I've used my P-bass with flats on it for several big band gigs and the sonic profile was a perfect fit! Plus in the tight confines it was easier to maneuver than the dog house!
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Tight budget, serious bass?
- Thread starter Pedro Carvalho
- Start date
Hmm a japanese 90's 62 reissue P-bass? I like the Danelectro longhorns and 60s Vox hollowbodies, been curious about the Hofner contemporary series stuff, also like the 90's Rivoli basses(korean made)
I know it isn't on your list, but to get as close as I can to a upright sound, I use a Breedlove Solo Jumbo with flats. It also required the proper EQ and technique. I play and mute a note almost simultaneously to get a percussive attack and an instant decay.
But, as others have said, those on your list should do. Just work the technique and EQ to see what you can get. You may also want to try a foam mute under the strings right up against the bridge.
But, as others have said, those on your list should do. Just work the technique and EQ to see what you can get. You may also want to try a foam mute under the strings right up against the bridge.
Get a used MIM P-Bass. That will cover more ground than just about anything up there. Have money left over for a set of nice flats and a decent practice amp.
If you want an "upright" sound out of a professional quality electric bass (for cheap),.....I'd go with a fretless Fender, and set it up with flats and a high action.
IMO, a taut set of flats, set up with high action,...that is the key to getting it to sound like an upright. If you set it up with light, floppy strings and regular action, it just sounds like an electric fretless.
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From your list I’d buy the Yamaha. That 734a can cover so much ground. If I had to limit to one instrument to do everything with it would be an active/passive PJ.
P bass with flats (or tapewounds) and tone the on your bass rolled all the way off.
Piezo vs Humbuckers vs PJ .. Love the sound on all 3, can't seem to decide ..
Also love the 2nd gen M7!
Will fretless semi-hollow look weird outside a jazz group?
Also the srh500 and srh505 look like the same bass .. what's the difference?
Also love the 2nd gen M7!
Will fretless semi-hollow look weird outside a jazz group?
Also the srh500 and srh505 look like the same bass .. what's the difference?
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There's one bass that's just head and shoulders above anything else I've tried on that list:
The BB734. It's a great instrument and extremely versatile. I wouldn't even consider anything else on that list unless you want something 100% passive.
The Sire P7/M7 and the other Yamaha are probably great too though but I haven't tried them.
The Fender Player Jaguar... You may need to add the cost of new tuners+bridge saddles. Fender went with really cheap, poor hardware on the Player series. Except for the hardware the Players are really nice but there's just too many reports about failing tuners and dropping bridge saddle (including mine).
I haven't tried the ESP AP4.
The Sandberg Electra is ULTRA bright. I'm a big Sandberg fan but I can't stand their stock pickups/electronics. I've got a custom made passive P-style (VS) Sandberg with Kloppmann PB63 pickup that is probably the best bass I've ever owned but I couldn't get a single tone that I liked out of the Electras. Far too bright and rather sterile sounding IMO. There's a reason many Sandberg owners use non-Sandberg pickups but with the Electras you've got no choice.
Sterling Ray24... Ok, out of the current Rays I've only played the Ray4 which is the bottom-of-the-barrel model. The Ray4 is one of the worst basses I've ever owned. Stupid impulse buy online. Very poor neck/fretwork. The wood felt kinda rough and needed sanding+oiling to feel nice under the fingers. The neck had buzzing everywhere. Regular setup didn't help, the frets had to be levelled and re-crowned. The active electronics were AWFUL. It couldn't handle the output from the pickup without distorting (and not in a nice way). I had to lower the pickup to where it sounded anemic to avoid overloading the electronics. But the pickup sounded rather poor at all heights really. No mids, just a muddy, scooped, lifeless mess. I changed the electronics+pickup to Nordstrand vintage MM-style. Huge difference. It's a decent cheapo Stingray now but with the cost/work I put into it I can't really say it was worth it. The Ray24 is probably (hopefully) a big step up but it will still only be able to give you the Stingray sound. Nothing else. And unless that specific sound is exactly what you want every other bass on your list would probably be a better choice. The Ray24 is certainly the least versatile bass on you list (even though MM fans will probably tell you otherwise).
Not on your list: If you don't dislike the look/vibe of the Ibanez SR series they offer some of the best basses out there in pretty much every price range from entry level to boutique. Personally I'm more into the vintage P-bass vibe but the SR series really are great instruments.
1-2 years ago I would probably have put Squier CV near the top of your list too but they've dropped considerably in quality recently. They're not horrible, just not that great anymore. But IF you can find one of the pre-2018 Made in China Squier CVs you should give it a chance. They're GREAT instruments, and not just "for the money". For some reason they still keep popping up at dealers from time to time, even though they're supposed to be discontinued. Just make 100% it's the older Chinese CVs, not the newer Indonesian.
The BB734. It's a great instrument and extremely versatile. I wouldn't even consider anything else on that list unless you want something 100% passive.
The Sire P7/M7 and the other Yamaha are probably great too though but I haven't tried them.
The Fender Player Jaguar... You may need to add the cost of new tuners+bridge saddles. Fender went with really cheap, poor hardware on the Player series. Except for the hardware the Players are really nice but there's just too many reports about failing tuners and dropping bridge saddle (including mine).
I haven't tried the ESP AP4.
The Sandberg Electra is ULTRA bright. I'm a big Sandberg fan but I can't stand their stock pickups/electronics. I've got a custom made passive P-style (VS) Sandberg with Kloppmann PB63 pickup that is probably the best bass I've ever owned but I couldn't get a single tone that I liked out of the Electras. Far too bright and rather sterile sounding IMO. There's a reason many Sandberg owners use non-Sandberg pickups but with the Electras you've got no choice.
Sterling Ray24... Ok, out of the current Rays I've only played the Ray4 which is the bottom-of-the-barrel model. The Ray4 is one of the worst basses I've ever owned. Stupid impulse buy online. Very poor neck/fretwork. The wood felt kinda rough and needed sanding+oiling to feel nice under the fingers. The neck had buzzing everywhere. Regular setup didn't help, the frets had to be levelled and re-crowned. The active electronics were AWFUL. It couldn't handle the output from the pickup without distorting (and not in a nice way). I had to lower the pickup to where it sounded anemic to avoid overloading the electronics. But the pickup sounded rather poor at all heights really. No mids, just a muddy, scooped, lifeless mess. I changed the electronics+pickup to Nordstrand vintage MM-style. Huge difference. It's a decent cheapo Stingray now but with the cost/work I put into it I can't really say it was worth it. The Ray24 is probably (hopefully) a big step up but it will still only be able to give you the Stingray sound. Nothing else. And unless that specific sound is exactly what you want every other bass on your list would probably be a better choice. The Ray24 is certainly the least versatile bass on you list (even though MM fans will probably tell you otherwise).
Not on your list: If you don't dislike the look/vibe of the Ibanez SR series they offer some of the best basses out there in pretty much every price range from entry level to boutique. Personally I'm more into the vintage P-bass vibe but the SR series really are great instruments.
1-2 years ago I would probably have put Squier CV near the top of your list too but they've dropped considerably in quality recently. They're not horrible, just not that great anymore. But IF you can find one of the pre-2018 Made in China Squier CVs you should give it a chance. They're GREAT instruments, and not just "for the money". For some reason they still keep popping up at dealers from time to time, even though they're supposed to be discontinued. Just make 100% it's the older Chinese CVs, not the newer Indonesian.
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Sorry, but IMO no bass guitar sounds remotely like a double bass. If you mean you want a bass that has an emphasis on the low end, I'd suggest a Precision with flats. Buy a good used bass (not difficult with a Precision) and get a lot of bass for your budget. Maybe, at some time in the future, plan a pickup upgrade.
My opinion is that nothing sounds exactly like a double bass, but you can definitely get a serious upright bass vibe with many electric basses. There are some "must haves" though to make this happen:
1) Fretless Bass
2) Medium-to-Heavy Gauge Flatwound Strings (tape wound is even better)
3) Very High Action
4) Heavy Muting Technique (or foam at the bridge)
5) Pickups/Electronics/Amps that allow you to roll off the top end, while boosting the lower mids
6) Keep your right hand attack somewhere between the neck pickup and the final couple inches of the fretboard.
Most electric players going for an upright sound know about most of these things. But the two big ones that people mess up are having strings that are too light, and having action that is too low. If the strings are light gauge, and the action is low, it won't sound anything like an upright. If you want it to feel like an electric bass (light strings and low action),...then it's going to sound like an electric bass.
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