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Best bass guitars?


S2art

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Hello, I'm a guitarist who is turning into a bassist because I can't be bothere looking anymore. I'm just wondering, I was a frequent Ibanez guitar user but what are the best bass guitars? I hear ESP and Fender make good ones...

Thanks, Stuart

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definitely go and find out for yourself which basses suit you best as you will have your own preferences on neck width, string spacing etc...

Ibanez's are nice and easy to play generally, especially the Soundgear series as they have one of the thinnest necks out there..

I've personally never found a better bass than a Warwick Corvette Jazzman

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I use a warwick Streamer lx4 and i find it to be a really nice overall bass except i've come to dislike the neck as the shape forces me to bend my wrist too much reaching those tough Pastorius style chords. In general though i would certainly recommend them. The Corvette Jazzman and thumb bass are also pretty good.

Like Voodoo_chile said it really does depend on your preferences. Check out www.talkbass.com and www.bassworld.co.uk both forums have alot of threads on first time purchases etc.

If you wanna see some really sweet ass basses check out www.thebassgallery.com (british,fairly decent prices, ok selection) www.thelowend.net (american,amazing prices, great selection) www.luthiersaccessgroup.com (american, amazing prices, good selction) and finally www.basscentre.com (british,ok prices i guess,ok selection)

good luck finding what is right for you man!

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I play an Ibanez - It's heavy so I've aquired a bad back, but it's a dream to play. I'm not a big fan of Warwick's - they sound good but they are hard to play and bad VFM. Fender do make some OK basses but they make a lot of shit ones too, so watch out for that. Hope the bass playing goes well for you - once you start you'll be hooked!

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as has been said, it's a very personal thing. loads of people here like ibanez. i've never found an ibanez i liked. some people are concerned about the build quality of fenders. i'd be concerned about the build quality of almost every make. don't just buy one because someone else likes it. every company makes some shite stuff now and then. you really need to think what sound you want and then play as many basses as you can that are capable of producing that sound, in order that you find one which you like the feel of.

just for your interest, i play several basses:

1997 fender '62 reissue precision with EMGs and a badass II bridge (japan)

2004 fender precision with S1 switch (USA)

1985 fender jazz special with EMGs and a badass II bridge (japan)

musicman stingray 3EQ

warwick streamer standard

each of them has it's perks and i love them all for different reasons but if i was only allowed to play two basses from now on, i'd go with the US precision and the jazz special.

other noteworth companies include yamaha who make some lovely basses that aren't too expensive.

/x

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It's a very personal thing. I do like the necks on the Ibanez are they very skinny and if you are coming to it from playing guitar then they might suit. They seem to be pretty good value for money. I had a SGR305DX, which had a lovely neck and great sound.

I don't have any personal experience of Yamaha's, but they do have a good repuatuion.

Fender I've found have been a hit and a miss for me. Some I've played have been lovely, and some horrible.

Warwick seem to be pretty consistent, and although they are expensive I think they are value for money. The pre-1997 ones admittedly have a better build quality, and IIRC the pre-2000 ones have slightly different neck dimensions. The quality of the neck materials on the pre-1997 Warwicks are better too. They have a very distinctive sound and will happily take the Pepsi challenge with one!!!! I have a 1996 Corvette Standard 4-string and a 2003 Streamer Jazzman 5-string. The passive Corvette has a much nicer sound, but that's personal preferance.

Musicman Stingray is also a very nice bass, but I find mine really heavy. Again lovely to play if set up right, but I've also played a few pigs.

Spector are pretty pricey, and the Warwick Streamer is a copy of the Spector. Indeed Warwick have to pay Spector a fee for every Streamer sold!!!! Lovely, well made very versatile basses. As used by Rex Brown!!!

Just try out whatever you can afford, and buy what you like the best!! Worth considering second hand too....:up:

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I have a Fender standard Jazz and love it

Any of the major brands are a good bet though, Warwick are known for decent basses, and the ibanez seem decent enough, and a friend of mine has a couple of yamaha's which are really nice too.

Best bet is to get down to a shop or two and try some out, being a guitarist you have some start on the playing (though remember, bass is still a different instrument to guitar) so have some knowledge of what is good/bad for you. Fender jazz and precision basses are pretty different for example, different necks and pickups sound and feel pretty different, same again switching to somethign like a musicman with a humbucker... so try what you can and see for yourself

personally I like the Fender I have and wouldn't mind a couple of others, they play and sound excellent and have a more 'classic' style to them than ibanez or the like, an ibanez or yamaha may suit you much better...

David

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