Hi,

I played a Fender Squire P bass yesterday and recorded it.  It sounded really good but my hands need much work to get used to the size and width of the neck.  

I am now looking for a smaller neck and after research online, I am going to check out the Squier Vintage modified Jaquar bass:

http://www.musiciansfrien...e-modified-jaguar-bass 

Or this lesser expensive short scale:

http://www.musiciansfrien...ss-k47UCFQxxQgodWDMAaA

Has anyone had any experience with this one for recording?

Thanks.

Rimshot

 Looking for an inexpensive bass for recording only 


hm.
when i first read that, the thing that jumped in my mind was "this is where i would want the most expensive instrument i could find"


because, midi is one thing, but recording crappy bass tones is the worst thing.

why would you want to do that?


ok, now that THAT is out of the way,

i can highly recommend this:





http://www.musiciansfrien...hort-scale-bass-guitar




i used one of these to record several of the bass tracks on my last album.


i bought mine for $120 thru a connection at a local music shop.

Thanks Bat, I can get this today for $149 from MF.

I ordered my new 
Ibanez GSRM20 Mikro Electric Bass Guitar


today in white.  $149 no tax, no shipping.  I am very happy thanks to all of you for helping me with your suggestions.  It looks like Bat and Mike both have this bass.  


All the best, 


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

Rimshot, I'll give you my take for what it's worth. I've used cheapo basses, mid range price basses and the really expensive ones. My personal opinion would be to spend as much as you can afford or maybe even try to find something that's high end pro that may be used or something. The reason being, the cheaper basses in my opinion don't seem to translate well and you spend more time messing with them to get a good tone. With a better bass, it's like the tone leaps out at you to where little to no tweaking is needed.
 
The best cheap bass I have ever played was a Hartke SB-15 for like $200. I STILL can't believe how great that thing sounded. I think they're discontinued, but man, if you can find one, it plays and sounds fantastic. I have a client that records here every Monday and that's what he uses. I shake my head in disbelief everytime we use it.
 
My personal choice for the lower end of the spectrum would be the Ibanez Sound Gear 5 string basses. I have one here that I absolutely love and have used it on just about every recording you've heard me play on that's been posted on the forum. You're looking at about $400 for one of those, but that low B is soo worth it man. You can really do some neat stuff with it on your recordings. And the neck is a nice size for a 5-string.
 
On the pricey end, my fave would have to be a Kubiki Factor as that's our main go-to bass. Nothing sounds like it and man...you can just run it into a DI and it will totally blow your mind. Then of course, nothing sounds like a real P-Bass...my second favorite.
 
I know you're looking for something inexpensive, but honest when I tell you, if you can spend $100 more or so, it can make a huge difference. Not just in the playability but how the bass sounds due to how it resonates and how the better basses are manufactured for better tone.
 
Granted, there are times when you can get lucky with something super cheap...but in my experience, only that Hartke made the grade as an anomaly. Cort also made some great Fender copies that were impressive as well believe it or not, so they may be worth a look if they even still make them. I've had 3 guys come into the studio with those and one that played in a band with me for years...and they all sounded great and played well too. They didn't have that "cheap" feel like inexpensive basses have nor did they have that loose, feel/sound to them.
 
I'm all for using cheap stuff if it works. But basses....I've just not been too lucky with and find myself doing more tweaking than I should be. So I would say $400-$500 unless you can get something really good used for $300...but that's just me based on my experience with this stuff. Good luck in whatever you decide bro.
 
-Danny

Ah you already ordered...lol...congrats man, hope it works out great for you. :)

-Danny

Looking for an inexpensive bass for recording only

Hey Danny - thanks for the post.  I did order with a maple neck BTW.  It's funny that I did not feel comfortable playing a loaner P Bass.  I am used to my 70's Strat and I have big hands but just had to stretch the fingers too far to feel good.  This smaller bass should help that issue a lot. 

I am hoping that my new inexpensive bass will be workable in my studio as I mentioned by running it through GR5 and other VST's.  I won't know until I plug it in.  On my budget, I do know that I am very tired of playing bass parts with the keyboard so all of this is an adventure for me. 

You know what the next question will be for you guys once I plug it in?







How do you make a cheap bass sound good for recording?  LOL!


All the best,

Rimshot

Rimshot

How do you make a cheap bass sound good for recording?  LOL!
Rimshot

There's a really simple answer to that...  The same way you make an expensive bass sound good for recording.
 
 
At the end of the day you have a steel string flapping around over a coil of wire.  Whether you like the resulting sound or not is a matter of personal taste and nothing to do with directly proportional to how much you paid for it.
Unless it is someone else's bass, in which case the more you like it, the more 'muddy and undefined' it is, and then there's that scratch on the back... and the neck is warped..  and the tuners all need replacing.. and I'd be doing you a favour by taking it off your hands... honest..

Although this thread is a done deal (OP ordered his bass), I wanted to chime in with my experience.

Just like with guitar, you can get into a never ending chase for the perfect sound/tone.
I started acquiring basses about 10 years ago... because I was "gearing up" to create a bass sample library.
Little did I know that this would lead to a 10+ year quest... that would ultimately become a obsession hobby.

Started by going/playing every bass I could get my hands on...
Figured out that I'm not into the modern sounding stuff, I'm into the classics (Fender, MusicMan, Rickenbacker).
Any time I've gotten an instrument outside the "classic" realm, I've always eventually lost interest in it.
Guess that's part of getting older (nostalgia)... but it works for me.  

Once I figured out what type/s of basses I liked, I went thru the same process with bass-amps.
Ultimately... figured out I like the big/angry sound of an Ampeg SVT Classic.
Not the most space or weight efficient of amps... but (again) it has that classic tone that I love.
Tried numerous other quality/lighter (more convenient) amps... but nothing has that sound.

Back to basses, I have a Squier 70s Jazz Bass (black body, maple neck with perloid inlays).  Put a high-mass bridge on it... and it plays and sounds very good for a $300 instrument.
That said, if you play an American Standard... or especially an American Deluxe, you can feel/hear the difference.
Only you can decide if the difference in quality is worth the additional cost.

One mid-price range of basses that I'd highly recommend is the Sterling By MusicMan line.
Pick a good one... and it's pretty close to the sound/playability of an American made unit.

If you've got the funds, it's hard to beat the quality/consistency of Ernie Ball MusicMan basses (or guitars).
They're also pretty easy to maintain...
My best friend recently got a 5-string Stingray Classic (natural Ash body w/flame maple neck & fretboard) new for $1200 from GC.
That's an insanely good deal for that bass.  Beautiful looking and sounding...

Generally speaking, you get what you pay for.
A quality instrument will last a lifetime.