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First bass: P Bass or Stingray?

#21
Do you want the 5-string more or the 4-string? You could probably get a pickguard with the color you want for that Ray35 somewhere. You'll get more sounds out of the Ray35 because it's active. I'd go for the P myself because I'm not into active basses but I'd want a 5-string and I don't think they make an MIM 5-string P.

By the way, I thought Tool's bassist (the one on the 1st full length album) played a Rick. I'm too lazy to look it up, can anyone confirm?
 
#23
I think as an only bass the Precision might be a bit better, mainly because it is more mod-able.

You can slam in a SPB-1 or a Quarter Pounder. You can try random other necks if there is something you don't like about the one you have. Either exchange is difficult with a Stingray. Plus no battery and less knobs so you play more and fiddle less :)

Next month you have both anyway so don't sweat it.
 
#24
I've been doing some research, and I have to say that I really dig the P bass a lot more than the Ray. That being said, I've been reading a lot about this Japanese Fender called the Aerodyne which has a PJ pickup combo. Does anyone have experience with one of these? I've heard good things about PJ basses, and I've heard that the Japanese basses are just under the American when it comes to quality/performance. When I take a pickup upgrade (I want a modern kind of sound) and a new pickguard (if I have a pickguard, I want tortoiseshell, gosh darn it!) into consideration, it's only going to end up about $80 cheaper than the Aerodyne.
 
#28
Sgroh87 said:
The Aerodyne runs right at $799 on Musician's Friend. I think that I can justify it to myself to spend a LITTLE bit more. $800 isn't a hard limit, but just anything after that makes me go "eh..." ;)
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I had that bass in 2010. I liked it. The $799 version is Mexican-made. No matter though. It was a good bass & sounded cool :cool:

Edit: And looked cool too :cool:

Edit: I don't think the $799 ones have pickguards, do they?
 
#29
Start with a P. Big part of learning how to play a bass is learning to fit (mix-wise). A good P will speed it up (it's foolproof, unlike Stingray), and you can keep it forever - it will always be handy, no matter where you go next with your preferences.
 
#30
Oh, and if you go for a PJ, make sure to get a bass that has P and J pickups DESIGNED to work together. I had experimented adding a J to P bass, with some success, but must say that my Yamaha BB415 does it much better. Oh yeah, and I prefere a switch instead of pan pot for passive, it makes more sense (search on this forum will tell you more).
 
#31
Herrick said:
I had that bass in 2010. I liked it. The $799 version is Mexican-made. No matter though. It was a good bass & sounded cool :cool:

Edit: And looked cool too :cool:

Edit: I don't think the $799 ones have pickguards, do they?
Click to expand...

I thought that the Aerodyne Jazz Bass was only made in Japan. :/ If it's also Mexican, then is it worth spending the extra money to get the bridge pickup if I'm happy with the P bass tone?

It does look cool and goes well with my Epiphone Sheraton II guitar, which is black with cream binding. They don't have pickguards, no.

I know it's silly, but I wanted it to "go with" my guitar. The guitar is black with cream binding and has a tortoiseshell pickguard (which is removable). I wanted either a white bass with tortoiseshell to contrast with the guitar or a black bass with either a tortoiseshell pickguard or no pickguard with cream binding to match it. Fashion matters! xD
 
#32
electracoyote said:
+1

There's no right or wrong here. But IMHO, you did pick two winners right out of the gate ;)

The one that inspires you to play for whatever totally subjective reason you use, is the right choice. Whichever one you end up with, play the hell out of it, every day, as long as you can, every chance you get. Before long, it will be THE MUSIC that matters more than what bass you chose. And isn't that how it should be?

Good luck!
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+1... Absolutely! Get the one that affects you more EMOTIONALLY. This includes playability, tone, cosmetics (to a lesser degree) AND which one sparks your personal CREATIVITY.
 
#33
I know you don't want to hear it but buy used. First of all you'll get a lot more for your money. Second, if you buy the wrong bass and want to sell it you won't lose near as much money. If you are going on the Internet asking strangers which of those very different basses you should buy than you don't have a very good idea of what you want and a high probability that you'll want tor trade whatever you get. Just an opinion.
 
#34
Sgroh87 said:
I thought that the Aerodyne Jazz Bass was only made in Japan. :/ If it's also Mexican, then is it worth spending the extra money to get the bridge pickup if I'm happy with the P bass tone?

It does look cool and goes well with my Epiphone Sheraton II guitar, which is black with cream binding. They don't have pickguards, no.

I know it's silly, but I wanted it to "go with" my guitar. The guitar is black with cream binding and has a tortoiseshell pickguard (which is removable). I wanted either a white bass with tortoiseshell to contrast with the guitar or a black bass with either a tortoiseshell pickguard or no pickguard with cream binding to match it. Fashion matters! xD
Click to expand...

Honestly, I can't quite remember how it sounded with the bridge pickup. I like how a 4-string P sounds with just the P pickup. I don't think it "needs" a bridge pickup, but that's just Herrick. I'm not sure how you'd get a pickguard on there without drilling holes. I guess it could be carefully glued on or something? I wouldn't bother though.

Some Japanese ones come with pickguards. They look very cool. I'd post a link butt I am unable to access an address bar on my browser at work. Lame :spit:
 
#35
lfmn16 said:
I know you don't want to hear it but buy used. First of all you'll get a lot more for your money. Second, if you buy the wrong bass and want to sell it you won't lose near as much money. If you are going on the Internet asking strangers which of those very different basses you should buy than you don't have a very good idea of what you want and a high probability that you'll want tor trade whatever you get. Just an opinion.
Click to expand...

*sigh*

The real reason that I don't want to get used is because I work in a music shop (in the band and orchestral department) and I can get combo instruments for just over cost. I'm not really supposed to advertise that fact, which is why I didn't explain earlier, but I guess that unless I explain WHY I'm not looking at used, people will still tell me to buy used. My price on these items is usually about the same as the used market cost.

I'm asking strangers because I've sat down with both a P bass and a Ray34 and spent about an hour playing with each of them and found each to have benefits and drawbacks. My knowledge of bass playing is not that high, but in my limited experience I enjoyed both and thought they both sounded good. I was leaning more towards the P tone-wise, but the Ray had a slight edge in feel and it would be nice (though not necessary) to have a low B.
 
#36
Herrick said:
Honestly, I can't quite remember how it sounded with the bridge pickup. I like how a 4-string P sounds with just the P pickup. I don't think it "needs" a bridge pickup, but that's just Herrick. I'm not sure how you'd get a pickguard on there without drilling holes. I guess it could be carefully glued on or something? I wouldn't bother though.

Some Japanese ones come with pickguards. They look very cool. I'd post a link butt I am unable to access an address bar on my browser at work. Lame :spit:
Click to expand...

Sorry, you misunderstand. I was saying that IF it has a pickguard, THEN I would want to make sure it's shell. No guard = no problem. :)
 
#38
If it has to be new:
Why not a Squier VM P? Then upgrade it with tuners and the pickup of your choice and it will sound and stay in tune better and you'll have less $ into it than an MIM P...and it will play just as well.
 

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