Bass Recommendation for country?

bermudianbrit

Hi all,

I've played guitar for a fair few years and I'd like to take a shot at bass, mostly to be able to fill in if a friend wants to switch to guitar for a while and to be better rounded as a musician.
I primarily play country, but will try most things with a modern flavour. So, should I go for 4 or 5 strings? It seems logical to go for 5, because having an extra few notes in certain keys which are common in country could be useful - a low D or C could come in handy.
Budget about £500 max and second hand preferred. What should I be looking at?

Thanks

Winny_Pooh

Any Precision Bass will do. If you're starting buy a 4 string, it will cover 99% of use cases for the style of music and feel familiar.

(Cheap 5s are usually nasty anyway and you're only adding 4 more notes! I'd only recommend a 5 for a beginner metal bassist)

Whistler

I played bass in a country band for 4 years and the band preferred the warmer sound of the neck pickup so @Winny_Pooh 's recommendation of a 4-string Precision would be spot on. Oh yes, and I put flatwound strings on my bass and had the tone full on (ie. more trebly sound).

Funkfingers

+1 for flatwounds on a Precision Bass, probably played with a pick. (Ach y fi!) 

Squier used to have a '51 style Precision Bass in the Classic Vibe series. They also made a Seventies-style Telecaster Bass in the Vintage Modified series. (Mudbucker in the neck position.)

Incongruously, it would be possible to combine P and Mudbucker in the Yamaha Attitude Special.

Dave_Mc

Funkfingers said:

+1 for flatwounds on a Precision Bass, probably played with a pick. (Ach y fi!) 

Squier used to have a '51 style Precision Bass in the Classic Vibe series. They also made a Seventies-style Telecaster Bass in the Vintage Modified series. (Mudbucker in the neck position.)

Incongruously, it would be possible to combine P and Mudbucker in the Yamaha Attitude Special.

They still do, don't they (the '51 Precision, I mean)? Some of them (based on the ones I've seen on websites which weigh them) seemed like they could be a bit heavy, though.

Harley Benton does one, too, and Sire/Marcus Miller.

I haven't tried any of them, of course.

That's an interesting point in your last sentence- I sometimes wonder why someone doesn't make a '51 Precision/'72 Tele Bass hybrid with the '51 style single coil and the '72 style humbucker in the same bass. I think they should both fit, and you could make an argument that it's sort of, if not "vintage correct", then at least "sort of makes a crazy kind of sense". (I say that without having ever been able to try either of those pickups, though, maybe they're terrible!) Then you might as well fit a bridge pickup of some kind too (Jazz? StingRay?) just to really go crazy with it.

There's probably some reason why no-one has done this. 

Regarding the original question- I don't really play country, but I recently got a 5-string and it's good fun and definitely really nice to have the option (even so you don't have to retune to play along to something in Eb), but it does make everything that little bit harder. You have to mute that low B almost all the time, which can be annoying and makes it a lot harder to make things sound professional (and also a lot harder to just rock out and enjoy yourself!). Don't get me wrong- I'm not saying not to get a 5-string every, and I know the temptation is (it was with me, too, and probably still is to be honest!), "I can do everything I can do on a 4-string on a 5-string, but I can't do everything I can do on a 5-string on a 4-string", and while that's technically true, unless you're playing very specific styles of music, most of the time you probably only need a 4-string, and that extra string just kind of gets in your way.

Funkfingers

Dave_Mc said:

I sometimes wonder why someone doesn't make a '51 Precision/'72 Tele Bass hybrid with the '51 style single coil and the '72 style humbucker in the same bass. … There's probably some reason why no-one has done this.

Yup. The colossal difference in output between those two pickups. The Wide Range bass humbucker would vastly overpower a vintage-correct '51 P single coil. 

It would not help that the tone of both pickups tends towards deep thud.

IMO, the best thing about the '51 pickup is that its low output obliged Leo Fender to design a shitload of pre-amp gain into the original tweed Bassman 4x10 amplifier. Guitarists soon exploited this and we all know where that led, don't we?

Dave_Mc

@Funkfingers Ah, thanks, that makes sense, I probably should have thought of that! Now you mention it I came across a Youtube video a while back comparing both styles of Precision pickup in Sire Basses and the split-coil version did seem a fair bit hotter than the original single coil version. I'm guessing the Wide Range humbucker would be even hotter again!

LOL good point about the Bassman. I'm still tempted by that cheapo Harley Benton version of the '51 P-Bass, though, I think its stock Roswell pickup is a bit hotter than vintage too (seems to be around 9k, I'm guessing a vintage one is more like 7-8k)...

ICBM

Winny_Pooh said:

Any Precision Bass will do. If you're starting buy a 4 string, it will cover 99% of use cases for the style of music and feel familiar.

This. There is no type of music which can't be played on a standard '57-style split-pickup Precision Bass, and for country my first choice would be one anyway... preferably a 50s-style maple-board/ash body one. I would get a Mexican Classic series, or if they're above £500 now (they might be, although I'm not sure) the Standard series are OK, but seem to vary more.

NB - in theory. In practice, since I have small hands, I tend to find 50s-style and some more modern P Bass necks a bit too much, especially further up the neck. If so, a Jazz Bass or possibly even a Mustang Bass if you prefer short scale. (I'm not a fan of the modernised PJ Mustang Bass, in my opinion they don't sound as good as the original small pickup - the higher output pickups somehow overpower themselves on the shorter scale and the result is a confused sound.)

Funkfingers

Ricky Skaggs usually has his bassist play a Fender Jazz.

The appeal of a P Bass is simplicity. One pickup, two controls, nothing to ponce about with. Get on with playing. 

fretmeister

If you do decide on a 5 string do NOT get a precision type - or at least do not get a bass with only a precision pickup.

5 string pure 1 pickup precisions are quite rare simply because the pickup location and the low B do not go together well. The other 4 strings will be fine but the low B is likely to be a mushy horrible mess. Being able to blend in a bridge pickup makes all the difference for a low B.

That being said, the P bass is the first choice for country, and as most of the bass lines in country go back as far as the double bass almost all have been written on a 4 string.

If you are ever going to be given piano parts to adapt from then a 5 is very useful though.

I prefer a jazz for most things - but I have La Bella flats on it and if I want a P bass close-enough tone then I just use the neck pickup only. It's not exactly the same as a P tone but in a live mix it's more than close enough.


There's lots of P or PJ options out there with a massive variety of neck shapes. Doesn't have to be a Fender. Ideally you need to try some.

Some P basses have a wopping 44mm nut, and some have a jazz inspired 38mm. But some are skinny front to back and some are massive. Then there's middle ground.

Aside from Fender / Squier etc there's the excellent Sandberg Electra VS4, there's Yamaha's - loads of options.

stimpsonslostson

If you're after a P-bass, I've got a Bass Collection Power Bass.
I really like it- much more than the Squier basses I tried. As they're not very well known, they can be quite cheap second hand- I think I paid £350 via Gumtree for mine & that included a fresh set of flatwounds and a proper hardcase.

TheMadMick

Dave_Mc said:

Funkfingers said:

+1 for flatwounds on a Precision Bass, probably played with a pick. (Ach y fi!) 

Squier used to have a '51 style Precision Bass in the Classic Vibe series. They also made a Seventies-style Telecaster Bass in the Vintage Modified series. (Mudbucker in the neck position.)

Incongruously, it would be possible to combine P and Mudbucker in the Yamaha Attitude Special.

Regarding the original question- I don't really play country, but I recently got a 5-string and it's good fun and definitely really nice to have the option (even so you don't have to retune to play along to something in Eb), but it does make everything that little bit harder. You have to mute that low B almost all the time, which can be annoying and makes it a lot harder to make things sound professional (and also a lot harder to just rock out and enjoy yourself!). Don't get me wrong- I'm not saying not to get a 5-string every, and I know the temptation is (it was with me, too, and probably still is to be honest!), "I can do everything I can do on a 4-string on a 5-string, but I can't do everything I can do on a 5-string on a 4-string", and while that's technically true, unless you're playing very specific styles of music, most of the time you probably only need a 4-string, and that extra string just kind of gets in your way.

I started on a 5 string Washburn. Although it wasn't well set up, I do much prefer the simplicity of a 4 string. But then I'm only a part time bass player.

I also use flatwounds as they give me the sound I'm after.

fretmeister

Flatwounds vary massively though.

Proper old skool - La Bella or Fender

But then there's the mid pushed Thomastiks, the super bright EB Cobalts. The clanky Rotos, the deep and full Dunlops...

Plenty of variation even in flats.

Dave_Mc

TheMadMick said:

Dave_Mc said:

Funkfingers said:

+1 for flatwounds on a Precision Bass, probably played with a pick. (Ach y fi!) 

Squier used to have a '51 style Precision Bass in the Classic Vibe series. They also made a Seventies-style Telecaster Bass in the Vintage Modified series. (Mudbucker in the neck position.)

Incongruously, it would be possible to combine P and Mudbucker in the Yamaha Attitude Special.

Regarding the original question- I don't really play country, but I recently got a 5-string and it's good fun and definitely really nice to have the option (even so you don't have to retune to play along to something in Eb), but it does make everything that little bit harder. You have to mute that low B almost all the time, which can be annoying and makes it a lot harder to make things sound professional (and also a lot harder to just rock out and enjoy yourself!). Don't get me wrong- I'm not saying not to get a 5-string every, and I know the temptation is (it was with me, too, and probably still is to be honest!), "I can do everything I can do on a 4-string on a 5-string, but I can't do everything I can do on a 5-string on a 4-string", and while that's technically true, unless you're playing very specific styles of music, most of the time you probably only need a 4-string, and that extra string just kind of gets in your way.

I started on a 5 string Washburn. Although it wasn't well set up, I do much prefer the simplicity of a 4 string. But then I'm only a part time bass player.

I also use flatwounds as they give me the sound I'm after.

Yeah. I've never got as far as trying flatwounds yet, rounds sound fine for me so far- it's my only passive bass so it still sounds a lot more "vintage" than my others.

I'd also say- and bear in mind I'm not sure I've ever actually got around to trying a single pickup Precision yet!- that if you're only going to have one bass, I'd probably try to get a PJ (or a Precision neck pickup combined with some other bridge pickup) rather than just a single pickup Precision. There are some problems with the PJ format (the main one is that the P pickup normally overpowers the J, plus as the two pickups are different, the blended sound of both pickups together is not as good as it might be), but as long as you approach it with the mindset that, "It's basically a Precision, just with a few more options", it can still work well, and gives you a fair bit more versatility than just a single pickup Precision will.

It's basically the 4- versus 5-string thing again- you can do everything you can do on a single pickup Precision on a PJ, but you can't do everything you can do on a PJ on a Precision. Except in this case there are very few downsides to having the PJ thing. (The ones I can think of are that the extra controls might confuse you in the middle of a gig, plus the volumes have to be wired backwards for the two pickups so you lose a bit of treble if you roll the volumes down).

EDIT: I would also agree that Precision necks can be chunky- and I haven't even tried the seriously chunky 1 3/4" necks on e.g. the Fender Vintera Precision! PJs tends to come with Precision necks (I would say most common on PJs, and also standard Precisions, is 42mm these days), but as @fretmeister rightly said you can find ones with other neck profiles if you look for them. Definitely worth considering- no point in avoiding 5s in case they're difficult to play and then buying a 4 that's pretty hard to play too! My 4s are all 42mm, and my 5 is 45mm- although I said the 5 is harder to play, in some ways it's easier- crossing strings is quite a bit easier because of the much narrower string spacing/nut width.

Keefy

I’ve played bass in a country band for several years and a Precision with flats has always done the job splendidly.

Funkfingers

FWIIW, there is a solution to the PJ Bass pickup output imbalance problem.

EITHER a Seymour Duncan STKJ-2B Hot Stack for Jazz Bass, Bridge position
OR a DiMarzio Ultra Jazz

Both cancel hum and provide increased signal level. To my ears, the side-by-side coils DiMarzio sounds more like my idea of a suitably dynamic J Bass. Combine this with a DiMarzio Will Power Middle split coils P type pickup to get an extremely versatile bass guitar to suit all occasions. Just add talent.*

* Anybody know where I can buy some?

ICBM

Funkfingers said:

FWIIW, there is a solution to the PJ Bass pickup output imbalance problem.

EITHER a Seymour Duncan STKJ-2B Hot Stack for Jazz Bass, Bridge position
OR a DiMarzio Ultra Jazz

This. The problem with a normal PJ is that the J pickup is a weedy thin-sounding hum generator when added or compared to the P pickup. To fix that and make it much more useful you need a hotter, hum-cancelling one.

PAL

Fender MIM P or J bass will be fine.

Dave_Mc

@Funkfingers and @ICBM I figured that would solve it but I guess I was kind of worried that that would kill the J-bass sound if you were after more vintage tones. I went with a House of Tone 60s PJ set and it sounds pretty good to my ears.

fretmeister

Dimarzio have some new curved top J pickups coming soon. To go with the Relentless P pickup.

I’ve seen some leaked pics. 

Funkfingers

Noice!