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Perfect 6 String Bass for Progressive Metal?

#28
074.jpg


Ibanez SR7VIISC.

/thread
 
#32
Hi Nathan,

Not too long ago, I was, myself, looking for ''the perfect'' 6-string bass for progressive metal.

From reading the thread, I have noticed that the Music Man Bongo 6 and that Spector Basses came out quite a few times. Since I own both a Music Man Bongo 6 HH and a Spector Euro 6 LX, I thought I would share my experience with you.

The Music Man Bongo 6 HH is an awesome instrument for the price. Its got a 4-band EQ (which makes it very versatile) and the HH (Dual Humbucker) configuration mixed with the Bolt-on neck construction makes for an instrument that has that ''punch'' and that ''growl'' that you are probably looking for. You can dial in some very mellow tones out of it for quieter passages as well as some real agressive tones for fast riffing (when you are following the guitar for example).
The string spacing is on the wider side (think of a fender jazz bass), which can make string skipping a little more difficult, but with the proper technique you get use to it.
As far as craftmanship goes, this is not a boutique bass, but the product is still top quality. It comes in a musicman man custom fitted case. It really is a great instrument.

As for the Spector Euro 6 LX, it is a very different animal. It is a neck-through construction, which really makes all the difference. The sustain you get out of the instrument is out of this world. It is greats for two-hand tapping; i find the instrument really sings.
The string-spacing is narrower than on the Music Man Bongo 6, which I also prefer for more technical playing. Sure, if you like to slap Victor Wooten-style, you might find it a little harder. But from reading your description above, the narrower spacing may actually accomodate you better.
Sound-wise, I find the Spector darker sounding than the Bongo 6. You can definitely dial in some wicked tones, allowing you to play not only Progressive Metal, but also Rock, Funk, Jazz.
I also find that the 35" neck scale thighten up the strings, allowing you to really dig into them to get that full bodied sound. It also makes the Low B sound absolutely massive (I know, the debate on 35'' vs 34'' has been on forever.....).

The body shape of the Spector is also much more comfortable when playing gigs....the curved body really makes a difference.

Now..... you can get the Bongo 6 for around 2000$ and the Spector for 2500$. Is it worth the 500$ more? I would say yes in a heart beat.

I don't think you need to spend $5K for a bass for it to sound good. Your equipment (bass amp, bass cabinets) will make a huge difference on you overall sound. Your technique, if precise, will shine through, even on the cheapest bass.

That being said, I would strongly recommend the Spector Euro series. Two years ago, in my quest for the Perfect 6-stringer, I stumbled upon a Spector Euro 6 LX in my local music store, and I instantly fell in love with it!

Hope that helped, hit me up if you have any more questions!

Sacha
 
#33
slev said:
Hi Nathan,

Not too long ago, I was, myself, looking for ''the perfect'' 6-string bass for progressive metal.

From reading the thread, I have noticed that the Music Man Bongo 6 and that Spector Basses came out quite a few times. Since I own both a Music Man Bongo 6 HH and a Spector Euro 6 LX, I thought I would share my experience with you.

The Music Man Bongo 6 HH is an awesome instrument for the price. Its got a 4-band EQ (which makes it very versatile) and the HH (Dual Humbucker) configuration mixed with the Bolt-on neck construction makes for an instrument that has that ''punch'' and that ''growl'' that you are probably looking for. You can dial in some very mellow tones out of it for quieter passages as well as some real agressive tones for fast riffing (when you are following the guitar for example).
The string spacing is on the wider side (think of a fender jazz bass), which can make string skipping a little more difficult, but with the proper technique you get use to it.
As far as craftmanship goes, this is not a boutique bass, but the product is still top quality. It comes in a musicman man custom fitted case. It really is a great instrument.

As for the Spector Euro 6 LX, it is a very different animal. It is a neck-through construction, which really makes all the difference. The sustain you get out of the instrument is out of this world. It is greats for two-hand tapping; i find the instrument really sings.
The string-spacing is narrower than on the Music Man Bongo 6, which I also prefer for more technical playing. Sure, if you like to slap Victor Wooten-style, you might find it a little harder. But from reading your description above, the narrower spacing may actually accomodate you better.
Sound-wise, I find the Spector darker sounding than the Bongo 6. You can definitely dial in some wicked tones, allowing you to play not only Progressive Metal, but also Rock, Funk, Jazz.
I also find that the 35" neck scale thighten up the strings, allowing you to really dig into them to get that full bodied sound. It also makes the Low B sound absolutely massive (I know, the debate on 35'' vs 34'' has been on forever.....).

The body shape of the Spector is also much more comfortable when playing gigs....the curved body really makes a difference.

Now..... you can get the Bongo 6 for around 2000$ and the Spector for 2500$. Is it worth the 500$ more? I would say yes in a heart beat.

I don't think you need to spend $5K for a bass for it to sound good. Your equipment (bass amp, bass cabinets) will make a huge difference on you overall sound. Your technique, if precise, will shine through, even on the cheapest bass.

That being said, I would strongly recommend the Spector Euro series. Two years ago, in my quest for the Perfect 6-stringer, I stumbled upon a Spector Euro 6 LX in my local music store, and I instantly fell in love with it!

Hope that helped, hit me up if you have any more questions!

Sacha
Click to expand...

+1
 
#34
Jaco only needed 4 strings......:hiding:


I'm so sorry, but someone had to do it. :D

Now, on a serious note, I'd go with this:

[This invalid link has been removed]

Schecters have very, very nice punishing, bright tone when you've got the right strings.
 
#35
Id go with one of the ESP Ltd or Ibanez models myself. For neck comfort and sound. Not that I could be comfortable with a sixer other then maybe 2nd bass. Lol. But of those Ive messed around with a little, the ESP & Ibanez's had closest to comfortable for me necks. Nice electronics, build, and fit to.
 
#38
talkbass steered me right. :)

Thanks for all the input, guys!

Also huge thanks to Bass San Diego on the West Coast and Bass Central on the East Coast; these guys let me play several of their most expensive instruments for 45-60 minutes at a time to come to my decision.

(An extra big thanks to Chris and George from Bass San Diego for freely sharing their bass knowledge with me! These are guys are just fantastic)

I ended up being able to try out the following instruments:
* Stuart Spector 6LX
* MTD635
* Music Man Bongo
* F-Bass BN6
* Dingwall AB2 (5-string), but only for 10 minutes or so
* Modulus Quantum 6
* ...and my old Cort 6-string from '97

I ended up choosing the Modulus Quantum 6, though the F-Bass and the Dingwall were close competitors.

The Dingwall had a rich, huge low-end to it, and the fanned frets barely affected my playing (I'm sure a little practice would fix this right up). However, I wasn't able to find an AB-2 to do a full evaluation (I had to make do with the 5-string model for just ten minutes or so), and I felt like the higher end of the instrument -- while excellent -- was a little "clickier" on the attack than the BN6 or the Quantum 6. However, I also feel I wasn't able to properly evaluate this fantastic instrument, so take my description with a grain of salt.

Then I was torn between the BN6 and the Quantum 6.

On the one hand, the BN6:
* has a tremendously rich, nuanced tone, full of character and "grit", while still being very precise and clear
* sounds more "organic" than the Quantum, and less "machine-like"
* by lowering its treble knob a bit, the bass seems to respond well to my sometimes overly aggressive picking style (no obnoxious "clack" in note attacks) -- two-hand-tapping and fast scales in the higher register sound legato and smooth
* is a little alien to play -- the fretboard's not as small as the Quantum's, and the fretboard's radius isn't flat like I'm used to (although since I don't string-bend, I'm not worried about fretting out, and my guess is it won't take long to adapt to my technique to the curved fretboard)

On the other hand, the Quantum 6:
* is the most comfortable bass I've ever played (small fretboard, and a smaller radius, which is closer to the old perfectly-flat-fretboarded Cort I'm used to)
* is the most "precise" sounding bass I've ever played -- incredibly bright and tight
* makes my "robotically precise" thrash metal riffs sound better than any other bass I've played
* makes my (few) funky slap-and-pop licks jump out better than any other bass I've played
* has a really "dark" low-end tone that I like, although it's not as crunchy, nuanced or interesting as the F-Bass
* has an upper register that sometimes sounds a little "nasal" compared to the BN6, although it's still a really good, "dark" tone

While I do think the F-Bass has more character, crunch, fullness and attitude, the Modulus's dark, bright tone and *precision* (which surely partly has to do with its easy playability) make it a *really* good fit for my music. While the Modulus's attack can be "crispy" when I pick a little too hard (as opposed to "crunchy" when I pluck too hard on the F-Bass), I can't really hear the "crisp" when it's mixed with all the other instruments.

I think of the Modulus's tone as "black", but thinner than the F-Bass, and the F-Bass's tone as "brown" but bigger and more nuanced (both "nastier" -- in a good way, when it's intentional -- or more "beautiful", depending on how it's played). For my music, "black" tone/timbre is better than "brown", but that F-Bass power and character has a unique attraction.

The primary decision point was: character/crunch/attitude/power vs. ultra-precision/dark-tone. I think the Modulus "blends" better in my music, but the F-Bass sounds more "distinctive", and differentiates the bass sound more from the other instruments.

I went with the Quantum 6 for this record, and so far so good!


Thanks again, all!

Nathan
 
#39
nathanfrost said:
talkbass steered me right. :)

Thanks for all the input, guys!

Also huge thanks to Bass San Diego on the West Coast and Bass Central on the East Coast; these guys let me play several of their most expensive instruments for 45-60 minutes at a time to come to my decision.

(An extra big thanks to Chris and George from Bass San Diego for freely sharing their bass knowledge with me! These are guys are just fantastic)

I ended up being able to try out the following instruments:
* Stuart Spector 6LX
* MTD635
* Music Man Bongo
* F-Bass BN6
* Dingwall AB2 (5-string), but only for 10 minutes or so
* Modulus Quantum 6
* ...and my old Cort 6-string from '97

I ended up choosing the Modulus Quantum 6, though the F-Bass and the Dingwall were close competitors.

The Dingwall had a rich, huge low-end to it, and the fanned frets barely affected my playing (I'm sure a little practice would fix this right up). However, I wasn't able to find an AB-2 to do a full evaluation (I had to make do with the 5-string model for just ten minutes or so), and I felt like the higher end of the instrument -- while excellent -- was a little "clickier" on the attack than the BN6 or the Quantum 6. However, I also feel I wasn't able to properly evaluate this fantastic instrument, so take my description with a grain of salt.

Then I was torn between the BN6 and the Quantum 6.

On the one hand, the BN6:
* has a tremendously rich, nuanced tone, full of character and "grit", while still being very precise and clear
* sounds more "organic" than the Quantum, and less "machine-like"
* by lowering its treble knob a bit, the bass seems to respond well to my sometimes overly aggressive picking style (no obnoxious "clack" in note attacks) -- two-hand-tapping and fast scales in the higher register sound legato and smooth
* is a little alien to play -- the fretboard's not as small as the Quantum's, and the fretboard's radius isn't flat like I'm used to (although since I don't string-bend, I'm not worried about fretting out, and my guess is it won't take long to adapt to my technique to the curved fretboard)

On the other hand, the Quantum 6:
* is the most comfortable bass I've ever played (small fretboard, and a smaller radius, which is closer to the old perfectly-flat-fretboarded Cort I'm used to)
* is the most "precise" sounding bass I've ever played -- incredibly bright and tight
* makes my "robotically precise" thrash metal riffs sound better than any other bass I've played
* makes my (few) funky slap-and-pop licks jump out better than any other bass I've played
* has a really "dark" low-end tone that I like, although it's not as crunchy, nuanced or interesting as the F-Bass
* has an upper register that sometimes sounds a little "nasal" compared to the BN6, although it's still a really good, "dark" tone

While I do think the F-Bass has more character, crunch, fullness and attitude, the Modulus's dark, bright tone and *precision* (which surely partly has to do with its easy playability) make it a *really* good fit for my music. While the Modulus's attack can be "crispy" when I pick a little too hard (as opposed to "crunchy" when I pluck too hard on the F-Bass), I can't really hear the "crisp" when it's mixed with all the other instruments.

I think of the Modulus's tone as "black", but thinner than the F-Bass, and the F-Bass's tone as "brown" but bigger and more nuanced (both "nastier" -- in a good way, when it's intentional -- or more "beautiful", depending on how it's played). For my music, "black" tone/timbre is better than "brown", but that F-Bass power and character has a unique attraction.

The primary decision point was: character/crunch/attitude/power vs. ultra-precision/dark-tone. I think the Modulus "blends" better in my music, but the F-Bass sounds more "distinctive", and differentiates the bass sound more from the other instruments.

I went with the Quantum 6 for this record, and so far so good!

Thanks again, all!

Nathan
Click to expand...

Good for you bro and great analysis also!
 

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