New gear or new bass?

[Stentor]

Hi everyone!

I need some advice here...
Although I am a keyboardist, not a bass player, I was asked recently to participate in a cover band that plays metal (from Deep Purple to Manowar) but this bass I borrowed from a friend (a '96 Fender squier p-bass) can bearly support such a heavy sound.
Just think of me trying to play "Highway Star" with this bass and you ll get the point, I m pretty sure!
So, now I m thinking of giving some money to this purpose, but not more than 200 $
I m thinking of either buying a good bass pedal like an Ibanez TS9B or a new bass within this range of money, maybe an Epiphone EB3...
Of course the perfect choise here would probably be a Gibson SG or even better, a Rickenbacker, but that's 5 and 10 times the money I can afford!
So, does anyone have any ideas of a more affordable sollution?...

 

[JoePlaysDaBass]

MXR M-80 stompbox. You won't believe the sounds that squire is capable of. I picked mine up used around $90, I think they run somewhere around $150 new

 

[GeoffByrne]

It's the amplification - P bass is fine.

 

[JonKim]

New bass...P bass blows

 

[Marko 1]

New bass...P bass blows

wat?

 

[Marko 1]

It's the amplification - P bass is fine.

+1

 

[makkE]

Tried fresh strings yet?

 

[Dbassmon]

It's the amplification - P bass is fine.

Geoff is correct, $200 budget suggests you either too poor to remedy this situation a or confused about how much $ it will take to get a real bass sound. Either way, the axe is not the issue.

 

[collins81]

What kind of rig are you playing through? a small practice amp wont cut through the mix like a 4-10 would regardless of bass being used.

 

[JoeVictim]

Weedeater - Tuesday Night - YouTube

I don't think it's the bass. Weedeater is one of the heaviest bands I know and I'll bet Dave's Squier is in worse shape than yours. I would start with a setup and new strings.

What is your amp setup?

 

[JehuJava]

No. A p-bass is very rock and roll. Tell us about the amp!

 

[Bass_Thumper]

I have to agree with most posters, I can't imagine that P would not work in this situation. I've played some borrowed Squire P-basses on gigs and never had any trouble.

 

[Dave W]

I'm not sure what you think you'd benefit from using a TS9B. I'm also not sure why you think an EB series bass (Gibby or Epiphone) would be a "better" bass than a P bass in this setting. The P bass is totally fine. I'd venture to say that more rock/metal albums were recorded with a P style bass than any other.

What are you using for an amp?

 

[Stentor]

Hi again!
It s nice to see all of you people coming by to give a hand with this. Thanks!
So,first I got to say two things..
I ve already changed the strings with a set of Rotosound SM66...and they immediately made a difference //
Set up? Well that I havent done yet..I know I should have.
Amp?
I use a Fender 15 W for home practise and at rehearsals ..well we dont always get what we want at the studios we to play.

But appart from that, my point is this: where should I use my 200-maximum 300$ better? Buy a drive? or a stompbox like Joe suggests? Which sounds cool by the way.. and..maybe change the pickups, too?
Cause I ve found a very good price for the EMG HZP (appr. 70$ new).
Whats more, It might sound strange that I dont already have a pedal to boost my sound, but I was -as I said- in a dilemma: new gear (amp excluded) or new bass?

 

[Stentor]

As for the TS9B, what I liked was that it gave a ballsy sound with much tremble without distorting the sound. This I havent heard from any other pedal I ve used or heard.

 

[nashman]

If you are using a 15W Fender amp - I think the issue is obvious ... "bringing a knife to a gun fight".

 

[Stentor]

And what should I do? Buy a huge amp and take it with me each time we go to a gig or a studio? My problem is that the place where we play has already a big amp but "..the bass doesnt give out enough output".By the way, Those were the words of a sound engineer a few days ago...

 

[ghiadub]

Amp. P bass is a win, just ask Steve Harris

 

[RaniBrandt]

I agree that a 15w amp is not really ever gonna cut through a mix, unless you're playing with one acoustic guitar and no drums. Your best money IMO would be to buy a used 100w or more amp, and at some point pick up a VTBass pedal (or something similar) to boost your output.

BTW, your rig doesn't need to be huge, just more powerful.

P.S. Down the line at some point, you may also consider a pickup replacement and/or a good setup, but I think the amp is the first thing to address.

 

[dave64o]

It's not that you necessarily need "huge" (as in physically huge), but you need powerful enough amplification and enough speaker area to move enough air to be heard over the guitars and drums. Based on what you've said, I'm guessing the other instruments are nice and loud, so you really need an amp and cabinet(s) that will help you be heard. A 15 watt combo won't cut it in a hard rock band.

If you're budget is that low, it will be next to impossible if you buy new, so seriously consider buying used. And you'll probably have to work pretty hard to find something at that price range too, so be patient.

You said "the place where we play has already a big amp". What kind it (brand, model, etc)? What other electric instruments are in the band and what amplification are they using? What kind of kit does your drummer play and how does he play? Is he mic'd? Does he just bash the crap out of the drums all the time or does he have good control of dynamics?

Not trying to give you a hard time. Seriously. It's just that some details like that would be extremely helpful in order for anyone to give you the specifics you seem to be asking for.