LearnGospelMusic.com Community
Gospel Instruments => Bass Guitar => Topic started by: amunroe13 on November 30, 2009, 11:44:35 PM
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i dont know much about bass brands, but i see alot of people in church using SDGR by Ibanez and Shecter.... are these the two best brands for bass?
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Welcome to LGM!
I'm afraid that "best" is subjective, and you will hear a lot of different opinions based on:
1. what we would play if we had more money to spend;
2. what our budgets allow us to play;
3. what type of gospel music (traditional, contemporary, praise & worship) we play.
That said, Schecter and Ibanez are both very good brands. I own a Schecter Studio-5 and two Fender Jazz (one 4-string fretless, the other 5-string). If you are looking for a bass, go out and play as many as you can in your price range. The "best" one will be the one that feels best to you.
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There is no best brand or an specific brand that geared towards gospel bass. You have many choices and you need to get out there and explore them. See what's best for you and make your decison base on that rather than how many gospel cats you see playing a particular bass.
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There is no best! There is 'fashionable' unfortunately!! Many well known names use Smiths and other high end brands but I see Laklands, Fenders, Carvins, Peaveys as well as Ibanez and Schecters! I say use what suits you sonically and financially. My only recomendation would be is to make sure it has a good sounding B string!
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Oh, forgot to add MTD/Tobias as one of the 'fashionable' brands. All good basses though.
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The best brand is the one that feels and sounds the best to you..
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The best bass is the one you can play the best.
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+1
You have to get what feels good to you. What kind of string spacing do you like? do you like 34" scale? 35" scale? Wide neck? Slim neck?....so many things to consider
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Since everyone is being politically correct, I will say answer the question directly: Fender P-Bass and J-Bass are two of the most versatile instruments you can buy. They can achieve just about any sound you could want. You will never get the stink eye if you bring one to a studio session. You may buy many other basses and love them, but you will always come back to your Fender. I have owned and traded 10 basses. I kept the Fender Jazz, Fender P and Yamahe 5 string.
Having said that, I agree that choosing the right bass for yourself is very subjective and personal. The bass that you connect with may not make any sense to anybody else. Go play as many as you can and you will eventually find the bass for you. In fact, a wise person would probably get a starter bass to learn on while saving up for their dream bass. There is nothing like delaying gratification so you can really get what you want, rather than taking second best and regret not waiting for the bass you really wanted to buy.
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I kept the Fender Jazz, Fender P and Yamahe 5 string.
+1. I can see that you are a very wise man. When I grow up I hope to have this same arsenal at my disposal. That would be cool! 8)
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Since everyone is being politically correct, I will say answer the question directly: Fender P-Bass and J-Bass are two of the most versatile instruments you can buy. They can achieve just about any sound you could want. You will never get the stink eye if you bring one to a studio session. You may buy many other basses and love them, but you will always come back to your Fender. I have owned and traded 10 basses. I kept the Fender Jazz, Fender P and Yamahe 5 string.
Having said that, I agree that choosing the right bass for yourself is very subjective and personal. The bass that you connect with may not make any sense to anybody else. Go play as many as you can and you will eventually find the bass for you. In fact, a wise person would probably get a starter bass to learn on while saving up for their dream bass. There is nothing like delaying gratification so you can really get what you want, rather than taking second best and regret not waiting for the bass you really wanted to buy.
I think that the P and J basses are the standard by which all other basses are measured. Regardless of whatever new and improved bass comes along, you can never go wrong with a P or J (or a Stingray for that matter).
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I would totally agree that you can't go wrong with a Fender P or a Fender J. They set the standard.
It doesn't mean you can't do BETTER, especially for you and what suits you. In other words, Fender is the safe play. You know you'll have good sound. But some players will sound better if they play a Music Man than if they play a Fender. Some will sound better if they play a Ken Smith than if they play a Fender. And so on and so on.
That's why there are so many brands, styles, and configurations out there. Me personally, after several rounds with various Fenders, I know that I do the "standard Fender" thing better with my 1980 Music Man Sabre. But I'm still waaay more comfortable with my Alembics or my Roscoe. I do me better with them. I do other players better with the Leo Fender designed Music Man Sabre.
Bottom Line: Fender will certainly get you in the game respectfully and may be best for you. To truly find what's best for you, get out and play some stuff.
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I don't necessarily believe that there is a best brand of basses for gospel, but I do think there is a preference, for a certain tone. Thats why you tend to see or hear alot of Smith's, MTD's, Fender Jazz basses. But there are plenty of great basses out there. What type of money are u willing to spend? cause knowing that would help us help you a little better. But with that said, you will not go wrong with a Fender Jazz. It's the bass that most basses are pattern after & it will fit in any musical situations.
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It's all about your hands and your budget. I once heard a cat KILLIN' on a $275 Carlo Robelli 6-string.
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I still say that with the amps that are out today and the tonal palette that is available.. what feels and plays best should be the primary concern.. There is no best bass for gospel or any other kind of music.. it is all about what plays and feels good in your hands... I own a 77 Jazz... and a Ibanez SG .... but I prefer my Schecter.. (Maybe if I got a 5 string Jazz... ;)) If you are starting out especially get something that feels good in your hands.. has good electronics.. as in no hums, buzzes or scratches to the sound when you turn the pots... and take your time doing that.. play several different basses.. but look for what feels best in your hands.. becsuse if it isn't comfortable to play you have already lost half the battle to begin with.. play it standing up.. play it sitting down... As your playing gets better your tastes will change.. in what you want in feel and in sound.... so don't spend too much right off... and look toward getting another one in a few years after you have more time on it and are in a better position to actually know what you want...
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I also forget to add that the electronics conked out on him. So know that no matter what brand you decide on, you usually get what you pay for the more you try to find a bargain.
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As your playing gets better your tastes will change.. in what you want in feel and in sound....
I started playing bass in January 2005. My primary playing role is as a church musician at a traditional Baptist church.
Jan. 2005 - Feb. 2007: Silvertone 4-string (my bass teacher helped me pick it out, someone had installed EMG's pups in it)
Dec. 2005 - Oct. 2008: SX 5-string Jazz (after playing for nearly a year, I realized that I needed that low B for some Gospel songs)
May 2007 - present: Fender fretless 4-string Jazz (I play with a Jazz ensemble, and there's nothing better for that)
Sept. 2008 - present: Fender 5-string Jazz (decided to upgrade to a better 5-string)
July 2009 - present: Schecter Studio-5 (I started playing with a Contemporary Gospel group, and I wanted a bass with active electronics to compliment the more advanced keyboards being used)
I will leave out my history on buying amps. ;)
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Man I played a squire jazz yesterday at GC and it was AWESOME. Squire is really stepping it up. It felt great. It sounded great. And you can aways pop in and audere if you need to. I had to tell myself no to make out that store.
What you are going to find is that basses are like food. People have a favorite food. Then you have cravings. Most are going to be able to tell which bass is their favorite food and which one was a craving. Then there are some foods that everybody likes and is always a way to play it safe if a bass needs to be shared at a gig. Fender is like hamburgers or pizza. Ibanez, Schector, Smith, MTD, alembic. those are generally favorite foods, not saying that Fender cant be a favorite food.
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To kick it up a notch, what I knew (actually didn't know) when I started playing bass caused me to waste so much money! I am now willing to admit:
I let other peoples opinion have way too much influence on my purchasing decisions
I realized to late that if I can't play, the best bass in the world won't help at all.
My best advice for a beginning player is... learn how to play first! It is only now that I have discovered that technique has far more influence on your playing than the instrument. If you don't know how a bridge will affect your sound, don't upgrade. I know "you get more sustain"; but how does sustain integrate into your sound? Or better, how is the lack of sustain affecting your sound? Do you play based on what you see or what you hear? It might seem like an obvious question; answer this, why do so many bassists look at their hands while they play?
Bro, I sure hope you forgo making any purchasing decisions until you get a sense of what kind of bass player you are. Then you can make a great decision on the last bass you will play for the rest of your life. Or you could find some place that will "lease" you a bass until you are willing to commit.
BTW My lifetime bass is the Fender Jazz w/Duncan Vintage pickups
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To kick it up a notch, what I knew (actually didn't know) when I started playing bass caused me to waste so much money! I am now willing to admit:
I let other peoples opinion have way too much influence on my purchasing decisions
I realized to late that if I can't play, the best bass in the world won't help at all.
My best advice for a beginning player is... learn how to play first! It is only now that I have discovered that technique has far more influence on your playing than the instrument. If you don't know how a bridge will affect your sound, don't upgrade. I know "you get more sustain"; but how does sustain integrate into your sound? Or better, how is the lack of sustain affecting your sound? Do you play based on what you see or what you hear? It might seem like an obvious question; answer this, why do so many bassists look at their hands while they play?
Bro, I sure hope you forgo making any purchasing decisions until you get a sense of what kind of bass player you are. Then you can make a great decision on the last bass you will play for the rest of your life. Or you could find some place that will "lease" you a bass until you are willing to commit.
BTW My lifetime bass is the Fender Jazz w/Duncan Vintage pickups
XLNT advice.
I typically tell new guys that ask "what should I buy?" to buy a used Fender or a used Skyline. That way if they absolutely hate it or even if they decide to give up bass, they can get their money back out of it. After playing for a while, they'll figure out what they like and don't like and factor that into their purchase decisions.
I've been playing pretty much since 1977. From 1977 'til 1999 I owned a total of 3 basses. Would've been 2, but my second bass, a Fender Jazz, got stolen so I used the insurance payoff to buy a Music Man Sabre that served as my ONLY bass until 1999 when I decided to learn 5-string.
Since 1999 I've owned 21 other basses. So, the first 22 years, 3 basses. Next 10 years, 21 more. And I pretty much know what I'm looking for. Go figure.
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My best advice for a beginning player is... learn how to play first! It is only now that I have discovered that technique has far more influence on your playing than the instrument. If you don't know how a bridge will affect your sound, don't upgrade. I know "you get more sustain"; but how does sustain integrate into your sound? Or better, how is the lack of sustain affecting your sound? Do you play based on what you see or what you hear? It might seem like an obvious question; answer this, why do so many bassists look at their hands while they play?
+1. After my initial GAS attack (and he who has never fallen for this sin, cast the first stone), I am now staying put with what I have. I came to the same conclusion: my playing has to come first. I still feel that I got a great deal 'cause I got two very good introductory basses for less than $600 (Classic Vibe 60's Jazz and Affinity Jazz V). And the bridge on the classic vibe had problems with intonation on the d string so the BA II really helped. I say more sustain allows your notes to breathe more... w/o it they just die too quick. This is how I perceived it at the time. I was able to note/feel the difference and my approach to practicing changed; my attack on certain notes changed; dynamics changed, what comes out of my amp changed.
But as you say, when all is said and done, it is your playing what counts. So now I have clamped down on any new purchases; I feel that I don't need anything else at the moment. I continue to practice like crazy (avg of 2-4 hrs daily, sometimes 6+ hrs daily during weekends) and absorbing as much material as I can. I religiously go through Todd Johnson's technique builders exercises everyday as part of my routine warmup. I then follow that up with another 1/2 hr of Bass Fitness exercises, then scales, then reading and theory. At the end of my day I squeeze in some slapping and I have been doing some transcribing lately. When my son is playing his guitar I pick up my bass and try to follow his changes. I do hope to come up with my first video (hopefully before the end of the year) for you folks to critique (note that I'm not saying "crucify" :D ) I've been playing now for eight months, starting from zero musical background.
I envisioned myself playing Fenders when I grew up musically, and the Squire line allows me to get used to the Fender geometry at a very modest price. But if I can't rock the gear I now have there's no sense shelling out the big bucks for the American made Fenders in the future. My work is cut out for me. Hopefully I'm up for the task, with the Lord's help.
Asahel
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My best advice for a beginning player is... learn how to play first! It is only now that I have discovered that technique has far more influence on your playing than the instrument. If you don't know how a bridge will affect your sound, don't upgrade. I know "you get more sustain"; but how does sustain integrate into your sound? Or better, how is the lack of sustain affecting your sound? Do you play based on what you see or what you hear? It might seem like an obvious question; answer this, why do so many bassists look at their hands while they play?
This is so true... and also... take it from someone who went all around Dick's hatband to get where he is.. (and I'm still a relative noob.. ::) There are no shortcuts...
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I look down every once in a while when im doing a run or chord or something. but as far as looking down all the time no. You should be watching the leader not your hands. Practice that at home though not at church. It could sound a mess.
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The best is the most expensive one. See if you can find a $6000 Paval. Anything less is not worth your time..........................LOL!!!!
Just joking!!! There is no "BEST" per say. It's all up to you. I've played a MTD and and Ken Smith. They're nice but my Yamaha TRB6 felt just as nice. I do want a Ken Smith or Paval on day but it's not because they're that much better. Honestly, 75% is because of the name. I know when I pull those bad boys out heads will turn!!! LOL!!! Yeah, I know I should be playing to glorify God but I'm just being honest. Just go to a music store try some out. Ibanez is a very good bass. If you go used you can get more for your money.
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It might seem like an obvious question; answer this, why do so many bassists look at their hands while they play?
I found the following article very interesting:
http://www.activebass.com/a50--Note-Reading-Fingering-System-For-Electric-Bass (http://www.activebass.com/a50--Note-Reading-Fingering-System-For-Electric-Bass)
BTW, I've watched some videos of Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten, and they do look at the fretboard very frequently. Is that a sign of poor musicianship? 'cause it seems to me those two are pretty successful at what they do...
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I found the following article very interesting:
[url]http://www.activebass.com/a50--Note-Reading-Fingering-System-For-Electric-Bass[/url] ([url]http://www.activebass.com/a50--Note-Reading-Fingering-System-For-Electric-Bass[/url])
BTW, I've watched some videos of Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten, and they do look at the fretboard very frequently. Is that a sign of poor musicianship? 'cause it seems to me those two are pretty successful at what they do...
Looking at the fretboard is not bad. Not being able to play without staring at the fretboard is whats bad. Especially when you are supposed to be following the leader. Victor and Marcus are not always playing for some one else so when they are soloing the have they luxury of not having to look at anyone. They have the ability to play without looking. They just dont have too. Victor often plays with his eyes closed.
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True.
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usually when u wanna make huge jumps u sometimes look at where u want to go. thats what i do. but i dont have stare at the fretboard. after a while u get the feel of where things are.
some people hear what they're playing, as in sliding to a note, u can hear where to stop. but just jumping say from the 5th fret to the 19th fret to do a particular movement, u have nothing to hear until you play the note, which could be right or wrong. i wouldnt take that risk. i get my eyes fixed on the particular location i wanna go, and when im ready, my hand will go righ there.
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usually when u wanna make huge jumps u sometimes look at where u want to go. thats what i do. but i dont have stare at the fretboard. after a while u get the feel of where things are.
some people hear what they're playing, as in sliding to a note, u can hear where to stop. but just jumping say from the 5th fret to the 19th fret to do a particular movement, u have nothing to hear until you play the note, which could be right or wrong. i wouldnt take that risk. i get my eyes fixed on the particular location i wanna go, and when im ready, my hand will go righ there.
well said my friend....well said
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Great conversation. I love talking about anything related to the bass guitar, but get frustrated when conversations like this boil down to who has the most expensive bass. I'm like the direction this thread is going.
When I was "gassing" for the best bass I could afford, I did so because I kept seeing people playing these amazing lines and assumed that the ease and facility of their performance had a lot to do with the instrument and not the player themselves. Then I came across this video by Danny Morris called, "Essential Rock Grooves". The dude would show you the line he had chosen for a performance, then you would see him playing a live performance. For about a 5 minute stretch he played all up and down the neck without once looking at the fretboard. About the last 30 secs, he closed his eyes and played a run from the 5th fret to 19th fret. When I saw that, the two things that stood out for me was"
dude practices ALOT
He REALLY KNOWS his instrument.
Not "I know how to play bass", but I know every single millimeter of my bass and we are one.
That's when I realized that if I wanted play at any level of proficiency, I need to put some serious time in and I need to get a decent bass and stick with it. No more "flavor of the month". No more "trade in and trade up".
Coming back to the OPs topic, the best bass is the one that you connect with on a very personal level, that coaxes you into practicing for "10 more minutes", that provokes you to tighten up your timing so you can lock with the drummer, the bass that makes you take care of it so it will always play at its best.
Its kinda hard to put a brand name on this bass. Someone said earlier to go to every place you can find a bass and play them all until you find the bass meant for you. I went through about 10 basses until I found the one that ended my quest. So I invite the OP to just keep playing different basses until you find the one for you. If you do otherwise, you will only be playing somebody else dream bass.
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try playing in shapes and intervals instead of thinking of notes as well. Especially if you stay in the pocket. You should never have to look at your bass. Even if you do runs and what not. If the run is based off of a concept such an arpeggiated chord and you know the shape you can do the run and go up and them do it backwards and come right down and you be in the same postion you started in. These are just some approaches to playing that may help you not have to look as much. Instead of thinking 7th fret then 5th fret then 3rd fret. Think 6-5-4 in D. Memorizing intervals simplify almost every aspect of music.