Members tlchase68 Posted March 25, 2006 Members Share Posted March 25, 2006 Actually, my dad is looking for some recommendations. He recently mentioned upgrading his old Fender P- Bass to something more current. This is a preowned guitar that is difficult to play and has other issues/noises when used for recording purposes. IMHO, it seems like the guitar needs to be setup by a professional, but it he is more interested in upgrading to a different bass. Despite playing bass and guitar for many years along with writing/recording his own music, he does not know much about the newer/different brands and models. Since I play guitar and don't know much (or anything really) about bass gear, I do not have any good advice to offer him. Can you please suggest some "bang for the buck" bass guitars that fall in the $500 to $1,000 range? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Onkel Bob Posted March 25, 2006 Members Share Posted March 25, 2006 Why is it difficult to play? If it's because of a thick neck he may want to go Donald 'Duck' Dunn, and put on a Jazz bass neck. If it's an american made fender P you probably won't get anything that's better by more than a small margin for the amount you're talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Darkstorm Posted March 25, 2006 Members Share Posted March 25, 2006 Tons of better basses out there in that price range. Upgrading the one he has would require replaceing bridge, pups, neck, not worth it imo. Have him go to local stores and check out Peavey, Ibanez, ESP Ltd, Schecter, ect. If willing to look at usedmaybe also Warwick Corvettes, Lackland & G&L. Use his old fender P bass with its clunky neck, subpar bridge & pups for trade in toward new bass wit better neck, hardware, pups, tone versatility & playabilty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tylytle Posted March 25, 2006 Members Share Posted March 25, 2006 Hope he keeps the Fender... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gearhead17 Posted March 25, 2006 Members Share Posted March 25, 2006 Sounds like the old Fender Bass needs some new pickups and new pots wired up to reduce noise. I would suggest some EMG pickups. Is there a certain sound your dad is looking for? Like: smoothe, warm, growly, good slap tone; pick or fingers? Some suggestions Slap/Growl- Music Man Stingray, Fender Jazz Bass, Warwick Corvette Standard. Smoothe Finger Style - Spector Euro (Neck-Thru) Ibanez basses are probably the best bang for your buck. You can get a decent one in the $500-$1000 and they are all really versatile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlchase68 Posted March 25, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 25, 2006 I agree that upgrading the P-Bass is not the way to go, but I hope he keeps this particular mid 70's era guitar in his arsenal...There's nothing wrong with having a backup around! Besides, he has mentioned having regrets for getting rid of other gear when he was younger! Regardless, it seems like this particular Fender model is inherently clunky due to its neck design and may be lacking in terms of other components. However, it may have different/desirable tonal properties for recording purposes. Anyway, I'm going to pass along the advice from this thread and make the "setup by a tech" suggestion again. I'll also keep researching new basses for him to test at the local shops! BTW, he uses a pick when playing and prefers a smooth sound...But, versatility is a nice feature! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thebeatcatcher Posted March 26, 2006 Members Share Posted March 26, 2006 upgrade an old p-bass?!?!? you're exactly right, have it looked at by a professional. there may be a loose ground or something, maybe need some shielding, but for $500-$1000 you're not going to get anything much better. what kind of amp/preamp is he using? i'd start there before giving up on the p. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lownote Posted March 26, 2006 Members Share Posted March 26, 2006 by Darkstorm Tons of better basses out there in that price range . . . . . . check out Peavey, Ibanez, ESP Ltd, Schecter, ect. . . . you're pulling our leg's . . . . . right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassman1956 Posted March 26, 2006 Members Share Posted March 26, 2006 Sell it to me... Seriously. Time for a professional set-up. Before anything else. Then maybe a pickup upgrade. Or maybe just pots. Maybe nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlchase68 Posted March 26, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 26, 2006 More good advice from all you bass cats! I definitely think he will have regrets if he gets rid of this guitar, so I'll probably just snatch it and take it to a tech for a setup myself. FWIW, He also mentioned getting something with active pickups, but I doubt he'll find one in his price range...He is going to have to make some compromises! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thebeatcatcher Posted March 26, 2006 Members Share Posted March 26, 2006 IF he wants active pups, +1 for emg's. that might make the difference, BUT i still wouldn't swap out the originals, the bass will keep more of its value. but emg's are absolutely awesome, not expensive, and the pots come prewired with only minimal soldering required. i swapped in a p/j set a long time ago and it made a world of difference. i have recorded direct many times just through the pups and that was the best, most usable tone. they used to be (i don't know anymore) the pups that vic wooten played through and endorsed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlchase68 Posted March 26, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 26, 2006 Hmm...He does record direct, so it sounds like active p'ups might yield some good results! I still am not going to encourage him to change the P-Bass...Maybe a good used bass with some mod's is the answer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thumper Posted March 26, 2006 Members Share Posted March 26, 2006 Depends on how old the P-bass is. If it's '70s or older, it has some value as a vintage instrument. I'd take it in for a pro set-up, but wouldn't replace any bits unless necessary. As for a replacement bass, see if you can find a used '80s to early '90s MIJ Jazz Bass. They're great basses and are a great value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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