Posted by: gogo Thu 10 Aug 2006, 19:26
QUOTE (booyakabass @ Tue 8 Aug 2006, 15:43)
Ok, which one & why?
Depends. I'm a jazz bass player myself (have a custom bass made by http://nav.440network.com/out.php?mmsc=forums&url=http://www.stambaughdesigns.com/, a luthier who lives in NH. Here she is:
I started off with a Fender American Deluxe Jazz; it sounds fancy, but it's just bells & whistles really, a Mexican J-bass is plenty. The jazz bass has a generally rounder, bass-y tone, with the option of using just the bridge pickup & playing further towards to bridge to get that biting Jaco-like tone.
The Stingray has a more metallic sound, and uses a single humbumber instead of two single-coil pickups, so it's a much hotter, buzzier bass. But, it's really great for rock-style slap (Flea's main bass was a Stingray until Modulus endorsed him & built him a Stingray clone.) Best bet? Go play each one, see which you like. And always remember that you can have the action adjusted on them. The one thing about Fender's J-basses is that they have a big neck. Great sound, but a bit tough to play sometimes. My custom bass (which was NOT expensive) has a thinner neck, which makes it easier to play. Just a thought. Good luck!