Looking for an inexpensive bass for recording only

I apologize in advance if this title offends anyone and I really do appreciate great quality instruments.  However, on a tight budget, I want to pickup an electric bass to start playing in bass parts instead of using midi.  I use GR 5 Pro and have other amp sims.  So my question is, if I bought a Fender Squire Precision (for example) for $300 and sent it through the amp sims, will I notice a big difference compared to have used a much better bass?  

I realize that the way the bass feels is very important.  In my budget, I am not planning to use the bass for anything else but recording so if the action is not the greatest, I may be able to learn to live with that.  

Any comments?  I am researching Fender, Ibanez, and other brands at this point.  If you all have already discussed this question could you please point me to that thread if you know where it is?  

Thanks much.

Rimshot

Rimshot


I apologize in advance if this title offends anyone and I really do appreciate great quality instruments.  However, on a tight budget, I want to pickup an electric bass to start playing in bass parts instead of using midi.  I use GR 5 Pro and have other amp sims.  So my question is, if I bought a Fender Squire Precision (for example) for $300 and sent it through the amp sims, will I notice a big difference compared to have used a much better bass?  

I realize that the way the bass feels is very important.  In my budget, I am not planning to use the bass for anything else but recording so if the action is not the greatest, I may be able to learn to live with that.  

Any comments?  I am researching Fender, Ibanez, and other brands at this point.  If you all have already discussed this question could you please point me to that thread if you know where it is?  

Thanks much.

Rimshot

Squire Bass and replace the pickup with Seymour Duncan Quater Pounder pickup. ~$400 (depending on installation cost). No one will ever hear the difference. You could shop around for a "original" pup. They do pop up from time to time.

bapu
Squire Bass and replace the pickup with Seymour Duncan Quater Pounder pickup. ~$400 (depending on installation cost). No one will ever hear the difference. You could shop around for a "original" pup. They do pop up from time to time.

 
I've been thinking of getting this, and changing the pick up per your spec ... any ideas, thoughts, or am I just being silly?
 
Fender Deluxe P Bass Special 4-String Bass ... every time I look at it, the pickups look rather cheap. Looking for that Mike Howlett "look" and style/sound, I suppose that you could say. Other than that the sound that John G Perry got on Caravan with his SG Bass on "For Girls who Grow Plump inthe Night", or the similar bass sound that Manfred Mann's Earth Band had during the 70's when that player was also using the SG (Colin Pattenden) ... of which I have the cheapie and have had a hard time with it ... small hands!

Rimshot

 if I bought a Fender Squire Precision (for example) for $300 

$179 at Musicians friend, no case.

Beeps. Quater Pounder. See the link in post #3 herein.

Ah... it's not. It's going on the pile now. Probably be better for what I do anyway. Cheers.

It was a genuine Fender 62 P-Bass replacement pickup. I'd link to it but it appears the page is broken. It was a pretty good deal but might not have been hefty enough for my needs.

Hope you've been well, bapsi.

Glad to hear it. Just chugging along over here trying to turn myself into an engineer. It's taking forever. :-/

A good idea that you can get started on now is learning about chord structure and arpeggios. A good bassline is more about playing the notes within a chord than focusing on scales. You'll want to learn the patterns that will allow you to easily access the I, III, V and sometimes VII notes of the various quality of chords. Mainly Major, minor, diminished, augmented. Then use scales to move through those notes to create a "walking" effect.

You may already know all that but it's something I neglected for years in regards to bass playing so it's worth mentioning. Cheers.

I always recommend something with Fender-style configuration (PU's/parts/neck joint), as that allows you to easily replace or upgrade things as desired.

There is nothing wrong with the Squiers, though I have heard some say the quality is inconsistent, but this is likely to be a problem with many inexpensive instruments. In general, I have found that (regardless of quality level) basses vary more from one to the next than electric guitars do. If buying from a brick and mortar store, you will want to compare carefully to find the best one you can.

Personally I don't like Ibanez basses, but only because Ibanez tends to put skinny little necks on most of their instruments and I decidedly prefer chunkier necks, but YMMV. I also don't like "low" action and one of the first things I end up doing when buying a new bass is raising the action, but other people will obviously differ on this.


Overall, there's no reason you can't get decent results with a reasonable quality inexpensive bass. IMHO if you have a decent instrument, practice will probably make a much bigger difference in the results than spending 3 times as much on the instrument would.

Bah... stupid forum ate my post.

What I was trying to reply was that if you already understand chord structure and how to interact with the drums all that's really left is conditioning your hands. Bass is tons of fun to play. You're gonna have a blast. Good luck to ya. ;-)

Beagle


do the quarter pounders come with cheese?  can I add becan?

Yeah!!!!

Bub

bapu

Beagle

do the quarter pounders come with cheese?  can I add becan?

Yeah!!!!

You can only add string cheese.

bapu

Bub

bapu

Beagle

do the quarter pounders come with cheese?  can I add becan?

Yeah!!!!

You can only add string cheese.

But the come in 4, 5, 6 and 8 string variety, roight?

Yeah, but you only really need 1. Well, that, a mop handle, and wash basin.


I don't know about I, III, IV's, but I'm pretty sure you could just play I's on it.

I am not a bass player so a while back I bought a Squier Bronco bass. I favored the shorter scale. I know I need to upgrade the pup but it has not come to the front burner... does anyone know what would be a good pup upgrade for a Bronco? I actually tend to use midi keys for bass but after reading this I may try stringing it with some flatwounds and maybe change the pickup. Also, will I need to change pots or caps as long as I stay with a single coil? As long as I am in there with a soldering iron I may as well do any fixing that needs fixing... (yes, I know it is a cheap instrument).

it is this one: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BroncoBsTRD RED.

Thanks,

Julien