New Member: Help Me Find My First Bass?

[Buzzin_Cousin]

Hello, I am new to these forums so a brief introduction is in order here. I've been playing guitar let's just say long enough to be better than I am, but have decided to start learning bass. It will make me a better guitar player and understand music better as well.

I am quite familiar with the Fender line up of guitars by make/model and quality, Although the lines of Fender basses follow a similar pattern, I am less understanding of each models strengths and weaknesses. I am looking at my first purchase soon, and am leaning more toward the MIM standard bass out of the following options:

Road Worn 60's Jazz (used)
MIM Standard
MIM Blacktop
Classic Vibe Jazz
Vintage Modified Jazz 60's or 70's

I realize this includes just about everything below the MIA lineup. I'm willing to spend the the $800 or so for the road worn if it will be worth it in the long run. However, I don't know if the 7.25 radius if the best option, as I own a guitar with that radius and my fretting hand fatigues much faster on 7.25 when I practice leads. Maybe you all can tell me if that transfers over to bass. I'm guessing that it does.

Regarding the Blacktop, are these pickups a hybrid of the jazz and precision and how are the quality of them. I don't regard the Blacktop guitar too highly, but have played recent year (2012 /13) MIM standard guitars and most are excellent in my opinion. Looks like Fenders website has some marketing hype on these pickups so I can't really tell what they are. Anyone own one?

The Classic Vibe I've heard many good things about, but have only played a CV tele guitar. I'm digging that amber neck though. And the Vintage Modified sort of the same idea, vintage look and amber neck, great value etc.

My only criteria besides a nice sounding instrument with tuning stability is that I will need a bass that I will be able to play for about a year stock. After that I may change out pickups, bridge, tuners etc. If I end up with the Road Worn, highly likely it will remain stock.

Thank you in advance for reading and replying,

 

[JCheung]

With that budget you can probably find a used MIA special or standard jazz.

 

[tjh]

Whatever you buy, try to find it used, and if you purchase wisely, it will be worth what you paid well down the road .. not being sure what you want, there is a good chance that you may find you want something different as you develop and get more time on it ... buying decent quality used, there is a good resale, and as good as money in the bank ...

I also have issues with 7.25 radius necks .. in fact on my Classic Series 60's Jazz, I replaced the neck with another with a 9.5" neck ... I have a Road Worn Jazz that has been relinquished to the closet, and is soon to be going down the road because of the neck radius ...

MIM Standards can be very good values used .. personally I prefer the 2008-current stock ..MIM Standards use a ceramic pick-up, and tend to be a bit 'brighter', sometimes even 'hotter' than their MIA bass counterparts that use alnicos ... dont overlook the Fender Classic Series basses .. also MIM and can be very good buys .. any you have listed above would more than suffice at this point until you have some time on them and discover what you like/dont like ... again, if you can find something used that speaks to you, you are ahead in the game .. good luck, welcome to the low end ...

 

[JimmyM]

Ya, that rounder radius is why I can't do the early Fenders. Not that I would anyway at those prices, but I prefer 9.5, too.

 

[2cooltoolz]

First, I really like the Fender MIM Classic basses, into which I include the Road Worn series (my favorite MIM). But, they are 7.25” fretboards.

In the price range, I also really like the Fender MIM Deluxe line, if you don't like the 7.25" radius. I really prefer passive Fenders, but the build quality on the MIM Deluxe is on a par with American Fenders and I don’t feel that way about MIM standards. I recently sold a 2011 MIM Standard 5 string jazz and moved to an American Standard Jazz V. No comparison.

A couple of years ago, I sold my "re-introduction to bass guitar"; a 2006 MIM Deluxe Active Jazz Bass I had purchased new. I bought an American Standard to replace it. I don’t regret that decision, but I didn’t see a big step up in quality. That was really a nice bass.

No experience with the Blacktops, but I've heard good things.

I have no experience with Squier.

 

[PWRL]

The Road Worns are neat, but go play the ones you're interested in and make your decision then.

 

[HeavyRockBasser]

I think that if you're looking for a first bass in the $500 range, a MIM is hands down the way to go. You can find a clean used one for around $300, upgrade the pickups and bridge, and you're right around $500 for a very formidable instrument.

 

[oleskool]

+1 To the mim deluxe active jazz. Was sold on vintage modified until that bass hit my hands. I liked the vm better than any other mim jazz but that one. I say play one if you like it take it home.

 

[Buzzin_Cousin]

With that budget you can probably find a used MIA special or standard jazz.

What would you say is the advantage over MIM?

With MIM/MIA guitars, the advantage is in the bridge/block, pickups and hardware- probably in that order. Fit and finish is close with both in my opinion.

 

[Buzzin_Cousin]

Whatever you buy, try to find it used, and if you purchase wisely, it will be worth what you paid well down the road .. not being sure what you want, there is a good chance that you may find you want something different as you develop and get more time on it ... buying decent quality used, there is a good resale, and as good as money in the bank ...

I also have issues with 7.25 radius necks .. in fact on my Classic Series 60's Jazz, I replaced the neck with another with a 9.5" neck ... I have a Road Worn Jazz that has been relinquished to the closet, and is soon to be going down the road because of the neck radius ...

MIM Standards can be very good values used .. personally I prefer the 2008-current stock ..MIM Standards use a ceramic pick-up, and tend to be a bit 'brighter', sometimes even 'hotter' than their MIA bass counterparts that use alnicos ... dont overlook the Fender Classic Series basses .. also MIM and can be very good buys .. any you have listed above would more than suffice at this point until you have some time on them and discover what you like/dont like ... again, if you can find something used that speaks to you, you are ahead in the game .. good luck, welcome to the low end ...

Does Fender have any good custom shop bass pickups? Vintage or other.

 

[Buzzin_Cousin]

Ya, that rounder radius is why I can't do the early Fenders. Not that I would anyway at those prices, but I prefer 9.5, too.

What style of music if at all can you get by with on a 7.25 if you normally have issues with them? For example, I can use my 7.25 neck with jazz, country and primary chording.

 

[Buzzin_Cousin]

I think that if you're looking for a first bass in the $500 range, a MIM is hands down the way to go. You can find a clean used one for around $300, upgrade the pickups and bridge, and you're right around $500 for a very formidable instrument.

What pickups would you suggest?

 

[Buzzin_Cousin]

+1 To the mim deluxe active jazz. Was sold on vintage modified until that bass hit my hands. I liked the vm better than any other mim jazz but that one. I say play one if you like it take it home.

What was the big difference between the standard and the deluxe, other than active pickups? Also, can you describe the VM in terms of quality compared to the other two?

 

[HeavyRockBasser]

This is just my own personal preference, but I'd say Bill Lawrence, Lindy Fralin, and Dimarzio would be my top three picks, in that order.

But, you owe it to yourself to do your own investgation. There is a lot of good info in the stickies, and elsewhere in the pickups forum. There are sound samples for most manufacturers and models, but you really need to dig some. Some are on the manufacturers websites. Some are on YouTube. Some are scattered around TB.

Pickups are a very subjective issue. Someone else might tell you that Fender vintage, Delano, Lace, EMG, Barden, Nordstrand, or Seymore Duncan are best. And these are all very good, too. But, you really need to decide what sounds best to your own ears.

In my opinion, all of the pickups I've mentioned are worth looking into.

 

[JimmyM]

What style of music if at all can you get by with on a 7.25 if you normally have issues with them? For example, I can use my 7.25 neck with jazz, country and primary chording.

Oh, I can get used to any bass for any style of music. I just prefer the flatter necks because I like to bend strings sometimes and a flatter neck is harder to make fret out than a rounder one.

 

[Tbone76]

Welcome to the club! I've owned 1 of every model jazz bass that you're asking about (I've got a bad G.A.S. problem!). I agree with going used if possible, and to try them all out before hand if you can. With that, I'll give you my thoughts.

The road worn jazz was fairly lightweight, had a nice full sound, and was well made. I never noticed any problem playing with the narrower radius neck. The only quirk with mine was that the neck pup cover holes (metal) weren't drilled into the body. If you don't want the reliced body, the classic lacquer series is basically the unreliced version, and new it's cheaper.

The MIM Standard jazz was also well made, but I didn't like the way the pups sounded on mine. They were hotter than the road worn, and the sound was a little thinner all around. Not a problem if you're comfortable with swapping pups, and it may just have been my particular bass.

My CV jazz was a great bass. The pups sounded great and i was able to get the action fairly low with no issues. I didn't like the shiny poly on the back of the neck, but that's easily remedied with sanding. I also owned the James Johnston sig bass, and it's the same except for the color.

The VM 70's jazz that I had wasn't put together as nicely as the CV that I owned. The pups were very thin sounding to me, and it seemed like the tolerances were a little sloppier. The action was also really high, and I was unable to lower it sufficiently. It was possibly a fluke, as others here love this bass.

The Blacktop jazz is a different animal. It's like a jazz on steroids. The pups are pretty hot, and with the neck pup soloed it gives a great p bass sound. I wasn't able to get a good barky bridge sound with mine, though. No fit issues, but the sound ended up not being what I wanted for a jazz bass.

These are my personal experiences with MY basses, and as always, ymmv. On another note, you may want to look at the Reggie Hamilton standard jazz bass. It's in your price range, and it's a jack of all trades. P/J pups, active/passive capabilities, 9.5" radius neck, hipshot d-tuner, and an 18 volt preamp. It's a monster bass for the money, and it's a bass that I wish I didn't let go! The only downside to mine was that it was fairly heavy.

 

[tranceFusion]

I vote Classic Vibe.. Save the rest of the money for an amp. They are the best value in basses IMO. You'll learn what you like and don't like and can make an informed decision down the line if you decide to spend more money on a bass.. and it should go quick if you ever wanted to sell it on the forums here (but you certainly wouldn't need to).

 

[Tbone76]

I forgot to mention above, since you're specifically looking at Fender style instruments, you should also look at a Precision bass. The sound fits in with most every style of music, and it's simplicity personified.

 

[tjh]

Does Fender have any good custom shop bass pickups? Vintage or other.

thanks for the inquiry of me, but I am not the person to ask about replacement pups ... I am the simple dude that plays is like it is, and looks more at the big differences I hear rather than the little subtle nuances ...

.. to me, the biggest difference in the price point of basses I play ($150- $550+ range USED) is whether they are stock ceramic or alnico (for the reasons mentioned above) .. beyond that, I just play it and use hands and EQ to get what I am after ... I am the guy that chases strings to find a sound, not pups ... its easier

I tend to prefer simple stock Fender alnico pups, if I need to change something out, I will stick a cheap set of stock Fender alnico's into a Squier VM for instance ... as mentioned above, the pups I felt tended to get 'thin' when challenged were on the VM J's and the MIM Standard J's (ceramincs), but with that said, they also can get a 'hotter' bright(some might say brittle) cutting sound if needed too, so both ceramic and alnico have their place .. its just what fits your need at the time .. JMHO

 

[tjh]

I vote Classic Vibe.. Save the rest of the money for an amp. They are the best value in basses IMO. You'll learn what you like and don't like and can make an informed decision down the line if you decide to spend more money on a bass.. and it should go quick if you ever wanted to sell it on the forums here (but you certainly wouldn't need to).

Thats what is kind of neat about the Fender/Squier line-up ... some will say too many choices, but with that everybody will have an opinion whats 'best' based upon their tastes ...

... folks tend to group things like 'Squiers' together .. there are really some pretty big differences in that line alone ... both the CV's and the VM's are good platforms for the 'modders', but both can be very playable as is. I tend to prefer the VM J's over the CV J's ... I did a side by side A/B comparison a couple years back. That would have been before the newer models came out now ... you could probably find that in my past posts if it was something of interest for you. I can currently find a VM J that will be MUCH lighter than the CV 60's J or JJ ... sometimes as much as 2 lbs lighter, if that is a concern. There are good things about both, just a matter of preference and what you intend to do with it ...