You'd think Houstonbrass would at least crop out the vanity when he takes his pics with the bass laying on a sheet on the bathroom floor.
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Are these two cheapo basses the same?
- Thread starter Stinsok
- Start date
Gig report, outdoors in 40 degree weather last night, benefit for a Houston-area children's hospital.
Worked fine although the pickups will get raised(back up) a small amount...not as loud as my main bass.
Sounded and played good considering frozen fingers(even with fingerless gloves).
Another cheaper keeper BUT kind of funny that I'm more concerned about cosmetic damage on this one than any others I own. I'll add pics later.
Worked fine although the pickups will get raised(back up) a small amount...not as loud as my main bass.
Sounded and played good considering frozen fingers(even with fingerless gloves).
Another cheaper keeper BUT kind of funny that I'm more concerned about cosmetic damage on this one than any others I own. I'll add pics later.
I think that's awesome. I just bought the black/maple version. Overstock.com has them for 148.00
I'd prefer a maple board on these also but the price was right.
Pics from yesterday/last night below. The other 2 basses are a P clone a factory Kahler(required neck re-installation...done here) and audience eye-candy Galveston.
The can matched so a pic was taken:
Neck on the blue one is either no finish/natural or very lightly finished. The "Dr. Tech" logo for these upscale boutique basses seems to be a decal.
Pics from yesterday/last night below. The other 2 basses are a P clone a factory Kahler(required neck re-installation...done here) and audience eye-candy Galveston.
The can matched so a pic was taken:
Neck on the blue one is either no finish/natural or very lightly finished. The "Dr. Tech" logo for these upscale boutique basses seems to be a decal.
The two primary things to check with budget basses that are "new":
1) Did they get the neck angle right?
2) Does the trussrod actually do what it is supposed to do?
The Galveston(clear one in the pic) has a couple of shims in the neck pocket, a K-Tone clear-bodied Steinberger clone was WAY off and took a LOT of work/shim trial & add more shims, and a cheapo white flying V(got last week) appears to have the same issue.
Not unfixable, but it's always nice to have them "nice" right out if the box like this blue one is.
1) Did they get the neck angle right?
2) Does the trussrod actually do what it is supposed to do?
The Galveston(clear one in the pic) has a couple of shims in the neck pocket, a K-Tone clear-bodied Steinberger clone was WAY off and took a LOT of work/shim trial & add more shims, and a cheapo white flying V(got last week) appears to have the same issue.
Not unfixable, but it's always nice to have them "nice" right out if the box like this blue one is.
Im thinking of getting one of these how do you think Invalid Link Removed that might sound in one of these basses. I feel it would be nice to have some onboard eq but at the same time it would be silly to put a 100 dollar preamp in a 100 dollar bass.
Stinsok: no.
I actually can't EQ heavily with the BOSE as the controller only has Bass Treble Volume.
All my basses get dumped into about 12~16 patches developed in a Line 6 BassPODXTLive over 6 years. Any tweaking is via BOSE controller, bass's tone control(s), and how/where you play it.
This bass(or any MM) is obviously not going to sound like Greco's with T-Bird humbuckers or the 20+ year old P clone with Seymour Duncans as far as bottom goes so it did get a slight boost there(by slight I mean instead of 12 c'clock on the BOSE "bass" control, it was at 1 o'clock).
Govier: dunno.
I'm tempted to try an Artec 3 band EQ(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Artec-SE3P-...747?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item256c60bf73) in a cheapo bass because I have a Greco Alembic clone that has 3 band active EQ and it is amazing. I do like the Artec pickups: MM, soapbar humbucker(used in Brice T-birds), and their Gibson mudbucker clone.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw...+pickup&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313
I actually can't EQ heavily with the BOSE as the controller only has Bass Treble Volume.
All my basses get dumped into about 12~16 patches developed in a Line 6 BassPODXTLive over 6 years. Any tweaking is via BOSE controller, bass's tone control(s), and how/where you play it.
This bass(or any MM) is obviously not going to sound like Greco's with T-Bird humbuckers or the 20+ year old P clone with Seymour Duncans as far as bottom goes so it did get a slight boost there(by slight I mean instead of 12 c'clock on the BOSE "bass" control, it was at 1 o'clock).
Govier: dunno.
I'm tempted to try an Artec 3 band EQ(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Artec-SE3P-...747?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item256c60bf73) in a cheapo bass because I have a Greco Alembic clone that has 3 band active EQ and it is amazing. I do like the Artec pickups: MM, soapbar humbucker(used in Brice T-birds), and their Gibson mudbucker clone.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw...+pickup&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313
As an eBay Associate, TalkBass may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
You can spend a little more and get a cheapo with a 3 + 1 headstock (it'd look a little more like one.) The Musicman, just like a Precision can be used for ANY kind of music. They are not one trick ponies.
Of the 2 cheapo sources shown on this page, the neck on the non-MM headstock one feels better(smaller at the upper frets) IMO.
Thank you, both. I was looking at the one with non MM headstock until I realized the real thing has the 3+1 headstock.
Good to know about the playability of the standard one. I'm switching from guitar and concerned about that.
I normally don't care about brands but when I get decent enough I'll be playing in a church band where the guitarists play Taylor's and Gibsons.
Thanks again for the opinions.
Good to know about the playability of the standard one. I'm switching from guitar and concerned about that.
I normally don't care about brands but when I get decent enough I'll be playing in a church band where the guitarists play Taylor's and Gibsons.
Thanks again for the opinions.
Stinsok & Johnny Crab,
What kind of strings would you recommend to go with that bass and the $40 pup from GF (and considering I'm a beginner).
For my electric guitar I always use EB and D'Addario for acoustic.
On some of the other SS threads I've seen Chromes and La Bella mentioned.
Thx.
What kind of strings would you recommend to go with that bass and the $40 pup from GF (and considering I'm a beginner).
For my electric guitar I always use EB and D'Addario for acoustic.
On some of the other SS threads I've seen Chromes and La Bella mentioned.
Thx.
I'm too new to know who's sound I like. I just want a versatile rock sound.
Other wishes would be a string that isnt prone to making me go out of tune and (if possible) not kill my fingers while I'm building callouses.
That's probably a tall order, especially for SS strings.
Thx.
Other wishes would be a string that isnt prone to making me go out of tune and (if possible) not kill my fingers while I'm building callouses.
That's probably a tall order, especially for SS strings.
Thx.
Strings?
I use the strings that come with it unless they are REALLY garbage. Some are, some aren't. The strings that came on these clones are ok. The Texas ones' seem to have a lot of oxidation on them(my fingers get black).
NOTE: After 2 weeks the Dr. Tech blue one's action starting "going high" so tonight it got set on wife's kitchen island on a towel(my bass workbench), strings loosened, and all set to adjust the trussrod. WHAT?
There was no tension on the trussrod, it had not been tightened down at the factory.
It got "tensioned" plus about 1/4 turn more just in case, strings tensioned, and put back in the case to set overnight.
Check your trussrod on the Dr. Tech basses if you got one.
I use the strings that come with it unless they are REALLY garbage. Some are, some aren't. The strings that came on these clones are ok. The Texas ones' seem to have a lot of oxidation on them(my fingers get black).
NOTE: After 2 weeks the Dr. Tech blue one's action starting "going high" so tonight it got set on wife's kitchen island on a towel(my bass workbench), strings loosened, and all set to adjust the trussrod. WHAT?
There was no tension on the trussrod, it had not been tightened down at the factory.
It got "tensioned" plus about 1/4 turn more just in case, strings tensioned, and put back in the case to set overnight.
Check your trussrod on the Dr. Tech basses if you got one.
Good to know about the truss rod, Johnny.
I'm now trying to decide between the black body/maple neck Dr Tech MM clone (ebay from Sigutech) or a black Squier Modified Jaquar as my first bass.
Even with replacing the pup on the MM w/ a $40 GFS that is only around $140 compared to the Squier at $170(plus tax possibly). The Squier appears to be back-ordered into March everywhere. . .
If I wasn't set on short scale, I'd have already pick up something used on CL.
I'm now trying to decide between the black body/maple neck Dr Tech MM clone (ebay from Sigutech) or a black Squier Modified Jaquar as my first bass.
Even with replacing the pup on the MM w/ a $40 GFS that is only around $140 compared to the Squier at $170(plus tax possibly). The Squier appears to be back-ordered into March everywhere. . .
If I wasn't set on short scale, I'd have already pick up something used on CL.
