The thing that impresses me most is that a 13 yo saved $600. For a bass no less. Most kids I know have their money spent before they get it in their hands. Way to go man!
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Conform to Fender?
- Thread starter Matthew Hanafin
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$8 an hour hanging drywall and mowing lawns took me a while but I think it will be well worth it
All the bands you just mentioned make a lot of use of a P bass tone.
Personally I don't like Fenders because they are boring and archaic. If you want a P bass there are a lot of reasonable alternatives out there in your price range. Peavey and Ibanez both made nice P basses in the 80s (Fury and RB630 respectively), Yamaha's BB series have always been solid, and there are companies like Hondo, Greco, Electra, and SX that make Fender knock offs. ESP\LTD has a series of PJ basses as does Schecter.
All that said, the Squier Vintage Modified Jag is a pretty decent piece of gear. The nice thing about Fenders and Squiers is you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one, so if you go to a pawn shop, MI store, or online classified you will find a grip of them cheap. Buying a new one is a waste of money, as is buying an MIA one. A P bass is a P bass is a P bass.
That's AWESOME! Whatever you buy, I suggest you look it over very carefully before handing over your hard earned money. Do some research about what to look for (lots of good info on this site) and if you can bring someone that knows instruments along with you, all the better.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
I play just about everything on a Thunderbird these days. Audiences like it because it looks different and they can't tell that it sounds different. A used Epiphone Thunderbird with a case is well within your budget. The ergos are different, so be aware of that, and if you find yourself playing a Thunderbird, chances are that you will think everything else is a little awkward. If a Thunderbird doesn't choose you, it will feel awkward. Just a thought.
For what it's worth, nobody in the audience will be able to tell the difference between a G&L and a Fender anyway.
For what it's worth, nobody in the audience will be able to tell the difference between a G&L and a Fender anyway.
You can't go wrong with a Fender, especially a P bass. I believe every bass player should have one in his arsenal whether it's a J or a P. Although for the stuff you want to play I'd get a P bass. I bought my first P bass in 1971 and have pretty much always had one since then. The P bass was the first successful electric bass made in 1951 (?) and is still popular to this day and for a reason. I would get an American one if I were you if for no other reason than to say to yourself that you have the best Fender Precision bass made today.
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Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Muddy is in the ear of the beholder, and it depends on which version you get. The bottom of the line bolt-on neck Thunderbirds have darker sounding pickups. The Classic line has Gibson pickups that have an aggressive, angry piano snarl if you want to sound like that. You can dial it back, but it's there if you need it.
I suspect the people who tell you that Thunderbird pickups are muddy sounding are confusing them with Gibson mudbuckers that were on their short-scale basses in the 1960s and 1970s. The pickups they make for those basses now are thumpy, but cleaner than the old ones. Thunderbird pickups are nothing like those at all. They have a fuller sound than a Fender single coil. That's about the only way I can describe them.
Fender, G&L, or Music Man are all great versatile basses (I've owned all 3). I think the G&L is a good combination of the others, which makes sense since it was Leo Fender's last company. The Fender Jaguar Standard would be a good choice, it's got a P/J setup which is very versatile.
I've been playing bass since the late 70's. When I've wanted gigs, I've never had problems getting them. I've never quite owned a Fender - I had a bass with a Fender neck on it once, and I have a couple obviously Fenderish basses (along with a few that obviously aren't Fenders) now, but nobody has ever told me I'd sound better with an actual Fender. Most of my basses have my initials on the headstock, it's very rare that anyone even asks about who made it or anything.
You get hired for what your fingers can do, and what comes out of your bass sound wise. The name on the headstock is, in my experience, completely irrelevant.
Nothing wrong with a Fender. Just not a requirement in this day and age. Or any of the previous 4 decades.
You get hired for what your fingers can do, and what comes out of your bass sound wise. The name on the headstock is, in my experience, completely irrelevant.
Nothing wrong with a Fender. Just not a requirement in this day and age. Or any of the previous 4 decades.
I started out with a Squier Affinity P-Bass and modded it up over the years. I've been playing for 8 years and it has served me well, it's as tough as a tank, sounds amazing, and it gets the job done. I used to (and still sometimes do) cover those bands you listed. I switched out the stock Squier pick-ups for Seymour Duncan SPB-3's (back when they said "BASSLINE" on them) and it gave me that sound most punk bassists get (Mark Hoppus was the inspiration).
I also literally just bought a MIM Fender Standard Jaguar last week, after years of playing nothing but Squiers. It's a beast, and if you want it, get it. You're young (really young), and have a long time to experiment with different basses. Just because you get a Fender now doesn't mean you're "conforming" because when you're 18 you may have saved up enough money to go buy another bass. And that is still young as well. Do you research though, I originally was researching a Fender Standard Jazz bass, and over time I slowly got away from that and into the Jag. It keeps the P-bass sound that I can't leave and adds the jazz pickup that adds some nice growl. So it's the best of both worlds! Look up reviews/watch covers on youtube, go to your local music shop and play a few different ones to get a feel what different ones are like, and make sure the one you go with is the right choice. A Fender is a great choice, especially for what you're playing right now. There are other great choices too!
When I came here asking about the Jaguar vs other P/J pickup basses, I was told to check out many different basses, but my heart was set on the Jag. So in the end, it's what you want to do. Good Luck!
I also literally just bought a MIM Fender Standard Jaguar last week, after years of playing nothing but Squiers. It's a beast, and if you want it, get it. You're young (really young), and have a long time to experiment with different basses. Just because you get a Fender now doesn't mean you're "conforming" because when you're 18 you may have saved up enough money to go buy another bass. And that is still young as well. Do you research though, I originally was researching a Fender Standard Jazz bass, and over time I slowly got away from that and into the Jag. It keeps the P-bass sound that I can't leave and adds the jazz pickup that adds some nice growl. So it's the best of both worlds! Look up reviews/watch covers on youtube, go to your local music shop and play a few different ones to get a feel what different ones are like, and make sure the one you go with is the right choice. A Fender is a great choice, especially for what you're playing right now. There are other great choices too!
When I came here asking about the Jaguar vs other P/J pickup basses, I was told to check out many different basses, but my heart was set on the Jag. So in the end, it's what you want to do. Good Luck!
Haji
Supporting Member
I always advocate trying a Ric and seeing if it works for ya....but you couldn't pay me enough to own and play one. They just don't work with me.
Its kinda funny that Geddy went from that very distinctive tone...to a Fender Jazz Geddy sig model. Still sounds like Geddy, but isn't as....unique and identifiable as the Ric, Steinberger and Wal were.
With $600 you have more than enough money for a good amp (or other accessories) and a used Fender P Bass. I do recommend that at your age, you do get a Fender. Not because it's so amazing or singularly unique, but because you will keep a decent Fender for life and you need that instrument that nobody will ever judge you for walking into a show or audition with. And that's a Fender. I understand that this actually is encouraging existing prejudices but whatever, punk rock is about looks, too.
I actually don't even think that's an issue. People will love the deep bass as long as it sounds good. Maybe use an overdrive pedal for the soloed parts.
The problem with a deep bass tone is you need some serious volume behind it. If people want that aggressive mid heavy punk bass sound, maybe an amp putting out 140 watts at 8 ohms is enough. But if you play a deep sounding flat strung bass with a loud drummer, good luck with that. Trust me. I know. Once I got an amp that could do it all clean and loud, though, I was just fine. I'm sure I could cover Blink with any bass and be fine.
