Help me pick my new EBMM bass?

[nurnay]

I've been playing a Stingray 5hh in a rock band and I really would like to get a new bass with a more passive sound. I'm thinking Big Al, but are there other options? I'm wide open. We play a lot of classic rock, so I think a passive bass might be a better sound. I'm not keen on 7ender. But I like the active option.

TIA!

Mike

 

[nurnay]

And it does need to be 5 string!

 

[adouglas]

Sounds like Al to me, or Reflex. Those are the only options.

Projectapollo is selling the very bass (BA5 SSS) he loaned me to try. It's a sweet one, dead mint with an amazing neck. I'd buy it in a heartbeat but black basses aren't my thing.

 

[nurnay]

And it does need to be 5 string!

I saw that earlier and PM'd him. It's quite nice.

 

[projectapollo]

I love my big al. I find I use passive more than active. It just looks cool, too.

 

[MSilvers]

If you like the thicker neck of the Stingray you might not like the Big Al's neck. Reflex 5.

 

[adouglas]

I saw that earlier and PM'd him. It's quite nice.

It's in good shape. I only drooled on it a little bit.

 

[nurnay]

OK, adouglas, let me hear how you really liked it. Would I be OK with a Bongo in a classic rock setting? My stingray just doesn't quite get *that* tone without effects. Maybe it's just me. I like the Big al and the Bongo, so I'm open to either.

 

[nurnay]

If you like the thicker neck of the Stingray you might not like the Big Al's neck. Reflex 5.

I'm not that picky on neck thickness.

 

[adouglas]

Well, if you have to have passive, then the Bongo won't go there for obvious reasons.

But do you really need passive? You don't listen to CDs to hear what a victrola sounds like. You listen to CDs to hear music more clearly and powerfully.

Likewise, you don't play a Bongo in order to try to sound like a J bass played through an Acoustic 360. You play a Bongo to cause spontaneous genetic mutation and alter weather patterns.

I never have approached music from the standpoint of trying to fit into a particular sonic genre. I looked for a bass that would make the sound I had in my head for a very long time, and the Bongo is it. I wasn't trying to sound like someone on a record… I was trying to sound like I want to sound. I don't see anything wrong with putting your own stamp on a song.

If you want play Beatles music and sound exactly like McCartney, you need to duplicate his rig. But you can play Beatles music and sound great using different equipment… it just won't sound exactly like Sir Paul did back in the day.

Think about this: A whole lot of those classic rock records got remastered. Why is that? I suggest that maybe it was to make them bigger, punchier and clearer… as if they were played, perhaps, on a Bongo….

The Bongo is big, powerful and deep, and I love it to death. The Big Al won't do what the Bongo does. But at the same time, Al can do things the Bongo can't.

For my current band the Big Al fits really well. It's got exactly the right look and there are some songs that just work better with passive.

But I have to say that after owning Bongos for almost six years, I STILL pick them up and marvel at how great they sound. No kidding. I've never owned anything in my life that could bring out those feelings after so long.

The Big Al is cool and versatile and all, but I think that any bass player would benefit from owning a Bongo.

 

[nurnay]

The Bongos I'm looking at are cheaper, too. I saw a nice 5HH for about $500 cheaper than the roasted Big Al 5SSS. Torn...

 

[Movielife]

AL! Of the BIG variety!

 

[oli@bass]

For classic rock, I think a (black) Reflex HH might give you some great passive sounds and a very classic timeless look. Can't talk about the HSS but I read good reviews of that too.

 

[nurnay]

For classic rock, I think a (black) Reflex HH might give you some great passive sounds and a very classic timeless look. Can't talk about the HSS but I read good reviews of that too.

I like to reflex sound, but it's just not my style.

 

[nurnay]

This made me LOL. This picture shows up when you Google image search "Big Al 5SSS"....

 

[cellkirk74]

The Big Al H does a great job for rock and can go from passive and tamed to really fat and aggressive. I use mine almost exclusivly since I have it...

 

[nurnay]

Projectapollo is selling the very bass (BA5 SSS) he loaned me to try. It's a sweet one, dead mint with an amazing neck. I'd buy it in a heartbeat but black basses aren't my thing.

And we have a deal! I'll be sending payment for the roasted beauty today!

 

[Runnerman]

Awesome! Congrats!

 

[Holdsg]

Well played.

 

[keko]

I like to reflex sound, but it's just not my style.

In that case it's only Big Al 5 left!

If You play rock stuff, maybe single H in series/passive will be the best for that?
I switch that position (bridge H) on my reflex when playing some rock stuff, tone knob full open!
Brutal cut through when drummer and guitar player "step on gas" when rockin'!