Looking for advice - Bass guitar for church

[rwskaggs]

The title says it all - we need to get a decent (not world-class) bass guitar for our church's worship team. Fretted bass, probably electric is best, and it will be played by a number of different folks as we rotate the team.

Any suggestions, advice or pitfalls to avoid will be appreciated!

[The Growler]

Originally Posted by rwskaggs

The title says it all - we need to get a decent (not world-class) bass guitar for our church's worship team. Fretted bass, probably electric is best, and it will be played by a number of different folks as we rotate the team.

Any suggestions, advice or pitfalls to avoid will be appreciated!

I'd suggest a Yamaha. Well made and sound good. $400 or so for one I tried recently and it was nice.

I have to bring my own Sunday morning. Which is fine. I'd rather play mine.

[draper]

When I think bass my first thought is always Fender Precision.

[Steve DeRosa]

As a worship musician since 1967, a few questions first:

Budget?
Style of music?
Present instrumental/vocal forces?
Size (physical) of potential players?
Direct to house alone, amp alone, or DI from amp?

While I'm sure you'll hear the standard "get a P-Bass/J-Bass" answers from most of the people here, if it's to be shared by a 6'3" interstate trucker and a 5'1" mother of two there's going to be a major problem - in the latter case an ~11-pound J-Bass might well be considered an instrument of penance (pun intended) by some denominations. Given your requirements I would recommend lightweight, tonally versatile, physically durable, and the best your finances will allow; as far as advice/pitfalls they're the same as any other guitar - just because it's got four (or five) strings doesn't mean you think any differently when it comes to things like structural integrity, functional electronics, etc. Sorry I can't be more specific - if I had a better idea of your needs I could make a more informed recommendation...

[rwskaggs]

Steve, you've been around almost as long as I have! Let's see now...I was asked about getting a dedicated bass b/c I've played in church for 45+ years. Today it's mostly up to the younger generation, but I fill in when they are absent. I MAY be in the rotation as one of the bass players [which will be a new experience for me!]

Budget - ~$500
Style - Modern worship music with keyboard, electronic drums, acoustic and electric guitars. We also play some of the old, familiar hymns in addition to the modern stuff
Present - Usually two guitars, drums and keyboard. Perhaps one or two vocalists in addition to the lead acoustic guitar player
Size - anywhere from my 6'4" to 5-1/2' tall
Wired - through DI boxes to snake and back to mixer. May have to spring for a bass amp however to get the tone we want

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

As a worship musician since 1967, a few questions first:

Budget?
Style of music?
Present instrumental/vocal forces?
Size (physical) of potential players?
Direct to house alone, amp alone, or DI from amp?

While I'm sure you'll hear the standard "get a P-Bass/J-Bass" answers from most of the people here, if it's to be shared by a 6'3" interstate trucker and a 5'1" mother of two there's going to be a major problem - in the latter case an ~11-pound J-Bass might well be considered an instrument of penance (pun intended) by some denominations. Given your requirements I would recommend lightweight, tonally versatile, physically durable, and the best your finances will allow; as far as advice/pitfalls they're the same as any other guitar - just because it's got four (or five) strings doesn't mean you think any differently when it comes to things like structural integrity, functional electronics, etc. Sorry I can't be more specific - if I had a better idea of your needs I could make a more informed recommendation...

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by rwskaggs

Budget - ~$500
Style - Modern worship music with keyboard, electronic drums, acoustic and electric guitars. We also play some of the old, familiar hymns in addition to the modern stuff
Present - Usually two guitars, drums and keyboard. Perhaps one or two vocalists in addition to the lead acoustic guitar player
Size - anywhere from my 6'4" to 5-1/2' tall
Wired - through DI boxes to snake and back to mixer. May have to spring for a bass amp however to get the tone we want

This should get you started as far as potential choices are concerned:

http://www.sweetwater.com/guitargall...OSIsIjEwIl19fQ

If your players range from 5'6" (I'm assuming that's what you mean) to 6'4" there shouldn't be any problem with a 34" scale bass in the long run - there will, however, be a learning curve attached to the longer scale length versus the ~25" of most guitars; if you choose to go this route look for a thinner neck (1.50" - 1.625") and fit it with a set of flatwound strings, as it will ease the transition. While I've got a variety of instruments in my stable for use according to the demands of the music, my go-to with the last congregation my wife and I worked with (replacing my '90 Pedulla P/J) was my '07 Gibson SG Faded - a 30" scale/two-PU instrument in the mold of the "Jack Bruce" EB-3 minus the Varitone; relatively lightweight (~7-1/2 lbs), easy handling, and a quick learn for a guitarist, it's also extremely flexible in the tone department - I was able to get anything from disco-approved slap-&-pop to upright-type sounds with a set of LaBella 49-109 flats and low action (the classic '60s setup for these instruments), so it'll handle whatever style you choose. If you can save up a few extra bucks or stretch your budget a bit the new 120th Anniversary versions sell for $750 street - good news is that they come with a '50s-style tan HSC (worth ~$200 by itself), and if you order on church letterhead most of the large dealers will extend an additional discount. Here's a link:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BASP14T2CH-14

With regard to amplification I bought one of these a couple years ago when my Ampeg PortaBass combo blew, and I've never looked back:

http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/MB12

Cheap ($399), powerful enough for most congregations (200W), birch-ply construction (30 pounds light), all the bells and whistles including built-in compression (IME don't run a bass direct-to-board without it unless you want to risk blowing the monitors, and possibly the house speakers as well), takes an extension or passive sub if you need more coverage and/or low end (and generates 50 extra watts doing it), and made in USA - beat it if you can for anywhere near the price...

"Praise the Lord - praise Him with stringed instruments..."
- Psalm 150, TLB

[rwskaggs]

Thanks, Steve - that's plenty to chew on for a bit. I appreciate the advice!

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

This should get you started as far as potential choices are concerned:

http://www.sweetwater.com/guitargall...OSIsIjEwIl19fQ

If your players range from 5'6" (I'm assuming that's what you mean) to 6'4" there shouldn't be any problem with a 34" scale bass in the long run - there will, however, be a learning curve attached to the longer scale length versus the ~25" of most guitars; if you choose to go this route look for a thinner neck (1.50" - 1.625") and fit it with a set of flatwound strings, as it will ease the transition. While I've got a variety of instruments in my stable for use according to the demands of the music, my go-to with the last congregation my wife and I worked with (replacing my '90 Pedulla P/J) was my '07 Gibson SG Faded - a 30" scale/two-PU instrument in the mold of the "Jack Bruce" EB-3 minus the Varitone; relatively lightweight (~7-1/2 lbs), easy handling, and a quick learn for a guitarist, it's also extremely flexible in the tone department - I was able to get anything from disco-approved slap-&-pop to upright-type sounds with a set of LaBella 49-109 flats and low action (the classic '60s setup for these instruments), so it'll handle whatever style you choose. If you can save up a few extra bucks or stretch your budget a bit the new 120th Anniversary versions sell for $750 street - good news is that they come with a '50s-style tan HSC (worth ~$200 by itself), and if you order on church letterhead most of the large dealers will extend an additional discount. Here's a link:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BASP14T2CH-14

With regard to amplification I bought one of these a couple years ago when my Ampeg PortaBass combo blew, and I've never looked back:

http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/MB12

Cheap ($399), powerful enough for most congregations (200W), birch-ply construction (30 pounds light), all the bells and whistles including built-in compression (IME don't run a bass direct-to-board without it unless you want to risk blowing the monitors, and possibly the house speakers as well), takes an extension or passive sub if you need more coverage and/or low end (and generates 50 extra watts doing it), and made in USA - beat it if you can for anywhere near the price...

"Praise the Lord - praise Him with stringed instruments..."
- Psalm 150, TLB

[Joe F]

I played bass in church for quite awhile before becoming a church music director. My choice was a USA Fender P bass picked up on eBay for about 480.00 I think. If you are doing typical Contemporary Christian Music and don't have Jaco Pastorious or Abraham Laboriel over on bass, it's mostly I-IV-V stuff, rinse and repeat for the 4-5 songs used on Sunday morning. The bass serves mainly as a rhythm instrument. If you have noobie players, they may just bang the roots on the 1 and nothing more. A Fender P will flat rumble the house. At 5' 9", I shared that bass with various players from another guy over 6 feet to my 13 year old 5'3" daughter without issue. I later upgraded to a G&L L2500 USA 5 String and while it opened up new potential for sure, I always missed that Fender P Bass thunder. My stage amp was an SWR Workingman 12. Small enough to be portable, but with enough muscle to more than fill the sanctuary. I also fed the house PA through a SansAmp Bass Driver D/I. Pure sweetness and total simplicity.

[donh]

You know I'll choke on the amplification part, but if you throw anything red-eye in the mix for a DI then at least the sound thru the PA will be rich and full - especially if you stick with a passive pickup instrument.

Please strongly consider a P-bass or P-bass clone. Single passsive pickup and only two knobs to screw things up with. Consider clipping the tone control right out so they can't try for mud bass and go all inaudible on stage. Should be able to find a Squire one in the $400 range. Keep it simple.
.

[StevenL]

Aerodyne Jazz Bass. Japanese made. Very nice, light bass. Both P & J pickups. Pretty versatile, and good looking guitar too. Fairly inexpensive.

[The Growler]

Originally Posted by rwskaggs

Steve, you've been around almost as long as I have! Let's see now...I was asked about getting a dedicated bass b/c I've played in church for 45+ years. Today it's mostly up to the younger generation, but I fill in when they are absent. I MAY be in the rotation as one of the bass players [which will be a new experience for me!]

Budget - ~$500
Style - Modern worship music with keyboard, electronic drums, acoustic and electric guitars. We also play some of the old, familiar hymns in addition to the modern stuff
Present - Usually two guitars, drums and keyboard. Perhaps one or two vocalists in addition to the lead acoustic guitar player
Size - anywhere from my 6'4" to 5-1/2' tall
Wired - through DI boxes to snake and back to mixer. May have to spring for a bass amp however to get the tone we want

Playing with guitars, drums, piano/keys? Even with monitors, you'll probably want an amp.

The Carvin amp mentioned is a good choice. I strongly recommend the MarkBass combos. Even the smallest has great sound, volume and build quality and it has a DI for the house sound. I've played sanctuaries with 200+ with the Player School combo (the smallest Mark Bass) and it worked great.

[bnjp]

I have a G&L Tribute L-2000. Made in Indonesia...really decent bass. Versatile. Two humbuckers, High/Low tone controls. Passive/Active. Series/Parallel. I don't think you can beat it for the money. Another good option is a MIM Fender of some sort, but the pickups in the G&L are better.

[RGtheMusicGuy]

Ibanez GSR 205 and a Tech 21 Bass Driver DI

[Boninsongs]

Buying used is the best option if you have the luxury of time. You could find an American made P bass for around $500.

[bnjp]

Originally Posted by RGtheMusicGuy

Ibanez GSR 205 and a Tech 21 Bass Driver DI

Ditto on the Sansamp. I have the Para Driver and it's as good as the Bass Driver with a few different options.