Best Bass for Country?

[millsbass5]

I had an audition for some fill in gigs with a country band whose bassist had to leave town for a few weeks. It was at a music store and I was recommended by the owner. At the time one of the bands I was playing with was a Hair Metal tribute band we started as a joke which actually became quite profitable. I had bought a cheap Bronze series Warlock for the act and the shop owner was doing some work on it. When I walked in to meet the country band the owner was gone and he had left my Warlock on a stand in the practice room.

The country guys were in the room when I arrived and I had yet to bring in my gear from the car. After introductions I picked up the Warlock to give it a brief once over. It also had a fat strap with skulls on it that I had permanently affixed with washers to avoid buying straplocks for the cheap bass. You should have seen their jaws drop. "Is THAT your bass". I said "It sure is." I let 'em stew for about 30 seconds while they were pretty much speechless before I told then what was up and went to the car for my Jazz. Then it was all good and we laughed about it.

Ha!!! I bet that was a good icebreaker. A B.C.Rich for country. A real scare.

 

[Luckydog]

None!

But the Fender fiver might fly below the radar if nobody counts the strings.

I'm being goofy, but seriously, in general you will not encounter a more conservative group of players than country guys. They will be expecting to see a Fender 4 string bass, preferably a Precision.

Really old school cats will not even want that, they will prefer upright.

None of this is to say your basses won't work, of course they will, I'm just talking about the expectations and attitudes you're likely to encounter.

If it's NEW country then it doesn't matter at all. That's just rock music with cowboy hats and you can use anything you like.

All of this is IME and IMO (but it's true)

Way too much over generalization. Loads of newer style basses (sadowsky etc) in old as well as new (rock w cowboy hats as you say), and also older style (like fender fours) in newer country as well as traditional. And when you factor in the studio guys vs the road bands, theres even more diversity. Lot of what some call modern country is now pop, and groups have blurred the lines between genres in a huge way.

 

[placedesjardins]

I've never been really into country music, but I've had an opportunity come up to play in a country group. I was wandering if you all could help me determine which of my basses would be the best for the job. Here they are: (I'll add pics soon)

Fender Standard Jazz V (MIM)
Schecter Stiletto Extreme 5
Peavey Cirrus BXP 4

They are all okay. But, you are going to have to buy a new one.

And it is going to have to cost

two

thousand

dollars.

 

[onosson]

I had a thread on this topic ...

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/if-you-were-buying-bass-play-modern-country-874979/

While I didn't end up going after the gig, I did pick up a Sterling Ray35 which would probably work really well. 5-string, active, really nice neck. Bought it used for $500.

 

[fuzzy beard]

Your J will be perfict! Tons of country bands in the 60's and 70's used them! Amd country bands still use them.

Looks the part, fits the part, and you already own it!

 

[Cougmeister]

They are all okay. But, you are going to have to buy a new one.

And it is going to have to cost

two

thousand

dollars.

Thanks for the oh so wonderful advice.....not

 

[Pilgrim]

I'd reach up and pull out my '63 P. If I wanted to go hollowbody, my Gretsch 5123.

Of the OP's list, the J would be my pick.

I don't do 5's.

 

[Jim Carr]

I use either a Fender RW Jazz, a Lakland 55-01, or my Sadowsky P/J 4. I would skip the suggestions that you need an upright. I play upright a lot, but very little country on it. Most country band leaders who want upright are amateurs. Really.

 

[dannylectro]

Two words: Jerry Jones

 

[chuck3]

'51 P reissue (the one on the right) strung with flats, having just that single coil, sounds very good for country.

other than that, I just use an upright for country.

 

[chuck3]

seriously, you can pick up the '51 Ri for like $500 used and it's a great country bass. Although I did replace the pickup because it hummed like the original. So that was like another $100.

 

[Bass4LifeRS]

How about a fretless?

 

[Cougmeister]

I'm trying to stick with what I have, don't really have the money to drop on another one right now.

 

[ulynch]

Really? Isn't this a question that's as worthy of mockery as asking what the best bass for metal is? Or gospel, or jazz, or pop, or folk, or whatever ... Just refer the OP to Ed Friedland's advice (any bass works for any style), make a couple jokes about those silly country guys, and let the thread die.

 

[.BumeStik.]

Nothin' says Country like Cow Colors....

 

[monkeyfinger]

I thought old school StringRays with flats was popular in country. Is that true?

 

[Marial]

If it's NEW country then it doesn't matter at all. That's just rock music with cowboy hats and you can use anything you like.

 

[Marial]

I'm trying to stick with what I have, don't really have the money to drop on another one right now.

Probably your Jazz, in that case. I play in an alt-country band and use a Fender Hwy One Jazz strung with really old, dead, DR Sunbeams. You can also string yours with flats. Now, which flats? Run a search, there are a ton of threads on flats here.

 

[Tonegasm]

Old country = passive P Bass
New country = active 5'er

 

[pklima]

Dark Horse has the best basses for country, and this is probably the best of them all:

Link Removed

The Jazz will work, though. A five-string will be useful if the songs you'll be doing aren't in "guitar keys" too often.