to say it was a blast.

I did have two problems.
1, My little amp just did not cut it unless the guys turned down the amps a bit.
2, Don't jam after a hockey game!!!!

#2 is easy to fix and #1 was fixed today. I traded the Fender amp in on a 100W Yorkville 15 inch combo and now have all the volume I need for the jams..not to mention that 5th string really rumbles now.

Bevo

 

[Michelle]

I know I'm taking this off topic but Michelle I'd be interested in hearing how you find the 5 strings.

When I bought my first one, a Peavey Millenium, I went for one that had narrow string spacing thinking the narrower neck would be better for me. I don't have big hands. It turns out I had a awful time with it. The MTD has the same string spacing as my Jazz and even though the neck is wider I find it much better than the Peavey was.

Hey John; Sorry about the late reply, crazy weekend.

Moving to 5-string to me was like, oh yeah, this is it! My Schecter has a narrow neck too, 1-3/4" at nut, which is 1/4" wider than my P/J. I knew I wouldn't be happy with the super-wide neck, I don't slap much so I went narrow, my hands are small for a bass player but I don't have any problem, I can still hook my thumb over the top of the fretboard. (And I play guitar too so I am used to screwing myself up over scales and string spacing).

It's what you are comfortable with, yeah, I did have a few problems adapting to it and the funny part is; I used to have an 'E' string orientation, now it seems I reference everything from the 'A' string, that wasn't intentional, it just happened.

What I like about it is, like all those songs that are in 'E', I don't have to use an open string, I can fret it and that keeps me cleaner or if I'm plaing in 'F' or 'G', I can fret that up on the 'B' string. The looks are awesome too, it looks like it's all strings, a totally different instrument.

Last gig, after 3 sets, I decided that I had to use the 4-string so it don't get lonely, but I am so hooked on the 5-er, I could leave the 4-string at home, but I'll keep it, I really like the P/J because it has the sound and it's left-handed. Sold my EB-0 tho, sig updated.

SeeYa
Michelle

 

[Michelle]

I mastered almost all the guitar songs I knew last night and got onto some other stuff I never tried...Even made up some cool riffs of my own..

Think I will have to join my friends jam on the bass now..

Love the bass
Bev

That is awesome Bev and an excellent choice on the Godin. The world has a new bass player! :banana:

 

[Bevo]

Thanks.. I am just loving the bass, actualy fell asleep with it the other day... It had a bit to do with hockey and beer but.....

So after a few days of playing I have some questions.

Pick or Fingers, I prefer the pick probably because I am also a guitar player and my nails are oh so classical long.
What do do you use and why do you use it?

My Yorkville amp has a scoop function, I have played with it but because I can't get it past 2 on volume, I don't see it doing much. I think it is to remove the mids, is that right?

Distortion or gain, I see some bands are using it on the bass yet have not tried it..Does it have the same effect as with the guitar and where would you use it.

My Traynor guitar tuner is supposed to also be a bass tuner yet I can't get it to pick up the B string, what tuners do you prefer.

Thanks in advance.
Bev

 

[james on bass]

I use fingers to play, but I've always been a bass player. Pick on one or two songs throughout a night - it does have it's place for me.

The scoop function will drop your mids. Smiley-face eq to get you that funky slap tone. I personally don't use it since you need the mids to cut through in a band situation.

I like having a bit of tube gain on my tone - just enough to get some grit and growl, but not full-on distortion.

Some tuners, especially cheaper one, will not track the low B well. It should track the 12th fret harmonic well enough though.

 

[Michelle]

Thanks.. I am just loving the bass, actualy fell asleep with it the other day... It had a bit to do with hockey and beer but.....

So after a few days of playing I have some questions.

Pick or Fingers, I prefer the pick probably because I am also a guitar player and my nails are oh so classical long.
What do do you use and why do you use it?

My Yorkville amp has a scoop function, I have played with it but because I can't get it past 2 on volume, I don't see it doing much. I think it is to remove the mids, is that right?

Distortion or gain, I see some bands are using it on the bass yet have not tried it..Does it have the same effect as with the guitar and where would you use it.

My Traynor guitar tuner is supposed to also be a bass tuner yet I can't get it to pick up the B string, what tuners do you prefer.

Thanks in advance.
Bev

Hi Bev; Never slept with my bass but did once with my old strat, had something to do with wine, I think, but no hockey, crazy, I'm thrilled that you are so attached to your Godin and playing bass.

I pretty much use my fingers for plucking, my nails are pretty long but that seems to add to the sound, makes the nails ratty though. (Ha! I'm looking at my laptop at work and I see I have scratched the 'h' & 'n' off the kbd, working on the 'b' & 'g') I can get a lot more of that constant machine action with my fingers and thumb and I never drop a pick, oh, I guess I did use a pick on 'Teenland' with my hand to mute a bit.

I find with the active H-B's and P/J setup I get a nice growl, never used a distortion pedal or overdrive 'cause I like a clean sound, and yep, my tuner don't like the 'B' either, I just tune it to the 'E' string by ear or fret it at 'E' for the tuner, probably get a better tuner someday.

Mich