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Post subject: inexpensive but decent J. Bass MIM?
Posted: Tue May 17, 2016 10:33 am
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I'm looking for an inexpensive & fairly playable bass for my mini studio at home. My price range is $250 + shipping. I prefer the features of a Jazz over Precision. I will be lucky to find any Fender at this price, that's for sure. Possibly a MIM/used/. I have found many in this price range in Ibanez, Yamaha, etc. Thank you.


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Post subject: Re: inexpensive but decent J. Bass MIM?
Posted: Tue May 17, 2016 5:02 pm
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I took a quick look on a couple sites and you could get a used Squire J-bass for $250 or less. I found one listed for $225 in good condition. But you're right on the MIM -- didn't see anything under $340.


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Post subject: Re: inexpensive but decent J. Bass MIM?
Posted: Tue May 17, 2016 5:12 pm
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Best thing to do is to look at Guitar Centers used Fender bass listings to get a handle on prices and condition. You are going to have to raise your budget a bit for a Made in Mexico Fender Standard Jazz. Here are quite a few listed at $350. http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-Jazz-Bass.gc?N=1076+18174#pageName=collection-page&N=18174+32934+1076&Nao=0&recsPerPage=20&v=g&Ns=pLH&postalCode=22980&radius=100&profileCountryCode=US&profileCurrencyCode=USD

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One day they shall name a GREAT city after me, and they shall call it LINNINGRAD


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Post subject: Re: inexpensive but decent J. Bass MIM?
Posted: Tue May 17, 2016 6:50 pm
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If you can find a Fender Standard Jazz Bass used for $250 that would be a good way to go if you are 100% sure you want a MIM passive Jazz Bass. Fender Precision Basses also record well and one of those would be a good find at $250. Around here you can not find either Fender for that. Of course you have to consider condition and how well it plays, so a $250 one might not be what you want anyway.

Some people who record plugged directly into a mixing console prefer an active bass. An overlooked but worthy option for a home studio in your price range would be buying a brand new Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Special with active EQ. Retail is right at $250. It has a Precision pickup in the neck position and a Jazz pickup in the bridge position, which is often called a P/J setup. The tonal array of this budget model is especially impressive direct into a console. They come in both 34 inch and 30 inch scales. The 30 inchers will have the SS suffix in the model for "Short Scale." If electric guitar is your primary instrument you might find the 30 inch scale more comfortable and less of a stretch, but you would need to play each scale length to see if it matters that much to you. If scale length does not matter I'd go with the 34 inch long scale as they seem easier to sell off. I bought 2 of the 34 inch ones in sunburst not long after they first came out.

No Ibanez or Yamaha in the price range sounds as good to me. I still have one after giving the other to my son. I have two friends that borrow mine from time to time to "finish something up." I would not gig with it on a regular basis because it is active, but it is a more than decent recording instrument in spite of being so economical. Sometimes you find these Squiers used really cheap. I would encourage you to visit a dealer and play a bunch of them including the Yamaha and Ibanez brands you mentioned but also try this Squier model. One or two models will jump out at you maybe so you will have a better idea of what you are looking for in the used market.

I would NEVER buy a bass on the recommendation of some forum wonk and I do not want you to either. So play a bunch, narrow down the choices and go from there. That is exactly how I wound up with the Squier Jaguar. While this bass tickles me to death for the money, Squiers have pitiful resale value regardless of how mint they are as a general rule, so before buying a Squier make sure you need it, like it a lot and really want it. If you are looking to use something for a few weeks or a couple of months and then sell it you will fair better financially with a used Fender. Another thing to consider is that if you go with a passive bass you are probably also going to want some sort of preamp/EQ/amp emulation device between the instrument and the recording console. Something like a Tech 21 Bass Driver or a budget priced Behringer BDI21 would work. You may find a preamp is unnecessary with an active EQ bass.


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Post subject: Re: inexpensive but decent J. Bass MIM?
Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 12:45 pm
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brotherdave wrote:
I would NEVER buy a bass on the recommendation of some forum wonk and I do not want you to either.

Excellent advice, brotherdave. That said, I'm interested in your comment about the Squier Jaguar. I have a 1989 MIJ Fender Mustang that I absolutely love. The one drawback of the bass, though, is the P-bass-style PUs lack of cutting power. In some some settings, the Mustang "gets lost in the mix" as the expression goes.

I hear you saying that the Jaguar is better on this score with the P/J setup. Is this correct?

I also gather from what you're saying that you can boost a passive bass (and make it like an active bass for power) with some sort of preamp/EQ/amp emulation device between the instrument and your mixing board like a Tech 21 Bass Driver or a Behringer BDI21 or a SansAmp. If this is, true that would be a big help to me and my little Mustang! Expand the settings where I can use it...


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Post subject: Re: inexpensive but decent J. Bass MIM?
Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 10:59 pm
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Hwy9 wrote:
...I have a 1989 MIJ Fender Mustang that I absolutely love. The one drawback of the bass, though, is the P-bass-style PUs lack of cutting power. In some some settings, the Mustang "gets lost in the mix" as the expression goes.

I hear you saying that the Jaguar is better on this score with the P/J setup. Is this correct?

I also gather from what you're saying that you can boost a passive bass (and make it like an active bass for power) with some sort of preamp/EQ/amp emulation device between the instrument and your mixing board like a Tech 21 Bass Driver or a Behringer BDI21 or a SansAmp. If this is, true that would be a big help to me and my little Mustang! Expand the settings where I can use it...


A bass preamp/amp emulation device like the ones mentioned give any passive instrument much wider tonal range than it has without one. Meaning more treble or more bass as you wish. You can also add drive, which is sort of an emulated distortion that is quite pleasing akin to saturated preamp sounds. It is just about required to use one for recording direct but also helps out when using an amp. Plus they have an XLR out so you can patch to a bass capable PA system.

Active EQ basses like the Squire Jaguar VM offer a wider variety of tones than a passive as a general rule whether you add a pre-device or not. Meaning you have the option of adding more treble or more bass than the preamp section of the amp alone will. It isn't so much that the P/J is all that much better than it is the built in preamp gives it a wider tonal palate.

Active basses have two drawbacks. 1- They require a battery to work actively and in absence of an active/passive switch (as is the case with the Squier Jag VM Bass) if the battery goes the bass is completely dead till the battery is replaced. 2- They are more complicated electronically, therefore there is more that can go wrong. Few electronic devices ever invented are as reliable as a passive electric bass or guitar. Fortunately battery life on active basses these days has been vastly improved to thousands of hours. Still I am not comfortable gigging with an active bass unless I have a passive backup within reach.

Based on my experiences with Fender Japan basses, the pickups are frequently the weak link. It is entirely possible you could upgrade the pickups to USA made ones. I am sure Curtis Novak makes some really good ones for a Mustang Bass. He makes them for both the USA vintage basses and the MIJ Reissue models which each have different size specs. You are looking at a premium price though, about $120. A good Mustang Bass pickup pair should sound about the same as a Precision Bass. If yours does not sound like that I'd consider upgrading the pickup pair.


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Post subject: Re: inexpensive but decent J. Bass MIM?
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 1:50 am
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Thanks for the useful comments, Dave. I'd add one more drawback to active basses -- they're a little heavier, everything else being equal. Nonetheless, there are times when I want my Deluxe Dimension in my hands...


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Post subject: Re: inexpensive but decent J. Bass MIM?
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 1:53 am
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P.S. Hey brotherdave. You mentioned Curtis Novak PUs for the Mustang. You recommend them over Seymour Duncan?


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Post subject: Re: inexpensive but decent J. Bass MIM?
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 10:53 pm
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Hwy9 wrote:
P.S. Hey brotherdave. You mentioned Curtis Novak PUs for the Mustang. You recommend them over Seymour Duncan?


Curtis Novak custom builds each pickup pair to order, so he can wind it to tailor the sound the way you want it. You can go thick and fat with higher output (over-wound) , full range normal output (normal vintage wind) or bright with slightly lower output (under-wound).

The Duncans would be good if you want normal USA vintage wound full range pickups. That is your only choice with a SD set. SD's Mustang Bass pickups are mass produced and SD is only making one flavor. They would still be way better than the Japanese ones.

Regarding the previous weight post, the active electronics in the Squier VM Jaguar active weigh next to nothing, in fact probably less than the 9 volt Duracell.

And yes, a Tech 21 Bass Driver can indeed make a passive sound more active. An active bass essentially has a Bass Driver of sorts built into it. I can highly recommend the Tech 21 Bass Driver Deluxe as I've been using one for at least five years, maybe more. (Time is going so fast it seems like last year, but it has been at least five.) Splendid amp emulation for live or studio use.

For tighter budgets the Behringer BDI21 pedal is a fraction of the cost of even the most basic Tech 21 Sansamp Bass Driver and does essentially the same thing. The catch is that Behinger will get hissy if you crank the treble too far. I just turn it up till I hear hiss then back it off till the hiss stops. The Tech 21 has hardly any detectable noise no matter how much treble or upper mids I add, which is probably why it costs way more. I suggest getting whichever one your budget allows prior to changing pickups and you may not have to change pickups at all to get the cut-through you are talking about needing.


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