Help me decide on a bass!

[MKashlinsky99]

Danelectro 64 or Fender MIM Jazz? Or, if you know any others, send em my way!
I’m looking to buy a decent second bass, and I can’t decide between these two. If you guys know what neck shape, playability or anything else about these please let me know!

 

[Samatza]

Two totally different animals. What is your main bass and what style(s) of music do you play?

 

[Reedt2000]

G&L L2000

Sounds killer, really versatile, can't go wrong

 

[MKashlinsky99]

Two totally different animals. What is your main bass and what style(s) of music do you play?

Haha, sorry. I totally forgot to specify. I mainly play hard rock/metal and dabble in funk. I like playing slap or with my fingers, not a huge pick guy. Right now, I use a crappy Affinity Squier, modern c neck and PJ pickups. I would love something with Humbuckers though. I narrowed it down to these two because I prefer passive and these were the coolest looking within my price range. I use Rounds but I roll my treble off a bit.

 

[MKashlinsky99]

G&L L2000

Sounds killer, really versatile, can't go wrong

Hmm... I dig the humbuckers, but I’d rather a passive bass

 

[SJan3]

Hmm... I dig the humbuckers, but I’d rather a passive bass

Turn the preamp off and, Bingo, a passive bass.

 

[Volker Kirstein]

Haha, sorry. I totally forgot to specify. I mainly play hard rock/metal and dabble in funk. I like playing slap or with my fingers, not a huge pick guy. Right now, I use a crappy Affinity Squier, modern c neck and PJ pickups. I would love something with Humbuckers though. I narrowed it down to these two because I prefer passive and these were the coolest looking within my price range. I use Rounds but I roll my treble off a bit.

Epiphone EB-0? In cherry. Black is so boring...

Short scale, easy to play, funky sound, mudbucker that can growl bigly.... What could possibly go wrong? (other than breaking off the headstock)

 

[Samatza]

Turn the preamp off and, Bingo, a passive bass.

That’s a good option, these basses have a ton of tones and will cover the styles you play with ease.
There are also Warwick basses that have the double humbuckers that can be switched to passive mode.

 

[jackn1202]

Haha, sorry. I totally forgot to specify. I mainly play hard rock/metal and dabble in funk. I like playing slap or with my fingers, not a huge pick guy. Right now, I use a crappy Affinity Squier, modern c neck and PJ pickups. I would love something with Humbuckers though. I narrowed it down to these two because I prefer passive and these were the coolest looking within my price range. I use Rounds but I roll my treble off a bit.

Definitely the Jazz then. Danos have thin string spacing which makes it very hard to slap, whereas the Jazz is kinda built for slap. Or, slap was built for the Jazz Bass. One or the other.

 

[MKashlinsky99]

Epiphone EB-0? In cherry. Black is so boring...

Short scale, easy to play, funky sound, mudbucker that can growl bigly.... What could possibly go wrong? (other than breaking off the headstock)

That’s actually a really good bass.. I need to consider that. The active is a slight turnoff but I’ve always been an SG fan and the lower price would really be helpful if I wanted to get a better amp.

 

[MKashlinsky99]

That’s a good option, these basses have a ton of tones and will cover the styles you play with ease.
There are also Warwick basses that have the double humbuckers that can be switched to passive mode.

I’ve watched a couple demos on the G&L and everything seems good. The only problem is it’s a bit more than the fenders and the dans I found, and I’d rather just get a better amp with my leftover budget (I have a crappy starter pack amp). I’ll have to look at the Warwicks next time I go to a guitar store though.

 

[Maxdusty]

Between the two, the Jazz bass based on what you play. I too would recommend a Tribute L2000 which is around the same price range but it has a chunky, wider neck than what you're used to. More of a P bass neck. Great sounding bass that's both active and passive. OR even cheaper new but another good option is a Sire M3 or V3. Sire basses are also both active and passive. The Sire M3 has two humbuckers.


Here's a video comparing a Fender jazz with a Sire M3 and V7.

 

[Yup]

I would say get a sterling stingray if you didn't have an adversion to active. But between those two I would say get the jazz. Some options you might consider thought are a min Jaguar and a Thunderbird. The Jaguar has a ok configuration and could do what you are saying perfectly. The Thunderbird has two humbuckers and would also work perfect for both circumstances. They both look really cool too.

 

[Richard Martin]

Epiphone EB-0? In cherry. Black is so boring...

I'd like to see one of these after a few years of regular use before I pull the trigger on buying one. It's a given that right out of the box the electrics and pickup will have to be replaced, particularly the electrics. I'd want to know if the neck is even close to stable or will it need adjustments with the seasons? Will the neck twist in time? I see a whole lot of twisted necks but not much discussion of them. How about the tuners? Can you get a fine adjustment or will it keep popping back and forth after they've been used for a while? Will the 3 point bridge stay where it's supposed to?

It's pointless to buy a cheap guitar if you have to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on it to make it last a while and still be playable in 10 years. Been there, done that.

 

[Yup]

That’s actually a really good bass.. I need to consider that. The active is a slight turnoff but I’ve always been an SG fan and the lower price would really be helpful if I wanted to get a better amp.

Just want to say eb's are not active and with that giant humbucker next to the neck it can get kinda muddy so it's hard to get a good tone for slap

 

[bench]

Definitely the Jazz then. Danos have thin string spacing which makes it very hard to slap, whereas the Jazz is kinda built for slap. Or, slap was built for the Jazz Bass. One or the other.

i think that sums it up regarding the original question.

 

[gscroggin]

Depending on your price target, you might want to check out any of the newer Ibanez SR options. I hadn’t played an Ibanez in about 20 years, I just moved on to what I felt were better instruments, even if it meant spending more money. 20-30 years ago there were way less options though. I recently picked up a used SRSC805 on a whim to have another 5 string that I could gig with and not worry when it gets the usual gigging treatment. I was blown away. Amazing build quality, useful active/passive EQ, super comfortable and light. I’ve since checked out a few other newer models in local music stores, just to see if I got lucky and found a rare gem. To Ibanez’ s credit, I’ve got to say no. Every single one I picked up sounded and played great, even with the typical mediocre large music store setup. They’re killin’ it these days IMO with value for money. I’m also the kind of guy that doesn’t mind shelling out money for what I perceive as quality, or even boutique. The only thing I don’t get with the Ibanez is the bespoke factor, but that’s not what I’m after in a typical gigging bass, at least with the bands that get the most regular gigs. That said, every time I gig that bass people come up to me and say “wow, what is that, it’s beautiful and sounds awesome”. If they happen to be musician, they’re typically floored when I say it’s an Ibanez. It literally just happened again last night, which is why it’s top of mind and I’m taking the time to post. Has it made be sell my Fender American P5? No, but I’ve been 50/50 these days on which one is first call on gigging. If I’m honest, the Ibanez is more we’ll rounded. But the P is a P, and sometimes I just want that vibe.

OTOH someone above mentioned Sire. I bought one of the newer generation Jazz models and I’m on the fence about it. Lower price point and different vibe from an Ibanez of course, but I’m more impressed with the Ibanez overall. As far as music styles, I do it all. Except country ;-)

 

[twinjet]

Hmm... I dig the humbuckers, but I’d rather a passive bass

It is passive. The preamp is completely optional.

 

[iiipopes]

What is your budget? Ibanez makes many basses that will fulfill your function, in all price ranges. What they all have in common: unexcelled quality control, feel, consistency. The least expensive bass has the same attention to detail, especially in the neck, fingerboard and frets, as their most expensive models.

 

[pbass2]

Definitely the Jazz then. Danos have thin string spacing which makes it very hard to slap, whereas the Jazz is kinda built for slap. Or, slap was built for the Jazz Bass. One or the other.

Couldn't agree more. I've owned various vintage Danos and Dano-shaped beasts over the years. It's really a different feel ergonomically from something "Fender-like". In fact, I find them most comfortable when played with a pick or thumb-pluck. You can play fingerstyle of course, but anchoring your thumb on the pickup can feel awkward for some players. You can't dig in the same way as on a Fender-esque bass. And forget slap on a bass like that. It's simply not the right tool for that job. Feels wrong, won't sound good. IMHO of course. In fact, I'd venture to say short scales are generally not great for slap (though I'm sure some cats can kill it on a shorty...)