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Author Topic: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music  (Read 13305 times)

Offline amunroe13

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Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« on: November 30, 2009, 11:44:35 PM »
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?

Offline dhagler

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2009, 12:28:07 AM »
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.

Offline funkStrat_97

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2009, 07:11:09 AM »
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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Offline DWBass

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #3 on: December 01, 2009, 07:12:33 AM »
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!
"Never Leave Home Without Your Groove On" :)

Offline DWBass

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #4 on: December 01, 2009, 07:15:47 AM »
Oh, forgot to add MTD/Tobias as one of the 'fashionable' brands. All good basses though.
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Offline SavnBass

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #5 on: December 01, 2009, 10:01:54 PM »
The best brand is the one that feels and sounds the best to you..
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Offline superjaay

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2009, 07:02:04 AM »
The best bass is the one you can play the best.
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Offline Quebass86

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #7 on: December 03, 2009, 10:40:36 AM »
+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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Offline kevmove02

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #8 on: December 06, 2009, 10:53:19 AM »
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.

Offline Asahel

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #9 on: December 06, 2009, 04:04:41 PM »
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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Offline funkStrat_97

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #10 on: December 06, 2009, 06:27:25 PM »
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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Offline malthumb

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #11 on: December 06, 2009, 08:48:51 PM »
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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Offline ssabass

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #12 on: December 06, 2009, 09:20:01 PM »
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.

Offline BigFoot_BigThumb

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #13 on: December 06, 2009, 09:59:36 PM »
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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Offline SavnBass

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #14 on: December 06, 2009, 10:03:44 PM »
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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Offline BigFoot_BigThumb

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #15 on: December 06, 2009, 10:04:21 PM »
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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Offline dhagler

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #16 on: December 07, 2009, 12:27:59 PM »
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. ;)

Offline Kelz-Da-Basshead

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #17 on: December 07, 2009, 12:57:15 PM »
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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Offline kevmove02

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #18 on: December 08, 2009, 05:42:35 PM »
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

Offline malthumb

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Re: Best Brand of bass guitar for gospel music
« Reply #19 on: December 08, 2009, 09:35:41 PM »
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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