Best EBMM Tone for Progressive Rock/Metal?

[sleepwalker]

I am playing bass for about a year now(I am not a newbie I can play Opeth songs I worked so hard ) I want to buy a MusicMan bass guitar. Me and my band, we are doing some really cool progressive rock music.

Can i get your humble opinions about the best EBMM bass for progressive rock?

Thanks,
-sleepwalker

 

[lomky]

A black one!

Just kidding.

I have nothing useful to add.

 

[sleepwalker]

Yes, it will be black

 

[mynan]

Your avatar says it all...Bongo!

 

[mathewsanchez]

Bongo + Black = Bongo Stealth

 

[EBMM7181]

John Myung thinks the Bongo 6 sounds great with progressive rock.

 

[rhythmCity944]

the bass of the EBMM catalouge that you like the best...you got to try them all out

 

[The Swedish Owl]

Well, considering that the Bongo 6-string was designed for John Myung, the king of progressive bass, I think that will be a good choice. But, as always, try before you buy!

 

[cky4ever]

Any HH model will do it. The rest is EQing to your taste. Me Id go for a maple board 5ray... juat up the mids and treble to your liking and you'd be fine...

This isnt exactly progressive metal, but one of the bands I work with just used a ray5 hh with maple paired with a small 10inch amp to record their last song...

www.myspace.com/losperex song huyendo....

Great tone... we'll be hitting mexico and phoenix soon ....

My band a bit more ska oriented used the same bass with an ampeg rig and it cut thru as well...

www.myspace.com/nojudas

some guys here use rays for metal just shout out and get a listen of how they cut...

 

[oli@bass]

cool progressive rock music.

(nice oxymoronic style description )

Can i get your humble opinions about the best EBMM bass for progressive rock?

All of them.

It's more about what you want your bass to sound like, whether you need many tonal options, or just want to be able to cut through walls of keyboards and guitar and have to put up with loud complex drumming.

Also, how many strings do you need? More isn't always better, and not everyone needs six strings. There are a couple of great progressive rock bass players who pump out amazing stuff on their four strings, e.g. Dave Meros (Spock's Beard), Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree), Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings), Pete Trewavas (Marillion, Transatlantic, Kino), to name a few.
Colin Edwin played a stealth Bongo 4 HH during the Deadwing Tour, and he sounded phantastic as has been captured in the German tv show Rockpalast. John Myung played two Bongos (an HH and an H) the last time DT were around and he sounded phantastic too, IMO the single H cut even more than the HH.

• Play the different models (StingRay, Sterling, Bongo, 4 & 5 strings) and see how they feel to you: Are they "strange" or do they feel right "at home".
  
• If you want just to have one great sound which cuts through everything, go with a single H version.
  
• If you need many tonal options from your bass and like to have them at your fingertips, I'd recommend to check out any dual pickup versions. On the StingRay and Sterling HH & HS, the bridge H sounds very similar to the single H versions, so it could be a good idea to get a dual pickup version of these basses anyaway. On the Bongo, the single H is at a different position than on the HS/HH, and owners of both have reported that they sound definitely different.
  
• Depending on how important look is to you (it shouldn't, you play progressive rock, people come to hear you not to see you ), you might gravitate to a certain model: A tremendously "cool" bass is the Stealth Bongo, while you can't beat the classic vibe of a StingRay. The Sterling is in between, more dynamic than the SR, less modern than the Bongo.
  
• Last but not least: Remember, the first one is just the start of the collection -- others will follow

 

[Evo 911]

^^Man u said it all! Very well put.

I'd say try out Bongo and Sterling first. Both of em have a great tendency to cut through the mix like a hot wire, and yet give u those subtle sweet tones that taste like ... powdered chocolate! (for the lack of better example! ). StingRay is more of a classic tone, although I cannot imagine a scenario where a StingRay wud fail to kill. My recommendation wud be a Bongo HH. Take it from another Progger! []