Can I have "pro" for less than a grand?

[bongomania]

Even the pros may use cheaper basses and equipment. Serj Tankian played every instrument on his solo album (not live obviously) and he used first act.

First Act makes an expensive line of custom and signature instruments. Do you know for a fact whether he was playing the "Wal Mart" First Acts or the "boutique" First Acts?

 

[Dark Horse]

ok then.

again, read what I wrote and you'll find out we have the same opinion - I mainly play a P with flats and thats a one-tone-does-it-all bass for me.
same goes for my Rays (single pup, 2 band pre), I like to keep it simple and have one tone I like, plug & play style and they don't sound out of place to me in any musical genre I played them on.

however, the op already has a P and asked for something modern so instead of telling him what I like I told him what would be a good choice to suit his needs.
I don't know what styles you play and under what circumstances but if you play with a band you have artistic freedom which a hired gun bassist isn't going to have, he is going to have a producer demand a certain tone and he should have the tools (alongside the technique, theory and musical ideas) to come up with a bass track that makes the customer happy. this is harder to do than working regularly with the same musicians or within the borders of a defined genre.

It's all good. I was just a bit surprised that you thought we were "arguing". I simply thought we were just giving our opinions, which is what the OP asked for.

As far as what I play, Ive done plenty of "bands" and "hired guns". Whatever fits the music and desires of the artist and producer, that's what I go for. I just typically choose a "one trick pony" after sussing out what they want, as I find it gives a bit better tone, at least in my experience.



(I've got to get rolling - have a great day !)

 

[Quadzilla]

I tell ya, I've owned a LOT of basses over the years, but one bargain that I got recently surprised the HELL out of me.

Build quality, tone and attention to detail was astounding. I bought this and a Musicman Ray34 at the same time and the Musicman went back!

They also make a 5 string version.

You can pick these up for $400 - $600ish

 

[JohnnyB53]

You know, I've heard that before, but I never understood why - a sound signal is a sound signal. Is it just the inherent tonality of the passive pickups sitting better in the mix?

"a sound signal is a sound signal"??? And parts is just parts?

A sound signal coming directly off a passive pickup is different than one run through an inexpensive op amp inside the bass's control cavity.

So they're not the same sound signal at all.

In a recording situation, I can easily see where the engineer would want to work with a pure signal coming off a passive handwound pickup into the studio's multi-thousand dollar mixing board, than to have had that signal pass through a $25 battery-operated preamp first.

 

[Robs1887]

As an engineer myself, I totally understand wanting to work with a passive signal as opposed to an active eq regardless of the quality. In the studio you have endless ways to manipulate the sound of a bass, and the cleaner it comes in, the more you can allow your expensive outboard gear to color the tone.

Having said that, sometimes a guy will have really great tone dialed in on his bass through active electronics. In that case it just makes my job easier. Less dialing in tone, more mixing. That's my job anyways right?

 

[mmbongo]

5-string - yes. No pro will be respected with only a 4-string. In any case, you have a 4-string (or two), why not add a 5er into the collection and become more well-rounded?

24 frets = necessity. Anything less and you'll begin to question your manhood - not very pro-like.

Active = life-changing. All the pros use actives, and anyone who says otherwise is not a pro by any definition of the word.

I think Geddy Lee, Steve Harris, even Jaco...or anybody who plays a Fender bass for a living might disagree with those three statements.

 

[FunkMetalBass]

"a sound signal is a sound signal"??? And parts is just parts?

A sound signal coming directly off a passive pickup is different than one run through an inexpensive op amp inside the bass's control cavity.

So they're not the same sound signal at all.

In a recording situation, I can easily see where the engineer would want to work with a pure signal coming off a passive handwound pickup into the studio's multi-thousand dollar mixing board, than to have had that signal pass through a $25 battery-operated preamp first.

Pardon the poor phrasing. If I have a passive Stingray humbucker vs. an active EMG with very similar tones dialed in, is there a difference in signal beyond the tonality?

As an engineer myself, I totally understand wanting to work with a passive signal as opposed to an active eq regardless of the quality. In the studio you have endless ways to manipulate the sound of a bass, and the cleaner it comes in, the more you can allow your expensive outboard gear to color the tone.

Having said that, sometimes a guy will have really great tone dialed in on his bass through active electronics. In that case it just makes my job easier. Less dialing in tone, more mixing. That's my job anyways right?

From what Robs says, it's not much of a difference as dialing in the tone is the hard part of it all, so an active bass with a good tone would be preferred to a passive bass with a poor tone.

I think Geddy Lee, Steve Harris, even Jaco...or anybody who plays a Fender bass for a living might disagree with those three statements.

Steve Bailey, Victor Bailey, and Marcus Miller might not.

 

[Orpheus55]

I tell ya, I've owned a LOT of basses over the years, but one bargain that I got recently surprised the HELL out of me.

Build quality, tone and attention to detail was astounding. I bought this and a Musicman Ray34 at the same time and the Musicman went back!

They also make a 5 string version.

You can pick these up for $400 - $600ish

I have that exact bass; I sold it, regretted it, and bought it back from a great fellow TBer...it compares very well with my Stingray and is my first choice these days. Does it all, from Motown to Meral.

 

[mrpackerguy]

I'd consider the following basses which can be had used in the GFS below for under $1k, pro-level basses:

Lakland skyline
MM
Fender American

 

[air_leech]

I'd consider the following basses which can be had used in the GFS below for under $1k, pro-level basses:

Lakland skyline
MM
Fender American

what MM model you looking at?

having owned both a late nineties MIA P and owning a '00 and '95 Stingrays I think that quality wise the EBMMs are way better than the Fenders but I don't know if that stands true with both companies' current production basses.

another thing to consider is that the musicman tone is an acquired taste unlike the traditional Fenders or Fender inspired Lakies (BG, DJ and JO) or the 5501/5502 Skylines which cover a lot of different tonal grounds but wont please you if you want exactly a P, a J or a Ray.

 

[Robs1887]

From what Robs says, it's not much of a difference as dialing in the tone is the hard part of it all, so an active bass with a good tone would be preferred to a passive bass with a poor tone.

Exactly. I'm not trying to take sides. I have had several players come in with great sounding passive basses that I didn't have to do much to, and I've had guys come in with awful sounding active basses.

Having said that, all of my basses that I play are active, and I like to think I have some pretty great tones dialed in on all of them. It all comes down to the player, your technique, and how much patience you have with really getting the tone you want out of your instrument/rig.

 

[mrpackerguy]

what MM model you looking at?

having owned both a late nineties MIA P and owning a '00 and '95 Stingrays I think that quality wise the EBMMs are way better than the Fenders but I don't know if that stands true with both companies' current production basses.

another thing to consider is that the musicman tone is an acquired taste unlike the traditional Fenders or Fender inspired Lakies (BG, DJ and JO) or the 5501/5502 Skylines which cover a lot of different tonal grounds but wont please you if you want exactly a P, a J or a Ray.

I own a Stingray. Some versatility.

 

[air_leech]

I own a Stingray. Some versatility.

sorry, my bad - I misunderstood you there. thought you were in the same boat as the OP and asking for opinions on these basses.

guess it's a wakeup call to go to sleep

 

[FunkMetalBass]

Having said that, all of my basses that I play are active, and I like to think I have some pretty great tones dialed in on all of them. It all comes down to the player, your technique, and how much patience you have with really getting the tone you want out of your instrument/rig.

That is so true. I never realized how horribly my tone sat in the mix for one of our songs until I spent two hours trying to record it last night. I've concluded now that I should be using a different bass for that song.

Not to hijack in any way, but as an engineer, do you recommend trying to use the same live tones as recorded tones to help even the mix?

 

[ProfGumby]

I know you said 'tongue in cheek', but the player is the pro, the bass is the tool. The only thing that will get you laughed out of a recording session is if you suck. I won't even comment on a 4 string not being a pro bass.

+1000

Also to the OP, be more concerned about your skills than the friggin name on the headstock....

 

[ERIC31]

I'm still of the opinion that it's really in YOUR hands. Any pro could take my $300 OLP and make it sing just like they could on a $3000 Sadowsky.

 

[Absentia]

ANy newer fender can be had for under a grand used

A good used Warwick will do the trick in just about anything to toss it at even a brick wall.

 

[jij04002]

As a number of people have said before me, it really is about the player. Practice really can make perfect, or closer to perfect, and ultimately make the pro. Listen to those that have influenced you and try to practice different things you hear from those pros, different techniques, licks, etc.

All that being said, if you are looking for ONE bass for under a grand, and want a modern/slap sound, as you stated, there are a number of basses that will suit the sound that others listed before (like G&L, Used EEMB stingrays, Used MIA Fender P's or J's) . BUT, IMO you should play as many as you can before buying to make sure it fits in tone, playability, comfort, characteristics etc.

I know I am being redundant, but redundancy can't hurt when you are just trying to get better at an instrument, and find the right one for that matter!

 

[Robs1887]

That is so true. I never realized how horribly my tone sat in the mix for one of our songs until I spent two hours trying to record it last night. I've concluded now that I should be using a different bass for that song.

Not to hijack in any way, but as an engineer, do you recommend trying to use the same live tones as recorded tones to help even the mix?

It's a good start. You may have to do some adjusting depending on the room you're playing in. The difference between a live venue and a controlled studio environment can change your tone.

If you have the tone dialed in that you like, then it's up to the engineer and a very transparent mic to capture it.

 

[FunkMetalBass]

It's a good start. You may have to do some adjusting depending on the room you're playing in. The difference between a live venue and a controlled studio environment can change your tone.

If you have the tone dialed in that you like, then it's up to the engineer and a very transparent mic to capture it.

I usually DI from my RBI, which is also where I record from.