If you were starting college to study jazz....

[DJ Bebop]

I know the faculty at this school. It does. The advice to ask that faculty is solid. Perhaps they'll have less attitude than this crowd.

Some of the snark may come from the fact that you reached out to us.

Asking us for help on a choice but, you say it makes a difference what that choice is but, you don't share the parameters like, what is acceptable. We asked for clarification and get no feedback. So we are just shooting in the dark here and no one can be helpful.

And that sir makes it frustrating and that brings on the snark

 

[two fingers]

This. I've read this whole thread now, and I'm mystified.

1. How, specifically, does it matter?
2. What thoughtful assistance does the OP think he'll get until he tells us?
3. Why all the secrecy?
4. If the OP is certain he knows the unwritten "rules," then why not just follow them without asking us?
5. Why wouldn't the prospective student get a say (the only say, in my opinion)?

I'm confused. But if I were good enough to get into a music school, I'd already have DEFINITE opinions about my choice of instrument.

First off, RELAX. There's no need to become offended by my question. If you don't like me, or the thread, move along. There's plenty of content here that won't get your panties in a wad.

If you wanna help, forget the school so you can get off of your high horse.

What's a traditional bass, good for jazz, within the budget mentioned, that's reliable?

 

[DJ Bebop]

That's completely unfair.

You're asking "this crowd" to chime in on something for which you haven't told us ANY of the parameters. Then, when people have asked you directly, you haven't deigned to answer.

Why ON EARTH would you not simply have asked your faculty buddy? Good Lord, why did you waste all this bandwidth?

I was just writing the same thing as you posted yours

 

[Picton]

I was just writing the same thing as you posted yours

And yet look at the reply right above your post.

MY high horse?

Sheesh. Try to help a guy...

 

[Bruiser Stone]

P Bass and flats IMO. MO ain't worth much, but i'd be tickled if someone gave me one going into school.

I think it's nice you want to help him.
We just want to help you without the impression that we don't know the secret knock. The ambiguity imparts something perhaps even sinister, or at least exclusionary, that I truly don't think you intended.

And some of it is just the perils of keyboard communication

 

[Picton]

First off, RELAX. There's no need to become offended by my question. If you don't like me, or the thread, move along. There's plenty of content here that won't get your panties in a wad.

If you wanna help, forget the school so you can get off of yourbhjgh horse.

What's a traditional bass, good for jazz, within the budget mentioned, that's reliable?

Re-read the thread again, and then try to tell me my points have no merit.

Then, why not try to address them?

Nothing against you. You just asked an impossible question, and then as the thread got more and more muddied you refused to provide any meaningful clarification. Then, you chose to take us to task for having attitude.

I give up. Good luck to your protege.

 

[zubrycky]

Why not one of these?

 

[DJ Bebop]

First off, RELAX. There's no need to become offended by my question. If you don't like me, or the thread, move along. There's plenty of content here that won't get your panties in a wad.

If you wanna help, forget the school so you can get off of yourbhjgh horse.

What's a traditional bass, good for jazz, within the budget mentioned, that's reliable?

I think your problem here was, instead of just taking in the good feedback you were getting.
You kept interjecting it makes a difference what the choice was but not sharing what that was.
You made the school and the choice an issue.

If you wanted just a straight up answer. You could have just left off that, "it makes a different" thing and
asked, "What's a traditional bass, good for jazz, within the budget mentioned, that's reliable?"
As you finally did and left it at that and, just sat back and grooved on the answers.

Or just asked the faculty as has been suggested.

You kinda torpedo yourself

One answer still is a P or J bass

 

[azureblue]

You want to make whatever electric bass "acceptable"? Then go in there and blow them away with what you can do on it. During my music college years, I had a Precision with flats, then a Ripper with flats and then rounds, then an SD Curlee with rounds then a Jazz bass with rounds. And my teachers all said they knew I was playing (electric) bass, no matter what bass I was playing. You need to focus on being good, before you focus on gear. Anybody can buy gear. But nobody can buy talent - you have to work for it. Huge tip for music school success- go in there already a bad a$$. Music school is as much about proving yourself and meeting players as it about learning. Not about gear.

 

[DJ Bebop]

And you never explained why you think it makes a difference what bass

 

[HolmeBass]

The Fender Jazz would be fine, a P bass ok but less so, and really any PJ that isn't too loud in shape or color: Ibbs, G&L, Yamaha, or higher up the food chain.

But after Jimmy Johnson, Jimmy Haslip, John Pattitucci, and Anthony Jackson, a 5 or 6 string can be seen as a "justification" for electric, plus a lot of modern material requires at least a 5. I would look for a nice 5 or 6 string Ibby.

 

[Baruch1994]

I was not a bass major in college. I was a music therapy major but I auditioned on bass for my major instrument. That was 20 years ago. I flunked the audition (used a steinberger 5-not exactly a traditional jazz instrument). I couldn't read a chart and had no clue. I ended up on clarinet then voice. I graduated with a music composition degree and studied jazz improv privately (with a trombonist!). I attended a few jazz workshops on clarinet and alto sax. I bounced around community colleges to keep busy musically and my last rehearsal was with a teacher who plays bass with the Oregon Symphony and jazz with Mel Brown (of Diana Ross fame). I had a Taylor mini bass acoustic/electric. The bassist was not pleased with my bass but he was encouraged with some of my playing. Now I can read a chart. He suggested a Fender Squire or something like it and offered to let me use his Tobias with half-wound strings. I got sick and never went back. But I did just pick up a bass made by the guy who made the Grateful Dead's bass players ax in the 80s. That was my style of improv before I knew what a ii-V-I progression was.

My advice is to learn upright and as other folks suggested a Fender Jazz or something similar. Like someone said, you can't buy talent and until you gig the axe really isn't all that important. Practice and study. Go to gigs. Listen to recordings (Paul Chambers and if you can handle his unusual music Charles Mingus). For fusion stuff go for Jaco and Stanley Clarke, etc. If you can afford it I'd be tempted to get the Jaco Pastorius Fender bass model. But all the classical jazz was on upright bass. I had a plywood once and took a semester of lessons in '99. Not pro stuff. You got to lay out a lot of bread but solid body uprights are the way to go. If it's going to be your living that is my suggestion. Take lessons and learn fingering positions and scales. Learn your theory. What's good about jazz bass is you're always a soloist. Gigs though are hard to find, so most graduates teach. I didn't have to. I got VA and social security disability in grad school so I didn't have to hunt down gigs.

Good luck-and try to stay out of trouble.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Take him bass shopping and let him pick whatever feels best in his hands . He is the one that has to play it.

 

[Ellery]

P bass!

 

[two fingers]

That's completely unfair.

You're asking "this crowd" to chime in on something for which you haven't told us ANY of the parameters. Then, when people have asked you directly, you haven't deigned to answer.

Why ON EARTH would you not simply have asked your faculty buddy? Good Lord, why did you waste all this bandwidth?

I have you all kinds of parameters.

I gave you a basic style. I gave you a budget. And I gave you some context.

I'm not "buddies" with any of the faculty. I've done some charity events with a few.

 

[sing-modulator]

..... what would you show up with as your workhorse bass? Fender Jazz? (Not me, by the way.)

Oddly enough, Jazz Studies departments tend to be ridiculously traditional (for people who study music that knocked down walls a broke all kinds of barriers). In my view, you can't (literally can't) show up with the "wrong" bass.

So, if you were going to help a kid going into a traditional jazz school (he'll be doubling on electric and double bass) find an "acceptable" bass guitar, what would you look for?

And, please, save your lectures. I know the school. It is what it is. It's a great school. But it's stuck in the past.

Budget is maybe $700-$800? Used is fine in great shape.

Get used to the ridiculously traditional bullsh*t because that's what jazz ed is. Just get a whatever sunburst jazz bass says "fender" on it and feels the best in your hands and you'll be fine!

 

[LowFactor]

When I studied bass in college, at a big music school that claimed to be a contemporary music school but really looked down on anything that wasn't jazz, I started with a thunderbird, and a EB3... Eventually sold the thunderbird and got a 5 string Warwick streamer. All were acceptable. The faculty only cared if I could play not what I was playing it on.

 

[And I]

No. Of course not. I just want to do something nice for the kid. He's got a cheap orange Ibanez. I would like to help him show up with a bass that "fits in" better. That's all.

Now THAT makes a lot of sense. But I think you may be overthinking it. From the little I know of you (from what you've posted here over the decades, lol) I'm pretty sure you could think of a list of 5 important factors in choosing a bass in any particular price range. Just do that, and make it a not-wild color. The kid is going to kill it no matter what he plays but a "professional" looking instrument is a totally legit concern for someone who is going to be a professional.

I have a question for the teachers in the thread... is 5 or 6 strings an issue? Like at this level if the professors are having to teach technique, you probably didn't make the audition in the first place, right?

 

[DJ Bebop]

my last rehearsal was with a teacher who plays bass with the Oregon Symphony and jazz with Mel Brown (of Diana Ross fame).

Was it Phil Baker?

 

[jbasedig]

I'd go the john patitucci route......... beeeecuuuuuz...we're talking about "Jazz" here . 6 string electric covers all the noodly fusion , chordy, tapping. harmonic stuff... etc and the upright covers the other 99.9 percent of the time..i.e saxes and trumpets want to use you and the rest of the rhythm section to relentlessly chase the perfect bebop solo that will for most of them remain elusive. If jazz is about pushing boundaries...etc... blah ... then you should probably have a laptop and whatever live mutech is available plus both basses l. I have BMus , Jazz Studies from Georgia State and MMus in Jazz Studies from DePaul University. What I quickly realized into my first real professional situations after grad school, was that there was a whole lot of paying work for playing shows, dance music,both ballroom and contemporary. and always cruise ships.no one really wants to hearus bassists bow the melody ala Mr. PC/... no one cares about your transcriptions.

.. etc. Essentially , if your not a TOP TOP Player, no ones's gonna hire you to play jazz... at least not at a liveable wage. One of THE top Jazz pianists in this country has a steady gig at a steakhouse unless something better comes along if your school is all about preserving Jazz and.......holds bebop up to be the height of musical expression... then you gotta shake some trees..... save your PBass for the Motown cover band or power pop
IMHO, extended basses...6, 7, ..9
string electric basses contribute more to the philosophy and credo of jazz... that is.. always moving forward, innovating,refining.. than does a flatwound four string p bass. Jaco blew the doors off the establishment in the mid 70s... with fretless fender bass guitar( Jazz Bass) that was totally unheard of and original. There was only one Jaco. So Trad upright... extended range bass guitar...at least 6...... If your gonna play in a disco party band, keep your fourbamger around for that. Just to be cear, my response here was based on the premise of stdyijg JAZZ bass at university while doubling,,,