I used to be a guitarist, but now I've been playing bass in a punk band for one and a half years. I still don't have my own instrument being the penniless student I am and all of the basses I've used have been on loan. I started with a MM Stingray replica, but the owner soon needed it back and so I switched to a low-end 100 euro (c. 138 dollars) bass. I didn't have any options at that time. Wanting to save for my own decent bass I didn't want to buy myself a lousy cheap one. But a friend of mine didn't have any use for this cheapo, so I've had it on loan for almost a year now. At least I can say that it represents very punk attitude, playing with the stuff you can get to your hands easily. 
Lately our band has started to take off. We are going to have a gig at a very high-profile concert venue. I have been struggling with this awful cheap bass since it is very heavy, the strings are very far off from the fretboard (or how do you say it, English is not my native language, sorry!
) and the neck is somehow crooked which makes it very hard to stay tuned. Playing is so hard, that my fingers are sore days after rehearsals, even though I've been playing the guitar for many years and I should have my fingers "hardened" to the level it shouldn't do no harm!
Other band members have been persuading me to buy a new bass, and so far it has only been a matter of money. But now, as the concert date is getting closer, they are starting to get desperate and insist that I get myself a new bass before that.
Now I have money to buy a new bass, but I can't afford much more than 500 euros (c. 700 dollars). If I can find a decent bass with less than that, I'd be happy to.
The problem I'm having is that the bass should be suitable for a very petite girl (I'm only 5'1")! I found that Stingray replica a bit too heavy for me, for example. The bass should have a quite narrow neck. Even though I have long fingers for someone my size, my hands are still small compared to many other bass players out there. In guitars, I find Fender Stratocaster neck pretty good for me, for example. And the instrument should be otherwise pretty light too.
I'd like to have a bass that is usable with many music styles, although I prefer punk, alternative and hard rock. I'd like to find an instrument that I won't easily get "grown out" of. I've been thinking about a Fender P-bass, since the basic model nearly hits the high-end of my price category. Also the Modern Player Jaguar sounds interesting, but I haven't been able to find it in stores here in Europe yet.
What do you think? Please, give me some suggestions, since right now I don't know where to start searching the "right one"!
Thanks!
Lately our band has started to take off. We are going to have a gig at a very high-profile concert venue. I have been struggling with this awful cheap bass since it is very heavy, the strings are very far off from the fretboard (or how do you say it, English is not my native language, sorry!
) and the neck is somehow crooked which makes it very hard to stay tuned. Playing is so hard, that my fingers are sore days after rehearsals, even though I've been playing the guitar for many years and I should have my fingers "hardened" to the level it shouldn't do no harm! Other band members have been persuading me to buy a new bass, and so far it has only been a matter of money. But now, as the concert date is getting closer, they are starting to get desperate and insist that I get myself a new bass before that.
Now I have money to buy a new bass, but I can't afford much more than 500 euros (c. 700 dollars). If I can find a decent bass with less than that, I'd be happy to.
The problem I'm having is that the bass should be suitable for a very petite girl (I'm only 5'1")! I found that Stingray replica a bit too heavy for me, for example. The bass should have a quite narrow neck. Even though I have long fingers for someone my size, my hands are still small compared to many other bass players out there.
In guitars, I find Fender Stratocaster neck pretty good for me, for example. And the instrument should be otherwise pretty light too.I'd like to have a bass that is usable with many music styles, although I prefer punk, alternative and hard rock. I'd like to find an instrument that I won't easily get "grown out" of. I've been thinking about a Fender P-bass, since the basic model nearly hits the high-end of my price category. Also the Modern Player Jaguar sounds interesting, but I haven't been able to find it in stores here in Europe yet.
What do you think? Please, give me some suggestions, since right now I don't know where to start searching the "right one"!
Thanks!
