Decided I need a bass for home recording, advice?

Howdy Friends, I don't know much about bass and hope you guys can point me in the right direction...

I've decided the songs I've been working on at home are in serious need of some bass lines.... I've owned a couple of cheap basses before, but this time around I want to make sure I get the right tool for the job....

I'm primarily writing music with an old school hard edged country vibe, with elements of southern rock and blues.... I plan to do pretty standard country bass work, but wouldn't mind getting a little funky with it at times.... walking around a bit, etc...

My question is what sort of bass could I get for very little money that would suit that style and sound record worthy?

From the searches I've done I'm thinking P bass, but what's the difference between that and a Jazz bass, or other basses?... Is one more suited to one style than another?.... I just don't know a thing about it...

Would like to spend no more than a couple hundred, $300 max, probably will buy used to get more for the money.... looking forward to seeing some suggestions:grin:

Get a Squier vintage modified jaguar bass (the most expensive model with stacked volume and tone pots, there are other cheaper ones but they're not full scale length). You get both P and J bass pickups so it's versatile and has a nice thin jazz bass style neck so it's easy to play if you're coming from guitar. it also has very low action and perfect intonation out of the box.

I've had lots of basses over the years, some worth thousands but the Squier Jaguar is now the only bass I ever use and the only one I now have after sellig the others.

It really is a great bass and sounds like it would be perfect for your needs. I absolutely love mine..

Just for your info, the P bass has a more 'thuddy' deep tone (think mowtown) where's the jazz bass is less boomy and has more mid and high end. A P bass usually has a thicker, wider neck than a jazz.

I would definitely say go for a full scale bass and in your price range you really can't go wrong with a Squire Jazz or Precision - you could probably get a used one very cheap if you look around.

As far as Jazz or Precision is concerned it comes down to personal choice - I love Jazz basses because of the neck which is quite thin and gets verry narrow down by the nut. The Precision is a but chinkier and doesn't taper as much but really, they're both great

If you're looking to cut demo versions, then buy what you can afford and feels good to you. But if you want recordings that you can release in some form, I think you'd be better off finding a bass player you like and paying him $25 a tune to cut the tracks for you. You can find someone who already knows how to play, has one or more good quality instruments and has a DI of some sort that will deliver that tone to tape.

Get a Squier vintage modified jaguar bass (the most expensive model with stacked volume and tone pots). You get both P and J bass pickups so it's versatile and has a nice thin jazz bass style neck so it's easy to play if you're coming from guitar. it also has very low action and perfect intonation out of the box.

I've had lots of basses over the years, some worth thousands but the Squier Jaguar is now the only bass I ever use and the only one I now have after sellig the others.

It really is a great bass and sounds like it would be perfect for your needs. I absolutely love mine..

Just for your info, the P bass has a more 'thuddy' deep tone (think mowtown) where's the jazz bass is less boomy and has more mid and high end. A P bass usually has a thicker, wider neck than a jazz.

Thanks so much for the info, I love the idea of having both options, plus I've always been a fan of the Jaguar body shape.... at $200 new I could easily see myself getting one of these :grin:

Also, thanks for the description of P vs. J... I'm thinking when I hear a slow country song, and it's like......booooooom.......baaaaaaaaahm.....bop.... bomp.....boooooooom.... baaaaaaaaahm (sounding out bass lines in text.... bad idea lol) that would be a P bass, but when I hear a complex bass line that's getting funky that would more likely be a Jazz bass?

There are a lot of cheap basses out there. Play a bunch and see what feels right in your hands. I have a Medium scale '60's Hagstrem that I got for about $135.00. I have it strung with Half-Rounds and with a little compression records beautifully. It's light weight and fits my guitar playing hands. I also have a P-Bass clone that also sounds nice. It's heavy though.

Also, thanks for the description of P vs. J... I'm thinking when I hear a slow country song, and it's like......booooooom.......baaaaaaaaahm.....bop.... bomp.....boooooooom.... baaaaaaaaahm (sounding out bass lines in text.... bad idea lol) that would be a P bass, but when I hear a complex bass line that's getting funky that would more likely be a Jazz bass?



I see what you're saying and you're probably about right.

In general terms the Precision is a bit "rockier" but you can still get some pretty punchy basslines with a Jazz Bass. Ive seen punk bands using a Jazz bass so don't write it off as a one-trick pony.

If you're looking to cut demo versions, then buy what you can afford and feels good to you. But if you want recordings that you can release in some form, I think you'd be better off finding a bass player you like and paying him $25 a tune to cut the tracks for you. You can find someone who already knows how to play, has one or more good quality instruments and has a DI of some sort that will deliver that tone to tape.

Thanks for the suggestion, that's not a bad idea, I can think of a guy who might do it, and I may do that for some of the stuff that requires someone who can more easily think like a bass player....

Really I would like to record the bass myself, use it as a writing tool, I think if I can come up with some cool bass lines and lay them down first, along with a drum track I should be able to go back and make my rhythm playing and general song structure more tasteful.... I'm really just starting out recording, so it may not work that way, it's going to be a major learning process.

I hope to get to the point where I can take my recordings to the radio station and they will stand up (production wise) against the music I love from the 60's and 70's.... not too worried about sounding like the over processed stuff I hear in a lot of modern music.

I really appreciate the tips, right now I'm not completely sure if I'll go with the Jag or the P, hard to turn down the options on that Jag, though I do think I might enjoy the chunkier neck of the P.... of course bass neck chunky and Tele neck chunky may be 2 different things.... wish there was a music store here so I could go try them both.....

One more question... Whichever bass I end up with, have you guys had luck plugging straight into the mixing board, or do you feel an amp makes a big difference for the better?.... To me a regular guitar ran straight into a mixing board or PA sounds bad... but I'm hoping the low frequencies of a bass would carry over a little better...

You'll have no problem running a bass straight into a desk, I did most of my early recordings that way. As for p bass vs jazz, I've had both and needed both for some recordings when it demands a different tone. That's why I love the jag so much, it's the best of both.

I'll always remember my first session in a pro studio, lugging my huge gig worthy bass stack into the studio only for the engineer to plug me straight into the desk.....

A chunky tele neck is a long way off of a chunky bass neck....

You'll have no problem running a bass straight into a desk, I did most of my early recordings that way. As for p bass vs jazz, I've had both and needed both for some recordings when it demands a different tone. That's why I love the jag so much, it's the best of both.

I'll always remember my first session in a pro studio, lugging my huge gig worthy bass stack into the studio only for the engineer to plug me straight into the desk.....

A chunky tele neck is a long way off of a chunky bass neck....

yeah, I figured as much about the necks, better not go for anything too huge...

I'm going to go with the Jag, that way I'll have a good example of each, won't end up feeling limited...

Great news about plugging into the deck, and I feel your pain about having to haul your gear in for no reason.... the first time I went into a local studio (back in my metal days) I hauled my Triple Rectifier and 4x12 Marshall inside, but ended up having to plug straight in... I went from my signature high gain sound to an FX patch that I can only guess was called "light overdrive".... :sad::mad:not cool!.... so yes, I'm very glad to hear the bass works out better than that :grin:

I'm off to go do some price checking and maybe get an order in today, never dreamed I'd have my mind made up so soon, thanks a million everyone

They do a stack of different VM Jaguars with different pickup/colour options and different scale lengths so make sure you get the right one. The one I have and would recommend is the most expensive one. It's black with tortoiseshell guard, two stacked tone/volume pots, is full scale and has P/J pickups (the other colours are only available with the cheaper models). The other variations don't get such good reviews and the humbucker versions are a different sound completely. I'm sure you'll be very happy with it if you buy one but make sure you get a good returns policy just in case.

Well I just bought one, I guess I didn't get the same one you were talking about... woops.... I got the $200 one with 34" scale, the P & J pickups from MF http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/squier-vintage-modified-jaguar-electric-bass-guitar-special/h71306

I didn't see any with a shell guard... the one I ordered got really good reviews... hope it'll do the job

ok, canceled the order, and before I go order the wrong thing again lol.... is this the one?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/squier-vintage-modified-jaguar-bass

who knew they would have so many

ok, canceled the order, and before I go order the wrong thing again lol.... is this the one?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/squier-vintage-modified-jaguar-bass

who knew they would have so many

Yes, that's the one. I did the same thing myself when I ordered mine, it's a confusing line but this is the one that I have. The other ones do get good reviews but this one always seems to come out on top and has the best pickups of the bunch. The one with two stacked knobs is the best version. I actually sold a Custom Shop anniversary Jazz bass in favour of this Squier, my friends thought I was mad but I've seriously never enjoyed playing a bass as much as this one.

As I understand it, MF have a 30 day return policy so I don't think you can go wrong, you'll know as soon as you start playing it whether it's the right one for you.

Thanks plymman, now if I can just make up my mind on the color I'll be in business

I'm fairly sure that one is only available in black but I might be wrong.

I'm fairly sure that one is only available in black but I might be wrong.

I went with the black, they had a used one for $239 on the MF site, but the new ones were also available in MF exclusive colors with unpainted headstocks, 3 tone SB, CAR, and Olympic White... that OW one was really catching my eye, but not $60 worth of eye catching compared to the used one :lol:

Now if I can just learn how to play bass :lol:.... nah, I can get by on a bass, but do have a lot to learn... I'm sure I'll be spending a lot of time browsing around the Bass Place for every tip I can find.

Thanks again.

Report back when it arrives, I'm really keen to hear what you think. After playing some real high end basses for years I wasn't expecting too much but was really surprised. I hope you are too.

I'm in a similar boat as Camplain.


And this thread has been quite helpful! Thanks Camplain, for starting it, and thanks everybody who responded, especially Plymman.

Bit late chiming in on this, but I would've suggested the Squier 'Classic Vibe' range as a great jumping off point for bass on a budget. They've had rave reviews from everyone I know who's got their hands on one, and the build quality and QC seems to be a cut above the other Squier stuff (including the VM range).

Options are nice, but in all honesty a decent P-bass direct to the desk has done the job on countless classic recordings for many decades and still does now, would certainly do the trick for knocking out demos at home. Even on my most option laden, pre-amp equipped basses, I often find that the best tone comes from bypassing all the extra bells and whistles and keeping it simple. You can play any kind of music on a P or J type, its as much in the playing technique as anything else.