Tips for choosing the best electric bass
If you're looking for an electric bass, you've come to the right place, because while we love and value all instruments, guitars and bass are life in culturasonora.
- Brands: without a doubt, brands are the order of the day, you should trust them because they are of proven quality. Think Fender, even Squier, Ibanez, Washburn, Tobias, Lackland, Sire, Jerzy Drozd, Roscoe, among others.
- Value for money: although all the brands mentioned above are excellent, there are some that offer better performance for a lower price, and it's in them that we invite you to place your attention.
- Versatility: this is the most difficult to find, but we make your life easier because the most versatile are Fender, Roscoe, Sire and the best of all, although we don't include it here because of its price, is Jerzy Drozd, but if you have 3000€ or more, you can buy any Jerzy Drozd with your eyes closed.
- Buy from reputable stores: don't rely on second hand stores, just look for the best ones both online (preferably) and physical.
- Level: think about what you want to achieve, how good you want to be, so that you can look for a beginner-friendly instrument that will adapt to your future needs, although this must be seconded by the following recommendation.
- Wallet: first, determine how much money you're willing to invest, and look for the most versatile bass that fits into that budget.
- Future: think ahead, because if you want to dedicate yourself to music and you have the means for it, then don't think twice and get your hands on the best. In our guide, we have reviewed not the most expensive, but the best of all basses. Although we missed a Jerzy Drozd.
Tips to be a good bass player
There are many aspects that you must take into account to be an excellent bass player, but we will summarize the four basic principles to achieve your goal;
- Resources: both educational (a physical and online teacher) and technological (computer, tuners, amplifiers) as well as economic, because unfortunately, everything in this life costs money.
- Dedication: talent is not enough and dedication has always surpassed talent, so spend time practicing, and “practicing” is not just about playing songs, it's also about pinpointing what your technical deficiencies are, so you can develop routines that lead you to overcome them.
- Listen to the best: Alfredo Kraus once said that a sparrow only learns to sing by listening to other sparrows who already know how to sing, so listen to Gianni Serino, Sergio di finizio, Carles Benavent, Victor Wooteng, Tetsuo Sakurai, Marcus Miller and other exceptional musicians.
- Learn from variety: don't limit yourself to Rock, Heavy, Alternative or Ballads, look for variety, Jazz, Soul, Funk, Country, Salsa, Bachata, Ballenato, Fusion, become a researcher and assimilator of multiple styles.
Parts of an electric bass
Due to its similarity with the electric guitar, the electric bass has practically the same external features, such as; strings, pegs, wooden body, neck and fingerboard, ceramic or alnico microphones, potentiometers for volume and tone adjustments, ¼” input jack, bridge, neck capo, headstock and fret position identifiers.
- Strings: they are of larger gauge than electric guitar strings and the packages come in four-string, five-string or six-string presentation.
- Pins: they are larger than those of the electric guitar, and are where the strings are screwed to give them tuning.
- Wooden body: it's the whole base structure of the guitar. Made of solid wood, and can be of different types such as maple, linden, mahogany and other resistant woods.
- Neck: is the wooden arm where the fingerboard is located, it's usually the densest (hardest) wood of all.
- Fretboard: is where the frets of the bass are embedded and the strings are plucked to achieve the different musical notes.
- Ceramic or alnico microphone: they are in charge of receiving the vibrations of the strings to convert them into sound and then be processed by the potentiometers.
- Potentiometers for tone adjustments: these are electronic components that regulate the intensity of the electronic signal to increase or decrease the volume or the low, bright or medium tones.
- 1/4 input jack: the electronic component that establishes the connection between the bass system and the external sound amplifier.
- Bridge: is where the strings are inserted and contains machines that are used to adjust the height and distance of the strings in relation to the neck capo.
- Neck capo: located at the top of the neck, between the blade and the limit of the fingerboard, it keeps the strings within the range (width) of the fingerboard.
- Blade: is the part of the bass where the tuning pegs are placed.
- Position indicators on the frets: known as inlays, these are inlays in the form of dots or rectangular pieces that serve to indicate different parts of the fingerboard. Generally, frets 5, 7, 12, 15, 17, 20, 22.
How to clean an electric bass?
This process is essential to keep your bass in optimal working condition. To do this, you require some tools and general purpose cleaners, such as;
- Electronic contact cleaner:
usually come in a three-in-one presentation and are applied to potentiometer knobs to prevent dust from accumulating and producing unwanted noises. - Cleaner for guitar and bass bodies:
are oils that are applied with the help of a cloth and serve to keep the body of the instrument clean of dust and sweat. - Cleaning cloth: Are the indispensable companion for applying all the cleaning products mentioned above.
Also, you can find kits to perform general maintenance of harmonizing/calibration of your instrument and are suitable for both guitars and basses. These kits contain a ruler to determine the height and inclination and also Allen wrenches used to adjust the web rod on the mast, as well as picks/pliers to cut the strings and winders for the strings.
Difference between the electric bass and the electric guitar
On the outside, you've probably seen someone confuse a bass guitar with an electric guitar. But both on the outside and on the inside, an instrumental bass and an electric guitar have their particularities. At first glance, the electric bass is distinguished by the thickness of the strings and the large size of the pegs. However, it's important to note that bass and guitar techniques are similar in every way, for example;
- Punteo: both instruments work in function of scales, both always make use of them.
- Chords: both instruments use chords, with different shape or position of the fingers, but they are chords because they use the triad that compose them.
- Rasgueados: these musical instruments use exactly the same rasgueados.
- Arpeggios: their arpeggios are also very similar and in fact, in the exercise books they are expressed in the same way.
- Slap: both instruments perform slap, so don't think it's a technique reserved for the bass, because it's not.
- Other technical aspects: bending, legato, slide, pull off, hammer on, tapping, harmonics, all of these are performed on both guitar and bass.
So… what is the real difference between the two instruments? The answer lies in their function.
Harmony and melody
There are two musical terms, harmony and melody:
Harmony: this is a very broad concept, but fundamentally it's the art of building chords and accompanying them with the base notes. In the guitar, the construction and execution of chords is common, it's the right thing to do, but in the bass guitar chords are not the rule and they are made when you want to embellish some moment of the musical piece . Therefore, in the bass the harmony is applied when the base note of the chord performed by the guitarist or pianist is played.
A concrete example of this is when the guitarist performs the (C) chord which is composed of the triad (C, E, G). It's called triad because there are three simultaneous notes (at the same time). This is something that the guitar does, but bass doesn't. It simply plays the base note (tonic) which in our case is (C). Thus, while the guitar makes harmony (builds the chord) and performs it simultaneously, the bass only performs the tonic (base note) which is (C) and the same happens when the piece of music is composed by a harmonic function (chord consecution). An example of this is C, A m, F, G, that while the guitar performs the chords (complete triads) the bass only plays the notes, but not the chords.
In this sense, the guitar does both things in a piece of music, because it makes a harmonic base according to the function of the tonality in which they are and also makes melody, which is the accompaniment in arpeggios, solos and other technical possibilities that enrich the piece of music. In contrast, the bass is only a harmonic base because it alone creates the foundation on which all other functions are performed. Therefore, it provides the basis for the piano and guitar to embellish a piece of music. Although there are exceptional occasions where the bassist is an expert, and is given the freedom to perform melodic functions. This is quite uncommon however, to avoid overcrowding the musical piece.
Types of electric bass
An electric bass also has its own classifications:
- According to their body: they can be divided into solid, semi-hollow and hollow.
- By the number of strings, which varies from four to eleven and in very extreme cases up to eighteen. The most representative of these multi-stringed basses is the Yves Carbonne, an eleven-string electric bass made by the prestigious Spanish luthier Jerzy Dorzd, for and to the specifications of the French bassist Yves Carbonne.
Differences between a beginner, intermediate and advanced bass guitar: which one to buy?
This question has always been on the table and requires a concrete answer. At culturasonora, we will try to explain to you the difference between beginner, intermediate and expert basses, which lies in three essential aspects:
Cost
This is the most obvious aspect. A beginner's bass can cost from 100 to 300 euros. While a bass for intermediates varies from 300 to 700 euros and basses for professionals range from 700 to thousands of euros.
Quality of Materials
The quality of the basses for beginners is lower and it improves as we get closer to the professional ranges.
Electronic configuration: active or passive electric bass
This is the most significant aspect because we find active electric basses (powered by a 9V battery), and passive basses (powered by the quartz material located in the core of the microphones). Basic basses do not have complex electronic boards or lots of components to process the sound. Its mechanics are actually very simple, from the grounding to the battery and from there to the microphone, which is where the sound is compressed.
Professional active electric basses do have a complex, higher-tech plate. They tend to have a set of components such as the rotary potentiometers with an adapted electronic board. Each independently has a board with various components that process the sound until it's compressed, to achieve a cleaner sound. These systems are much more expensive due to the high complexity of manufacturing, cost of materials and technology involved during the process.
It isn't difficult to manufacture these devices, but if you are curious, you will require some knowledge in soldering, components and electronic circuit assembly. Believe us when we tell you that it will be worth the effort if you do it and in future articles we will talk a little more about it.
Difference between four, five and six string bass guitars
This is another common question. We will try to answer it based on:
- The number of strings: it's completely obvious that this is one of the basic differences. The six bass has two more strings than the four and that's a difference, but that's not all.
- Harmonic possibilities: this is the real difference, because a five-string bass widens your sonic possibilities by having a lower fifth string that adds a lot of weight to the interpretation. Whereas with six strings, you have the possibilities of weight on the thicker string and in addition, you have sharp sounds with the sixth string.
This is something you can take advantage of, because harmonic variety is essential for every professional musician and if you want to be one, you should think about buying an instrument with more strings.
How many strings do we recommend? Well, between five and six. We at culturasonora always choose five. We think it's enough and in fact, most modern compositions are written for five strings. Which five string bass do we recommend? Take a look at our list of the best electric basses.
The best basses for beginners:
The best electric basses for intermediates:
Best electric basses for advanced players:
Electric bass: The best electric basses for beginners
Ibanez GSR200
Very good sound and feel.
We've always found that Ibanez electronics wear out fast.
Technical characteristics:
- Color: black, blue, red.
- Weight: 4 kg.
- Bridge system: Basic Ibanez.
- Microphonics: S-S-S (single – single – single)
- Electronics: Active.
- Number of strings: 4.
Ibanez basses have excellent features in design, electronics and in the configuration of the woods that ensure a good quality sound even if it's an instrument for beginners.
Wood:
This Ibanez bass offers the following combination of woods:
- The body is made of agathis wood, which is a wood with great acoustic properties, as it's solid. This provides strength and very good resistance to breakage.. In our experience, we have never seen one of these bass with a broken body in spite of having been subjected to mistreatment. This speaks to the quality of the wood.
- Its neck is made of maple, a resistant material that rarely bends. You have to love it very little and treat it very roughly to get it to bend. In addition, it has a core rod that provides more bending resistance.
- The fingerboard is made of the characteristic rosewood, a more sonorous wood that provides excellent vibrations.
Design:
This is a four-string electric bass. The iconic Ibanez GSR200 model is a small electric bass with a slightly heavy, very modern style. Throughout the neck it has pearl dot inlays that will help you recognize the positions of the frets: this will make it easier for you to move around.
Its hardware is chrome-plated, with a high quality gloss finish, with sturdy and accurate tuning keys for long-lasting tuning. The bridge is gentle and fully adjustable, so harmonizing your bass will never be a problem. The steel frets don't wear easily and are of medium size, ideal for beginners.
Ergonomics:
We really like the comfort of the Ibanez. This bass, being small, adapts to any position. It's light (3.8kg) and the size ratio between neck and body has a nice balance . The feel of the strings is also very good: the profile is one of the lowest you'll find on the market, something completely characteristic of Ibanez.
The strings have a height of 4.mm and this makes them sensitive to any touch. The phrasing is light, the movement through the neck is smooth, and the slap is quite convenient because the distance between its strings helps a lot with some deficiencies that the bass player may have. In addition, access to the last frets is extremely easy because it has a short scale and the Cutaway is wide, making it easy to reach the last note.
Sound:
This electric bass for beginners features three microphones and gives an active setting that compresses the sound to eliminate apparent unwanted noise. The bridge microphone is a full single coil. It has double magnets for each string and this allows to capture as much sound as possible
The mid-region microphones and the one closest to the mast are considered “one”, but the truth is that they are separate because each one picks up sound in a different region. This is important because a string doesn't give the same intensity of sound throughout its length.
The characteristic of these microphones is precisely that quality. Being located in the middle region to capture the sound of the E and A strings, the sound will be deeper and with punch, punch is lower and is required by those two strings .
On the other hand, the neck microphone for D and G strings, perceives the sound with less punch. It's “softer” and this is important for these strings, because when slapping or tapping the sound is cleaner, without many hits.
As for the EQ: this is an active electric bass, equipped with active EQ with Phat II bass boost, an Ibanez technology that provides an overload of bass sounds if desired. This is good because its four potentiometers perform an excellent function.
While one of A500.K is for volume and provides a more than acceptable gain, the other of A500K is for brightness and improves the gain in this bass. The sound with only these two pots activated is bright and metallic, simply intense and characteristic of Ibanez.
The other two potentiometers are A250K, one for mid and bass sound with indicator at the half turn (160º) to know when you will enter the bass sound. While the other pot A250K is for bass overload. Ibanez is like that with all its basses, they gives you the possibility to indulge in excesses of all kinds, too much volume, too little and exaggerated brightness, too little and excessive basses.
Conclusion:
This is the interesting thing about this electric bass for beginners, because with it you will learn not only to play, but to set up and learn a wide range of sounds. It's one of the best basses for beginners. Interested? Find the best prices at Thomann.
Squire by Fender Vintage modified jazz bass '70s
Like all Fender basses, the sound is great.
Its price is a bit high for a Squier.
Technical characteristics:
- Color: natural wood, black pickguard. You can find it in pearl white and Ferrari red.
- Peso: 3.8 kg.
- Bridge system: Basic Squier.
- Microphones: S-S (single – single).
- Electronics: Three potentiometers (master volume, brightness/mid tone, bass tone).
- Number of strings: four.
All Fender basses are special in one way or another. And Squiers are no exception. For this reason, we have included the Fender Squier electric bass in our list.
Wood
- The body of this bass is made entirely of American soft maple. It's a wood with great elasticity and resistant to breakage. Its malleability produces very stable vibrations that favor its sonority.
- The neck is also made of maple.
- The fingerboard is made of maple wood, which is unusual, but when playing this instrument you will notice that it's a great choice because of its comfort, especially when harmonizing.
Design:
It has a very sexy design. This is a traditional model, but with an innovative internal system. Its frets are medium jumbo size, a more than adequate choice for beginner and intermediate bassists.
In addition, mother-of-pearl dots have been inlaid so that you can identify each of the frets. This is very useful for students to feel confident when performing scales and their first slap.
The tuning keys are precision made with Fender quality in a silver color, and their size allows you to turn them without any inconvenience. The color finish can be found in natural wood, pearl white and Ferrari red, all three colors are excellent with a glossy polyurethane finish, which gives greater resistance to shocks.
Ergonomics:
Fender has developed a unique quality in its basses. They are large on the outside. The Squier by Fender model has a scale of 863.6mm and the body is approximately 43×54.cm. However, it‘s lightweight, although it may seem otherwise, weighing only about 3.8kg.
This weight makes it ideal for playing in any position (sitting or standing) and gives us the impression that Fender is one of the basses that has the least impact on the spine, even less than the Ibanez which are also quite light.
In terms of feel, this electric bass is very smooth and like all Fenders, it has the ability to adjust the string height to very high or very low positions according to preference. Only Fender has included this genius in the touch.
Sound:
What we like most about this Fender entry-level bass is its sound, even if it's a Squier. Although we have active basses that compress and clean up the sound, passive ones like Fender are really good at cleaning up. This is due to the great quality of microphones, which in this case are two Fender designed Jazz Bass single coil pickups.
These Jazz microphones are a renewed and improved version of the legendary S70. and it certainly contributes to a great sound when combined with the new potentiometer configuration, which is A500k (adds more gain) volume potentiometers for the center mic and A500k (adds more gain) for the bridge mic, with an A250k mid and bass master because it better regulates the tone levels.
The volume potentiometers provide good gain because they are linear 500 K at a time. They give a good punch for slaps. While the tone master is superb and balances the gain provided by the volume pots. If you use the bridge mic with the tone master in the middle, you will get a vintage sound on slaps. And for the baselines of a piece of music, it perfectly emulates the sound of artistslike Stevie Wonder and the like, as well as Michael Jackson-style pop.
Conclusion:
We love this bass and recommend it for beginners who want an instrument that will play and last for a long time. In addition, we believe that any professional intermediate bass player will be wise to have it as a backup in case their professional bass fails.
It competes for the title of best value for money for beginners. Check it out at Thomann.
The best electric basses for intermediates
Sire Marcus Miller V7 Alder-5 TS 2nd Gen B-Stock
Sire Marcus Miller is a legendary line.
None noteworthy.
Technical characteristics:
- Color: Sunburst.
- Weight: 4 kg.
- Bridge system: Marcus Miller precision.
- Microphones: S-S (single – single).
- Electronics: Marcus Super-J Revolution Jazz Single Coils microphones and Marcus Heritage-3 Electronics preamplifier.
- Number of strings: five.
Sire is a company that has relied on the partnership with Marcus Miller since 1995. From this alliance comes this beloved bass. Sire offers probably the best value for money electric bass you can buy . It's the best mid-range electric bass of the brand and probably on the market….
Wood:
- It has a body of Alnus Rubra americana. This wood has only been used by Miller for the manufacture of its basses and has proven to have impressive acoustic capabilities.
- The neck is one-piece bolt-on maple and we think that together with the Alnus Rubra it gives a different feel. The sound changes significantly and the vibrations are more stable, this is perceived when tuning with a digital device, the tuning indicator is more stable and we get to tune quite accurately.
- The fingerboard is made of ebony, which makes it very comfortable.
Ergonomics:
The scale of this bass is 863.6mm. It's long with twenty frets, and the factory string height is 3.6mm. This gives it a feel that is perhaps the softest on the market. With extra light D'Addario EXL170-5 .045 .130 strings, the smoothness of this electric bass is unquestionable.
Another aspect that makes it easier to play is the distance between strings. Very few brands include this in their features, it's 18mm of string spacing that allows you to slap without any inconvenience.
Sound:
We are surprised that a bass of this price has this microphony. It has two Marcus Super-J Revolution Jazz Single Coils pickups, which sound great. It's a delight to listen to them with nothing but volume. In addition, it has a system designed by Marcus Milles engineers: the Marcus Heritage-3 Electronics, with frequency control.
On the other hand, it has five potentiometers: a double one for volume / tone control and a master for both microphones. In addition, it incorporates a pickup mixer that allows you to manipulate the incidence of both microphones, another double pot for mid frequency and mid treble. To finally find one more pot for bass control.
Another aspect is that Miller incorporates a mini switch to switch between active/passive modes that is powered by 2 9.v batteries and one more potentiometer, designed to give those highs that Marcus Miller loves so much.
For the company Sire and Marcus Miller, all this overflow of technology is not just a luxury, far from it. These potentiometers really equalize. With every movement of the knobs you can feel the change, the versatility and the power of its pickups.
Conclusion:
It's a bass recommended for any style, it's versatile and has a great feel. If you are a beginner and you don't have budget restraints to buy this electric bass, don't even think twice. It's the best mid-range electric bass of the brand. If you want to see the best Thomann prices, follow the link.
Fender Deluxe Active Jazz Bass V
Luxurious sound.
There are other more versatile basses for a lower price.
Technical characteristics:
- Color: Pearl white.
- Weight: 4.5 kg.
- Bridge system: Precision Fender.
- Microphones: S-S (Humbucker – Humbucker).
- Electronics: Active Fender jazz bass.
- Number of strings: four.
Fender has designed electric basses that have been used by many of the world's top bassists, including Fender Jazz Bass Marcus Miller. It's one of the best options in this price range and this is due to its excellent characteristics.
Wood:
- This electric bass has a solid alder body, which is a wood renowned for its sound quality and stable vibration generation, as well as excellent resistance to breakage and bending.
- The neck is made of American maple, with excellent resistance to bending, so you can avoid many uncomfortable moments due to disharmonization.
- A very attractive variant is the fingerboard in Pau ferro wood similar to the Indian rosewood, but with less pores and we don't like it very much because the harmonics are diminished. Nevertheless, the wood does a good job.
Design:
This Fender Jazz Bass is a bass with a large 863.6mm scale. It has a nickel/chrome hardware that guarantees durability. In addition, it features a Fender ‘Hi-Mass' bridge that has very good accuracy and is accompanied by original Fender NPS 7250 strings that have good punch and sustain.
The paint is finished in Surf Pearl/Olimpic White, which is very attractive and gives it a certain elegance. As a bonus, it comes with a high-quality padded Deluxe Fender case.
Ergonomics:
Due to its 863.6mm long scale and its more than 4.5kg weight, this Fender Jazz Bass is a bit uncomfortable to carry on your shoulders, but you can always get used to it. Its 20 jumbo medium frets are something that Fender has taken advantage of, especially in terms of the physical relationship between the distance between the bridge and neck nut with respect to the height of the strings.
This advantage in Fender makes it very easy to use. The rhythm bases are very responsive at any fret and the slap is easy to execute with good punch.
Sound:
The Fender sound on their electric basses is one of the best around: full-bodied, round, balanced, with good gain and 2 low noise dual coil ceramic Fender Jazz Bass pickups with great balance between highs, mids and lows. The potentiometers are a master for volume, it has a brightness equalizer, one for mids and one for bass. all this is not something easy to find in other basses.
This particular Fender Jazz Bass version has a high quality active preamp that achieves good performance between the different tone types. Its versatility is what we like the most, it can adapt to any style without losing quality, its ability to respond to mute sounds is of great quality and surely many will appreciate it. The base notes sound great.
The slap punch is one of the best on the market and the balance between the low and high notes is truly amazing .
Conclusion:
Fender has done a great job with this Fender Jazz Bass, and we recommend it for every intermediate bass player. Check out the best prices at Thomann.
We also recommend you check out our individual articles on the best Fender Jazz Bass and Fender Precision Bass.
Editor's recommendation for mid-range electric bass:
If we had to buy one of these electric basses, we would go for the Sire Marcus Miller V7. Why? It's very versatile and has the possibility to switch between passive/active mode, it also incorporates great EQ possibilities and best of all: a much lower price than a Fender Jazz Bass. or Fender Precision Bass.
The best electric basses for advanced players
Sire Marcus Miller V9 Swamp Ash 5
Versatility, impressive active preamp and a wide variety of woods.
None.
Technical characteristics:
- Color: hazy red.
- Weight: 5 kg.
- Bridge system: Marcus Miller special.
- Microphones: S-S (single – single).
- Electronics: Marcus Super Jazz microphones set, Marcus Heritage-3 preamplifier.
- Number of strings: five.
This is the big brother of the Sire V7 and although few can see the difference, the reality is that both its woods and electronics are different in many ways. It's one of the best on the market.
Wood:
- The body of this electric bass is made of three different woods: half swamp ash and half North American alder, with a solid maple top and quilted veneer on the back. This configuration is incredible, hardly any bass has this quality. While the swamp ash and alder give it a lot of resistance to breakage, the maple top gives it superior acoustic capabilities and the quilted veneer back gives it stability, so no sound or vibration is lost, no expense was spared for this bass.
- Its neck is made of maple which reinforces the breaking capacity of its other woods. At the same time it has been bolted with the system(bolt on) that allows extra reinforcement to avoid disharmony.
- Finally, the ebony fingerboard with minimal porosity produces high quality harmonics that enrich the interpretation of this electric bass .
Design:
At first glance, the design of this Sire bass looks different. But in truth, it has a traditional design, and not a groundbreaking one at that. The inlays (identifiers on the frets) are made of white pearloid and highlight the aesthetics of the Sire bass. The hardware is chrome, with open-gear Sire Premium tuning pegs.
Finally, the color is in satin nebula red with high resistance polyurethane. At the core of the neck are two reinforced carbon rods that enhance the torsional strength of this magnificent bass.
Ergonomics:
This instrument is large, like its V7 sibling, with a scale of 863.6mm and a nut width of 45mm, with a fingerboard radius of 184.2mm. These ergonomic features give it a smoothness to the touch few other basses have. In addition, through its 20 medium small frets, its smoothness is enhanced. And although it seems that they will wear rapidly, that won't happen because they are made of carbon steel. When you hit the base notes, you can feel the comfort of this electric bass, the slap is a delight and every professional bassist will appreciate it.
Sound:
Although it may appear to be very similar to its V7 sibling, the reality is that both in terms of wood and sound, they differ greatly. In this case, the microphones are a (Marcus Super Jazz Set) where the company has replaced the Alnico Magnet magnetization method to incorporate a technology called “Plain Enamel” that emulates hand winding with traditional crosses and windings. Thus, an aged sound of high quality and cleanliness is achieved.
The electronics include a Marcus Heritage-3 preamp with mid frequency control, dual Volume/Tone potentiometers, a pickup mixer, a treble mixer and a bass/mid frequency mixer, as well as a bass mixer. In addition, it has a mini stick switch to switch between the configuration (active/passive).
It's important to note that although it resembles the configuration of the V7 Bass, the reality is that the electronic components of these boards are of higher quality and as a consequence, the sound is different in many ways. Marcus Miller's emphasis on equalization is evident in these technological elements that do an exceptional job.
Conclusion:
In this bass, Sire exceeded all expectations, including ours. This is undoubtedly the most complete five-string bass on the market, and at a more than affordable price. It reproduces all styles very well as it incorporates multiple equalization possibilities. It's the best this brand has to offer at this price range. Intrigued? Find the best Thomann prices.
Yamaha TRB1006J NT
Great sound.
We think it needs more versatility and a better feel.
Technical characteristics:
- Color: brown with dark streaks.
- Weight: 5 kg.
- Bridge system: Yamaha presicion.
- Microphones: S-S (single – single).
- Electronics: active with humcanceled / Alnico V single coil microphones.
- Number of strings: six.
It's one of Yamaha's most versatile basses. This bass is relatively young (2011) but has been a favorite of professional bassists and now we tell you why.
Wood:
- It integrates three types of wood in its body, we find in the part of the transparent color: Maple / Alder / Maple Laminated padded. While the black color has Maple / Alder, this variety just like the Marcus Miller V9, doesn't allow any vibration to be wasted and therefore the sound is excellent, we simply love it.
- The neck is made of maple and five-piece mahogany, it's almost indestructible, with this you are guaranteed to have the best quality and resistance to damage.
- The fingerboard is in classic Indian rosewood, which is traditionally used for its excellent acoustic capabilities.
Design:
This is a modern electric bass, its body has several curvatures that add aesthetic beauty. The tuning keys are precision Yamaha quality, while the frets are medium jumbo size chrome plated. The bridge is a special precision Yamaha design, made of solid brass.
Ergonomics:
This bass is big, the biggest you can find with a scale of 889.mm. And because of the type of wood, it's heavy. At over 5.kg, it won't be easy to carry anywhere, and will be uncomfortable at first. It might cause some back pain. Due to its 889.mm scale, Yamaha has overcome many drawbacks with the touch, because this electric bass is smoother than all its peers in other series.
The 18.mm string spacing makes it easy to move around, it's comfortable in scales, the slap feels good on the fingers when hit with the thumb and the index finger Plock is also nice. Its chords in the higher notes, is something that Yamaha has not yet overcome, because it's still a bit hard to press and we find it more uncomfortable when strumming chords.
Sound:
The sound is what we like the most, it's great!!!! It has power, body, presence, gain, sustain. The pickup configuration is humcanceled single coil / Alnico V in the neck and bridge. This microphone is of high quality because it cancels out all unwanted noise and compresses the incoming sound to clean it up so that it comes out clean.
The volume and tone controls have an A500k master volume setting, driver/balance for both microphones, a treble, a mid and a bass control built into a high quality active preamp. Its highs are prominent, the mids are balanced and the lows are explosive, whether you want to play Funk, soul, blues or rock and heavy pieces, this bass will make it happen.
Conclusion:
This bass has a great sound and if you want to work with six strings, this is perhaps by far one of the best options. It competes for the title of best electric bass in the world. Interested? Take a look at thomann's best prices.
Our recommendation for advanced electric bass:
We are faced with two basses that have an impressive quality, but our heart is set on Sire Marcus Miller V9. It's the improved version of its predecessors, has six types of exotic woods, the comfort is impressive, the active preamplifier is a dream come true, you can switch it to passive, its versatility is great and its price is the best on the market.
Now, which of these basses did you like the most? And remember that you can visit our reviews about double basses, guitars and other instruments on our website. We also recommend you check out our articles on how to tell if a Gibson is original and what is a studio for electronic music.
Technical Characteristics of Electric Guitars
MODELS | Weight | Colors | Bridge | Microphones | Electronics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ibanez IJRG200-BK | 3 kg | Black, blue, red. | Tremolo | H-H (Humbucker - Humbucker) | Three-position microphone selector lever with two potentiometers |
| Yamaha Pacifica 012 | 3.4 kg | Black, blue, red | Tremolo | H-S-S (Humbucker - Single - Single) | Five-position microphone selector lever and two potentiometers (Volume, tone) |
| Epiphone Les Paul Especial VE | 5 kg | Cherry Sunburst | Tune-O-Matic | H-H (Humbucker - Humbucker) | Three-position, two-potentiometer microphone selector lever (Volume, Tone) |
| Fender Squier Affinity Stratocaster | 3 kg | Sunburst | Tremolo | S-S-S (Single - Single - Single) | Five-position microphone selector lever with three potentiometers (Volume, Tone) |
| Fender AM Elite Strat MN OLP | 3.65 kg | White | Fender vintage style synchronized vibrato | S-S-S (Single - Single - Single) | Five-position microphone selector lever and three potentiometers (Volume, Tone) |
| Epiphone Wildkat | 3.6 kg | Antique natural, sunburst, pearl white | Locktone Tune-O-Matic | H-H (Humbucker - Humbucker) | Three-position, three-potentiometer microphone selector lever |
| LTD EC-256 BLK | 3.6 kg | Black | ESP design LH-150B | H-H (Humbucker - Humbucker) | ESP microphones (LH-150) |
| Ibanez Signature JEM77P-BFP Steve Vai | 3.9 kg | Sea foam green, pastel green | EDGE III | H-S-H (Humbucker - Single - Single - Humbucker) | Special microphones dimarzio evolution 2 |
| Sterling by Music Man JP150 NBL | 3.4 kg | Blue Floral Pattern | EDGE III | H-H (Humbucker - Humbucker) | Model SBMM |
| Squier Fender Mini Strat | 2.8 kg | Neptune blue | Tremolo | S-S-S (single - single - single) | Basic Squier |