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Post subject: Hi! New to bass, need advice :)
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 10:02 pm
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Hello :)

Info about me:
My first instrument was the chromatic harmonic, still love it, nothing better than wind-instruments for jazz!
After a while I wanted to be able to play the McCartney, B.B. King etc. songs I was listening to easier so I bought myself an Ibanez AK95 (is it allowed to mention other brands here? haha). I've now been playing the chromatic for about 1 and 1/2 year and guitar for 10 months.
I don't know anything about theory yet but I have a very good ear thanks to the chromatic and can play almost anything I hear without actually knowing where I should play ( ? ) so it's easier for me to play a song without looking at the instrument (if it isn't chords).
Recently I started playing along to the bass in McCartney songs (Silly Love Songs, Coming Up, Goodnight Tonight, Taxman, The Word, Lady Madonna etc. as well as playing Sting songs and some other stuff like Michael Jackson and Stevie (those are difficult !!)

Question:
Soooo, now it's time for me to buy my first bass. I've been thinking if I should buy a Höfner Contemporary not only for the "woody" sound but also for the iconic look.
Researching about it led me to get this impression: The bass that would suit me best would be a Fender P-bass and not a Höfner since my budget is around 500-700€.
I heard that the Höfners are only good when you go 1000€+ and sound like bathtubs if they aren't the good ones.

So I've narrowed my search down to this one, do you bass-knowledgeable people think this is the one for me? I have big hands so scale isn't anything to worry about.
http://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_standar ... ss_bsb.htm
If I had unlimited amount of money I'd get a Rickenbacker I think.

I'm playing on a Yamaha THR10 (I know, blasphemy for you band-playing guys, haha)


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Post subject: Re: Hi! New to bass, need advice :)
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 10:47 pm
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The Fender Standard Precision bass is a good first bass, my first bass was an El Degas Precision bass....Fender replica......it served me well for the first 3 yrs I was learning how to play bass,......The Standard Precision isn't expensive & is a good first bass...........If you're still thinking about a Hofner......Epiphone has a Hofner style bass called the Viola..
You may also want to try one of these basses...........Good Luck :)


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Post subject: Re: Hi! New to bass, need advice :)
Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 7:31 am
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James Coderre wrote:
The Fender Standard Precision bass is a good first bass, my first bass was an El Degas Precision bass....Fender replica......it served me well for the first 3 yrs I was learning how to play bass,......The Standard Precision isn't expensive & is a good first bass...........If you're still thinking about a Hofner......Epiphone has a Hofner style bass called the Viola..
You may also want to try one of these basses...........Good Luck :)

What is the difference between this one and the one I linked in the first post? I know it says American but I don't care what it says, I want to know how good the quality is.
http://www.thomann.de/se/fender_america ... rw_3ts.htm


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Post subject: Re: Hi! New to bass, need advice :)
Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 8:52 am
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First, this is VERY important. You can have several identical models side by side and one of them will be clearly superior to the others. It is best to play an instrument in person and compare it to others before buying. Only then will you know for sure which one to get. I certainly would not blindly heed advice given by some forum member as they almost always have a personal agenda and what is right for me may not be right for anyone else. Yet some people will try to sell you on something you really don't need and their opinions can color yours so much that you limit yourself when it comes to which instruments to try out.

On this post you ask about the Fender Standard Precision. It is a made in Mexico Fender bass. i have had five of the Mexican made Fender basses and they were all OK and I've been playing since 1968 starting out on Fender Telecaster Bass. I've had USA, Mexican and Japanese Fender basses. I currently have one Mexican Standard P-Bass. It is the third one of that model I've had. I really like the one I have now. it is an alder body 2004 model.

The body wood on the Standard these days is basswood. That isn't all bad news. Basswood is a good tone wood in my opinion but other people aren't real fond of it. Basswood has been used by Fender Japan and other Asian manufacturers way longer than Fender Mexico has been using it. Some special runs happen at Fender's Ensenada Mexico plant using alder or ash instead of basswood, so if you want those woods seek out the Fender Special Run (FSR) models such as offered by Guitar Center or Musicians Friend and others. You can also by an older one and get alder.

The Standard pickups are not the same as USA instruments, but the other electronic components are. The Mexican hardware is slightly inferior to the hardware used on the USA Standard and Deluxe instruments. The Standard hardware is about the same quality as is used on the American Special models, if not in fact the exact same hardware.

I think the Standard Precision Bass, especially the Special Run model, represents a significant value when compared to the American Special versions of the same instrument.

In another post you asked about the American Special Precision. It is about equivalent to the old Highway One model. If you are considering the American Special my opinion is you should wait until you find the extra money and then get the American Standard version instead of the American Special The American Special is a cut-rate USA model that could be eliminated completely without hurting a thing. It is superfluous. It is unnecessary. If you want a USA bass I'd urge you to get the American Standard. If you can't afford that get the Mexican Standard.


Last edited by brotherdave on Mon Dec 03, 2012 1:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Hi! New to bass, need advice :)
Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 10:41 am
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Thanks Dave, great advice ......you took the words right out of my mouth.... :)
Sajan In your original post you were wanting info on a Fender made in Mexico Standard P-Bass & I gave you my opinion on it....& as i said if you're just starting out on bass I think this bass would be a good first bass,......& as Dave said,..go down to your local music store & try a few of them out & pick your favorite one... Remember you're the one who's going to own it& play it...just make sure you're happy with it. :)


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Post subject: Re: Hi! New to bass, need advice :)
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 7:15 am
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Ok, I just saw one model that I hadn't thought about until now.

Unfortunately I can't try them all as I live in a smaller city in Sweden (~100K residents) and we only have 1 instrument shop so we usually buy things online.

My final choice:

Standard Precision MIM BSB


OR

50s Precision MIM 2TSB



I just turned 20 today so I thinking of placing an order right away


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Post subject: Re: Hi! New to bass, need advice :)
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:17 pm
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Well, happy birthday! The good news is that you cannot go wrong with either one of these basses!


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Post subject: Re: Hi! New to bass, need advice :)
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 2:19 pm
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Thanks For getting rid of the Spam Fender.. :)


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Post subject: Re: Hi! New to bass, need advice :)
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 3:34 pm
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Happy birthday! Post some pictures when you get your bass.


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Post subject: Re: Hi! New to bass, need advice :)
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 6:27 pm
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Hi!

I got my bass about a month ago :) Looks really good, a bit different from my regular "dark" guitars like my ibanez ak95 etc.

I don't know if it's just me or if it's because I already played guitar (only for 10 months tho') but I think I've made very good progress, I play songs like Goodnight Tonight, Silly Love Songs, The Word, Lady Madonna,
etc., a lot of Beatle and McCartney songs, as well as The Police songs like Roxanne, Walking on the Moon etc.
I've also started playing songs like Treasure, Another Star

I've also tried some harder rock songs like Cut me some slack

I can paly all those with reasonable comfort, except Goodnight Tonight, keeps me on the edge of my seast haha, 1 mistake and I'm screwed.

On the bass: Love it, love the size, wouldn't mind if it was even heavier, love heavy quality stuff. Only problem is buzzing from the 12th fret and downwards, 1-12 is good.


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Post subject: Re: Hi! New to bass, need advice :)
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 5:22 am
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Shajan wrote:

On the bass: Love it, love the size, wouldn't mind if it was even heavier, love heavy quality stuff. Only problem is buzzing from the 12th fret and downwards, 1-12 is good.


Glad you like it. They are a great value for the cost. Needs some setup adjustments. Follow directions HERE:
http://www.fender.com/support/articles/ ... tup-guide/
This is the basic setup procedure Fender recommends.

or HERE:
http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass/ba ... anual.html
This is a real-world way to go about it and get similar results as the Fender method.

Either one will probably help. There is much more setup information on my bass website on the "DO-IT-YOURSELF SETUP & MAINTENANCE" page. Just click the link in my forum signature below to get to the index page then click on the Setup and Maintenance page link.

Usually a real world dealer will set up a new instrument for you, but ordering online you don't get that level of service usually. You also can take it to a local tech and pay them to set it up. Be sure to have an understanding of the cost for the setup up front. One tech in my town charges $15, another $65. The $15 tech actually does better setups for me!


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Post subject: Re: Hi! New to bass, need advice :)
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 8:37 am
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Thanks! one question: Is it easier to change strings on a bass then a guitar? I mean, do you have any risk of breaking the strings as easy (shouldn't be easy to break them, right?)
As I plan on buying a set of flatwound thomastik I would like to know first, so I don't break them, they are pretty expensive haha.


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Post subject: Re: Hi! New to bass, need advice :)
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 11:22 pm
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It's much harder to Break a Bass string than it is a guitar string but that being said I remember back in the early 1990's I played in a Hard Rock band & while playing a gig all of a sudden my A string snapped, this has only happened to me once & to this day my only theory for this happening is that there must of been some sort of defect in the string.... ...strange :?


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Post subject: Re: Hi! New to bass, need advice :)
Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 2:29 pm
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I've never heard of a Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flat JF344 set string breaking. It may have happened but I've not heard of it. I would not body through string them though. I don't do that with any flat and I only top load flats. That also goes for Nylons.

The Jazz Flats are the lowest tension strings I've ever seen. I know of no other 34 inch bass string with lower tension. This super low tension means they are far less likely to break.

I have actually TRIED to break Thomastik-Infeld EB344 Power Bass strings (which are more medium tension) by severely overplaying them and could not break one. I tried this at several different gigs. I simply could not break them on purpose! The set was over a year old and I wanted an excuse to change them. I couldn't find any fault in the sound but after more than a year I figured they were due to be replaced. I just pulled them like crazy. They didn't even pull out of tune, much less break.
I wound up moving that set to a practice bass when I finally did replace that unbreakable set on my number one. They are the only round I use right now.

I did have one Infeld Superalloy IN344 string break once during setup. It was either the A or D string. I forget which exactly. This was right after the Infeld IN344 set first came out. The core wire broke cleanly into at some point where it wrapped around the retaining grommet before the winding started. I never even got it to pitch when it snapped. Since I'd bought multiple IN344 sets I finished the setup with a string from another box of IN344's while muttering some real bad words. I've done countless setups and this was the only string to break during setup ever. I've broken other strings but usually on body through string setups long after setup.

After I calmed down I emailed the US Distributor (Connolly & Co) about the Superalloy IN344 string breaking during setup and they immediately sent me a replacement string and requested I send the broken one back to go back to Vienna for analysis. I did that. Never heard another word about it though.

I found almost immediately that I really didn't like the IN344 Infeld Superalloy set much and sold the remaining unused IN344 sets on eBay at a loss. After a few weeks of trying to find a reason to like them, I finally put a set of PowerBass EB344's on that bass and trashed the Superalloys. The TI Power Bass EB344 set is my favorite roundwound on a passive bass and has been for nearly 10 years.

To me the Infeld Superalloy IN344's sound and feel is nothing special not at all unlike many other strings that frankly cost less. On the other hand the Thomastik-Infeld PowerBass EB344's are clearly superior with a unique voicing I've never found in any other set.

That is just MY OPINION. Your mileage may vary and I'm very hesitant to recommend any one string set as being "the best" for every instrument or every player. I like the TI EB344 Power Bass set better than even the Jazz Flats JF344 set on a passive bass. Many players say the TI Jazz Flats are their one and only string. See, not every string is "perfect" for everyone or every instrument. So you have to judge for yourself.

I do use the TI Jazz Flats JF344 set on one instrument, but I don't play it as much as the other instruments because it is active and I haven't needed active tones lately. The other instruments are all passive and either have TI Power Bass rounds or one of the GHS Precision Flatwound sets. I currently use three different GHS Precision Flatwound sets on various passive P-Basses. I like the GHS Precision Flatwounds a lot too but they aren't right for every instrument or every player either. For example I don't think the GHS Flatwounds compliment an active bass as much as a passive one. For an active bass the TI Jazz Flat JF344 is probably a better flatwound. Also the Power Bass EB344 set might be overkill on an active bass with too aggressive an attack and too bright a tone.

In string selection you first have to consider the type of tone you want. Second consider the pickup/EQ type. Third consider the type frets you have and whether to risk fretwear by using rounds. Fourth you take into consideration your playing style which greatly dictates what tension and core shape is appropriate. Lots to consider. Even when taking all this into consideration you'll still try a string that appears to precisely match on paper what you are looking for and find it to be not so great. That is what happened to me with the Superalloy set. It happens.

Once you find a set you like on a particular instrument, then stick to that set on that instrument. If I want to try a different string set then I get a different instrument. Why mess up a good thing? I have my instruments setup great and there is no reason to mess with success. When someone asks why I need more than one bass my stock reply is that I don't need more than 1 bass but I do need more than 1 set of strings to cover different tones.


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