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Silvertone basses

H

hOvel

Oct 21, 2004
6
0
39
Norway
#1
Hi! :help:

I'm kind of a newbie bass-player. :bassist: Until now I've borrowed an : old epiphoneguitar from a friend. It's abot time that I buy one myself, and I've considered to bay a starter-package from Silvertone. Just wondered if any of you guys know something about this brand. :confused: Is it good? Sounds a bit cheezy. I live in Norway, and I've never heard of it.
 
#2
Silvertone is one of about 500 "knock-off" companies. They mostly make cheap copies of Ibanez and Fender basses. I have seen these basses for sale in CD stores and Wal-Mart, so that alone makes them a bit suspicious. I've played a handful of them and don't think they are really worth the money. I'm not sure what is available in norway, but there is probably a better value to be had. Look around the used market for sure.
 
#6
ok. I don't know so much about basses myself, so it's great to have some more experienced bass-players opinions. Think I'll have a look around and see if I can find a used bassguitar that has a bit more quality. tnx for helping out! :smug:
 
#7
jgsbass said:
When Sears had the Silvertone line in the 60's and 70's, it was made for them by Danelectro, in good ol' Neptune NJ.
Todays Silvertone is just a cheap budget instrument from some machine in a cheap labor market somewhere in the world
Click to expand...
Silvertone WAS Danelectro. (sort of like Squier is Fender) Later on Danelectro contracted the work out to companies like Kay and Harmony. That's why you'll see Silvertones that don't have any Danelectro-ish appointments on them (like Harmony pickups, etc). From my understanding, the contract companies would produce their stock instruments, change the headstock to the appropriate Silvertone template, and slap a Silvertone logo on it.
 
#8
I guess brands like Washburn, Hartke and Squier are in the same cathergory as Silvertone? What about a start-package with an Ibanez IBZ10B or a package with an Epiphone Emassy Special bass? Or are start-packages in general just crap? :eyebrow:
 
#9
Starter packages are kinda good becasue you get everything you need to start playing, but the basses that come in them are generally crappy. Never buy a low-cost instrumetn (particularly from Fender) that you have not played first. the quality level on a lot of buget basses tends to have a wide range at the same price point.

Cheap basses that I have generally found to suck:
Washburn
Silvertone
Epiphone
Austin
Squier

Somewhat Cheap basses that tend to be good/decent:
Spector
Ibanez (preferably active DX models)
Some yamahas
SX (no european seller)
Scheter
Fender
Peavy (some can really suck)

There are many more brands than this to list, but this is what comes to mind. Unless you found some outrageously good internet deal, always play the specific instrument you want before buying it. If you find somethign on Ebay you are interested in, just post it and we can give you some info.
 
#11
ok. i've had a look at some starter-packages at Link Removed. the pricec are really good, and many of them have really good reviews, but i don't know if i believe them. most of them are on the list of bassses that usually suck, but there is an ibanez-package. great if one of u guys could have a look. I've also found a used Aria Pro 2 that's almost not used. (about 295 USD) what do you think about that? PS! the basses are in general about 100 USD's more in norway due to the high shippingrates.
 
#12
I have played the Squire starter package gear. A friend ordered it for her daughter and had me set up and tune it. The amp was decent for a bedroom practice but the bass was garbage. You would be far better off getting the Ibanez set. As far as the Aria you located. I had one in the 80's and Aria's are great Japanese basses. The one I had was awesome quality and sound. I miss mine. If you can afford the Aria and a cheap amp, that would get you started and you would not have to apologize to anyone for your bass sucking.
 
#14
Hovel.....Nice choice! I hope it serves you well. As I said before I miss my Aria badly. It was my favorite bass for live playing and always my choice for solo's. Very slim neck with awesome quality througout. Mine had two soapbar pickups that sounded great. These are not cheap starter basses. My Aria was $759.99 USD in 1986, if that tells you anything. Play it loud and proud bass brother! :cool:
 

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