New bass... or do I really need one?

[9YGBass]

Hey guys/gals,

I am have been eyeballing a couple of basses but cant decide if I want to pull the trigger. Currently have ESP LTD EB 404. I'm looking at a new Fender Aerodyne or used Fender Blacktop MIM P bass. We play rock/hard rock and I run through a GK MB212 combo. Any thoughts on the comparisons between these would be great!

Thanks!

 

[abarson]

What's your motivation for looking at different basses: feel, tone, appearances?
Identify what's lacking in your current bass and then see if these new ones answer that lack.

 

[9YGBass]

Good question. Mostly tone. I dont hate what I have, just looking for better, I guess.

 

[steve_rolfeca]

Check out all your favourite bands.

I wager that you’ll find famous players getting stellar tones with everything from Fender to Lakeland to Ernie Ball to Spector to Sadowski to Dingwall to Alembic, and on and on. Some of them will sound surprisingly similar to each other, even while playing very different instruments.

TB legend says you need one of everything, but truth be told, good tone is mostly found through experience, instrument setup, and the rest of your signal chain.

If you find a bass that sounds and/or feels drastically better through your existing gear, then get it. But don’t go into the process with a lot of preconceptions- what you already have may be exactly what you need.

 

[TheLowDown33]

Until you nail down what you are trying to improve upon, theres no sense in buying instruments. Better off just trying as many as possible and noting what you like and dislike about various instruments. Makes it way simpler to understand what you're really after.

 

[Thum5b]

Doesn't the 404 already have EMG's? if so, I wouldn't say either of them will get better tone, just a different tone.

 

[9YGBass]

Doesn't the 404 already have EMG's? if so, I wouldn't say either of them will get better tone, just a different tone.

Yeah it has EMGs.

 

[9YGBass]

Thanks everyone! I like my ESP and its pretty! Maybe I just feel like I need something new but really don't. Or chasing "my tone" when I already have it.

Sometimes it helps to just put something out there to get clarity on what you already have.

 

[GIBrat51]

Any group who's philosophy is "Where X=basses you have now, X+1=number of basses you should have", is the wrong group to ask a question like that. However... if it were me, I'd get the Aerodyne...

 

[fretter]

One of the first places to look for tone improvement are the pickups. Maybe a PU upgrade is in order.

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

You are a story teller.

Your guitar is your pen and your tone is your font.

It is nice to have a comfortable pen and a font that matches the theme of your story.

But what matters the most is the story you tell and how you tell it.

 

[9YGBass]

You are a story teller.

Your guitar is your pen and your tone is your font.

It is nice to have a comfortable pen and a font that matches the theme of your story.

But what matters the most is the story you tell and how you tell it.

Insightful! Plus a very good point.

 

[9YGBass]

2 things that got me going down this path. 1. During our jam sessions I cant get my mids to cut though. I have read a lot on here about this but just cant get them right. During live shows the FOH handles it and sounds great.
2. The P Bass is $400 on Facebook so while researching I found the Aerodyne and I love the looks of it.

 

[lfmn16]

Good question. Mostly tone. I dont hate what I have, just looking for better, I guess.

If you can’t articulate what you are unhappy about with your current bass, your chances of fixing it with a different bass are 50/50 at best.

 

[9YGBass]

If you can’t articulate what you are unhappy about with your current bass, your chances of fixing it with a different bass are 50/50 at best.

I hear what you're saying. Based off the convo so far. I need to quit thinking about it and not just buy one to buy one. Which may be the case.

 

[Leonid Nidis]

IF X is the number of basses you have,X+1 is the number of basses you need

 

[JRA]

I need to quit thinking about it and not just buy one to buy one. Which may be the case.

 

[Dave Leighton]

I hear what you're saying. Based off the convo so far. I need to quit thinking about it and not just buy one to buy one. Which may be the case.

I love buying basses. And if you can afford it sometimes a change and or options are nice to have.

 

[Bass V]

Hey guys/gals,

I am have been eyeballing a couple of basses but cant decide if I want to pull the trigger. Currently have ESP LTD EB 404. I'm looking at a new Fender Aerodyne or used Fender Blacktop MIM P bass. We play rock/hard rock and I run through a GK MB212 combo. Any thoughts on the comparisons between these would be great!

Thanks!

I tried a 404 on the basis of my great LTD B-50 and it's superb neck especially felt identical but the electronic pax on the 404 was pathetic at best, horrid tones, virtually useless, compared to my B-50 it went right back for a return on my money. I was shocked cos I really like the EMG HZs in one of my Peaveys and hoped for a similar result but, no way. since you have the 404 and dig it I'd suggest trying the B-50, they go very cheap and will last 5 lifetimes.

 

[overit]

2 things that got me going down this path. 1. During our jam sessions I cant get my mids to cut though. I have read a lot on here about this but just cant get them right. During live shows the FOH handles it and sounds great.

Have you experimented enough with your EQ settings on the amp/bass at the jam sessions? Maybe no need to buy anything at all or maybe it's your rig.