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Original message:161 days 14 hours 14 minutes ago

Member: Rary

56
WebCred

Ok, so I am planning on putting new pickups and a new neck on my bass.
I have this old Ibanez bass this has seen its fair share of ups, downs, attempted(and mostly failed) bass swings, shows, jams, and floors.
Here's my query. I want new pickups, BUT, due to the fact that I never knew anything about bass gear and still don't, I'm wondering what would be good.
I don't really play bass a whole lot anymore, but I think part of that is due to the fact that my pickups are dead and my bass sounds like shit, Bass-ically. (Thought I'd throw that in there.)
Soooo...the main style I play is metal, but I would like something versatile. I really am in to jazz, country, pretty much everything. I really like the sound of SUPER smoothe pickups. I'm not a fan of pickups that have a lot of attack, and are super duper bright. I am thinking that maybe Active pickups (maybe?) are the best idea, as I always heard that they are the most versatile. But I dunno, I would rather have good passive pickups than shit active. Actually scratch that I just want some good fucking pickups for under $200.
I really like the tone that Arif, the bass player from Protest The Hero, has. I also like the tone of the bass player from Jamiroquai (I'm not going to defend that, he's got sweet bass playing.)
Now...I need a new neck. I'm not sure what scale the one I have now is, but I would be down for going a tiny bit bigger. I like the look of rosewood, but I prefer the feel of maple. Anything in between maybe? I dunno.
Any help is greatly appreciated!!

My music recommendations:

How many Guitarists does it take to Screw in a lightbulb? Ten. One to do it, and nine others to sit at the back of the room with their arms crossed and tal about how they could do it better.

Reply:161 days 11 hours 57 minutes ago
Member: bachmirage

1019
WebCred

really seems to me like you should just look for a new bass alltogether. unless you really have a love for the BODY of your current bass. i would suggest looking for a nice 5-string bass. most newer modern metal bands make pretty good use of that low B string. as well as just about any of the jazz fusion players(Jamiroquai). especially the jazzers.....new pickups + a new neck is gonna run ya probably over $300 to $400 so buying a new bass is more than likely the route you will want to take.

as far as upgrading ,i suppose it would hurt to give ibanaz a call and inquire about some prices on new parts.

http://www.ibanez.com/parts/START_HERE.HTML

http://www.warmoth.com/

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Reply:160 days 2 hours ago
Member: ibzRG

2600
WebCred

Changing neck scale is never simple, because the wrong neck type will screw your intonation.
Active pickups are probably not your way to versatility. Active EQ on the other hand would be probably more useful.

It does sound like you're looking for a new bass.

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Reply:157 days 13 hours 33 minutes ago
Member: Rary

56
WebCred

Ya I guess I am looking for a new bass. I just hate spending moneylol. I'm canadian, and even though our dollar has gone WAAAY up, they haven't adjusted prices or anything, so we're still buying stupid-ass prices for things. I don't know if I'm being picky, but I don't want to spend more than $800 on an instrument that isn't even my main instrument, right? And I find looking for a new instrument tiresome. I hate going to the music store and trying 11 different guitars(or in this case, basses) and not finding ONE that is any good or feels good, etc.
I know Ibanez makes a pretty good metal sounding bass, so i'll give them a shot.
Also, whats the deal with an Active EQ, what does that really do in terms of tone, does it kind of help you zero in and be more specific? And do you know of any companies who offer basses with them built in stock, so I could maybe try one out at a store, cuz I hate buying things online.

My music recommendations:

How many Guitarists does it take to Screw in a lightbulb? Ten. One to do it, and nine others to sit at the back of the room with their arms crossed and tal about how they could do it better.

Reply:156 days 23 hours 17 minutes ago
Member: ibzRG

2600
WebCred

I've never had a full active EQ, just an active boost. Active controls beat passive tone any time. There's are more options available when you can individually shape bass,mids,treble,mids peak ... Of course, when it's not your primary instrument you can let the amp do the EQ-ing.

I have a 2003 version of a SR305DX. 2 humbuckers, 2vol,1tone and an active boost control. It was quite solid and versatile and at a very good price. Unfortunately, they changed some things since. The BTB line still has an equivalent I think and they have a longer and thicker neck too. But the overall bass line-up has been thoroughly refreshed recently and I haven't kept up with all the new models.

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Reply:156 days 18 hours 57 minutes ago
Member: Rary

56
WebCred

Ya, well I've always been told that pretty much anything active beats anything passive more or less 100% of the time. I've never been much of a gear guy, but I guess I'd better start.
Now I need to find a good amp. I had this bass amp I think it was an sgh (never heard of the company, my dad bought it for me for xmas like 4 yrs ago) 150 watt but I blew the transformer in it last year trying to compete with my then guitar players' mesa and marshall stacks.
I used to have an Ampeg SVT-CL head and played it through an 8x10 bass cab. As much as it had power, the tone wasn't necessarily there, but of course I was using a mexican Fender Precision at the time that was less than stellar.
As far as smoother tones are concerned, do you have suggestions for bass heads? the way i see it, whether you play it through an 8x10 cab or 2 4x10's it sounds the same, because when I had my ampeg they just used the line out through the PA and the cab was more or less a monitor. I think I remember hearing that Trace Elliot makes a pretty decent sound. I dunno though, I just know almost everybody uses Ampeg, but I don't know if thats just because they're the bigger name in bass amps or because they're actually that good

My music recommendations:

How many Guitarists does it take to Screw in a lightbulb? Ten. One to do it, and nine others to sit at the back of the room with their arms crossed and tal about how they could do it better.

Reply:156 days 5 hours 54 minutes ago
Member: ibzRG

2600
WebCred

Sorry, I can;t help you there. I use my bass for personal entertainment. I don't have a bass amp. Even if I did, it wouldn't be band-practice sized.

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