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Good basses that arent fender?

#81
M-m-m... I guess a lot of us have this "perfect ideal tone" in our heads, which (at least the way I see it) is largely based on the music that we grew up with. I grew up listening to a lot of 70-80s music and a lot of Beatles. Clearly, Fender wasn't the first instrument that I had in my mind. Researching your favorite players helps. No, you won't sound like them. But you will know what instrument sounds familiar to your ears and it's a good starting point.

P.S. I'm waiting for some stuff from E-bay (damn those overseas delivery times) in order to build my first parts based P-bass. Yes, I never thought I would like the sound. And now I love it! No, it's not a universal sound, but when it works, it works like no other bass! :)
 
#82
BassBandit said:
I can't make up my mind on sounds either which is why I've covered Almost Every p/u configuration, I have a Sadowsky Jazz, I custom built a P bass, I just bought a new Ric 4003, I have Dual Coils, Soap bars, etc.

You might want to look into the higher end Ibanez's starting at the SR 500 with Bartolini Soap Bars a mid Boost/Cut switch, the 1200, 1400 and 1600 have Nordstrand Big Singles....Both of these p/u configs you can easily dial in a very adequet Jazz sound, Roll off the bridge pup and you can get a P bass sound and then there's everything in between, The necks on the Ibanez 4 strings are the same 1 1/2 at the nut Jazz bass neck I just sold 2 basses got 3 on ebay including an Ibanez SR 500 and most likely tomorrow I'm going to list 3-5 basses here in the classifieds, but look at the Ibanez line, they play and sound great and they're reasonably priced
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I have an SR1200 and I hate to say it, but it doesn't sound like either J or P. Somewhat close, but not really if you compare it to a real P or J. Not a bad instrument, but it has its own distinct sound and doesn't replace any of the Fenders.
 
#83
There seems to be so much love for Fender and J basses, but every time I try one I just don't like them. They seem to overpriced and overrated to me. Not saying they are bad, by any means. Just saying I don't understand all the love and how people can say they can't find another bass that compares to them.

Maybe it's because I'm more of a stingray guy. Who knows. But, Fenders just aren't to my liking.
 
#91
wraub said:
Looked at their webpage- 24.9K Ohms sounds potentially beefy, but bridge string spread only?

Please inform me as to options and tone. Please. :)
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Jerry can do any string spacing.Just shoot him an email.There are many options for wiring multi coils though most just wire them in series or 2 coils in parallel for more of a p-bass tone.They are very hi-fi pickups.Not much coloration at all
 
#92
What? Im a fender guy but I don't think they blow everything out of the water. I think almost every brand of bass is pretty good now a days. Id even make an argument that they're better than Fenders. Fenders are just the standard. I usually prefer cheaper basses. I don't like super high end bass sound in a band setting usually and I've owned Alembics, tobias, Pedulla's.
 
#94
I've had a USA Fender P, USA J, Peavey T-40, Fender cowpoke, and some off brand I cant remember neck tru. But this 1990 Ibanez SR1000 I traded for, has been the best playing bass out of the bunch for me. the Ash body to me is light and comfortable to play. I like the Carvin bass's I just don't care for the look of the new headstock myself. The bass I really wanted was a Prestige not an Ibanez but a company in Canada called Prestige They make great stuff I have a Guitar from them a Heritage Standard LP.
 
#95
Its hard to move away from a Fender bass once you get used to them...like a nice pair of Levis. I own several Fenders. Over time, I have wanted to try different basses. The true test of any instrument in my view is the live show. the ones that stay with you are the real deal. If you want an alternative try a Carvin. The PB-4 or their version of a Jazz bass . Very reasonal price and a great value.
 
#96
pauljude said:
Its hard to move away from a Fender bass once you get used to them....
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Ummm I would beg to differ, but then if everyone liked the same thing, it would be boring wouldn't it! I found it very easy to move away from a Fender. I believe that right now, the best bang for the buck bass out there are the Ibanez basses.. I am curious about the new SRFF805 that they have come out with..
 
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#97
Wipsu said:
Sandberg (better than Fenders IMO), Status
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I finally got to play a Sandberg UMBO last week. IMHO, it was a nice bass. But it wasn't better than a "good" Fender in any way shape or form. (the quality of Fender's does cary quite a bit).
My gas for a Sandberg ended, right then and there.

It also was not better than my Carvin JB. And the little toggle switch to get the different tones, was noisy. Yes.
Now I really need to try a Modulus. ;-)
 
#98
obimark said:
I finally got to play a Sandberg UMBO last week. IMHO, it was a nice bass. But it wasn't better than a "good" Fender in any way shape or form. (the quality of Fender's does cary quite a bit).
My gas for a Sandberg ended, right then and there.

It also was not better than my Carvin JB. And the little toggle switch to get the different tones, was noisy. Yes.
Now I really need to try a Modulus. ;-)
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I beg to differ; the Sandbergs I've seen are really nice, build quality wise to my eyes and hands better than the Fenders I've tried. YMMV, etc. :)
 
#100
FretNoMore said:
I beg to differ; the Sandbergs I've seen are really nice, build quality wise to my eyes and hands better than the Fenders I've tried. YMMV, etc. :)
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In it's defense it was a 5-string (and I am a die-hard 4-string) player- the string spacing bugged me a lot.
But tone and playability wise, it was VERY similar to my Carvin JB. Very much so. (and I know because I played them both within minutes of each other).

The problem is there is a lot of variation in ALL these basses whether we admit or not. There are great "instances" of all of them, and then some, that just aren't there. For instance this Sandberg had OK action, but nothing special. Tone wise it had a range from the classic P-bass tone, to a Jazz sound.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying it was a bad bass, it just wasn't the holy grail for me.
 

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