I'd suggest taking a look at a Reggie Hamilton Standard Jazz. It is an active P/J Jazz with a drop D tuner. Seems like it would compliment your present bass and fit your playing style well.
Ken
Ken
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New bass guitar?
- Thread starter Basssssist
- Start date
Ok, I am the only one reccomending the Epi Thunderbird Pro IV. You have a good Fender P with a good sound. Hoping you have a PJ pickup configuration. I would like a Jazz bass, but for solid rock a Thunderbird complements a P bass nicely. <You didn't say I could have all three 
>
>I have always hated the jazz sound, so take this with some bias.
Jazz basses in this type of music always seem to sound somewhat hollow and unfulfilling to me.
You have a P bass, which is pretty much the standard.
If you want a more aggressive sound, I'd recommend a bass with a humbucker in bridge position. I have never played the Tbird, but if it's any good, it would get that kind of sound.
I would also be looking at MTD, ESP, Schecter, Sterling By Musicman, Warwick Rockbass, etc.
All very punch basses that can be found used in your price range, if that's your kind of tone.
What bassists do you want to sound like? What do you want out of it that your current bass doesn't give you/ that will answer a large part of this question.
Jazz basses in this type of music always seem to sound somewhat hollow and unfulfilling to me.
You have a P bass, which is pretty much the standard.
If you want a more aggressive sound, I'd recommend a bass with a humbucker in bridge position. I have never played the Tbird, but if it's any good, it would get that kind of sound.
I would also be looking at MTD, ESP, Schecter, Sterling By Musicman, Warwick Rockbass, etc.
All very punch basses that can be found used in your price range, if that's your kind of tone.
What bassists do you want to sound like? What do you want out of it that your current bass doesn't give you/ that will answer a large part of this question.
Ok Dr Phil.
What a crock. What makes most basses sound inferior is the bassist and not where it was manufactured.
This post sounds incredibly pretentious (sorry boris
) but essentially he's right. If you plan on playing for a while, save up the money and get an instrument you're proud of--whether to you that is a MIM Fender, MIA Fender, or another brand entirely, it'll be worth putting in the extra effort now.Personally, in your position I'd look for a good used Fender MIA. I got my MIA Jazz used for little more than a new MIM, and love the hell out of my bass
--
RedLeg
Supporting Member
Great suggestion, if you have about three thousand dollars sitting around. This guy is on a beer budget and you are suggesting Moet Chandon? :scowl:
I bought a MIM Jazz online a few weeks back and returned it in favour of a MIA Jazz. The difference was unbelievable. I know this is based on a single experience, and others know much more about Fender instruments than I do but, in truth, the MIM Jazz was a piece of crap in comparison to the MIA model.
Just for the record I always thought the massive differences cited between MIM, MIJ and MIA Fender stuff was based on pure prejudice (maybe even with a hint of racism?) but I stand well and truly corrected.
Save up the extra money and make your dreams come true.
Just for the record I always thought the massive differences cited between MIM, MIJ and MIA Fender stuff was based on pure prejudice (maybe even with a hint of racism?) but I stand well and truly corrected.
Save up the extra money and make your dreams come true.
LoveThatBass
Supporting Member
Ok Dr Phil.
What a crock. What makes most basses sound inferior is the bassist and not where it was manufactured.
I have to agree with the so-called "Dr. Phil."
He's not saying the bass will literally be inferior (or maybe he is, but it's beside the point). He's saying the bass will sound/be inferior in the mind of the owner. If OP wants an MIA but compromises on an MIM or MIJ, that compromise will always be in the back of his head... Every time he pulls out his half-way bass, he'll be bitterly reminded of how he compromised on what he really wanted...
Lord knows I've experienced it myself on more than just bass guitars. If there's something you really, truly want then nothing else can satisfy you until you get it.
I vote for American P-Bass(or Jazz) De Luxe.
Little pricey but in the long run you get a quality product you can enjoy. Just IMHO.
Little pricey but in the long run you get a quality product you can enjoy. Just IMHO.
bingo....unless you are a working player (paying your bills solely from performance/sessions) you just don't need another bass....and if your list of next bass is so wide open, you really don't need another bass imo, ime, ymmv etc)....use some of that for lessons or just pack it into the bank until you reach that point you know what you want/need and where to get it....
I vote for American P-Bass(or Jazz) De Luxe.
Little pricey but in the long run you get a quality product you can enjoy. Just IMHO.
to each his own....but I couldn't disagree more...owned a 2011 Deluxe P and while it was a gorgeous, nicely built instrument...the passive tones were pretty darn 'meh' imho. Tough to own a $1200+ P bass that (imho) sounds dull and lifeless in the passive, P soloed setting....
I might look at something active that is easily dialed in with either 2 or 3 band eq.
or
perhaps a simple passive jazz would be nice. Somehting that can get a bit throaty or burly as they say.
Personally my main go to's are my MIM P Bass and my Spector Euro 4 LX
The P Bass has that epic P bass tone and the Spector can do almost everything else, except have a low B string. That is where I bring out my Carvin B5, on occasion. It come to every gig, and is extremely versatile being active/passive, but I am a 4 stringer if I can help it.
or
perhaps a simple passive jazz would be nice. Somehting that can get a bit throaty or burly as they say.
Personally my main go to's are my MIM P Bass and my Spector Euro 4 LX
The P Bass has that epic P bass tone and the Spector can do almost everything else, except have a low B string. That is where I bring out my Carvin B5, on occasion. It come to every gig, and is extremely versatile being active/passive, but I am a 4 stringer if I can help it.
in the UK on the OP's budget? Not likely...not even near....
perfect way to ruin the resale value of your MIM....imho if you are looking MIA it should be for features like the graphite support rods, rolled neck, flight case etc....
funny...I have never seen a quality player worrying or feeling the need to explain what instrument they pull out.....
again...in the UK? That's a lot of saving!!
a) malarkey
b) The Highway One series was discontinued some time ago. The replacement series is the American Special and they do not include the (imho over rated) BadAss bridge...
great advice for those not in the UK
on the other hand, practicing with and mastering the bass you have also eliminates any 'worries' or 'concern over compromise' one experiences....far more folks on a board like this will recognize or worry about country of origin than the vast majority of other players or audience members will...heck 90% of them will not see (or think for a second) past the Fender logo....
LoveThatBass
Supporting Member
I agree! I had all 3 Squier Classic Vibe basses, 60's P, 60's J, and 50's P. The CV's sounded and played nicely but I couldn't seem to help the Squier thing bugging me. Then I traded them and $300 cash my wife gave me for my birthday last June for a Fender American Special Jazz I fell in love with. Only one bass but a nice one that I love playing and not embarrassed to play out with.
This post sounds incredibly pretentious (sorry boris
Personally, in your position I'd look for a good used Fender MIA. I got my MIA Jazz used for little more than a new MIM, and love the hell out of my bass
--
Yes but would you know to be proud of an MIA instrument if you hadn't tried a MIM/MIJ equivalent? You would pull that MIA out the bag every day thinking, I paid a lot for this, I could have paid less and I wonder if the value for money would be different.
I'm not saying MIA isn't the best, (it is IMO), but you don't know it's the best until you've tried the others by comparison, he may as well have a MIM Jazz now and maybe buy an MIA instrument when he can afford it, and thus appreciate the difference more.
Also, in the UK, you can get a second hand Epi TB pro-IV and a MIM J for the same price as a second hand MIA P or J. It's a no-brainer to me, surely buy both, then trade them both in for an MIA P once you've had your fill with them.
