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A Bass Player's Guitar

#21
I've got a 70's reissue strat loaded up with vintage noiseless pickups and graphtech saddles and nut that I play through a Marshall Class 5 combo. It's not the fanciest rig out there, but it makes me happy. That said, I would sure like to get my hands on one of the new American Deluxe Telecasters. I also have a Martin dreadnaught, but it doesn't get nearly as much play time lately as it needs some fret work.
 
#22
MUSHROOMSeAcOw said:
What would you look for in a gee-tar if you had to buy one, from a bassist's perspective?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what a bassist's perspective would be - relative to a non-bassist. Best I can suggest is that a bassist might be a little more adventurous in choice of instrument - since bassists tend to be a little more comfortable with new musical technology (of necessity), while guitarists have had the luxury of getting comfortable in "the vintage zone".

That said, my taste in guitars (bass guitars too) certainly is toward the contemporary end of the continuum. Currently I own three - all Carvins:

  • DC127C - solid body with dual humbuckers with coil splitters, Floyd Rose vibrato and the active electronics package
  • DC135C - solid body with three switchable dual/single coil pickups, five-position selector switch and Floyd Rose vibrato (think contemporary Strat)
  • SH65 - active semi-hollow body with dual splittable humbuckers, piezo transducer, and hexaphonic MIDI capability
MM
 
#23
I love the sound of Gibsons' but a strat feels right when i'm playing. I have a 80's MIM strat & a 2006 studio les paul gibson... guess which one has only been played a few times? the gibson... the neck and weight of it is TERRIBLE. weighs more than my 5 string lakland.
 
#24
I use a Fender Nashville Deluxe Tele, and an early MIK Epiphone Les Paul for my electric solid body guitar needs. I also have an Ibanez Artcore hollow jazz body electric, a Fender steel body resonator guitar, and a 1940's Oahu lapsteel, besides a couple of acoustic guitars laying about. I consider myself a bass player first and foremost, but I can switch to guitar at a gig, or even go in as a guitar player,( cough, cough) and get a friend to play bass behind me in those situations. I mainly do my guitar playing to write songs and record with. Trust me, when I say I'd rather turn the guitar playing duties over to the fine, true guitar players I know. I guess I pass as a somewhat competent hack on the 'geetar'. It also explains my more budget friendly guitar arsenal. It's a balancing act of how much good tone and playability with bang for the buck factor with me in that regard, but I wouldn't mind a good Gibby Les Paul Standard right now.

Whoops! I forgot my Danelectro 56-U2 reissue from the first year of the reissues around 98. Great budget guitar with a unique character to say the least.
 
#25
the bassist's guitar would probably be a baritone guitar - but that's not very guitarish :D I've been playing giutar for 20+ years (bass for about 8) I prefer hardtail strats, but Fender's in general. LP's always felt like 2x4s w/ strings.

but like everything it's my personal preference. go play! and like basses, even the cheap stuff is pretty darn good these days . . .
 
#26
When I go for a guitar it's my MIM Strat with awesome pickups of unknown origin. I spent more on fretwork than the guitar is worth so it absolutely plays like butter. Graphtek saddles are a must for anyone who palm mutes on the bridge. I play with .010s on this one. Had .011s in the past but felt the tone was too muddied up.

When I'm playing acoustic it's an Ibanez AW100 that sounds quite full or my custom Alis baritone Tim Lyons signature model :)
 
#27
I rock out an SG with a bigsby (I'm a surf/rockabilly ambient space guitarist) and I'm building a telecaster. Telecasters are the most pure and honest guitar. Dylan Carlson and Syd Barrett both use/used Telecasters which shows the scope of their sound. I love them.
 
#30
I recently bought a guitar so I could start learning a bit on it. Selected an Ibby Artcore semi-hollow body electric. Gets a really nice, deep tone even when not pluged into an amp. It has a fairly slender neck and narrow string spacing (from my perspective, anyway - but the only other guitars I've ever played were full acoustics for playing 'classic guitar.') It's got a nice sized body but isn't too heavy (tendonitis in shoulders makes it hard to 'wear' any really heavy instrument...) It was also fairly inexpensive, which as I currently don't have any expectation of playing much on guitar in public, is fine. If I ever get good enough to play out (not likely) and have some extra money (even less likely) I'd probably buy a Strat or Strat copy, preferably with a tremelo bar, as I enjoy how those play as well...
 
#32
I don't play guitar but if I did I'd have a one pickup tele.
A well made one, so probably a copy.
And an acoustic with wide nut as well.
That would do it for me.
Plus a Steavens amp.
 
#33
I played guitar before bass, but haven't played guitar on stage in almost 20 years. I've always been partial to Strats, and have two American Series versions: 2004 alder/maple with Lace Sensor Hot Golds; and 2001 alder/rosewood with OEM Seymour Duncan humbuckers that split in switch positions two (one coil from each) and four (neck only). I prefer the Lace Sensor singles for pure Stratty goodness with lots of punch, but the HH Strat is incredibly versatile, and might be my choice for general purpose rock band use. Both have excellent playability.

Unless you have a strong preference for something specific, like a Gibson SG or Telecaster, I'd recommend starting out with a Fat Strat, i.e., Strat with bridge humbucker. Strats usually have great playability, and the bridge humbucker is much better for high gain than a bridge single. The current Lone Star Strat is awesome; it's an MIM version of the old MIA Texas Special Fat Strat, with Texas Special singles and a Duncan Pearly Gates Plus at the bridge. That's the same bridge pickup in my HH Strat, and it's sweet.

If you're mostly into rock, you can't go wrong with an SG either. I'd love to have a white one, with Burstbucker p'ups please!
 
#34
Nedmundo said:
I played guitar before bass, but haven't played guitar on stage in almost 20 years. I've always been partial to Strats, and have two American Series versions: 2004 alder/maple with Lace Sensor Hot Golds; and 2001 alder/rosewood with OEM Seymour Duncan humbuckers that split in switch positions two (one coil from each) and four (neck only). I prefer the Lace Sensor singles for pure Stratty goodness with lots of punch, but the HH Strat is incredibly versatile, and might be my choice for general purpose rock band use. Both have excellent playability.

Unless you have a strong preference for something specific, like a Gibson SG or Telecaster, I'd recommend starting out with a Fat Strat, i.e., Strat with bridge humbucker. Strats usually have great playability, and the bridge humbucker is much better for high gain than a bridge single. The current Lone Star Strat is awesome; it's an MIM version of the old MIA Texas Special Fat Strat, with Texas Special singles and a Duncan Pearly Gates Plus at the bridge. That's the same bridge pickup in my HH Strat, and it's sweet.

If you're mostly into rock, you can't go wrong with an SG either. I'd love to have a white one, with Burstbucker p'ups please!
Click to expand...

LOVE my fat strats - the years I got them (around 2000-2004) had hardtail bridges too... I'll never need another guitar (for the record notice I said "need" :D)

here's my babies:

Link Removed
 
#36
pasta4lnch said:
LOVE my fat strats - the years I got them (around 2000-2004) had hardtail bridges too... I'll never need another guitar (for the record notice I said "need" :D)
Click to expand...

Looks like your HH Strat might be the same model as mine, which I should have mentioned is a hardtail. Very nice axe. With that and my single coil Strat, I don't "need" another guitar either! ;) But man, I could use a nice Tele...and an SG...maybe a DiPinto...couple of G&L's...you know, nothing more than the basics. :D
 
#38
Oddly enough, my preferences with bass don't translate to guitar.

With bass I prefer the bite of single coils, I'm becoming an active preamp guy.

With guitar I tend to prefer the humbucker sound, usually channeled through a Les Paul or a PRS.

I own a strat copy and a Les Paul, but honestly, I spend more time playing an acoustic Yamaha because of the convenience of noodling on something that doesn't require an amp or cables to work ideas out on.
 

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