Contemplating a new bass

[wmlusk]

I am contemplating a new bass to serve in both traditional and tapping rolls. Does anybody have any particular makes and models that they would suggest?

I was looking at the John Myung Yamaha bass or one of the old BB3000S basses, but I would consider anything at this point.

[rickwade]

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A NEW BASS THAT IS MADE FOR TRADITIONAL BASS TECHNIQUE AS WELL AS TAPPING CHECK OUT THE NS/STICK. IT IS ADVERTISED AS BEING ABLE TO DO JUST THAT.
THE STRINGS ARE SPACED FARTHER APART THAN MOST TAPSTYLE INSTRUMENTS TO ENABLE YOU TO GET INSIDE FOR PLUCKING,SLAPING,PICKING AND POPPING. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT YOU USE A LIGHTER TOUCH FOR BASS TECHNIQUE AND IT HAS A RETRACTABLE DAMPER FOR OPEN STRING PLAYING. THEY ALSO SAY THAT THE SOUND QUALITY STAYS THE SAME AS YOU SWITCH FROM TAPPING TO PLUCKING. I HAVE NOT PERSONALLY HAD MY HANDS ON ONE YET. I TO AM LOOKING FOR SUCH A BEAST SO IF YOU FIND ONE THAT WORKS, PLEASE POST A THREAD AND GIVE US A REVEIW ON IT.

[wmlusk]

Thanks for the pointer on the NS-Stick. I have a 8-String Warr on the way at this time so I am looking for something along the more traditional bass line and hopefully less than $900US.

Any tips on what to look for when trying out basses in the music stores?

Thanks,
Billy

[rickwade]

Hi Billy,
There are a lot of choices out there when it comes to bass.
I play an Alembic short scale stereo, sereis 1 bass. It is totally sweet but it's 25 years old and is drying out in this desert climate.
You might want to check into Alembic basses. I have really low action on the strings and the sound jumps out when tapping, even down at the first fret. I've been a giging bass player for 30 years but my main interest now is full range touchboard plus.
When it comes to getting a new bass, hands on is a good idea. Spend a lot of time at the music stores or wherever 'till you find one that feels right.
good luck!
RICK WADE see ya.

[fusioncore]

I played on a Marleaux bass at a guitar show once, I instantly fell in love. I'm currently saving up money to order one of my own. They are German-made, handcrafted, beautiful instruments. It was set up by the owner, so that may have had something to do with it...The bass had the sweetest tone I have ever heard and the feel was incredible. Check out the website some time. www.marleaux-bass.com
if not that, a well set up warwick is always nice
I hope that helped a little.
God Bless
Luke Callender

[rockola]

It's hard to tell from the pictures since they don't actually say what the pickups are, but it looks like Marleaux uses Bartolinis. It's hard to go wrong with those. My mahogany ADG sounds absolutely wonderful with its single passive stereo Bartolini.

It looks like none of the Marleaux models would agree with Billy's budget, though.

What to check in the store: first of all, comfort, and if it fits, then worry about the sound. How the instrument feels will have a huge effect on your playing, most importantly, how often you will pick it up. If the instrument doesn't "speak" to you, don't buy it. Of course, you should check out the general level of workmanship and, in the case of second-hand instruments, signs of possible repairs. A well-executed repair shouldn't affect how the instrument plays, unfortunately this isn't always the case.

This is probably only too obvious, but when checking out how the instrument plays, don't use anything but an amp with a clean sound. Any compression, reverb or chorus will mask out the sound of the instrument itself - after all, that's basically what they are supposed to do! Also, if possible, play the instrument through different amps and speakers.

[King_Krimsun]

I bought a new Cort Curbow 6-string for $570. Its neck is maple, the body is Luthite(synthetic) fingerboard is Ebonol(synthetic), and it has a 3-way tone control and it has a single Bartolini active pickup. At first I did not like it for tapping, but I worked on setting it up a little better, and now I love this bass!! It took a while to get used to the tone of the synthetic body, but now that I've had it a while I have learned how to get great sounds out of it. Tapping sounds very smooth with the slap contour switch engaged. I have not seen this bass on Cort's website, and only found it at Mars Music's website. Any fellow tappers in the Atlanta area? Let's get together--Jeff

[JONESY4FNK]

I play a Zon Legacy 6 string and have found that for tapping, the phenolic fingerboard and composite neck are great. But they're not under $900.

I played on a Carvin LB6 for years and it wasn't too shabby for tapping tone.

[HippieGeorge72]

I am new to this forum here, but I am a long time two-handed bass player. My preference in the bass guitar realm is Ibanez. They have a great tonal quality and a nice fretboard for Tapping Phrases. If you want a 6-string, I would recommend the Soundgear line 6's. I currently own a 5-string version and when I set the amps EQ to the middle, and don't tweak the tone, I get a great responce with flat EQ ... so imagine tweaking from there. I've tried the John Myung bass, but found the neck wasn't comfortable. I've also owned a Ken Smith 6, which was to wide of a radius to be comfortable, and I have long fingers.

All of my basses have fabric hairbands on the neck by the nut, so that any one of them can become a tapper in an instant.

[Nightmare Music]

I have to agree with King Krimsun, I have a Cort Curbow 4, and it is ALL bang for your buck. mine was $400 and i use it more than any of my more expensive, name brand, or custom basses. I can't wait to get the 6 string version, and i know i won't pay an arm and a leg for it. my 4 string works great for tapping as well, though it did take a little adjusting, but not much

[BigDaddyPoo]

I know this is a very old thread, but I just have to say that I've played many basses, but for tapping, the Ibanez SoundGear 6's are tops. I've compared it to many high end basses, but nothing compares to it's great feeling thin flat neck. I was able to set it up so that the action is so that you hardly have to press down on the strings to make a note.

It is important to point out that the optimal set up is different for tapping and fingerstyle, so if you want to play traditional bass on an instrument set up for tapping, get ready to adjust your right hand technique.

[levisj125]

Sorry if someone already mentioned this, but USA Peavey Cirrus basses are great for tapping and unbelievable value for money. The necks are fantastic and you can get a really low action, plus the pau ferro boards give a fairly flat EQ so there's plenty of mids for bite. Highly recommended!

For example, my US$799 Cirrus 5 sounds just as good as my Tobias Classic 5 and that cost US$2100!!!

Cheers,

EG