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help choosing a new bass

I

iggy-slap

Nov 27, 2008
3
0
#1
i need help in choosing my next bass. i used to play a ibanez srx700 and now i am playing a mexican fender jazz with emg active pickups. the problem i have with those two basses is that the ibanez has a very fast and playable neck and very fast response pickups but it has a very thin tone. the jazz has a very good/fat tone, but the neck is ok, but not as good as the one from ibanez and the pickups are pretty "lazy" - fast played stuff don't come out so clean like on the ibanez.

to summerize: i need a bass with a fast neck, fast pickup response and a good/fat tone (kinda mix of those two basses i already have).
can you please tell wich basses have theese characteristics?

thank you very much in advance
 
#2
You should try one Ibanez SR, but not the cheaper ones, the mid/high end priced... those are the fastest necks that I´ve tried and have nice and fat sounds.

I used to play a SR400 from 1997, so i know what you mean. It was a light, fast playing bass, but sounded very thin, compared to my P-bass and my Ibanez ATK305. Of course those have big necks, compared to a SR model.
 
#4
i already tried that :) i just thought maybe somebody knows a manufacturer i didn't tried and has the characteristics i need :)
the bass that came at most to my needs is an american g&l 2000.
any other suggestions?
 
#7
Stick with the Soundgear line for a "fast" neck...they don't come any faster than that (hey now!).

You can get a new one like the SR500 (cheaper one, but good) or SR900 (much better, definitely not thin sounding).

You can also switch out the pickups in the one you currently have with some hot ones, like overwound Fralins or Rio Grande. As those are expensive pickups, and passive (which I prefer), you may want to go with EMG or DiMarzio as opposed to the Barts that soundgears often come with. You can buy some high output pickups for $100, have someone put em in if you don't know how for $60, and there you go. It's like getting a new bass with the neck you want for less than some budget basses.
 
#8
Another vote for getting a look at an SR 900. Used ones are around for less "sticker shock" and they seem to be quite useful. I play a passive Jazz with DiMarzio Ultra J's, but I've noodled with that Ibanez at the shop and liked it.

RickenBoogie is right though - try just about every bass you can get your hands on. What you may find is that you need a somewhat substantial neck to deliver the response you're looking for, but who knows, right? I'll bet that after you look around for a while, you'll know you've got a winner when you try it.

Maybe keep an eye out for one of the imported basses from MTD. Those asymmetrical necks are really comfy and even the passive ones deliver a lot of sound. I'm cruising for one myself...
 
#9
Thought about sticking some hot, fat pickups in the Ibanez you already own? If you have found a bass that plays well, you are half-way there. Now all you have to do is nake it SOUND like you want it to. Cheers.
 

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