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Help: I don't know what I want anymore

#103
Limiting yourself to one bass will leave you wanting if you really want to cover all situations. I don't know what you're currently playing, but you want:

P Bass with flats
J bass with rounds
Stingray with rounds

Either the J or Stingray should be a 5 string. You can find nice examples of all of these under $1000 each, not brand new and maybe not a US version. Get an MIM P, a Sire 5 string J and a SBMM Stingray. Splurge a little on one of them. If you join a Beatle tribute act you may need something else.
 
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#106
I mean if you need it to sound exactly like the original, then I guess you will need a number of basses or something with a lot of options like the L-2000 with k wiring. A lot of different musical styles have been covered with only a P or J. Not saying anything bad about guys that have a stable of basses, just saying there are plenty of pros that get by with a pretty basic setup.
 
#112
JazzyJacuzzi said:
TL;DR: I need a light versatile bass that can get me from Gloria Jones' Tainted Love to Muse's Starlight, passing by Dua Lipa's Don't Start Now and Queen's Don't Stop Now.

I've been playing bass for over 15 years now and have owned quite a few Jazzes, Precisions, PJs, Stingrays and even a Warwick at one point. In the past two years, I've had an American Original 60s Jazz and American Original 60s Precision, which I have recently sold for a Music Man Stingray Special HH.

Thing is, I don't like owning more than one bass. I always end up playing my favourite one and leaving the others in the closet.

I loved the tone of the Precision with La Bella flats best, but it didn't work for the faster songs and those where the bass needed to cut through the mix. The nut width (1.73) wasn't the greatest either. The Jazz worked for those songs, but sounded thin for modern pop.

I like the feel of the Stingray HH, but I don't know about the tone. It works great for some things, but too hi-fi or aggressive on other things.

I've been going around music stores trying stuff this past week, but most of them don't have all that many basses. I really enjoyed the Squier 60s Mustang. I've been eyeing Serek basses for a while and was thinking maybe I could get them to build a short scale versatile bass, but I'm worried having a short scale bass as my sole instrument will be limiting. I also really enjoyed the American Professional II Precision. But again, it's not the most versatile instrument.

But again, everything seems, I don't know, disappointing? What would you be looking at with $3k?
Click to expand...
 
#113
First, don't put the basses in the closet.
Second, play basses that push your comfort zone.
For 3K you could get one bass that can do most things well... Or 2-3 basses that can cover all the "basses."
Keep them out. Play them. Sometimes you need Precision or Jazz... Sometimes vintage, sometimes active.
Hell, grab a Mikro an mod the heck out it...
Give up on the one size fits all approach. Get a bass thays plays like butter, then get a bass you have to fight. One that takes the gentle touch... And another that takes the slap and thump.
Get an upright. Get a 6 string. Get a fretless.
I got into a band playing a $4000 monster... but toured with a $800 Schecter.

Play what you need to play what you want.
 
#116
GIBrat51 said:
IMO, They're pretty similar to Fender 9050L flats. Tension, as in "lbs. of pull needed to bring strings to pitch"? About average for flats of that gauge; tension isn't as low as the 142.6 lbs. of TI Jazz Flats, but nowhere near the 214.4 lbs. of the Roto RS77LD Monel Flats. If you mean "tension", as in "Stiffness"? Again, they're about average. Not as flexible as the TIJFs, but not as stiff as most La Bella DTFs. Except for the tone (which is a little more on the on the "bassy" side), and the feel (smoother, and not as sticky right out of the package), Gallis are a lot like the Fenders; a lot. In fact, they would be a possible choice, too. I have the 9050L's on a couple of my basses, and I quite like them...:cool:
Click to expand...

The 9050L were probably some of my least favourite after the Slinky flats… have you tried it with La Bella or TI?
 
#117
JazzyJacuzzi said:
The 9050L were probably some of my least favourite after the Slinky flats… have you tried it with La Bella or TI?
Click to expand...
Tried what? My Stingray Special? No, I haven't; and don't plan to. I doubt I'll put the 9050's on it, either. The 9050's are nice strings, IMO - on the right bass. I have them on 2 basses in my herd; and, AFAIC, I have them on the right ones... As for the TI Jazz Flats? Again, on the right bass? Marvelous strings... but, I don't think my Stingray Special is the right bass - at all. My '95 Alembic Epic, that I play finger picked Jazz on? That's the right bass in my herd for those strings. For the majority of the music I like to play, I mostly use a pick. Compared to the other flats I'm used to, the TI's stiffness is practically nonexistent... I suppose that, if I really worked at it - and got rid of every other bass I own - I could make them work OK. That ain't gonna happen, so... I'm using flats that work much better. As for La Bella flats? Yeah, I use them - and like them a lot. 4 of my basses are currently wearing them, in fact. But, I don't think they're right for every thing I like to play, or for every bass I own. So, again; I don't think they're the right strings for my Stingray Special. Flats that are just flexible enough to finger pick easily, but stiff enough to play well with a pick; that are toward the lower, bassy end of the "Modern", mid-forward group of flats, but with really good mids and some highs, to give me the harmonic overtones that the pre-amp can work with, is what I want on this bass. And, IMO, the Galli Jazz Flats are just the ticket...:cool:
 
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#118
Bright Midnight said:
(if you get a G&L, don't forget to use the volume control as part of the tone stack).


@fermata, what do you mean by using the volume control as part of the tone stack?
Click to expand...
MFD pickups are such livewires that there's a fair bit of room to dial back the volume control before the volume actually drops. As the volume is dialed back, the tone changes: the pickups stop sounding so white-hot and become more like typical (non-MFD) pickups.

CallMeAl said:
G&L SB2 is fantastically versatile- the pickups get aggressive full on but totally mellow out if you dial back the volume knob.
Click to expand...
^ That's a great recommendation for the OP! I experienced the same with an SB-1: with the volume dialed back, it behaved pretty much like a traditional P-bass, but with with it at 100% it was something different.

In short, MFD-equipped basses are very responsive to all their controls, and it's worthwhile giving them a twist!
 
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#119
fermata said:
MFD pickups are such livewires that there's a fair bit of room to dial back the volume control before the volume actually drops. As the volume is dialed back, the tone changes: the pickups stop sounding so white-hot and become more like typical (non-MFD) pickups.


^ That's a great recommendation for the OP! I experienced the same with an SB-1: with the volume dialed back, it behaved pretty much like a traditional P-bass, but with with it at 100% it was something different.

In short, MFD-equipped basses are very responsive to all their controls, and it's worthwhile giving them a twist!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip!
 
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