I would also caution you to stay out of the classifieds, It has been the downfall of many, myself included
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Nice, I'm not buying the jazz description, you got you two soapbars there, but that's cool, the Ibanez I play have them too, don't matter what you gots, they all send ya in the right direction, good on youHere she is.... Lousy photo- the color is too dark in it. Our house has terrible lighting.
Haha yes. I very nearly bought a rather expensive banjolele on the UU forums last year. Ended up buying a much less expensive one after much arguing with myself that I'm happy with.
Good luck with your journey! I have added a link that will help you understand the mechanics of the bass guitar, and how one adjustment will effect the others. As you have done some nut filing on your ukes, this shouldn't be out of you ability range.
I hope this helps you. And of course, welcome!
I spent like 2 months searching out the add over and over again before I went in to actually see it. Love at first sight... Lol. I knew nothing at all going into this. What you all have helped me with today and what I've read since last night - that's pretty much everything I know. But that's okay, I can learn while I learn to play her.
I think we already have all the tools mentioned except for feeler gauges. I'll likely call both the local music shop and GC tomorrow morning and inquire about a setup though.
Any hardware store will have them as well. Cheaper. Walmart probably as well. Home Depot, Menards, True Value, Sears. They should all have the feeler gauges. With just a few tools you can save yourself a lot of money.
I've been a drummer since the late 1960s, I fumbled around on bass as a kid at the same time. I ended up becoming a serious drummer and focused only on that instrument for many years. I bought a bass from a pawn shop at the beginning of 2008 and decided that I wanted to become a serious bass player. A week later I suffered a serious stroke, my development as a bassist went on the back burner.
In the summer of 2010 I finally was finally ready to begin my bassist journey. On January 21st 2011 I finally wandered into Talkbass, I've been here ever since.
As you are already discovering, the members of TB are always ready to help. My development as a bassist would never have been as fast without the great members here. And yes, I consider myself a true bassist these days.
So, welcome to Talkbass. Continue to ask questions, and most of all just have fun with it.
In the summer of 2010 I finally was finally ready to begin my bassist journey. On January 21st 2011 I finally wandered into Talkbass, I've been here ever since.
As you are already discovering, the members of TB are always ready to help. My development as a bassist would never have been as fast without the great members here. And yes, I consider myself a true bassist these days.
So, welcome to Talkbass. Continue to ask questions, and most of all just have fun with it.
Thank you, and thanks for sharing your story with me. You guys have made me feel right at home here.
I must politely, but firmly, disagree with this notion. I feel it's the body-type that determines the bassic classification. To whit, can you tell me which of my basses are "Jazz Basses"? (Spoiler Alert: They're all Jazz basses, because of the offset body-shape, not because of the differing pickups each has. I use a similar analogy to cars. It doesn't matter what's under the hood of my Jetta…it's still a "Jetta".
)
Yea, but when manufactures and retailers label something as a P or a J, it's because of the pickup config, no?I must politely, but firmly, disagree with this notion. I feel it's the body-type that determines the bassic classification. To whit, can you tell me which of my basses are "Jazz Basses"? (Spoiler Alert: They're all Jazz basses, because of the offset body-shape, not because of the differing pickups each has. I use a similar analogy to cars. It doesn't matter what's under the hood of my Jetta…it's still a "Jetta".
As far as I know, P and J basses can have different pickup configurations but it is the body shape that dictates the model name. Although there are typical pickup configurations which can be attributed to certain models.
Since they were Fender's creations, I'll default to their modus operandi. Whenever they put out something with a non-standard pickup configuration, they default to body-shape for it's classification. For example…
- Blacktop Jazz (Jazz body & neck, two Precision pickups)
- Mark Hoppus Jazz (Jazz body, Precision neck and single Precision pickup)
- Aerodyne Jazz, Hot Rod Jazz, Reggie Hamilton-sig Jazz (J bods & necks, P/J configuration)
- Squier Standard Precision V (P bod, two Jazz-style pickups)
silly?
you must be kidding!
we all need to be completly nuts to pick up that instrument! So beeing silly you are on the best way to become a very good bassplaver!!!
never stop asking questions!
you're welcome
may the bass be with you
Wise(b)ass
Well... Time will tell on that...lol. But either way I am sure I'll have lots of fun with it.
You mean I don't have to get a tort for my Jazz?I see it's your first day as a member. Welcome to talkbass, the website that will eventually destroy your playing until you descend into madness. (It's not that bad
You had some pretty god answers already, so I'll give my own version of what you should be concerned about as a beginner. The rest will come as you get more experienced.
1- Bass models.
Bass models are endless, and they all have certain companies. (Fender, Rickenbacker, Music Man, being some of the more popular). Bassically, models count more or less by the type of pickup they use (The blocks under the strings).
Precision bass:View attachment 1030186
Jazz Bass:
View attachment 1030187
Rickenbacker:
View attachment 1030188
Stingray:
View attachment 1030189
Pickups (PU):
Precision bass uses split-coil pickup, which look like this:
View attachment 1030173
Jazz basses use two single-coil pickups. Each pickup has it's own volume knob, used to change the tone. Pickups closer to the bridge will have more treble and less bass. Pickups closer to the neck will have more bass.
Single coil PU:
View attachment 1030182
Humbucking means hum-cancelling. It uses a negative hum and positive hum that cancel each other out, eliminating noise.:
View attachment 1030185 (this shape might also be called soapbar)
You'll see variations of these, but for now, that's all you need to know.
The bass you use uses two humbucking pickups.
Active and passive:
Active basses use a 9 volt battery to power certain controls. Active basses make less noise, have greater tonal options than passive basses. Bottom line is: Active basses and boost and cut EQs, whilst passive can only cut.
Strings:
Strings affect quite a lot the tone of the bass. There are two major types: Flatround and Roundwound.
Roundwounds are used more commonly, in any genre. They are good for all purposes.
Flatrounds give a smoother sound and feel, and they last longer. But they are mostly used for jazz.
You can bet a bass with either 4, 5 or 6 strings, 4 being the most common. I personally prefer 5, but that's just me.
I would recommend you start with nickel roundwounds for now.
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Every bass sounds different. Go to youtube, listen to different types of basses, learn what you like. Practice and you'll learn all you need to know.
Congratulations, good luck, have fun and God bless.
Tort is short for a tortoiseshell pick guard. It's not real tortoiseshell but it's been called that since the 1950s. According to some, a tort guard improves the playability of the bass, as opposed to a troll guard, which can hinder progress.
Nooooooooope!
Besides, it'd look weirder than usual on that sweet-ass, stealthy-as-hell JP-90.
Okay I tried to Google "troll guard on bass" and just got a bunch of RPG game stuff. Help me out here?Tort is short for a tortoiseshell pick guard. It's not real tortoiseshell but it's been called that since the 1950s. According to some, a tort guard improves the playability of the bass, as opposed to a troll guard, which can hinder progress.
