Now, which one to get?

[F&NSARSI]

I have a budget of approximately 1 to 1.2k. Which includes

1. the bass guitar
2. hardshell travel case
3. good gigbag
4. good onboard preamp*if required*
5. Pickup change
6. Straps/Strings misc
7. If possible, a good effect pedal.

Bass guitar targets :
Fender Standard Jazz Bass
Ibanez Sr505
Ibanez Sr605

Gigbag would be a well padded RockBag i guess? Seen quite a few around and they look good.

So what i need from you guys are, recommendations on the basses and whether the pickup and the preamp change/addon is required?

Or any other related comments would do.

Thanks and Cheers!

 

[alanchia]

what pedal? single or multi-effect? are you a bass beginner?

 

[MutantBanana]

Why don't you buy the bass, try it, then see if a pickup change is necessary. It seems quite foolish to consider a pickup change before you even try the stock.

 

[benjso28]

Your budget of $1.2k might not be enuff IMO to get all the stuff u mentioned.

Not sure do you need a bass amp?

good onboard preamp will cost ard $200-350. (outboard for Ibanez bass - but their preamp quite gd liao)

good pickup also cost ard $200-$350. (more expensive for 5 strings)

Strap and string maybe ard $70.

If your bass is new plus hardcase and good gig bag... already above ur budget liao.

1. Fender Jazz standard also see what country are u getting. Try to get at least a MIJ. also either Alder or Ash for body.

2. Ibanez bass no need to change pickup since it's bartolini.

My suggestion is get what you need first to start playing and slowly upgrade when necessary.

Cheers

 

[shamniceguy]

i agree with benjso28. try to get a bass, bag and an amp if u dun have a karaoke set at home haha(cheap amplifier mah) for the effects i'm not to sure though. But for me, my Boss bass overdrive(ODB-3) is great enough=)

Cheers and be a great bass player

 

[Bryandt]

i agree with benjso28 as well. Your budget won't allow you to get everything, especially if you really end up getting an MIJ Fender Jazz.

 

[trowaclown]

Why buy a bass only to change it's preamp and/or pickups? I say get one that sounds and feels good and you won't need to change those too.

Hardshell cases are heavy and not really necessary if you aren't flying with them. I say you ditch that too.

What kinda effects pedal are you looking at? You could go second hand to make your money go further. Do note that if you're thinking of effects, that will mean additional cash down the road for extra patch cables, power supply, pedal board etc.

You should budget for a set up by a luthier/tech. It gives you far more mileage for the money you spend on the bass and strings etc. I recommend Malcolm Tan, who charges $130 for a complete set up.

For practice an amp might be too expensive and unnecessary. Try the Vox Amplug. It's a headphone amp so you get silent practise at a much lower price. Around $50, I think?

 

[b33r]

You should budget for a set up by a luthier/tech. It gives you far more mileage for the money you spend on the bass and strings etc. I recommend Malcolm Tan, who charges $130 for a complete set up.

$130 for a setup? what makes it so expensive?

 

[trowaclown]

Errr. Because supply and demand matches up? I can tell you everything he does, from an initial assessment to tightening down every last screw, but I'd still be hardpressed to justify it for him.

Let's just say that he charges that price, and I'm more than happy to pay that sum for his service, over some other techs in the town area who charge less.

 

[b33r]

does that $130 include the price of strings? cuz most techs charge $45 for a full setup (excluding strings), $130 is alot more, so i was wondering if there was anything special about his setups. btw does he do shielding of pickup cavities and stuff?

sorry to hijack your thread TS. eh actually it's also a bit relevant. no matter what you do, get your bass a good setup from a professional, a nice set of strings and if your budget allows, shielding of pickup and control cavities and grounding if necessary.

 

[trowaclown]

No $130 does not include the price of strings. His full set up goes from neck adjustment to restring, intonation adjustment, string height etc plus stuff like cleaning/oiling your fingerboard, general clean up of neck and body, fret polishing, etc. If it's any indication of his attention to details, both times I went to him with my basses, he spent over an hour each on set up.

For that question on shielding I'd suggest you ask him direct, cos I'm not sure. I did, however, see a can of shielding paint last time I visited with my bass.

 

[EzaRitualBella]

i would recommend you a warwick convertte bass

 

[lordie]

i would recommend you a warwick convertte bass

dun think a corvette can be attain at 1.2k. maybe 2nd hand if really really lucky!

1. get a bass 1st and than bargain for a well padded gig bag some stores give them away for free with a cheap strap,picks, cheap cables, etc..etc.. but pls get a good set of leather or solid strap with maybe a straplocks. warwick rockbag are value for $ 30mm well padded gig bags if u want to buy 1. leave the hardcase out unless you gig overseas a lot or drive a car with bootspace.

2. stock strings usually suck, unless u buy warwicks, sadowsky, etc.. which include their own brand strings which are awesome. use those strings until they are dead or sound flat and than experiment which strings and gauges u like.

3. do u need practice amp? that depends for nice headphone practice, vox amplugs? or Toneport/podstudio gx1 or ux1 are extremely awesome and has great tone but u need a PC and able to do simple recording but if u going for multieffect there are great cheap multi-fx like Zoom B2.1u, i used that when i started to explore effects, great for starters and has great pro quality effects that is very usable and it also has headphone output, or if u play live has DI and has USB to plug to yer PC to do simple recording, also has drum sequencing tap temp, expression pedal, etc..etc.. google it and its quite cheap. feel free to explore. a good headphones or a good pc speakers will do the trick

4. and the most important. get a decent guitar stand. leaning a bass on the wall or table, are not secure and stable and when the bass slides and fell off u might have a nasty broken neck.

k now go out and have fun!