Hey there folks, just signed up here. My name is Aaron and I'm primarily a drummer... fairly good though not pro. I've played in a number of original indie rock sorts of bands over the years and lately have gotten into playing jazz with a group of folks that play jazz standard kinds of things. I dig all kinds of music from the Meat Puppets, minutemen, to Charles Mingus, Coltrane, Black Sabbath, X, Meters, Velvet Underground, old reggae stuff, African, Brazilian... I could go on and on...
I've messed around with guitar a bit over the years, but never really took to it. A few years back though a friend lent me a bass... a cheap Yamaha thing and I really got into that. I started picking up some bass lines off of records and creating my own stuff in a way that I never did with guitar. What can I say... I just really connected with the instrument. I kinda think that if I had to do it all over again, I'd probably go with bass rather than drums. I like the role of it in a band... sort of the bridge between the beat and the melody/harmony.
Anyway... my pal with that bass borrowed the thing back and now I've really been jonesing for another bass to play - so it looks like it's time to buy one. I'm hoping that you good folks here can give me some recommendations...
My criteria is:
4 String - full scale.
Cheap. I'm not having a lot of cash at the moment. I'm willing to spend in the neighborhood of $200 and I see that there are actually a lot of models that are even less than this new so especially if I go used, I figure that I ought to have some choices.
Styling: though it might seem silly to even think about this stuff for a budget like mine, I do have some preferences for something that if not actually a true vintage style, doesn't look too "80s"... if that makes any sense. I love the look of Fenders, but am open to any brand that's a good value. I like a kind of vintage, classic style...
Style: I played on Jazz as well as Precision style basses and both were actually OK with me. I have a slight preference for the wider neck of the P basses, but I think that I could get used to either. I do like the extra tonal options that Jazz style basses have, though I also kinda like that fat P tone.
Also... something not too heavy would be nice.
Funny, I did try out some basses in a few shops in my town, but I didn't uncover much that seemed that great. It seems that used stuff in the price range that I'm looking for seems to more often than not to go for not that much less than new. I tried a used Squier P bass that played OK but kind of seemed chinzier than a knockoff P copy that I played that was brand new and about the same price. Am I likely to a find a MIM bass for $200? It seems like some of the Squiers are a bit fancier than others. If I go this route, what should I look for? I understand that SX basses are cheap and fairly nice... but can I find something much better used? If I get some knockoff brand, what ones are good? Which ones to stay away from (I played a Jazz style "Vineyard" bass in a shop here that seemed OK). What are the bargains that I might find used at this price? Where? Does anyone want to sell me exactly what I'm looking for? How do I play this thing...?
I might be kind of spoiled in that I've gotten some great deals on drum gear and so I feel like I need to hold out for the same kind of thing in a bass.
Thanks folks...
I've messed around with guitar a bit over the years, but never really took to it. A few years back though a friend lent me a bass... a cheap Yamaha thing and I really got into that. I started picking up some bass lines off of records and creating my own stuff in a way that I never did with guitar. What can I say... I just really connected with the instrument. I kinda think that if I had to do it all over again, I'd probably go with bass rather than drums. I like the role of it in a band... sort of the bridge between the beat and the melody/harmony.
Anyway... my pal with that bass borrowed the thing back and now I've really been jonesing for another bass to play - so it looks like it's time to buy one. I'm hoping that you good folks here can give me some recommendations...
My criteria is:
4 String - full scale.
Cheap. I'm not having a lot of cash at the moment. I'm willing to spend in the neighborhood of $200 and I see that there are actually a lot of models that are even less than this new so especially if I go used, I figure that I ought to have some choices.
Styling: though it might seem silly to even think about this stuff for a budget like mine, I do have some preferences for something that if not actually a true vintage style, doesn't look too "80s"... if that makes any sense. I love the look of Fenders, but am open to any brand that's a good value. I like a kind of vintage, classic style...
Style: I played on Jazz as well as Precision style basses and both were actually OK with me. I have a slight preference for the wider neck of the P basses, but I think that I could get used to either. I do like the extra tonal options that Jazz style basses have, though I also kinda like that fat P tone.
Also... something not too heavy would be nice.
Funny, I did try out some basses in a few shops in my town, but I didn't uncover much that seemed that great. It seems that used stuff in the price range that I'm looking for seems to more often than not to go for not that much less than new. I tried a used Squier P bass that played OK but kind of seemed chinzier than a knockoff P copy that I played that was brand new and about the same price. Am I likely to a find a MIM bass for $200? It seems like some of the Squiers are a bit fancier than others. If I go this route, what should I look for? I understand that SX basses are cheap and fairly nice... but can I find something much better used? If I get some knockoff brand, what ones are good? Which ones to stay away from (I played a Jazz style "Vineyard" bass in a shop here that seemed OK). What are the bargains that I might find used at this price? Where? Does anyone want to sell me exactly what I'm looking for? How do I play this thing...?
I might be kind of spoiled in that I've gotten some great deals on drum gear and so I feel like I need to hold out for the same kind of thing in a bass.
Thanks folks...
