Any Bass Players In The Group?

[desmoface]

Hey gang, about 30 years ago I got out of the Navy, had just gotten married and bought a house, and didn't have a job. So, circumstances forced me to sell my beloved mid 70's Fender Jazz. 30 years later, and I've got the itch to remedy that situation and buy a bass.

I've been looking around and researched all the usual suspects, Stingray, G & L LB-100 (P-Bass Copy), and the tried and true Fender P-Bass. One thing that shocked me is the price of new American made Precisions. They are crazy expensive, so I'm also scoping out the Talkbass forum for used options, which are also quite expensive.

Be that as it may, I'll probably wind up with a Precision at some point. Any other bass players in the group? Any advice for someone getting back into it?

My beloved Fender Jazz, sharing my bunk in the barracks in the mid-80's, LOL. That's my Yamaha BB300 in it's bag behind my Jazz. Damn I wish I still had these awesome basses:

 

[Pack line]

Been played for 30+ years. Ive played fenders but never owned one. Always been partially to Ibanez but all personal tastes.

 

[snapperface]

The prices of new basses are indeed high.

My solution Warmoth

For the money you can have exactly what you like.

 

[BradWorld]

I play a P Bass as my primary. An American standard that is about 10 years old. Super light, with an incredibly punchy sound. I have a couple of ESP/LTD basses as well, but they are tweaked P and J Bass designs. Super fun basses to play. And when I am in the mood, I grab a vintage Rickenbacker 4001, but I could never have a Ric as my main bass. It does what it does well. But it is what it is. A Ric was my only bass during my teenage years, and it was a bit limiting.

If you are just getting back into it, don’t be afraid to go the inexpensive route. They are making lower end basses better than ever now. A Classic Vibe Squier bass, for example, is a great player, and looks great too.

 

[desmoface]

Hey everyone, thanks for the replies and the advice. I'm scoping out used options as at this price (and it's on sale) I can't justify a new Precision.

 

[Pack line]

They definitely got more expensive then i remember. I think i only paid 400 for my washburn 6 string, back in the 90s.

 

[Jens]

I used to play bass some 30 years ago too. Played a Fender P copy, had a fretless neck mounted on it. Pastorious was my big hero, but I got more and more into straight up jazz. Started playing a double bass too before I quit playing music altogether.
If I was to pick up the bass again, i'd probably go for a double bass.
One of the most amazing and underrated setups I know, is blues trio with guitar (song), drums, and double bass because of the way the percussion effect of an acoustic bass shines here

 

[desmoface]

Hi Jens, Jaco was one of the reasons I bought the Jazz instead of a P. Man, he was a beast.

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

desmoface:
James Jamerson, Stanley Clark, Charles Mingus and Ron Carter were my Jazz Bass idols / heroes (although I do like 'up & coming' female vocalist/bassist Espranza Spalding).

I played 'stand-up' Bass in HS and in the local Junior Symphony, but I no longer play...I guess I outgrew of the instrument.

Enclosed below is a Stanley Clark solo (the Mrs. and I saw him in concert in Richmond, VA in 08...he was awesome!).

"The bass, no matter what kind of music you're playing, it just enhances the sound and makes everything sound more beautiful and full. When the bass stops, the bottom kind of drops out of everything". Charlie Haden

 

[Jens]

Well, For good measure, my other big hero deserves mention here too:

Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen ... (NHØP).

True, Pastorius was a virtuoso, had otherworldly technique, was phenomenally innovative.
But much the same could be said of NHØP.

NHØP is the only bass player I know of, in any genre, who played with four, even all five right hand fingers (enabling very fast picking, at that on double bass, that is). Much like Pastorious, NHØP also used multi-tone harmonies extensively.

NHØP Started playing double bass at age 14, at 15 he was part of the "house" band of a leading jazz venue in Copenhagen (called Montmatre).
By the age of 20, he had already performed with the likes of Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Bill Evans, and Jan Johansson (among others)

I experienced NHØP myself in concert several times before he passed away in 2005 at age 59, once with Dizzie Gillespie (very happy I experienced him too..), and once with Brazilian pianist and vocalist Tanja Maria.

There are loads of Youtube snippets, documentaries etc if you are interested. I found one little teaser here I thought I'd link to:

 

[Jens]

I'll probably wind up with a Precision at some point. Any other bass players in the group? Any advice for someone getting back into it?

I forgot to address what you asked initially.
These days, probably more so than 30 years ago, there is a wide selection of custom built options too.
My guess is that you may get relatively more bang for the buck going the custom route, as opposed to going for the "Fender" name. In fact, the instrument Pastorius became famous for was a "custom" instrument as well, of his own design ...

For example, how about a "Silent Bass" by Yamaha ...?

SLB300 and SLB300PRO Silent Bass - Yamaha USA

Shop the Yamaha SLB300 and SLB300PRO Silent bass for the ultimate in the silent strings experience from the leader.

usa.yamaha.com

 

[desmoface]

Update; picked this up a while back:

 

[reformedshavr]

@desmoface check out Sire basses. They are a pretty solid and affordable answer to the Fender Jazz and the line is curated by Marcus Miller.
FWIW I've been playing bass professionally for 35 years

 

[desmoface]

Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll definitely have to check them out at some point. I picked up a Genzler Magellan 800 a month ago and am looking at a small cabinet to pair with it. Something for practicing at home with the ability to jam out with some friends. Probably a 2 x 10 or a 1 x 12. Nothing too big.

Been reading and learning a lot on Talkbass, which is where I picked up my bass. Pretty good group over there.

thanks again.