Bass for Guitarist

[GSFV]

Hello!! Hope y’all are doing well. I’ll be honest. I’ve never posted over on this side of the forum before. I typically hangout in the hollow body section.

I’m considering buying a bass guitar. My first inkling was to pickup a squire jazz bass. I figured it’d be able to play anything (versatile). Did some research and remembered that Guild makes basses modeled after my favorite Guild. The Starfire (Bass). And now I’m here.

My question: any recommendations on a good “do anything from R&B, blues, poprock and dabble in jazz or pop” kind of bass? Love classic rock but don’t do anything particularly “heavy.” No metal, etc. Fun to listen to, but I never got into playing. Anyway! I am a guitar player and will likely have only one bass to try and “do everything.” Stick with the Fender Jazz style? Go Guild? Another option I’ve over looked.

Given it would likely be my only bass. Go 5 strings? Stick with 4?

If it matters I’d be playing it through a helix lt, mostly to record at home, as well as occasionally jam with friends and/or play in a church setting.

Any and all help is appreciated. Thank you as always!

 

[lungimsam]

Starfire II is good for everything with a set of medium scale Ernie Ball Regular slinky’s or Daddario medium scale EXL170M. These are both roundwounds.
Also has the benefit of the 30.75” short scale for playing ease and comfort.
If you’re gonna go fender/squire go Precision. It’s the industry standard and good for anything. The Jazz is a little more nasal niche sounding. But those 34” scale length fender/squires can be tough on the left hand for some.
If you are gonna slap n’ pop I have heard the Starfire wooden saddles can pop out but mine are tight and I don’t think they would.

 

[SFIV1967]

Newark St. Basses | Guild Guitars

The Guild Newark St. Collection marks the return of classic Guild electric favorites from the 1950s & ’60s—once again putting the Guild styling & voice that helped shape popular music into the hands of today’s guitarists.

guildguitars.com

Ralf

 

[AcornHouse]

Playing the devils advocate, one option you might consider is the Ibanez Mikro bass. For a guitarist, it's great for the occasional bass work because it has a 28.6" scale. Gets the bass tones, but not a great stretch for fingers accustomed to guitar scales. I have one and it's P + J pups make it very versatile. And it's dirt cheap great value to get your toes wet.

Ibanez miKro GSRM20 Bass Guitar - Walnut Flat

Short-scale 4-string Bass Guitar with Poplar Body, Maple Neck, Jatoba Fingerboard, and Dual Single-coil Pickups - Walnut Flat

www.sweetwater.com

 

[GSFV]

I’ve noticed in the SF2 basses there are more typical guitar type layout. 3way toggle, volume tone for each pickup. I don’t see a lot of basses with that configuration. Why’d they do those so different? Any advantages?

I haven’t heard the jazz described that way before… not sure I’d want that. I’ll look into it. Thanks!

Thanks acorn! I’ll check those out too.

 

[krysh]

Get an old guild pilot used. Can do pb and jb and plays easily, plus they are sometimes available for around $300. a sf bass is not so universal as stated because of its unique sound.

 

[lungimsam]

Those Micro basses are pretty nice and will get the job done, too.
I don’t know why Guild did the controls they way they did but for basses with two pickups the controls are usually set up as either: toggle/2v/2t or v/v/t, or v/t/blend, or stacked concentric pots. Those are the most common. But I think a toggle setup is fastest for switching on the fly. Each setup has its benefits. But any iteration is good.
I’d go as far as to say the Starfire neck will get you in the family of the Precision sound, the bridge pup in the family of a Jazz bass sound. It will cover any territory. But, personally I like the way Starfires sound through the neck pickup better than Precision basses sound. But Micro, Starfire, Jazz, or Precision are all good choices and you can’t go wrong with any of them. They all get the job done sound wise. Now think about which you think looks the best, and which scale length will be easiest on your hands. I’d say if you are over 6 feet tall, any will be fine. Under 5’8 go with the short scales. Just my advice from my own experience. I’m 5’7”. May not apply to everyone.

 

[Minnesota Flats]

There are other basses made besides Starfires?

Who knew?

Did some research and remembered that Guild makes basses modeled after my favorite Guild. The Starfire (Bass).

If you're already comfortable with the relatively wide Starfire lower body bout, I'd say you have your answer. My first bass when I "crossed over" from guitar was a Fender Mustang so, coming from that, the Starfire felt kind of bulky when I switched to it. But, since I've always liked/owned 335-type guitars, it wasn't that big of a deal: just required a short period of adjustment.

In addition to the short scale, two other ergonomic advantages offered to a guitar player by the Starfire Bass are it's narrow nut (1.5") and tighter string spacing at the bridge saddles (17mm rather than the more "standard" 19mm). An exception may be the new, made-in-Ind, Starfire I (with the TOM-type bridge, "harp" tailpiece and split "P"-type pup) which may have slightly wider string spacing at the bridge, but I'm not positive about that spec: maybe somebody who owns one can chime in after measuring theirs.

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

There are other basses made besides Starfires?

Who knew?

 

[James Hart]

I'm a bassist, but also play guitar... I own and play 4, 5, 6, and 7 string basses. Any Guild will suit you just fine, lots of good answers so far. i

If you are looking for an all around recording bass, Something with a PJ pickup set up would be best IMHO. Here is a great medium scale PJ from Rondo (32" scale length), I have a regular short scale P bass (30" scale) from them, decent quality for the price. Squiers and Epiphones are worth the look too.

Yes the current import SF 1 or 2 would also be killer. My new to me 2017 SF bass sounds amazing, definitely limited in use compared to a P or J bass, but they work well in most styles & techniques... and sit nicely in the mix.

 

[fronobulax]

Bass scale length matters to guitarists and many folks have posted they can't adjust between guitar and a 34" bass. If that might be you then you need to filter on scale length.

If you want the "Fender" tone and would consider a Fender Precision or Jazz or clone then you definitely should look at a Guild Pilot. All are 34".

Basses with more than 4 strings have their place but not in my stable. Certain genres - Gospel, for example - make effective use of more strings but it is not required. There is a difference between the conceptual approach of a bassist and a guitarist who is playing an octave lower. If you are one of the latter then you might want more than 4 strings but I can't make a case for more than 4 strings.

People who want one bass to rule them all have to make compromises because there is always going to be some tone out there that a particular bass cannot produce. Similarly people who insist on a specific tone for a specific genre might change their mind of they have only one bass.

So if you think you want tone centered around a Precision or Jazz bass then find and try a Guild Pilot. If you go that way let us know since there are nuances with Pilots and we can help refine and enable your choices.

If you want new and have the budget the Newark Street Starfire II makes a lot of owner's happy. Not much experience with it but the Starfire I is the budget bass in the current line up and the preliminary reports have been favorable.

Avoid an acoustic or acoustic/electric. They fit a niche but it doesn't seem to be yours.

 

[mavuser]

Fender Mustang bass

 

[Uke]

I know virtually nothing about the bass, but would like to offer an observation from a concert I went to the other evening. The bass player switched off between a hollow body "violen" style bass and a solid body Rickenbacker. The hollow body sounded awful and boomed all over the room and the other instruments. When the guy switched to the Rick the sound improved greatly. Of course this was in a medium to large venue and at home this may not be an issue at all. Good luck on your choice.

 

[beinhard]

Another vote for Pilot.

I am reluctant to call myself a guitarist, but I do play more guitar than bass.
For me the Pilot is perfect as "one bass for the occasional bass line".

What I like best about it:
-light weight
-perfect balance, sitting or standing
-flexible P/J pickup setup (in mine the EMGs have been replaced with passive DiMarzios)
-high quality at a very low price

I sold my Fender Jazz Bass after getting my first Pilot.

beinhard

 

[lungimsam]

I sold my Fender Jazz Bass after getting my first Pilot.

beinhard

Now that's an endorsement!

Veer: I think if I was looking for a P/J type bass I would get a Pilot because it is a US made bass and I just like Guilds for some reason. They are different than the mainstream and just interesting instruments. Prices are all over the place for them though. Some are really reasonable, some are astronomical.
Double Veer: Now the only question is which Pilot headstock version to get? I think the lady foot headstock looks better.

 

[Happy Face]

For two-years, Fender made a really, really fine bass for the poor guitarists forced to play bass. The Fender Performer made in Japan in the 80s.

I had a primo one which I wished I hadn't sold. But then. I'm not a studio musician.

 

[GSFV]

Tons of good info here! Thanks y’all. I like the idea of a 5 string but not sure if actually need it. But then again I suppose I wouldn’t know until I already knew and then I’d have a bass already.

Love the pilot idea. I’ll look into that. A P/J sounds like best of both worlds or at least versatile options. I did a quick reverb search and found them for about 6-8 hundo. But that isn’t bad for a USA guild! That’s about the price of the New Mexican fender player series. Out of my initial budget. But if I reach that high I’d rather it be a USA guild if that makes sense.

I’ve played bass before and the scale never bothered me. But I haven’t played for extended periods of time. I’m about 6’1 and have monkey arms so think that helps. I’ll probably keep an eye out for those Pilots for now, and look at other short scales like the Mustang/Mikro.

 

[fronobulax]

Pilot, for the win, we hope.

You might be interested in https://letstalkguild.com/ltg/index.php?attachments/guildpilot-pdf.8180/ which may be the best written source on Pilots until Hans finishes his book(s).

Some subtle points - the earliest Pilots did not have a contoured back and this are slightly more uncomfortable to play. Most Pilots have active EMG pickups but there are Pilots with passive pickups from the factory. There are variations on the headstock. I never get the right name for each type but there are distinct preferences. If you think you might limit your search to one style you might search LTG for examples since I'm pretty sure there is a post with pictures that would help. (Maybe that's a candidate for a rewrite as a sticky reference post?). There are some unusual options. A "dropped D" tuner and a Khaler tremolo were available although the tremolo seems to be rare. You want a case although I think getting an after market case that fits a Pilot is easier than for some other basses.

As you noted prices are all over. I've seen then as low as $300 and often above $1,000.

Good luck and we really don't want to encourage you to look at the Mustang/Mikro options

 

[GSFV]

Thanks y’all! I’ll definitely look into. Sounds like a great option. I don’t mind active electronics, but I’d be tempted to buy from Fishman. I REALLY like their classic humbuckers. Phew! Really great.

 

[mgod]

I know a guy who's selling a nice 67 Starfire I for $2800, if interested.