So, I've been playing a bad and old precision bass imitation with fake Fender brand and all. I got it used for 100 bucks. Mine has maple neck and AMG passive pickups, I really love it's sound even though different strings are really uneven in tone and punch (and it's so noisy and about to break), I had active AMGs before and they were a bit better. I also string it with B-E-A-G. I finally have enough money aside for a real bass. So, under 1.000€ or just barely above, must be worth the price, Fender or not, which Precision bass would you guys consider? Was considering this ones: Player Series, Vintera 50s, DLX P Bass Special, Sandberg California II, ESP LTD.. Let me know what you think about tone, play-ability, neck wood, etc
If you can go somewhere to play each of the ones you are considering, pick the one that feels most comfortable to you. Just a thought if you will remain tuned BEAD on a 4 string and are absolutely staying with a P-bass style pickup you may want to look for something with the pickup installed as a reverse P, it will bring slightly more clarity to the low notes.
The answer is a super P bass. Reverend Thundergun. SPLIT BRICK NECK pickup Strong lows and highs, open mids. Like a vintage P bass pickup but with more beef, yet retains clarity. 43 gauge wire, ceramic magnet, 8.5K ohms. THICK BRICK BRIDGE bridge pickup Warm and thick with strong mids. Output and punch like an active, but more organic sounding. 42 gauge wire, ceramic magnet, 7K ohms. {} The right price and more than the right bass. Looks more appropriate, too.
Love it! I'd go with this for sure. A Thunderbird is always a great option for this. Or the Yamaha BB735A, it's a P/J and the active eq makes it a super versatile bass.
That would be perfect but.. 2 things, I will buy it online due to price, would not be cool making a bunch of stores lose time with no real intention of buying. Second, I really would need some days with it, use my amp, my pedals, to really know the actual difference in my setup. About the reverse P though.. I like the a-bit muddy and punchy low end I got, I guess with a real Precision bass, it will only sound better. My current bass's actual fault is the A and G, the volume (cutting through the mix) difference is notable, even if I attack those strings harder and play softer on the B-E, I also use EBS MultiComp for compression. I end up just really valuing talkbass's user's opinions, as I really have no real experience with more expensive basses.
Damn.. that bridge humbucker sounds awesome.. it's not the part, or sound, I was looking for but, it can certainly add something in conjunction with neck pickup.. and sounds way more versatile for other projects I might have.. Really impressed, thanks for this one. I'll try to compare the neck pickup with other fender p-basses.
Sandbergs always looked like super instruments, and their owners, talk about them like that but, I'm still not super rich. If I decide on a Sandberg I'll have to wait 3 or 4 more months.. and I'm afraid I might be paying for something I can't fully appreciate yet. That's my problem with it. Yesterday I was maybe dreaming a bit.. They cost around 1.200 1.300 in thomann.de But, to conclude your point, you are saying that, around that price, if I'm gonna spend around 1000, I really can't get anything better than Sandberg? By the way, playability is not a major deciding factor but, If I'm between 2, and one has a thinner neck, I would probably go for it.
If I was to spend money on a P it would be a Sandberg. They're just more.... I'm not sure that there is one that is specifically suited to Stoner or Doom. I must assume you have your Sunn head all ready to go.
Buy a used black or sunburst P bass. Stick a black pickguard on the bass. Add a High Mass bridge, Dimarzio Model P pickup and whatever telegraph wire strings you need to get down to B standard. Stoner bass! The running thread with stoner bands is to look like you don't care about gear, and that your instrument and backline look like cobbled together pawnshop odds and ends. Buying nice gear eats into your weed budget. The real heavy lifting is done by all those hand-painted boutique RAT clones and fuzz pedals at your feet and your Orange/Matamp/vintage Peavey/ugly bi-amped mishmash of the above.
I'd go with just a regular MIM or Player series or whatever they're called now. For aesthetic perfection (for me) – black with maple neck, and put a black pickguard on it. File out the nut for BEAD tuning, put some nice bright rounds on it for lots of harmonic content to feed into your dirt pedals/amp, and you're good to go. Why? - workhorse design classic, not too fancy – got to keep your doomy blue collar cred - passive pickup plays nicely with dirt pedals (this is doom, after all). I like actives too but sometime the output is too hot for certain pedals. - the P pickup sounds really nice with low tunings (I think, YMMV etc)
I think those Sandbergs are way over rated! I have had two of them (P/MM and a MM/MM). They are just not beefy enough for a traditional rock sound (especially with the preamp engaged) They are definitely NOT in the Sadowsky league: too much emphasis on the preamp, not on the woods and a good passive PU. Sorry! +1 on the Reverend though