i love the style of the precisions, but i just kinda despise fender. i had one before that was HORRIFIC. ill go check one out though, just because you mentioned it 😂 thank you!
Keep in mind they are pretty low-mids forward and might sound less rumbly at same settings than your current bass. I like it lots for trio setups though. And nothing stopping you from dialing in more bass (or lower mids) on your amp if you don't want to sound too much in-your-face. :D
I'd say about 80% of all your favorite punk and hardcore albums have been recorded with a fender bass, a sansamp, and an ampeg svt. I've personally been using a Double P pickup 5 string bc rich warlock for the last year or so, but that's mostly for aesthetics, it sounds good and plays good but it's far from the nicest bass I own and it probably wouldn't be the first thing I'd recommend. Listing a few neat options off the top of my head, Musicman and g&l have tons of great options for something classic but different. Ibanez has the BTB and SR series and Yamaha has the TRBX series for something learning a little more modern. I've owned two schecter apocalypse basses and couldn't recommend them enough, but their jazz basses are snazzy as hell. Never owned a sire but their M series looks like a Killer budget option for heavier leaning tones. Harley Benton has a ton of perfectly usable budget options if you wanted to grab two and set them up for different tunings. And just for a curveball, reverend and fujijen both make goofy but super cool basses that I wish would get more use in punk and heavier genres
I initially thought I was cool and different with my choices, but yeah pretty much this. No other readily available basses have the same kind of punch, growl, and grit you need.
I’ve modded my basses with different pickups to really maximize the punch and cut, but I play a Fender PJ or a stingray through a light distortion, through a Sansamp, into a GK RBII with the boost turned all the way up. Both options kick ass.
The only other time I saw a guy play anything different that sounded really good in the mix was a jazz bass, but it was still through an SVT. All the other options just seemed to come up short.
I'm in an old school punk band using a LTD Surveyor 87. It's a PJ and super versatile without being horrifically expensive, also P bass nut spacing which is a big thing for me personally.
If your version of hardcore is on the heavier end, then maybe consider something with humbuckers.
it’s definitely on the heavier end, some of the songs go to drop b (which i had to use my friends 5 string for), or it stays in drop d. ill check them out though!
Humbuckers would make more sense in that case, I used a Yamaha RBX375 for years in heavier bands and it never went wrong (and was cheap AF). Plenty of options out there though depending on your budget.
i actually just tried the rbx375 at my local guitar center and loved it, only thing i didn’t like was the gold bridges and knobs. i guess i can just swap them out though. ill keep it in mind
You should go try out some basses and just pick the one you prefer that fits your budget. Sure, a P-Bass or Stingray is a safe choice, but safe choices are boring, and Punk should not be boring.
If you don't know where to even start, of course try out some P-basses, Jazz basses, Stingrays (or models from other brands than Fender or Musicman, inspired by those instruments, such a Squier, Sire, Sterling, ect...)... It's much more important that the instruments feels good when you play it than having any specific sound.
When I used to play in a punk band, I used my Fender Precision. The Squire and MIM ones are very affordable too. My MIM survived a lot of abuse on those tours and still plays and sounds great
I'm old-school and go with either P-style or MM-style instruments. My main punk driver is a MIM Fender Precision.
i love the style of the precisions, but i just kinda despise fender. i had one before that was HORRIFIC. ill go check one out though, just because you mentioned it 😂 thank you!
Keep in mind they are pretty low-mids forward and might sound less rumbly at same settings than your current bass. I like it lots for trio setups though. And nothing stopping you from dialing in more bass (or lower mids) on your amp if you don't want to sound too much in-your-face. :D
Schecter has a great one. Have been playing a PJ with a humbucker in the bridge for years
I'd say about 80% of all your favorite punk and hardcore albums have been recorded with a fender bass, a sansamp, and an ampeg svt. I've personally been using a Double P pickup 5 string bc rich warlock for the last year or so, but that's mostly for aesthetics, it sounds good and plays good but it's far from the nicest bass I own and it probably wouldn't be the first thing I'd recommend. Listing a few neat options off the top of my head, Musicman and g&l have tons of great options for something classic but different. Ibanez has the BTB and SR series and Yamaha has the TRBX series for something learning a little more modern. I've owned two schecter apocalypse basses and couldn't recommend them enough, but their jazz basses are snazzy as hell. Never owned a sire but their M series looks like a Killer budget option for heavier leaning tones. Harley Benton has a ton of perfectly usable budget options if you wanted to grab two and set them up for different tunings. And just for a curveball, reverend and fujijen both make goofy but super cool basses that I wish would get more use in punk and heavier genres
I initially thought I was cool and different with my choices, but yeah pretty much this. No other readily available basses have the same kind of punch, growl, and grit you need. I’ve modded my basses with different pickups to really maximize the punch and cut, but I play a Fender PJ or a stingray through a light distortion, through a Sansamp, into a GK RBII with the boost turned all the way up. Both options kick ass. The only other time I saw a guy play anything different that sounded really good in the mix was a jazz bass, but it was still through an SVT. All the other options just seemed to come up short.
i actually just saw a TRBX for 150 at my local shop. gonna go soon and trade in this bass for it. thanks for the recs!
I'm in an old school punk band using a LTD Surveyor 87. It's a PJ and super versatile without being horrifically expensive, also P bass nut spacing which is a big thing for me personally. If your version of hardcore is on the heavier end, then maybe consider something with humbuckers.
it’s definitely on the heavier end, some of the songs go to drop b (which i had to use my friends 5 string for), or it stays in drop d. ill check them out though!
Humbuckers would make more sense in that case, I used a Yamaha RBX375 for years in heavier bands and it never went wrong (and was cheap AF). Plenty of options out there though depending on your budget.
i actually just tried the rbx375 at my local guitar center and loved it, only thing i didn’t like was the gold bridges and knobs. i guess i can just swap them out though. ill keep it in mind
You can get them stock with black hardware so have a look around if that's a deal breaker for you
Could a 4-string BEAD suit your needs? Just a thought.
You should go try out some basses and just pick the one you prefer that fits your budget. Sure, a P-Bass or Stingray is a safe choice, but safe choices are boring, and Punk should not be boring. If you don't know where to even start, of course try out some P-basses, Jazz basses, Stingrays (or models from other brands than Fender or Musicman, inspired by those instruments, such a Squier, Sire, Sterling, ect...)... It's much more important that the instruments feels good when you play it than having any specific sound.
When I used to play in a punk band, I used my Fender Precision. The Squire and MIM ones are very affordable too. My MIM survived a lot of abuse on those tours and still plays and sounds great
If trying to stay on the budget end, a Squier Jazz Bass or Sub Music Man will do you just fine and sound better.
Pbass, volume and tone dimed and played with a pick is the quintessential hardcore bass tone.
Word. Thanks G
The punk hardcore ethos says you buy the cheapest bass at the nearest pawn shop and spend the rest of your budget on beer and drugs.
literally what ive been doing, but this bass has been abused too much by my homie i lent it to.