Need some information on this Bass before buying.

[Prototype00]

Heyo!

I've decided to give bass guitar a shot for my first musical instrument since I really love listening out for the bass in most of the songs I listen to. So far, I have chosen to buy an ESP LTD F-104. The reason for this is because of...

-I like the look (Unfortunately this affects me pretty hard. Apologies if i've offended anyone, but I want to play something that i enjoy looking at.)
-I plan to play with a pick (apparently picks are the best option for this bass)
-I listen to a lot of Alternative rock, pop rock, hard rock, and nu metal and from what i've read online, this bass seems to be focused on those types of music.

The only problem is that the only musical store near me (long and mcquade) is out of stock, both in store and online. The person there said it would take roughly 1 - 4 weeks (probably a bit longer most likely) for it to arrive. Because of this, I can't play around with it (even though i have no idea how to play). I plan to probably rent an Ibanez or something to practice with while the ESP is being shipped. So..here is my question to you guys in the talkbass community: How is that bass guitar (beginner wise)?.

P.S: I've also read around that LTD makes terrible low-end basses, is this true? If so can you guys explain to me how they are low-end in a "explain-like-i'm-five" way? (I have 0% knowledge in terms of bass gear and such)

P.S.S: If this is in the wrong section, I'm sorry! I didn't know where to post.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Terrible no low end yes. Better off buying used. Spend some time reading here and even searching the classifieds. You can get a better instrument for your money. I understand the attraction of new but you give up 30 to 50 percent of the value if you decide to sell later.buying used you can usually recoup even money on resale as long as you don't cause damage. If you are dead set on that model... keep your eyes on kijii. ..

 

[Prototype00]

Might be pretty obvious but i'm a bit hesitant to buy used since i don't know how to inspect a bass. Usually when someone buys something used, they would have some general knowledge to know that the item is in good condition and such. That's why I'm a bit set on buying something new and just sticking with it.

 

[Dojix]

I always recommend used, you can get some ridiculous discounts on them. Looks might mean something to you, but a secondhand bass with maybe 1 chip in the body will already be pretty well discounted. And honestly, the long term playability well outweighs that chip, because if you buy something low end, you're going to want to upgrade it sooner, and it just ends up costing more overall.

I'm seeing that the bass you listed is selling for just under about $400, and you can already buy brand new Schecters and Ibanezs at that price. A secondhand one of those would be what I recommend.

With the genres you listed, it's kind of hard to know. You listed some softer genres, because if it was just Nu Metal, I'd say that Ibanez would be the number 1 choice there. Though judging by the look of that LTD, if you're aiming to play Pop Rock on that, you'd be fine using an Ibanez for it too.

 

[Prototype00]

Thanks for your input. What Ibanez bass guitars should I be looking out for around that price range then? I don't know if this means anything but I prefer something with a "growl" kind of tone to it. In regards to the chip thing, I'm more concerned about the internals not working and or in bad condition.***

 

[Scooberto]

Ibanez has an SRX series of basses that are very growly because they have Musicman style pickups and active electronics. You can usually find nice used for a fair enough price. The necks on them are pretty sweet too. Just remember, it's not all on the instrument to get the sound you want, there are other factors as well. Such as your pick hand and fret hand techniques, and your amp to name a couple. Also, if you don't know a whole lot about instruments, bring a friend who does. That will help alot.

 

[Prototype00]

Alright, thanks for the info. Unfortunately none of my friends know anything about instruments so i'm going in blind! But I will try and scavenge some info from this forum. Are there any other brands you would also like me to take a look at as well that are similar to Ibanez in terms of this "musicman style pickup and active electronics"? (no idea what that is but if it plays a role in it making the sound growly, i'm in.)

Edit: Jesus. I'm seeing ATK Ibanez, SR Ibanez, Gio Ibanez, BTB. My god i'm confused.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Warwick rock bass lines
Sub sterling by music mam
Spector legend

 

[Scooberto]

Do an image search on Ernie Ball Musicman basses. The early ones have one pickup placed close to the bridge. That's what type of pickups those particular Ibanezes have. That sucks that you don't know any one who plays to help you, luckily some of the nicest and most knowledgeable musicians prowl this area. I've read a lot of great advice here. As far as a similar sounding bass, you can't go wrong with a used Fender or Squier Jazz bass. May not be exact, but they can still cut through a mix pretty well. Research some of your favorite bands bass players and see what they dig on.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Alright, thanks for the info. Unfortunately none of my friends know anything about instruments so i'm going in blind! But I will try and scavenge some info from this forum. Are there any other brands you would also like me to take a look at as well that are similar to Ibanez in terms of this "musicman style pickup and active electronics"? (no idea what that is but if it plays a role in it making the sound growly, i'm in.)

Edit: Jesus. I'm seeing ATK Ibanez, SR Ibanez, Gio Ibanez, BTB. My god i'm confused.

Gio is a bottom scraper line.
Sr series midline atk are nice
Peavey can be good millenium series
Look it's down to getting a decent first bass. You don't know what you want till you do. . Ya know?
The amp is almost as important to begin with as the bass.. a bass will sound really disappointing through a junk practice amp. If an amp is not immediately on the menu get a GOOD set of headphones and a headphone amp like a vox amplug.. with an auxiliary input.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

A bread and butter can't go wrong is a precision bass. The Squier vintage modified or classic vibe series are well known to be really decent for the cash. If you are looking at the old school stuff...
You could look at guitarfetish.com and rondomusic.com too.... cheapie stuff about the level of the Ltd without the pricetag.
When you really know what you want drop more $ on the bass that you want once you know what feels right looks count but not as much as feel and sound.

 

[mojomike001]

Don't set out to just play with a pick. It's too limiting. Learn to play with your fingers as well.

 

[Prototype00]

Thanks for the info /\/phist0. You make a really good point. Oh and I just wanted to start off with a pick and start treading into fingers once I get decent into pick or something.

 

[Scooberto]

Oh man, I can't believe I forgot Peavey! They make great stuff too! I like the Cirrus models, haven't played a crappy one yet.

 

[mongo2]

Buy used and spend the money you save by buying used on lessons.

 

[Neveragain55]

I absolutely do not agree with all the talk about ESP -LTD basses being bad basses. I have two of them and they are absolute killer basses and they're built like tanks.

One of them I bought sight unseen and its the best bass I've ever owned in my life, yes Ibanez also makes really good basses but if you liked the look of the ESP I could personally definitely, definitely recommended it.

 

[bholder]

I agree with pretty much all of the advice - what's your target price range? I'm sure lots of folks here can offer advice. If you can scrape together $350, the Sire M3 is the best new bang for the buck I can think of in that range. But always great deals (as well as ripoffs) used...

 

[Lobster11]

If you have the option of renting a bass, I would recommend doing that for awhile before shopping to buy. The more you learn how to play first, the better prepared you'll be to try out different basses to determine what suits you the best. If you want to give looks a high priority that's fine, but not at the expense of something that feels comfortable in your hands. For example, the size and shape of necks vary quite a lot from brand to brand and model to model in ways you would never know based on photographs. The more you learn to play first, the better position you'll be in to decide what to spend your money on.

 

[Neveragain55]

A bread and butter can't go wrong is a precision bass. The Squier vintage modified or classic vibe series are well known to be really decent for the cash. If you are looking at the old school stuff...
You could look at guitarfetish.com and rondomusic.com too.... cheapie stuff about the level of the Ltd without the pricetag.
When you really know what you want drop more $ on the bass that you want once you know what feels right looks count but not as much as feel and sound.

LTD on the same level as Rondo??

Not on this planet and not in this lifetime my friend.

I respect you not liking ESP products but to put the LTD on the same level as Rondo is just plain mean.

And I would imagine the thousands of bassists (including many pro players) that play them would agree with me.

Just sayin........

 

[bholder]

LTD on the same level as Rondo??

Not on this planet and not in this lifetime my friend.

I respect you not liking ESP products but to put the LTD on the same level as Rondo is just plain mean.

And I would imagine the thousands of bassists (including many pro players) that play them would agree with me.

Just sayin........

Lots of folks think most Rondos are a fair deal for the money, but yeah, I guess I'd expect a bit better from LTD - no experience with them, personally.
Just no getting around the "another man's poison" aspect of personal preference.