Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Greetings All!

I play guitar, drums, piano, and a host of other instruments, and the time has come for me to purchase a bass. I know the bass characteristics I like, but I must plead ignorance with regard to knowing what bass models are congruent with the traits I'm searching for. I love Rickenbacker basses, but the reality is that for a college student with money tied up in gear of every sort, I can't drop $1000 on a bass. I'm looking for a bass that is less than $500 used. I'm looking for a 4 string, with frets, that sounds crisp and punchy, without sounding tinny. I love McCartney's bass sound, which comes from a Rickenbacker, of course, and I also love Pink Floyd's bass sounds (Waters played a Fender Precision, I think.) I'm hoping that based on the description I've provided, you bass-savvy musicians will be able to recommend a make and model, under $500, that best replicates the sound I'm shooting for. What bargains would you suggest?

Secondly, I suppose that I should ask for similar suggestions for a small bass amp - something that I can use for studio work without driving my condo neighbors crazy. Again, the amp price should be in proportion to the bass.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide! )

it is hard to go wrong with a p-bass or a jazz bass ... A ric is better but you won't find one for $500 ...

Yes, a used MIM Jazz or P bass is the way to go.

For home studio work, you might consider a Line 6 Bass POD. It simulates all of the great famous amps, it is a great recording tool, and it has headphone jacks, so you can practice in complete silence to the outside world. Of course, it's not an 'amp' per se, but if you currently have any kind of PA gear, you could run the POD into that to be heard outside of headphones.

The MIM Jazz or P-Bass is a good suggestion. They have very different feeling necks - if you can get your hands on one of each, you'll likely favor one or the other. You might be looking for quite a while to find even a used Rick for under $500.

Good luck!

If you're looking for a bargain combo amp that you can use at home and to jam with others, make sure you include Carvin in your search. They make gear that has a high quality-to-price ratio, and I've been using one of their small bass combos for home practicing for over 10 years, and I am very happy with it.

stay away from SWR LA (lame amp) series...

Easy there Jared.......my LA-10 is awesome! It's only 35 watts so there is only so much you can expect from it.

the small swr amps can have an artificial atomic sound to them ... behringer makes some good inexpensive amps ... also Ibanez has some good inexpensive basses as well ... GK makes some good small combo amps as well ...

I've touted my little Carvin 60W 15" combo here before; it's a nice little practice amp with a fairly flexible parametric EQ. It sounds pretty good at lower volumes.