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    • #5973
      superblonde
      Keymaster

      Happy tax return week!  I just bought myself a used bass guitar with my refund.  8-D  (Getting a refund is pretty unusual for me.)    I happened to see the bass guitar I believe I’d want, at a nice discount, used online at zzounds (supposedly because it has a cosmetic blemish, whatever that means, and not sure should I care, cause I’m gonna ding it eventually anyway, and it seems many guitar buyers are totally pedantic and RMA perfectly usable guitars for the tiniest little paint details or whatever).

      I have not looked at bass guitar specs before.  I didn’t find much on the current or old forum about buying a bass guitar.  I skimmed a couple buying guides but they were general rather than metal-related.

      In comparing bass guitars:  what to get, a 4 string or a 5 string?  Who plays a 4 string vs. 5 string bass? What’s the 5th string add to their style?   I got a 4 string because, well, I quickly looked at the basses of some hip bassists like Lemmy and Flea and Duff, they’re playing 4 strings.  Does using a 5 string mean using a different amp or cabinet because of the lower range?  I’m assuming that having a 5th string is not really much more difficulty compared to a 4 string.

      Scale length was one spec mentioned.  A regular scale length, mine is 34″ anyway, because this was suggested a normal length is a better bet than a short length.

      Weight is important, to me anyway.  The few times I’ve picked up basses they are ridiculously heavy.

      Other than that.. it has a nice color 😀  and a return policy if it really doesn’t fit somehow.

      Buying guitars is a bit of a random draw, isn’t it.   The model I was looking at has two versions, a standard version and a “Custom” label version, and it’s not readily apparent what the benefits of the “Custom” really are.

       

      I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
      And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

    • #5974
      TommyZ
      Participant

      Congratz!!!! I’m so jealous I want to learn Bass and have one around to fill in as a bassist for Jammin.A local shop in my town has a Killer Ibanez SR300 in Blue and a decent affordable selection of Bass Amps Combos etc…Enjoy your quest in learning and Discovery your so lucky!!

      "The level of achievement that we have at anything is a reflection of how well we're able to focus on it " Steve Vai

    • #5976
      MotleyCrue81
      Participant

      You shouldn’t need a different amp or cabinet for a 5 string bass, the difference in pitch isn’t that drastic that a different kind of amp would be needed. Playing a 5 string bass on a bass amp would be similar to playing a 7 string guitar on a guitar amp in that yes, you have a lower range, but you do not need a different amp to accommodate for that difference.

      Bring hair metal back!

    • #5978
      MotleyCrue81
      Participant

      Also, typically a 5 string bass would be tuned like this:

      1st string: G

      2nd string: D

      3rd string: A

      4th string: E

      5th string: B

      Where the 1st string is the thinnest string. It is the standard 5 string bass tuning.

      Also, some people like to tune this way:

      1st string: B

      2nd string: G

      3rd string: D

      4th string: A

      5th string: E

      Some people like 5 string basses tuned this way but do note that you will need thinner strings for this type setup. And also, some bassists like the 1st string in this orientation tuned to a C so that there are perfect 4ths all around for the open strings.

      Bring hair metal back!

    • #5990
      safetyblitz
      Participant

      I’ve been thinking about picking up a used Squier Jazz. Is there a dirt cheap practice amp that’s preferable to the ubiquitous Fender Rumble 15? I’ll see what google has to say, but if there’s a learned opinion here, I’m interested.

      • #6045
        superblonde
        Keymaster

        Hm, nice 8″ speaker on the Fender. Competing amps have smaller speakers.. which is really what limits the sound of the practice amps right? Will the “advertised” 15W, which is probably not really 15W, be able to push it? Maybe the next step up in power for the Fender would be a good comparison, might be worth the extra $20 in price. (I just saw that GC has used 15’s on their site for $40-$50.. but.. older models)

        I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
        And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

    • #6029
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      I bought a bass a few years ago because some guys I knew needed a bass player for their band.  I bought a 4-string bass and it took me about 2 weeks to regret not getting the 5 string.  I ended up buying a cheaper 5-string.

      So many bands use 5 string basses that it helps.

      One thing about playing bass, it will make your fingers strong.  When you go back to playing guitar, the strings will feel tiny.

    • #6083
      superblonde
      Keymaster

      My 4 str bass guitar arrived today from the online site. I was a bit worried about that “blemished” label.. who knows, does it mean there’s a big gash down the edge or what..

      Manufacturer list price is said to be either $1,300 or $1,800 depending on who ya want to believe.
      Online prices on several sites is $900 new.
      Today I see a lower price on one site for the plain paint finish version, for $800.
      This used one I picked up for $600 with free shipping.

      This guitar is modern cnc manufactured so I figure there aren’t any quality differences between these prices as long as it is a tonally working guitar. Turns out the blemishing is just some fretboard wear, and the glossy paint has a couple rub marks no bigger than 1″ probably from where the guitar was resting on the floor. A few of what looks like small fingernail scratches on the fretboard. Even if it were a floor model I’d expect more wear than this. The plastic protective film was still on the outside of the battery compartment cover.. probably the battery has never been changed. Came with a factory custom gig bag which even has the original audio cable shrinkwrapped in it.

      So I dunno what’s up with guitar pricing. Maybe it’s a good used market right now. Amazing that guitar buyers are so picky about cosmetics. Not sure you guys would like it.. It’s headless! Even so, it is physically huge. Supposedly weighs 7.6 lbs. I’ve got a month to beat sound out of this thing until the return deadline comes up. I’ll have to decide by then, if 5 string is better for me or stay with this one.

      I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
      And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

    • #6084
      MotleyCrue81
      Participant

      If you ever once feel dissatisfied, you need to get rid of it. Never keep a guitar that you have any dissatisfaction with. Good luck!

      Bring hair metal back!

    • #6086
      superblonde
      Keymaster

      Great point. Even later on I guess I’ll be able to sell it for about what I paid.

      Anyway, playing this is really fun! ha!
      some riffs: https://biosx.com/media_2015/20150422-practice-new-bass.mp3

      I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
      And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

    • #6092
      PaulWolfe
      Participant

      I bought an Ibanez GSR200 a couple years back at a pawn shop and it played great and sounded great (yes, I realize it’s a cheapo starter bass)… it went back to the pawn shop with my guitars because I was broke.

      A year or so ago I picked up a Fender Precision at the same pawn shop. The neck is thicker so fretting at the lower end takes a bit more work than the Ibanez. It sounds great but has taken a bit of work to get the action suitable – acceptable string buzz when unplugged vs playability. I also find that I do better playing the bass standing up whereas I tend to play the guitar sitting down.

      I also find that I don’t enjoy playing rock or metal on bass but I LOVE playing funk and disco…

      My advice is to go to a music store and try a few basses before purchasing one. You may be surprised how much subtle differences can make a BIG difference to personal satisfaction.

    • #6101
      safetyblitz
      Participant

      Amazing that guitar buyers are so picky about cosmetics.

      The business of selling guitars today is built largely on the “rock star” mythos. The music business has been preoccupied with image for so long that I guess we shouldn’t be terribly surprised that many (most) of the people who buy guitars put a lot of value in it. I think it’s also a little like buying cars: people who lack confidence or ability frequently try to compensate for it by purchasing something they perceive as looking “cool” or “badass”, regardless of whether it’s anything special under the hood. That’s not to say that accomplished players never buy guitars for superficial reasons, but I think it’s much more common among people who have only been playing a couple of years.

      I think most people who buy guitars (and basses) know very little about music and even less about what distinguishes a good guitar from a crappy one. Most buyers have criteria similar to the criteria they use for buying athletic shoes: is it supposedly the same one used by famous person X? And is it in pristine mint condition? (or in rare cases: is it “relic-ed” in exactly the same way as famous person X’s?).

      Things like the popularization of “naming” your guitar feed into the myth that electric guitars are like snowflakes rather than cookie-cutter blocks of wood. On the bright side, that means there’s less demand for “scratch and dent” models, so those of us who value performance over cosmetics can still find relative bargains. Though I still think the best bargains in the guitar world are used cheap starter guitars plus a few bucks worth of hardware upgrades. In my neck of the woods, used starter guitars usually don’t even have much fret wear unless they’re approaching 20 years old and many different owners, because most beginners buy a guitar with good intentions but never actually play it much.

    • #6132
      superblonde
      Keymaster

      I passed by the small family owned guitar store today so went in and played a couple of their used bass’es. The Ibanez GS200 felt really nice, not sure how to describe, just really light and well balanced and somehow very playable, a thin body with a nice comfortable cut out at the rear top. It was $199 with “let me know if ya like anything I can get ya a deal!” (ummm.. thats why I prefer to buy online dude) The Ibanez just really stood out to me for some reason (not for the paint job) compared to the couple others I picked up like Ltd and so on, without plugging them in at least.

      So far I’m comfortable with the one I’ve already got and it fits because.. it’s headless!

      I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
      And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

    • #6324
      superblonde
      Keymaster

      As for bass amplifiers I am impressed by looking at reviews of the Fender Bronco 40 combo software modelling amp. A bit of cash at $250 but at least I won’t outgrow it. I’ll just have to save for a couple months for it. I don’t have a bigger guitar amp yet so I suppose I could use it for my guitar as well. They didnt have any at the local big box guitar store so I haven’t played with it hands on yet. I have a fender mustang mini amp (5W, 6″ speaker size) and it has the same type of panel though and I like the way the interface works. The one limitation to the Bronco that I see is that the headphone-out and XLR-out is not stereo, for those effects that have stereo, or if passing in mp3’s with the aux-in. Only the USB is stereo.

      I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
      And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

    • #7479
      ZUrlocker
      Participant

      I’ve bought several used Roland Cube amps, both for guitar and for bass. They are digital (not tube) but they have quite a bit of flexibility with different COSM modeling effects etc. Although I don’t use a lot of the bass effects, it does provide an easy way to modify the sound to different songs. They are also pretty loud and seemingly indestructible.  The older models (XL) also have a built-in looper which is handy.

    • #8273
      superblonde
      Keymaster

      Found this guy on youtube who is amazingly prolific bass student – he has done like 1,000 cover song videos on bass, no fluff, no excess talk, just him, his bass, and the song.  All kinds of genres from hard rock to pop.   Also he has a couple good summary videos about his gear which includes a Carvin bass and two Steinberger headless bass’s (a 4 string and a 5 string).

      Constantine Isslamow

      I’ve found it so useful to learn a little bit of bass.. really has helped to hear the parts of songs better.  I’d even go so far to say that it would have been much better to start out with bass instead of guitar, so many years ago plus it’s fun (and hard!  metal bass is so friggin fast!).

       

      I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
      And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

    • #8275
      Igglepud
      Participant

       

      My main is a Schecter 5 String. I got it because:

      1. It looks and sounds badass. It was made for metal. There are freaking bats on the fretboard and it came in a coffin.

      2. The 5th string gives you fingering options. I don’t use an open B often, but a 5th fret E keeps me comfortable.

      I play through a Fender bass amp, just a little 12 inch. It sounds nice.

      Cosmetics were important to me. I want to play live shows.

      MY ROCK IS FIERCE!!!

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