I've been playing bass for about 5 years now. I love the instrument and decided to upgrade my setup. With the help of you folks here on TB I recently upgraded my amp to a Carvin BX500 and I'm lovin' it! 
Unfortunately, since I've upgraded my amp, I feel the need to upgrade my bass lineup. My first real bass was an Ibanez SRX3EXQM1 (I know, quite the name) which I still own. I played on that up until 6 months ago when I grabbed an SX Ursa 1 P-bass copy. I don't really like the sound of my Ibanez and much prefer the vintage, passive vibe of a Fender-style bass.
I replaced the precision neck with an SX jazz neck as my hands are rather smallish. I also removed the glossy, orangey finish that SX is famous for. Other than a thumb rest and some copper shielding, the rest of the bass is stock.
The SX pickup sounds pretty dandy to my ears but, then again, I haven't had much experience with other pickups. I have played MIA Fenders but they don't sound all that different to me. Too bad I can't do an A/B...
So here's my dilemma. Should I...
1) Upgrade the pickups in one or both of my basses.
2) Buy another cheaper bass and slowly upgrade it.
3) Save up and buy a nicer, used bass such as an American Fender, Lakland, etc.
4) Do nothing and keep practicing
Pickups I like from what I've seen are Lindy Fralin and Nordstrand. But honestly, I know very little about them.
As far as new basses go, my needs are:
Other than that, I'm pretty open to suggestions. I like the precision sound but a jazz pickup configuration might offer some new tonal options for me. I also really dig the Musicman sound and have played on some EB's and OLP's. I've looked into medium and short scale offerings and they're reeeeaaally tempting but I do like to play in dropped tunings from time to time so I worry about string tension and tone.
I apologize for such a lengthy and un-focused post but there are just so many options. Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
Unfortunately, since I've upgraded my amp, I feel the need to upgrade my bass lineup. My first real bass was an Ibanez SRX3EXQM1 (I know, quite the name) which I still own. I played on that up until 6 months ago when I grabbed an SX Ursa 1 P-bass copy. I don't really like the sound of my Ibanez and much prefer the vintage, passive vibe of a Fender-style bass.
I replaced the precision neck with an SX jazz neck as my hands are rather smallish. I also removed the glossy, orangey finish that SX is famous for. Other than a thumb rest and some copper shielding, the rest of the bass is stock.
The SX pickup sounds pretty dandy to my ears but, then again, I haven't had much experience with other pickups. I have played MIA Fenders but they don't sound all that different to me. Too bad I can't do an A/B...
So here's my dilemma. Should I...
1) Upgrade the pickups in one or both of my basses.
2) Buy another cheaper bass and slowly upgrade it.
3) Save up and buy a nicer, used bass such as an American Fender, Lakland, etc.
4) Do nothing and keep practicing
Pickups I like from what I've seen are Lindy Fralin and Nordstrand. But honestly, I know very little about them.
As far as new basses go, my needs are:
- Four-string
- Jazz-sized neck or smaller
- Less than $800, preferably
Other than that, I'm pretty open to suggestions. I like the precision sound but a jazz pickup configuration might offer some new tonal options for me. I also really dig the Musicman sound and have played on some EB's and OLP's. I've looked into medium and short scale offerings and they're reeeeaaally tempting but I do like to play in dropped tunings from time to time so I worry about string tension and tone.
I apologize for such a lengthy and un-focused post but there are just so many options. Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
