Spec me a Bass guitar

I_Am_Vengeance · 15 Feb 2007 at 23:13

jackgnic said:
Hundreds of professional recording artists trust and use Ibanez. If you're worried about the mix then you need to look at which studio you're using and who is recording you, not the instrument. A bad workman blames his tools.

Its likely i know far more engineers and producers than you can fathom, all say the same thing about Ibanez. Using the old " a bad workman blames his tools " is a naive outlook when it comes to engineering. If tools werent an issue, there would be no need for many top studios to invest in more than 500k of equipment, acoustic treatment e.t.c You obviously know nothing of the recording process. Just because "artists " use a certain brand, does NOT mean said brands find their way onto records. I'm not worried about my own mixes, i dont use mediocre instruments or equipment. You cant even use " professional artists " for your argument as they use top of the line Ibanez, not gsr models, which are overly priced for what you get/hear.

Andelusion · 15 Feb 2007 at 23:29

I_Am_Vengeance said:
Its likely i know far more engineers and producers than you can fathom, all say the same thing about Ibanez. Using the old " a bad workman blames his tools " is a naive outlook when it comes to engineering. If tools werent an issue, there would be no need for many top studios to invest in more than 500k of equipment, acoustic treatment e.t.c You obviously know nothing of the recording process. Just because "artists " use a certain brand, does NOT mean said brands find their way onto records. I'm not worried about my own mixes, i dont use mediocre instruments or equipment. You cant even use " professional artists " for your argument as they use top of the line Ibanez, not gsr models, which are overly priced for what you get/hear.

What do you suppose it is about Ibanez instruments then that make them 'track badly'? There must be something magical which I'm missing, since many Ibanez models could be compared very closely to other guitars from other brands, both in body shape, mass, wood and components used.

I_Am_Vengeance · 15 Feb 2007 at 23:32

Booner! said:
Nice one mate, you will be happy with it! Will keep you going!

Drummer jokes are fun , but bassist jokes make me cry lol

Ibanez DO NOT track badly, I have recorded myself with 3 different bands using a different Ibanez bass each time.

Every studio I have been to (5) has had at least 1 Ibanez bass actively being tracked.

I don't think baliming the tools is the issue. Its more or less a personal thing. A tone is unique to each bassist and band, finding that and sticking with it may or may not be accepted by others. Just because you think that Ibanez sound/track badly doesnt necessarily mean that is the case to the rest of the music community as a whole.

For instance i think cheap jazz (large neck) bass looks/sounds horrible

Agreed to an extent, certain basses do suite certain types of music. Most people don't know what to listen out for when it comes to critiquing bass tone in a mix. Ive heard plenty of low end Ibanez bass guitars being used in the recording process, all have sounded mediocre.

Northwind · 15 Feb 2007 at 23:32

Yeah, great, but the electronics- pickups and pots- in the lower end Ibanezes aren't specific to the brand- you find the exact same parts in other basses. The higher end ones, and even the midrange ones, share literally no components at all, with the possible exception of the screws, and they're made in a different factory... So how you can come to the conclusion that all Ibanezes perform similiarly in the studio, and not tar other brands with shared components with the same brush, I can't understand.

The current ESP LTDs have more in common with the GSR than the RBX- same pickup manufacturer, comparable far eastern pots. Do they track badly?

I_Am_Vengeance · 15 Feb 2007 at 23:41

Esp Ltds track brilliantly as it happens. Not sure how a " Pot " contributes to the sound btw.

Northwind · 15 Feb 2007 at 23:49

You're not sure how the tone and volume controls contribute to the sound :confused:

I'm not really an Ibanez fan... I think they're more or less cheap boring instruments, at least in this price range- mediocre's the right word, although a lot of people don't actually know what mediocre means

But generalising all Ibanezes is like saying "All Squiers are rubbish" or similiar. There's a huge variety across their range in construction, materials and components.

Andelusion · 15 Feb 2007 at 23:50

I think he meant the actual pot, I'm sure he knows what one does

Northwind · 15 Feb 2007 at 23:53

I know, just playin'

But trust me, removing cheap far eastern pots and replacing them with better quality or better specced items, using high-pass filters etc, can make a noticable difference to the final sound... Used to make my beer money doing this

Taking half-decent instruments with sub-standard components, Epis mainly but also really cheap tackle, and throwing away the junk.

I_Am_Vengeance · 15 Feb 2007 at 23:54

Northwind said:
You're not sure how the tone and volume controls contribute to the sound

Dont twist my words. I'm quite aware that changing the position of the pots will change the sound. The physical properties of the pot itself, however, will NOT change the sound. So whether its a pot worth £1 or £10, it makes no difference.

I_Am_Vengeance · 15 Feb 2007 at 23:57

Northwind said:
You're not sure how the tone and volume controls contribute to the sound

I'm not really an Ibanez fan... I think they're more or less cheap boring instruments, at least in this price range- mediocre's the right word, although a lot of people don't actually know what mediocre means But generalising all Ibanezes is like saying "All Squiers are rubbish" or similiar. There's a huge variety across their range in construction, materials and components.

This thread was about buying a cheap Gsr Ibanez, i wasnt generalising all Ibanez basses, just giving reasons as to why buying a Gsr would be a bad move and that there are far better choices.

Northwind · 15 Feb 2007 at 23:58

Not true... You get variation in spec (500K pots that read 300K or 700K), filter effects, not to mention high-passes, no-loads, etc. Nothing that makes a huge difference, shouldn't get sidetracked onto this, just mentioned it to help point out how similiar these basses are, and how dissimiliar they are to other basses in their own range.

I_Am_Vengeance · 15 Feb 2007 at 23:59

Northwind said:
I know, just playin' But trust me, removing cheap far eastern pots and replacing them with better quality or better specced items, using high-pass filters etc, can make a noticable difference to the final sound... Used to make my beer money doing this Taking half-decent instruments with sub-standard components, Epis mainly but also really cheap tackle, and throwing away the junk.

Ive never known different pots to have " better " qualities, only pots that have a different Eq sweep.

I_Am_Vengeance · 16 Feb 2007 at 00:00

Northwind said:
Not true... You get variation in spec (500K pots that read 300K or 700K), filter effects, not to mention high-passes, no-loads, etc. Nothing that makes a huge difference, shouldn't get sidetracked onto this, just mentioned it to help point out how similiar these basses are, and how dissimiliar they are to other basses in their own range.

You werent talking about custom pots, but generic pots that come as standard on most basses, dont take things out of context. I'm aware of the many varieties of effects that are built into pots themselves.

Andelusion · 16 Feb 2007 at 00:01

Everything boils down to personal opinion really. So any arguement you can have on someone's tone is flawed tbh.

Oh and IAmVengence is wrong

Joke

Northwind · 16 Feb 2007 at 00:02

I_Am_Vengeance said:
This thread was about buying a cheap Gsr Ibanez, i wasnt generalising all Ibanez basses, just giving reasons as to why buying a Gsr would be a bad move and that there are far better choices.

I agree with that... But you're saying that the ESPs, which are very similiar, dont have the problems that the Ibanezes have... Just trying to tie it together is all, because I can't see what the difference would be. I've never come across anything in the GSRs or similiar that'd make them significantly different, other than that actives have much more potential to make bad settings.

I did, however, once gut a US Precision bass whose owner had used it for years live but wouldn't play ball in the studio, with the same amp and effects... I changed nothing bar wiring, and added full shielding and a high-pass filter on the volume (eh, I think, could be wrong, definately didn't touch the pickups) and when next it was used, all was well and it ended up getting used on a top 10 album. So it's not that exact a science, I'd say

I_Am_Vengeance · 16 Feb 2007 at 00:02

An Ibanez Gsr isnt a wise investment. Esp use different woods, body shapes, necks, frets. All contributing factors to why they sound different to Gsr basses. Although, i shouldnt really have to argue that they sound different, they just do! The Esp basses ive recorded dont have that uncontrollable " pop and twang " that bounce out at you in a mix, that even compression cant solve. Sure a low pass filter could tame it somewhat, but its all about time constraints, its nice to get decent tone off the bat, plus i dont like to compromise when it comes to tone.

Northwind · 16 Feb 2007 at 00:10

I_Am_Vengeance said:
An Ibanez Gsr isnt a wise investment. Esp use different woods, body shapes, necks, frets. All contributing factors to why they sound different to Gsr basses.

The 50s and GSR both use agathis bodies and maple necks FWIW. Frets are, I suspect, identical, and body shape's comparable. I think the scales might be different, couldn't swear by it.

FWIW, I completely agree it's not a wise investment, but then it's a £150 new bass.

What you're describing sounds more or less like bad use of the actives, or an amp that doesn't deal well with them, to me... They're pretty crude on those, just like in my own Warwick Rockbass, best kept close to the middle. A couple of people I've worked with can't quite get the idea of boost, and keep everything at max gain then try and control it at the amp :rolleyes:

But I've never been a studio tech... that's what I'd look for in a live rig with those problems, but obviously there's major differences.

I_Am_Vengeance · 16 Feb 2007 at 00:12

Northwind said:
The 50s and GSR both use agathis bodies and maple necks FWIW. Frets are, I suspect, identical, and body shape's comparable. I think the scales might be different, couldn't swear by it.

FWIW, I completely agree it's not a wise investment, but then it's a £150 new bass.

£150 wasted imo.

Northwind · 16 Feb 2007 at 00:17

I_Am_Vengeance said:
£150 wasted imo.

I'd have spent it on something better, and used, myself. But it'll get him playing, it's solid enough to not hold him back with rotten setups etc- the only thing I really like about those Ibanezes is the consistency. Not likely to have any horrible construction defects like Peaveys all seem to

It's not expecially likely to see the inside of a studio, and it'll hold its value well, so IMO it makes for decent learner tackle. Much more interesting than a Squier Standard p-bass or similiar, which is what I started on, and that wasn't £150 wasted either...

See me damn with faint praise :rolleyes:

I_Am_Vengeance · 16 Feb 2007 at 00:21

Northwind said:
It's not expecially likely to see the inside of a studio

One can only hope.