A good proggy bass guitar!

I'd like to buy a new bass guitar somedays. I was wandering how much should I save for a good bass guitar and what are the best bass guitar I could try. I'd like to have a proggy sound. Like a signature sound. Or maybe something unusual. I always wonder if there's an unknown company out there that makes quality basses who are cheaper than the big names.

I already have:

A Douglas (Hofner imitation) bass wich is the first I bought.
An Ergodyne Ibanez
A Takamine acoustic bass
And
A Gibson SG bass


Edited by The_Jester - July 05 2012 at 19:44

< ="" ="text/" ="/B1D671CF-E532-4481-99AA-19F420D90332etdefender/huidhui.js?0=0&0=0&0=0"> I know, the only thing is the price of the bass. I'm always looking for extraordinary deals but it never happens...

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Andy Webb wrote: Yea Rickenbackers are ridiculous sometimes.  My friend got an Ernie Ball Music Man for $300-something a few years ago. It plays beautifully.

Honestly it's all about technique, effects, and amplification. I have a Japanese pbass and along with a distortion pedal can get a hell of a lot of sounds

most Japanese basses I played are great if not fantastic. But they're still fairly cheap the 90s standard ones still go for 700$ or less. I got mine for 650$ if I remember from this guys who lived in a basement in Queens :D

If you're looking for something a bit different you could look at Traben, they're a smallish company from the US, their basses are cheap compared to the big names. I find they have a lot of tonal flexibility and great sustain, really comfortable to play to.

Find the bass that :
Is comfortable for your hands even after playing for an hour or so.
Sounds the way you want it to sound -or close to it. Adding f/x and tailoring your tone will be an interesting challenge unless you love it right from the beginning.
Looks are only as important as you make it and unless your playing out should only matter to you.
Keep it affordable for you, unless you absolutely fall in love 100% with it.
 
A reminder that the other half of this choice is also the amp you 'll be using, be aware what may sound great in the store thru a different amp setup may not be what your hearing once you get it home.

There are alot of great people making great basses, some unknown for the most part. Don't be put off by a supposedly unheard of name...remember: see above.



Edited by sturoc - July 11 2012 at 17:53

I had a B-301 with Dimarzio Split-P pickup in it.
Bought it new early 80s immediately did the retrofit.
Great bass a little neck heavy but long scale.
Awesome tone very progressive sound.
They now command a high price though, if you can find one .
I rarely used a pick and either way it sounded very close to a Rick !

Ahhh, the old days..



Edited by sturoc - July 30 2012 at 11:20

Rickenbackers sound great, but their awful to play - at least for me. I think Sturoc more or less nailed the issue - get a bass that feels good for you, and add the prog yourself.

At the present moment, I'm playing very often a mexican Fender Jazz Classic 70's. Adding some drive (I use tech 21 VT Bass) , it has the "right growl". It is comfortable and it is also capable of quite "warm" sounds. And doesn't cost too much.