Warwick Rock Bass, good shit. 3.5 to 4 k should do it. New. The pups on ours are active.

domhatch wrote: so here's what i'd want: nice easy playability, 4-string, something that will last but not cost the earth. i reckon i wouldn't want to spend more than around r3.500
thanks
dh

I had pretty much the same requirements. I am first an acoustic player, then electric, but we were short of bass players at church. I bought a new Cort 4 string action A in "Walnut Satin" from Music Connection. Paid R1700 for the guitar, gig bag and cable about 2-3 years ago and I've been really pleased with it. I'm playing bass every second Sunday at the moment. I really like the additional EQ you can get with the "active" built in pre-amp and it's a really nice looking bass IMO.

Tamla Kahn 'Hammeron' McMahon wrote: Warwick Rock Bass, good shit. 3.5 to 4 k should do it. New. The pups on ours are active.

+1

That said, not a fan of active pups - they push too much (fine for Tamlakahnhammeronmcahon's band) but not for general multipurpose use, also not a fan of the Warwick ergonomics (nice that they're light though). Warwick does do passives.
A J-bass will cover your bases sound-wise as long as you don't mind a thinner neck.
I would look out for a Fender J-bass MIJ or MIM 2nd hand but I've heard the Affinity range has some gems - I've played two that were really nice and one that was terrible...
Play before you pay ?

Jack Flash Jr wrote: Play before you pay

always. thanks for the help and advice guys. one more question - i'm going to be using this directly into my line 6 toneport for now, so no amp necessarily. will this make a difference when deciding whether or not to go for passive/active pups?

thanks again
dh

domhatch wrote:

Jack Flash Jr wrote: Play before you pay

always. thanks for the help and advice guys. one more question - i'm going to be using this directly into my line 6 toneport for now, so no amp necessarily. will this make a difference when deciding whether or not to go for passive/active pups?

thanks again
dh

I'll wait for the experts to chime in... not a line 6 port user the line 6 might have a second input for active, you *might* have problems pushing active into it - theres one or two guys with issues if you google but I'm not sure.
In general actives give more clarity and definition as well as tone options when it comes to a bass amp... what I mean to say is you might have to negate the effects of the actives on the toneport but they'll boost input and dynamics on an amp.

Not knowing much about bass guitars I went for an Ibby 5 string Gio bass (coz it was goin' cheep), with active pickups.

Feedback I can give: on my M-Audio interface I can turn the input gain waaaay waaaay down when plugging the bass in, and that seems to work perfectly well. I never tried it with my older Line6 Guitarport, which didn't have a physical knob on the device to turn down the input level.

I'd recommend going for a 4 string with passive pickups, also because having to keep 9v batteries lying around is a pain for the odd occasion you need to use your bass for recording.

Most of the music I play is hard and heavy, so I regret not buying a active bass to begin with. I find it hard to sculpt the sound live with passives.
Really though about the Gio... Any other feedback on that Warren?

Julian Emdon (LooneyAtTheGate) wrote: Most of the music I play is hard and heavy, so I regret not buying a active bass to begin with. I find it hard to sculpt the sound live with passives.
Really though about the Gio... Any other feedback on that Warren?

Well, I must admit I'm not an authority on bass (or guitar, or much else for that matter ?).

The Gio seems nice enough for what it is, though it's almost certainly in need of a decent set-up. I got it for less than R1.5k with a hard-case and stand, so that's really why I went for it - something cheap that I needed at the time. I've never played it live, in fact I've never heard it through an amp aside from the little practice amp at the house where I bought it.

I can get a decent, punchy clean tone from it for recording when plugged directly into the interface and using Guitar Rig, which is what I want. But it's certainly capable of some pretty heavy lows if you want a thick and beefy sound. Sounds a bit clinical compared to the P-Bass my old band-mate used to play, which had a very nice tone.

I dunno, I think that, if you can, save up and spend some extra money to get something that will last you longer, particularly if you're playing it live. Something like the Warwick that Hammeronthongdedongdongbelong ( ?) recommended would be a much better bet. The Gio is fine for the part-time hobbyist bassist recordist like me ?

Had a friend that wanted to crossover from guitar to bass. Got himself a Gio. Came round one day and fell in love with the Warwick. He borrowed it and left his the Gio and his beloved Gibbo SG with me on temporary loan. When the loan period expired, { during which I enjoyed the SG tremendously I might add ! } we swapped back and he palmed off the GIO and got him a Warwick Rock Bass......
and just call me Hammeron again please for Gods sakes.... >

I would go for a high end Squier like the Vintage modified series. They are awesome even though I don't own one myself. When I bought my first bass, I bought a 5 string Gio with active EQ's and what not, I didn't have it for long. Sometimes simpler is better.

Jayhell wrote: I would go for a high end Squier like the Vintage modified series. They are awesome even though I don't own one myself. When I bought my first bass, I bought a 5 string Gio with active EQ's and what not, I didn't have it for long. Sometimes simpler is better.

+1 on simpler, although again, I'd go for J over P just for more tonal options...

Tamla Kahn 'Hammeron' McMahon wrote: and just call me Hammeron again please for Gods sakes.... >

Just call yourself Hammeron again first ?