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Newbie needs help choosing the right bass !

Y

yogz_ve

Oct 1, 2011
11
0
Valencia, Venezuela
#1
Hi ! this is my first post around here :D, excuse my english, not the best, been playing guitar for a few years now i have around two months playing bass and i love it ! i currently own a Yamaha RBX-374, i tried several basses in this price range and the yamaha was the easier to play, very comfortable, the problem its that now i found it to be a little muddy, and too bassy, lacking some mids, and the preamp only have bass and treble pots, it works great for rock music but i like to play some jazz or funk music, jamiroquai could be a good example.

Currently my options are:

1- Changing the preamp of the Yamaha for an Aguilar OPB-3.
2- Warwick Rockbass Streamer STD.
3- Warwick Rockbass Corvette Basic.
3- Squier vintage modified jaguar, p-bass or jazz bass.
4- An used Tobias Toby Pro, around the price of the rockbass streamer new.

Thanks for your help :) .
 
#2
yogz_ve said:
Hi ! this is my first post around here :D, excuse my english, not the best, been playing guitar for a few years now i have around two months playing bass and i love it ! i currently own a Yamaha RBX-374, i tried several basses in this price range and the yamaha was the easier to play, very comfortable, the problem its that now i found it to be a little muddy, and too bassy, lacking some mids, and the preamp only have bass and treble pots, it works great for rock music but i like to play some jazz or funk music, jamiroquai could be a good example.

Currently my options are:

1- Changing the preamp of the Yamaha for an Aguilar OPB-3.
2- Warwick Rockbass Streamer STD.
3- Warwick Rockbass Corvette Basic.
3- Squier vintage modified jaguar, p-bass or jazz bass.
4- An used Tobias Toby Pro, around the price of the rockbass streamer new.

Thanks for your help :) .
Click to expand...

If the bass plays well and you like everything but the sound then it would be cheaper and smarter to replace the preamp. One test you might do is to disconnect the pickups from the preamp and connect them right to the output jack. If you like that sound then the pickups are good. If you don't like that sound then it's a new bass that you need.
 
#4
The Squier Jaguar is a very versatile bass, and you're unlikely to get a muddy resonse from it, the ones that I have played have been able to nail Jaco-esque burp, right down to p-bass thump, and the growl from both pickups is great.

All that said, I'd recommend going to your local music shop and trying all the basses in your price range. One, or maybe a couple, will jump out at you. That's the one you want. Sleep on it and go back the next day, the choice will be clear. Rock on man :)
 
#5
fourstringbliss said:
If the bass plays well and you like everything but the sound then it would be cheaper and smarter to replace the preamp. One test you might do is to disconnect the pickups from the preamp and connect them right to the output jack. If you like that sound then the pickups are good. If you don't like that sound then it's a new bass that you need.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your quick reply i'm gonna try that, i would love to keep the yammy, the neck feels far better than the Squiers i had tried.
 
#6
Wannaflea said:
The Squier Jaguar is a very versatile bass, and you're unlikely to get a muddy resonse from it, the ones that I have played have been able to nail Jaco-esque burp, right down to p-bass thump, and the growl from both pickups is great.

All that said, I'd recommend going to your local music shop and trying all the basses in your price range. One, or maybe a couple, will jump out at you. That's the one you want. Sleep on it and go back the next day, the choice will be clear. Rock on man :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply ! :) the Jaguar i have seen here its the Vintage Modified Jaguar Special (the cheap active one) , is it good ? :hmm:
 
#8
Agrees that preamo replacement is best choice. Also try raising the bridge pup a little bit. Or lowering the neck pup a little. So you get tone closer to what your wanting by this important part of setup. Overly low or overly high pups can cause muddyness or loss of articulation. And if its a fairly dark toned bass anyway, having neck pup lower or bridge pup higher can help balance tone when both pups are played evenly. Blend at center.
 
#10
Wannaflea said:
The Squier Jaguar is a very versatile bass, and you're unlikely to get a muddy resonse from it, the ones that I have played have been able to nail Jaco-esque burp, right down to p-bass thump, and the growl from both pickups is great.

All that said, I'd recommend going to your local music shop and trying all the basses in your price range. One, or maybe a couple, will jump out at you. That's the one you want. Sleep on it and go back the next day, the choice will be clear. Rock on man :)
Click to expand...

Hello Wannaflea :) , i just found the passive vintage modified jaguar bass in another store, this one Invalid Link Removed , is it better than the cheaper active one right ? thank you :D
 
#12
Yeah my ATK has a great sound with a new set of strings, a better sound with kinda not so fresh strings but, is really muddy sounding with old strings.

You might just want to replace the preamp and get a good set of strings.
I played the RBX374 before and I have to agree with you the treble and bass pots work great for rock but, for funk and pop music you need a little midrange in there. Otherwise in my opinion you kinda get lost in the shuffle.
 
#13
I've got a solution for you. Install an Audere Classic 4-Band preamp. The installation is super easy and it will give you two mid-range controls. Your pickups will connect to the preamp in stereo, so you'll get an actual working blend control as well. You'll end up having single volume and blend controls, and stacked tone controls. You can choose whether you have hi mid/low mid and treble/bass or hi mid/treble and low mid/bass. This will add clarity to the flat tone and give you more mids to mess with. It'll be out the door to you with new knobs for around $170. It's a great investment.
 
#14
fourstringbliss said:
I've got a solution for you. Install an Audere Classic 4-Band preamp. The installation is super easy and it will give you two mid-range controls. Your pickups will connect to the preamp in stereo, so you'll get an actual working blend control as well. You'll end up having single volume and blend controls, and stacked tone controls. You can choose whether you have hi mid/low mid and treble/bass or hi mid/treble and low mid/bass. This will add clarity to the flat tone and give you more mids to mess with. It'll be out the door to you with new knobs for around $170. It's a great investment.
Click to expand...

Thanks !! I tried to do what you said, but no luck finding a good preamp here in Venezuela :( , only Aguilars and they are very expensive here almost 250$, so i already put the yammy rbx 374 on sale .

I can buy one of this basses, they are all the same price here (around 350$) :

- Warwick Rockbass Streamer STD.
- Squier vintage modified jazz bass.
- Squier vintage modified jaguar bass.
- A mint condition used Tobias Toby Pro 4.

What do you guys think would be the best bass for the money ? :confused:
 
#16
I would strongly recommend the Squier VM Jazz Bass, its just a blast to play. I have played a few at local music stores and I can honestly say it is the bass I would choose. I have tried the Jaguar and I didnt really like it as much as the jazz bass :/ . IMHO I wouldnt get the Rockbass, I have never played a Rockbass that I liked.
 
#18
If I HAD to get one of those listed I'd get the Jazz. Mainly because if u want to play Jamiroquai-esque songs then you would sound good on the J. Now, as far as rock and stuff like that I'm sure the J is no slouch either. Especially if u want to add some effects to it. One thing I did see in playing a Squire J was that the action was super high. I like my strings real low to the fretboard so I don't have to wear out my left hand pushing the strings down. Good luck!!!
 
#19
I have to disagree on the P bass not being funky enough. Just tried a Classic Vibe P fiesta red, and that thing had a HUGE tone. Both rumbly and low, and crisp trebly (but still powerful). I was amazed by how powerful it was and the variety of tones despite having only one tone knob! Plus, the neck was not bad, pretty manageable IMHO.

I've been GAS-ing so much over one of those Classic Vibes for a while that I sold my Epi SG guitar to get one (I don't play enough guitar to justify having a $370 guitar collecting dust). I only want to try the CV Tele bass as a comparison and take one of them home.
 

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