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Versatile Basses!
- Thread starter Lukc
- Start date
To be honest, almost any dual pickup bass is going to be more versatile than you'll ever actually need. If there's a genre of music you can't work with a humble J then I haven't heard it. All the complex electronic fluff we get obsessed with in here is nice but, if we're honest with ourselves, versatility comes from the player, not the bass. Think James Jamerson, think JJ Burnel, think Steve Harris, think Paul Jackson. Now think how versatile is a P in the right hands.
To address your question from a sound engineer's viewpoint- I agree that the sound of a J or P bass can become a bit "regular" despite being great instruments.
I have a couple of suggestions: first, a J AND P pickup loaded Fender with a knob that can fade between the 2 pickups can quickly and easily render a much less familiar tone than a straight Jazz or Precision setup.
Then there is the Music Man - not cheap, but a great instrument that doesn't sound exactly like a J or P bass. Great tone.
Ibanez basses are good for the mid-priced range, but I'm not sure I would call them great.
Do yourself a favor and look into CARVINs as well - again, not a budget bass, but a phenomenal instrument for what you pay.
If you DO have bucks - look at LAKLAND out of Chicago. Those basses are SICK. I mean the tone is RIDICULOUS. I do not play one, but every time I've heard someone who was - man, I was REALLY knocked out by the richness of the tone.
I have a couple of suggestions: first, a J AND P pickup loaded Fender with a knob that can fade between the 2 pickups can quickly and easily render a much less familiar tone than a straight Jazz or Precision setup.
Then there is the Music Man - not cheap, but a great instrument that doesn't sound exactly like a J or P bass. Great tone.
Ibanez basses are good for the mid-priced range, but I'm not sure I would call them great.
Do yourself a favor and look into CARVINs as well - again, not a budget bass, but a phenomenal instrument for what you pay.
If you DO have bucks - look at LAKLAND out of Chicago. Those basses are SICK. I mean the tone is RIDICULOUS. I do not play one, but every time I've heard someone who was - man, I was REALLY knocked out by the richness of the tone.
It has been said already, but I want to back this up - A good EQ on a good pre-amp (plenty of them out there). Just make sure the pups can deliver. Even the cheapest bodies and necks with very good electronics will sport a wide palette of very usable sounds. A good body and neck (and bridge) will get you more then anyone could use.
Well, the answer doesn't have to be "Fender", but to me "versatile and good for different genres" equals "J".
Then again, you can play a lot of different genres on many, many different basses. It's more about you really, and how you adapt what you have to the task at hand.
In 1991 I bought an active 5 bass. Bolt on neck, Vol, Tone, Pan, 2 Bartolini P.U.'s
I started hearing," hey that axe really stands out in the mix" etc...
Still my main player today.
I started hearing," hey that axe really stands out in the mix" etc...
Still my main player today.
I'll second the G&L L2K. It can cop the chocolatey Fender sounds fairly easily but also makes tones of its own, including really agressive pinched sounds. The pickups tend to be really really hot, though, which can sound kind of runny when everything is turned up to 11 in series mode. I prefer parallel mode on my L2K since it calms things down a little and takes out some of the wool.
If you need traditional tones, tho, the neck PU soloed in parallel mode and passive gives a pretty good Precision sound, same on the bridge PU gets a jazz bass -ish sound.
LS
I was blown away by the versatility of the Big Al bass.
Saw the dude playing one at a local gig. Sounded amazing. (It had 3 pickups).
During a break he showed me what it could do. My jaw still hangs when I think about the range of sound he produced with that one bass.
Seriously versatile bass.
Saw the dude playing one at a local gig. Sounded amazing. (It had 3 pickups).
During a break he showed me what it could do. My jaw still hangs when I think about the range of sound he produced with that one bass.
Seriously versatile bass.
J/MM configs can be great. Also dual soapbars can be great for things not P or J. I personally love a PJ setup, but all of the above have their place sonically. Top tone awards in my book go to Lakland and Sadowsky. Ken Smith, although I'm not a big fan, has it's own unique sound. Other good ones are MTD and Pedulla for distinct tones that are unique to their instruments and great to record with. Modulus and Zon are great in the graphite/composite zone for tone...very recordable. For custom work there are tons of small builders that do nice work whose instruments record well--Kinal and Linc Luthier have built me some nice basses. Carvin basses have really improved over the years and have the best bang for the buck IMO.
Pretty much anything that Leo had a hand in creating will be versatile. Other basses that I have found to be at home in any genre include Alembics, Spectors, and the numerous Fender derivatives.
