ECTO-1 posted:

Bump because Im still considering something for first bass.
How okay are SX J&P bass copies, really?
I was window shopping and these were about the cheapest in sight, so I assumed they must be awful, but on harmony-central the reviews are pretty good compared to more expensive Squires.

Any experiences?

Akur0 posted:

and if it helps I play bass

Demon Seed posted:

Well you could probably buy a new squire precision for close to the same price, its really up to you. Squire is pretty decent for cheap/entry level instruments, but a Fender should be a tiny bit better at least. Go for it. If the signal cuts out or gets real fuzzy, or the tone and volume knobs are hosed up, then you probably shouldn't buy it. Other than that a 210$ Pbass sounds pretty good to me.

The Big L posted:

Even though this may be one of the most painfully subjective questions one can ask, I can't help but seek some some advice regarding the "best" tone wood combinations for bass guitar. I know the subject is beat to death, but I've been given a great opportunity to assemble a custom bass from scratch and I'd appreciate any opinions from more experienced musicians than myself. I'm looking to construct a passive jazz bass, but I have very little experience or opportunity to experiment with different wood combinations.

I know the most common wood combinations are swamp ash body/maple neck and alder body/rosewood neck. But besides aesthetic appearances, are there any distinctive differences between them? I ask this because I've been playing budget basswood and agathis basses by entire life, so I have no personal experience with any decent/boutique tone woods. I mean, if it came down to looks only, I'd get a swamp ash body with an ebony neck, but I have no idea if these are compatible woods or not.

If it's any help, I mostly lean toward mid-low end sound frequencies (Reggae, dubstep, etc.) and have already bought/been handed down some hardware, such as:
- Dimarzio Model J Pickups
- Hipshot A Bass Bridge
- Hipshot Ultralite Tuners

Morter posted:

So now that I got a shiny new bass, I want to get a shiny new amp that goes with it.

However, I know gently caress-all about amps and their electronic specs. Really, all I want is something that I can plug my bass into, as well as a headphone jack so my laptop/mp3 player's audio can be fed through the amp at the same time (at the moment I use this portable speaker I bought from radio shack last year to play the audio I'm practicing with).

It doesn't need to be a powerful amp, as I live in an apartment and I don't plan on performing anywhere. Just one that I can hear my bass out of clearly, and have a 3.5mm port or some way to input audio (my old amp currently has red & white plugs for "CD" input, so maybe something similar to that).

I don't want you guys doing my homework for me, but what name brands are good for practice/performing for yourself (as opposed to an audience or an onstage amp), and has these things? What kind of money should I expect to spend?

jarjarbinksfan621 posted:

It's an Ibanez GSR200, so I think it has both jazz and precision pickups.

jarjarbinksfan621 posted:

I messed with the knobs, it's the tone knob that's causing the buzz, no more buzz when I turn it down to 0.

jarjarbinksfan621 posted:

Yeah, I don't know anything about electronics. Anyway, the buzz still persists whether the J or Precision is turned down to 0 if tone is on.

LordPants posted:

Declan MacManus posted:

Juaguocio posted:

Play on the one, and don't fake the funk.

Jeff Goldblum posted:

I got to put in some real time between a few different Fenders today at a guitar shoppe next to where I was getting my brakes changed out. We had an American Deluxe P, an American P, a Mexican Cabronitas/Tele P and a Mexican J, all running into a Portaflex. I also got to diddle around with a Kala U-Bass, which was fun.

Funnily enough the Mexican J still sounds the best to me. It might have had something to do with the Portaflex being old and having a hell of a time handling low end, but the J just had a more pleasing sound. However, the one I got the most play out of was that Cabronitas/Tele because it had a big rear end wide maple neck. The fat neck was supposed to be typical of the P-bass but it seem a lot less common now? I mean I'm fine with the playability of the slimmer neck but I'd really love to fit my J with a fat rear end maple neck.

silverhawk79 posted:

What are some good effects pedals for bass? I've currently got a Sansamp Para Driver DI box and a Bass Big Muff Pi, but is there something else that's "essential"? I'm interested in a compression pedal too.

Macavity posted:

I bought a used copy of Bass Grooves and wouldn't you know it, the drat thing came without a CD. Anyone know where I can pick one up without having to buy a whole nother copy of the book? I'm really excited to use it, because my rhythm/groove could definitely use some work, and its hard to pick that up from just sheet music.

Macavity posted:

That's a good idea. How does that work, anyway? Do they just chop off the binding and then poke holes in it or something?

aunt jemima posted:

The BA115 has been around a long time and for good reason. It's a great amp.

I also like some (not all) of the Acoustic combos that GC started making and selling a few years ago. They're cheap and worth checking out.

fake e: hi fellow goon bassists I don't know why I didn't look for the bassist thread years ago

organburner posted:

Since I can't afford to get the drums I want, I figured I might start learning to play bass in the meanwhile. My dad has an old bass guitar that needs some light repairs and I figured I'd get it to a shop to fix it and buy Rocksmith 2014
I have two questions for you, mighty bass thread:
1: How much does it cost to fix up an old guitar? Near as I can figure the electronics are hosed up because it doesn't output to a working amp, but other poo poo might be hosed up too. Dad claims the guitarr is some unique collectors item or something so it might be worth fixing up? I don't currently know the brand and model of it

2: How good is rocksmith at teaching bass anyway? I can't afford to get a teacher and kind of don't want to get one anyway (I do bad with teachers) and I'd be happy with only learning the basics.

Still need to ask if my dad is okay with this whole me borrowing the guitar thing (He doesn't even play bass), otherwise I'm just gonna save up for the drums and get the bass later on (Because drums are apparently not expensive enough for me)

Snak posted:

tl;dr: Does anyone have recommendations for a metronome, or does it not even matter?

organburner posted:

My tiny amp I got with babbys first bass kit from Ibanez is dead, and this makes me sad.

Anyway, the strap I got with this thing is a piece of poo poo that keeps sliding off, so I'm looking for a new one so I can play while standing without fear of my bass smashing into the floor. Any suggestions?