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Newbie bass player questions

M

MackTheKnife84

Oct 14, 2023
10
23
#1
I'm a multi instrumentalist, but newbie to the bass world. I play guitar, both acoustic and electric, mandolin, ukulele and the piano.

I have to find out what bass sound I like. My approach is to go out and decide what my ears and hands like, rather than what is generally accepted to be the best choice.

I have played alot of basses today. American Professional. American Performer. American Vintage 54. Vintera II and "just" Vintera. Player Series. Sandberg California. Jazz Basses, Precision Basses.

What stood out to my ears was a Precision Bass. It had a low end that the other basses simply did not have.

And it was one of the cheaper ones - a Vintera II Precision bass.

Only problem: The neck was too fat. Compared to the Vintera I,which is supposed to have the same neck on paper, the Vintera II was much beefier.

The official sticker on the Vintera II said "U shape" neck, though the internet says it has a C shape neck.

I loved the tone of this Vintera II. Close second was the Vintera I.

But I did not buy the Vintera II because the neck was simply too difficult to navigate.

And I didn't buy the normal Vintera because I didn't like the red color.

I guess my question is: What is the real neck profile of the Vintera II and would it make sense to wait for the store to order another Vintera II that I hope has the same tone but a slimmer neck?

Also, does action height affect bass growl?

The Vintera II had higher action than the Vintera I, and that bass just thumped.
 
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#2
Welcome to TB and the bass world!
You've done the right thing in getting to a store and trying different models. I will note that it looks like you limited yourself to Fenders and Squiers, which to me means you're missing out on many other options.

The one good thing about going with Fender/Squier is that so many parts are interchangeable, and one of the most common swaps is a Jazz neck onto a Precision body.
I do know that Fender/Squier also produce Precision models with the slimmer neck, but you will need to search some threads for exact models.

Action height and pickup height do indeed have an influence on tone and string output. I have often walked away from a bass in a store because the setup was so bad I couldn't even imagine how it would sound if properly set up.
 
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#3
I think the growl thing is a point of discussion, but I've heard lower action can add more growl. Typically the recommendation is to get a setup to your preferred action after you buy it as some factory setups can be pretty bad.

A second vintera II might again sound different as it's all wood, don't know how much variance there is in neck thickness between the models. If you have the chance, just go to a different store and try even more. I would suggest trying out some other brands like sire, lakland, music man as well.
 
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#4
MackTheKnife84 said:
I have to find out what bass sound I like. My approach is to go out and decide what my ears and hands like, rather than what is generally accepted to be the best choice.

I have played alot of basses today. American Professional. American Performer. American Vintage 54. Vintera II and "just" Vintera. Player Series. Sandberg California. Jazz Basses, Precision Basses.

What stood out to my ears was a Precision Bass. It had a low end that the other basses simply did not have.
Click to expand...
Have you tried any basses other than FSOs?
 
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#7
Have you tried the Player Precision? It has a very comfortable neck with a modern C profile and 1.625” nut. The Vinteras have vintage specs with a chunkier neck and 1.75” nut width.

The Fender Precision is also a great modding platform with a lot of aftermarket options, especially pickups, so it will be easy to change the sound of your bass if you don’t like the stock pickups. But try out a few different brands and types of strings before going down that rabbit hole…
 
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#9
When I think of a classic Fender-style bass with a more modern neck profile, the ESP/LTD AP series comes to mind. Granted, the electronics are modern (active pickups with simple vol, balance, tone controls; the pickups need a 9v battery to juice them) so the whole package is like classic car hot rodded with modern components for speed and drivability.

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And if you're okay with trying other basses, check out an Ibanez Soundgear. Those are almost as ubiquitous in the wild as Fender style basses. For many people, it's sleek, low-profile shape and slender neck are perfect.

But, yeah, I can see why you'd gravitate to the P-bass. Let's face it, the lion's share of the music we love was very likely recorded on a P-bass, which has been the recording standard for generations.
 
#11
as a P bass lover I moved on to better IMO, the newer Epiphone Thunderbird and Explorer are similar in feel / playability and electronics to each other yet different sounding, the Ex giving a bit more of that good thing thx to PU placement and extra frets. they do their own versions of P and J basses, in a ballsier way. their necks are mirror images and pretty much perfect, despite their more extreme body ergonomics they don't feel much different from a nice Fender. plus these are nicely priced and they kill all comers in the looks dept.
 
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#12
MackTheKnife84 said:
I have to find out what bass sound I like. My approach is to go out and decide what my ears and hands like, rather than what is generally accepted to be the best choice.
Click to expand...
First of all, kudos for taking this approach. There's a whole world of quality basses available to people who are willing to look beyond the "what's accepted" standard.

From your first post, it seems that you are looking mostly at FSOs (Fender Shaped Objects). I don't know if that's because it's what you naturally gravitate toward, or if that's just what was available where you were shopping. My only recommendations would be to not get locked into anything, and don't be in a rush to buy. Take your time. Something will speak to you, and part of that is it will fit your hands comfortably.
 
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#14
Thank you all. It's not that I don't like the neck on the Vintera, because I played two vinteras but one had a much fatter neck, even though they are supposed to be the same on paper. The other one was beefy too, but very comfortable to play, unfortunately it had a red finish, which I didn't like.
 
#15
antfarm said:
Have you tried the Player Precision? It has a very comfortable neck with a modern C profile and 1.625” nut. The Vinteras have vintage specs with a chunkier neck and 1.75” nut width.

The Fender Precision is also a great modding platform with a lot of aftermarket options, especially pickups, so it will be easy to change the sound of your bass if you don’t like the stock pickups. But try out a few different brands and types of strings before going down that rabbit hole…
Click to expand...

I actually played a Player Precision Bass, which was the most comfortable fender bass I played that day, and I played many.

Do you think I can make it sound like the 50s vintera if I install the right pickups?

I already searched online, and I haven't found the vintage 50s split coils available for sale.
 
#16
I always suggest that people check the classifieds here, and look for a local seller. When I wanted a fretless I found someone close by. We met in a Dunkin Donuts, had a coffee, checked out each others' basses, and swapped. Most people here keep their basses in much better shape than your local stores, and you'll get more buying used.
 
#19
MackTheKnife84 said:
Thank you all. It's not that I don't like the neck on the Vintera, because I played two vinteras but one had a much fatter neck, even though they are supposed to be the same on paper. The other one was beefy too, but very comfortable to play, unfortunately it had a red finish, which I didn't like.
Click to expand...
It doesn’t take much of a difference in neck carve to feel it. That’s why it’s usually best to try basses in person if you can.
 
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#20
By all means check out all the b asses you can.
I am going to guess that if you liked the P bass sound then you have that part of your search, at least partly done.
That sound is not only a product of the pickup but also pickup placement.
That means that a P like bass made by someone besides Fender or Squier can still sound much like a P if the pickup is close to the same place.
Also, check out PJs.
Have you visited any pawn shops?
They often have brands and models you may not find in a music store.
While you are playing every bass you can, pay attention to the strings also.
You should be able to narrow down whether you prefer rounds or flats, even if you can't pinpoint the brand.
 
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