What do you guys think about the flea bass street bass (FB-ST)? Sould i get this or a squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass? Both are about $300.
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Flea Bass Street Bass
- Thread starter FleaAndTimmyC
- Start date
as with any thread that asks us to help someone choose between 2 basses, I'm going to suggest that you play both if you can. if you get a chance to A&B them you can really get a feel for how they play/ sound compared to one another. If you cant play one of them, look for some demos on Youtube (there are some for the standard fleabass, IDK about the street model).
Given the recent improvements made by Squier in terms of Quality, I'd go with that. I played a regular fleabass and the sound didn't impress me. It felt pretty good, but it just wasn't for me. The squier should be able to cop both flea's and Timmy C's respective tones pretty well (not perfectly of course).
The newer squiers I've played have all played and sounded pretty darn good.
Given the recent improvements made by Squier in terms of Quality, I'd go with that. I played a regular fleabass and the sound didn't impress me. It felt pretty good, but it just wasn't for me. The squier should be able to cop both flea's and Timmy C's respective tones pretty well (not perfectly of course).
The newer squiers I've played have all played and sounded pretty darn good.
I am learning how to play so i can't really test them because I don't know what to look for. =(
Ah. Honesty, just play them (if you can) and see which feels more comfortable for your fretting hand. As far as sound goes, just fiddle with the knobs. That's all I did on my first bass (Washburn P bass copy). For someone just learning either bass will do. It just depends on which you can play with less effort. Hope this made some kind of sense.
I'd be inclined to go for a squier. I nearly bought a fleabass model 32 but at the last minute changed my mind and bought an ibanez. Before you buy anything, keep in mind what you'll be wanting to use the bass for (ie bedroom practice, eventually joining a band etc) then consider what sort of tone you would like. Something like a squier or ibanez is a lot more tonally versatile than the fleabass (IME) also consider build quality too - the fleabass does lag behind in fit and finish to a squier or ibanez. I don't think you'd be kicking yourself if you went for either of the latter.
Watch some Youtubes of both. They have different sounds, pick the one that you like better.
Your Talk Bass name is Flea and Timmy C; both have played Jazz Basses and Stingrays (the Street Bass takes after the Stingray) in their careers. What recordings from Flea and Tim Commerford d you like best? What were they playing in those recordings?
Your Talk Bass name is Flea and Timmy C; both have played Jazz Basses and Stingrays (the Street Bass takes after the Stingray) in their careers. What recordings from Flea and Tim Commerford d you like best? What were they playing in those recordings?
That reputation here on Talk Bass comes mostly from one review of one bass that turned into a bash Flea thread.
I haven't had the opportunity to find and play a Fleabass yet but if I were in the market to buy, I would try to hunt one down. I like my j-basses but prefer my ATK and OLP MM2 much more because of their feel and the sounds I can get from them. The Fleabass seems to be closer to what I prefer in a bass than a Squier Jazz.
It's not just on TB. I've played it myself and thought it was pretty horrid (but YMMV). To me, there's no comparison. The Squier VM's and CV's are the basses to go for in the = or < $350 range.
I beg to differ.
I've played few "Flea" basses in stores up in LA - they weren't the worst bass I picked up that day, but they were overpriced and under-featured.
Mediocre is what lept to mind.
Go and try them. If you put your index finger of your fretting hand on the first fret and your pinky finger on the third or fourth fret, you should be able to gauge how comfortable it will be to play even if you are a novice.
Try to score a used MusicMan Stingray-- both artists did their best work on that bass (for me, RHCP ceases to exist after BSSM).
Louis Johnson also played a Stingray, as does Blasko (bassist for Rob Zombie, then Ozzy). It is one of those rare basses that can both funk it up, and snarl like a rabid Hellhound.
The Squier VMs were a pleasant surprise and definitely the best bass you can get in that price range. If I need a cheap J beater that'll be the first instrument I turn to.
The Flea Bass would be good if you modded everything on it; it's horrible stock. The pickup is very muddy and cheap sounding, the tuners were wonky, and I felt like I was playing on a toy.
The Flea Bass would be good if you modded everything on it; it's horrible stock. The pickup is very muddy and cheap sounding, the tuners were wonky, and I felt like I was playing on a toy.
