non-fender sound with 300$

barandascaio · #1 12-31-2012, 03:07 PM

hi, im looking for a bass with a non-fender sound with 300 dollars. What do you think of:

epiphone thunderbird iv
epiphone sg eb-3
sterling s.u.b ray 4
epiphone limited edition les paul

thanks for the help guys

i already have a MIM fender p bass

EagleMoon · #2 12-31-2012, 03:51 PM

I'd go for the Sterling Ray personally. Not a fan of Epiphone.

Righteous Thunderer · #3 12-31-2012, 03:53 PM

I'd take any of those, really dig the Epiphones. I wasn't very impressed by the one Sterling Ray that I played at GC, more impressed by the Epiphones.

punisher911 · #4 12-31-2012, 03:54 PM

I'm not an Epi fan, but I played the EB-0 the other day. Quite a unique sound to it. For 220 ish, I am considering picking it up for fun..

deeptubes · #5 12-31-2012, 04:00 PM

I've heard a lot of good things about the SBMM SUBs.

LarryCrabtree · #6 12-31-2012, 04:07 PM

I have a EB0 that I mod'ed to an EB3. It has a little different sound that the 34" EB3 to me. I also have played one of the SUBs at our local store and it did sound great. The weight was good, and the feel was good. You need to play as many as possible of what you are interested in then decide which sound it the one you want to fit with your group.

godofthunder59 · #7 12-31-2012, 04:57 PM

check gear sale form i have a nice epi eb3 for sale limited edition 60s spec.

ksandvik · #8 12-31-2012, 05:08 PM

Sterling Sub Ray. But you need to show around as they seem to differ weight-wise and so on from unit to unit (typical curse with low-end gear.) Today I compared a Sterling Ray4 (not SUB) and the real thing, not with electronics. And I must say it's hard to know any big differences from just playing them cold.

oldcatfish · #9 12-31-2012, 07:34 PM

I recently was in the same situation. I have p and j style passive basses and wanted something different. I chose a SUB Ray4. Glad I did, it sounds very different than my other basses...it just sits very differently in the mix when playing live, even with the eq controls left flat.

audiomitch · #10 12-31-2012, 10:32 PM

I have the Epiphone Les Paul Special and like it. It's definitely "non-Fender". I liked it better than the Epiphone EB-3 and Explorer basses.

Here's a song I used it on if you want an example of how they sound, you have to wait a couple of seconds for the player to pop up - Everything is New

exidor · #11 12-31-2012, 10:50 PM

get the sterling s.u.b ray 4 best bang for the buck it plays and sounds killer!!!
hands down!

C.Linton · #12 01-01-2013, 01:58 AM

Out of those listed, I'd get the Epiphone EB3. I had a Gibson EB3L a few years back that I really liked, If I could get even just close to that, I'd be happy.

bill reed · #13 01-01-2013, 02:04 AM

i have a Epiphone Eb3 and its a really good bass for the money and has a real deep growl. only bad thing is the the neck dive so get a good three inch strap and it should be great after that.

scottfeldstein · #14 01-01-2013, 02:13 AM

I can really relate to wanting to escape from the p-bass sound. I played one for years in the late 80s and hated it. I desperately wanting something more modern. These days I have it. You could go in a lot of different directions--Gibson, Warwick, MusicMan, Fender Jazz and tons of others. But I went Ibanez because they're very modern sounding, their thin necks are addictive, their light weight bodies are easy on the back, and they don't cost a mint. Plus they look sexy as hell.

bootsox · #15 01-01-2013, 02:53 AM

I'm not a fan of MM pickups, I'd have to say the EB-3 is the way to go. those things are killer if you're prepared to do a few mods. a dimarzio dp145 or dp120 in the neck and some hipshot ultralights at the end and you've got yourself a killer that will easily compete with basses that cost three times as much

godofthunder59 · #16 01-01-2013, 07:28 AM

I have two for sale

Short scale 60's spec and the long scale version. Short scale 60's spec like new (bought about a month ago) No case 325.00

Long scale That I have had for about 4 years great bass pro fret dressing with hardrshell case hardly a mark on this bass $325.00

barandascaio · #17 01-01-2013, 07:39 AM

I'm a fan of MM, but recently I like the deep sound of the thunderbird. i'll look in guitarcenter for each of them. but i think GC of manhattan don't have all of them , and i'm going to spend a week only. but sub ray4 have only 1 pickup right?

barandascaio · #18 01-01-2013, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by audiomitch

I have the Epiphone Les Paul Special and like it. It's definitely "non-Fender". I liked it better than the Epiphone EB-3 and Explorer basses.

Here's a song I used it on if you want an example of how they sound, you have to wait a couple of seconds for the player to pop up - Everything is New

Does it have mahogany body? and it's passive, isnt it?

audiomitch · #19 01-01-2013, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barandascaio

Does it have mahogany body? and it's passive, isnt it?

Yes, mahogany body. It has a set neck, but not sure of the wood for the neck. Passive pickups. Mine also has no appreciable neck dive. It's a quality bass.

NightTripper · #20 01-01-2013, 02:24 PM

Out of those, I have only tried the Thunderbird. I played a couple when I was looking to get something that was a little nicer than my Squier Affinity. I really liked the T-bird. They sound great and look great, but it just wasn't a great fit for the sound I usually want. I ended up with a VM Jaguar.

For a non-fender sound in a budget, I think the T-bird is a great choice. If you can save up $200 more, you can get the new Classic version with Gibson pickups. That's what I would do anyway.