Question Bass guitar for a music man Guitarrist, what do you recommend and use?

[Roberto Rivera]

Hi,

I've been looking for quite a while for a Bass guitar for my home studio use. so i don't want to pay a lot of money for an instrument that won't be my prime instrument and it will be used occasionally just to get my ideas around when i don't have a bass player around. but at the same time i want something that is reliable and that i could use, if the occasion arise, in a live situation. in other words i want a bass guitar that is cheap but doesn't feel like a toy. i've been reading the reviews for the Music Man S.U.B. Ray4 and it seems a really nice guitar for the price. and good specs as well, specially the narrow neck.

Been a Music Man guitarist for several years now, my mind was set from the beginning for a Sterling Bass.

so It will be very helpful if you can give some recommendations as whether the S.U.B. bass is worth the low price or do i have to go up in price and go for the Sterling.

As i said before, it will primary used for my home studio recording

 

[beej]

The EBMM SUBs were excellent - if you can find one at a great price, I'd do it.

I've had a 'Ray before- loved it but too big for me. Currently have a Bongo but 5 strings and a piezo is a wee bit more bass than I need for hammering out demos. Currently have a beat-up-but-refurbished Sterling on the way and hoping that fits the bill for me.

 

[ksandvik]

I would look for a used USA-made EBMM SUB, hard to find but used have a good price and they are very easy to play.

 

[Roberto Rivera]

thanks a lot, I will go for the EBMM SUB

 

[JayDawg]

The regular Sterling by Music Man basses are pretty good too. I have played a few of the Sterling by Music Man SUB basses at Guitar Center but am not sure how they would do recording. But I suppose with what they cost, it is not to expensive of an investment if you bought one and tried it out.

 

[Roberto Rivera]

I'm about to go for the bass guitar, but now i have the question: 5 string bass? or 4 string?

 

[DrKev]

I love the small body of the EBMM Sterling. A buddy of mine has a Stingray 5, which is very cool but his weighs a ton!

 

[ksandvik]

You don't need a five string bass unless you need low end for Nashville new country or modern R&B, fusion and some other styles I just recollect just now that has a unique low-end bass tone. Depending on the string spacing slapping might be harder on a five string that four string bass.

Billy Sheehan, Geddy Lee and Jaco Pastorius play/played on four-string bass guitars so there's nothing wrong with a four-stringer.

Best is to try out four and five-string bass guitars and see if you like a five stringer or feel more comfortable using a four -stringer. Or later get both versions.

I would indeed look at the Sterling EBMM models -- good value for reasonable cost. You might sometimes get a good deal on a used USA-made EBMM bass, too. Or get a used SUB as mentioned.

 

[Tollywood]

I'm a guitarist and a new bass player. I only play bass with my fingers, so a 4 string is better for me due to the larger spacing between strings than a 5'er. I really love the Sting Ray. It's very comfortable to play. Oh, and fretless is just ridiculously fun to play with flat wound strings.

 

[uOpt]

Vanilla American Stingrays (4-string, 3 band EQ) can be had for very little money. Especially when they lack the original electronics.

They don't quite have the deep bass that you might want in your only studio bass, though.

 

[beej]

The spacing is different from the 5's to the 4's, so you might want to try a few to see what you like. For guitar players (for me at least), the narrower spacing on a 5 string is nice, though I still find a 4 less confusing to play.

As an update to my earlier post, I sold my Bongo 5 and replaced with a beat-up Sterling 4. The Bongo 5 never balanced right when I was sitting down (which is most of the time- I just use it for recording), whereas the Sterling balances perfectly.