Two Questions regarding Axe II and Bass Guitars

[Zomgasm]

I'm interested in just playing around with some home recording and seeing what I can come up with, so I'm looking to pick up a bass guitar to go with my Axe II

1. Can I get a really good studio tone using a Bass Guitar for direct just like Regular Guitars? I have zero intentions in purchasing a real bass amp or anything like that. My whole setup is FRFR with the Axe II 9.01 for home recording and playing.

2. I don't know a single thing about bass guitars and what to look for, and not really looking to have a high schooler from guitar center try to recommend something for me. I'm looking to spend anywhere from $400-$600 USD on a nice studio Bass to be run straight through the Axe II and compliment it. (More than likely Dropped in tuning to match guitars)

I enjoy playing everything from Pink Floyd esque to Opeth interludes to All Shall Perish Death Metal. I appreciate all sorts of genres.

Any insight and feedback from people who have tested waters or have good recommendations I would really appreciate it! Thanks much!

[ConnorGilks]

This works great as I was just in the same position as you!

1. Yes, absolutely. While there is only one "bass amp" in the AxeFX II, it sounds fantastic and is very versatile. Keep in mind bass is not like guitar, you are not going to be running two amps with two delays and chorus and overdrive with a compressor etc. You will probably just have clean and dirty sounds with some slight tweaks like an EQ or compressor. The AxeFX II can handle tweaking those things really well to get just what you want. Check out the B7K pedal emulations in the Tone Match forum, for example.

2. I just bought a Schecter Stiletto Studio 5 ($749) and it should arrive before Xmas. I can't give you the full run down but it was recommended not only by Nolly from Periphery as a fantastic budget recording (but also live) bass, but everywhere I ask people seem to praise it. Now if you really can't stretch your price that much it may be worth looking at either the Schecter Stiletto Custom 4 ($549) or an Ibanez bass (SR series are great). Don't forget to browse Craigslist/eBay for some used basses as well. You could easily get a $1,200 bass for $600 if you wait a while.

[maschoff]

I'm in the same boat Need help choosing a bass ...

[Der JD]

I play both guitar and bass. While I'm not really prepared to give you specific recommendations because I haven't really followed the bass market over the last couple of years, I will mention a couple of things.

Generally speaking (and I stress "generally") you get less quality for your money vs. a regular guitar. I've found very few basses under $1300 new that match the quality of guitars that I've owned or played that cost half of that. If you buy too low of quality, I guarantee you'll be plagued by neck adjustment issues and bad fretwork.

Also, basses vary in terms of tone a lot. I'd even say more than guitars. For example, a Fender Jazz sounds absolutely nothing like most Warwicks. You really need to take the time to try out several different types to determine what type of tone you're looking for.

Some basses are much easier to record than others (getting the right tone to fit in the mix properly).

Consider buying used. You could end up with much higher quality for the money. Just make sure you can try before you buy or there's a return policy on it.

[mmcm4]

I'm not a bassist, but I've heard good things about some of the Fender MIM basses. You could find a used one in your price range.

[Moltenmetalburn]

I just bought a squier vm jazz bass, cheap andi love it.

[franklantern]

I use the Axe to record bass, it works great. As for bass I ended up with a Fender Mustang. Its a smaller scale which makes it easier for me to transition from guitar and bass when I'm laying parts down. You loose a little in tone but its a great souding bass and the added playability for me more than makes up for any tonal differences.

[jimfist]

I'm interested in just playing around with some home recording and seeing what I can come up with, so I'm looking to pick up a bass guitar to go with my Axe II

1. Can I get a really good studio tone using a Bass Guitar for direct just like Regular Guitars? I have zero intentions in purchasing a real bass amp or anything like that. My whole setup is FRFR with the Axe II 9.01 for home recording and playing.

2. I don't know a single thing about bass guitars and what to look for, and not really looking to have a high schooler from guitar center try to recommend something for me. I'm looking to spend anywhere from $400-$600 USD on a nice studio Bass to be run straight through the Axe II and compliment it. (More than likely Dropped in tuning to match guitars)

I enjoy playing everything from Pink Floyd esque to Opeth interludes to All Shall Perish Death Metal. I appreciate all sorts of genres.

Any insight and feedback from people who have tested waters or have good recommendations I would really appreciate it! Thanks much!

Check out the "BASS & Other Instruments" section of the forum: Bass & Other Instruments

There's some good info and recordings there...as well check out the "AxeFxII Recordings" section. There are a bunch of guitarists who record their bass parts using the AFX and the results are pretty awesome. SEARCH THE FORUM!

Though there is only one "so-called" dedicated or widely acknowledged bass amp model based on the Ampeg SVT, (and a few bass cabinets: 4x10 aluminum, 8x10, 1x15), the TUBE PRE type is also very good for bass, as well as a few other "low gain" guitar amp models, depending on the type of sound you are going for. There are a bunch of threads that get into the complexities and considerations of recording bass, and the process can be as simple as plugging and playing thru an existing preset (although I don't believe there are any bass-specific presets amongst the 384 in the AxeFx...I could be wrong and if I am, they are few and far between), or creating a custom preset that consists of a combination of a dry direct signal path which has parallel signal paths for highly compressed and overdriven tones within specific frequency ranges, and blended to taste. (it is not uncommon for there to be 3 or 4 bass tracks on a serious recording).

But for starters, I'd simply create a preset consisting of a front end compressor set to a ratio of no more than 2:1 and threshold around -20db (just some mild leveling of the tone - a couple db max of reduction), running into the SVT amp model (back off the DRIVE so that it's not so distorted, and perhaps engage the Boost and Bright switches) and run that into one of the bass cabinets (8x10). See what you can get out of that just tweaking the amps basic tone settings. Also, it is worth a try to bypass the cabinet altogether and just use the amp model by itself. This will give you the broadest frequency range (especially good if you like crispy high end and unfiltered sub-bass frequencies to pass through) with which to sculpt a tone. The cabinet is just putting an EQ "stamp" on the tone, which can be fine if you like that tone...it really does depend.

As for a bass guitar in that price range - yeah, I've expressed my thoughts about the Schecter stuff on the other post...own 'em, love 'em, and they are a good choice for metal and heavy stuff. Was farting around at a GC recently and picked up one of the newer "Raiden Special 4" models, fairly low budget and had few expectations - was very impressed with it and would have purchased it ahead of many of the $1000+ basses hanging on the wall even if money were no object. In fact, I went into that GC wanting to buy a Music Man Stingray, and this Raiden played and felt better by a LOT. Of course, it's not gonna sound like a stingray, but for 25% of the cost, you can't have everything.

If you're going to drop tune, please consider string gauge and tension (just like on 6 string guitar) as typically a heavier gauge string will be more desirable the lower you go.

[Edit: JMHO about low end basses and quality, tone, etc. Of course, you do get what you pay for, and a well-built bass that is $1500 certainly should deliver a better tone, intonation, etc. than one costing 1/3 the price. Context and expectation are the operative terms. I don't think the OP is expecting Robert Trujillo results, is he? In which case, if he wants the highest quality of tone and playing on his recordings, if he can't accomplish this himself, he ought to get a bassist who can deliver this for him. Yes, if you are patient and lucky, you can find a really nice used bass at a great price around $500. That said, advances in technology in active pickups and manufacturing have allowed for basses, like those made by Schecter, to really hold their ground - in terms of tone and playability - versus the bigger names out there. If you're looking for "exactly THAT sound", then you'll have to get "exactly THAT bass" and be able to play it in such a manner where you can get "exactly THAT sound". Otherwise, I see no reason why the mid-low end market of Schecters and Ibanez, for example, are not perfectly viable for the purposes stated by the OP. ]

[Zomgasm]

Hey guys thanks much for all the amazing feedback! This will definitely help narrow down what I should be looking for.

I've loved all the Schecter guitars I've played so that may be where I begin testing. Onto Active Vs Passive pickups, I know I've had some hard times dialing in a really good FRFR tone using EMG 707's on a B-F#-B-E-A-C#-F# tuning with my 7 String. However bass also doesn't require all the FX chains and such so Actives may be the way to go now days.

Thanks again fellas!

[Genghis]

This works great as I was just in the same position as you!

1. Yes, absolutely. While there is only one "bass amp" in the AxeFX II, it sounds fantastic and is very versatile. Keep in mind bass is not like guitar, you are not going to be running two amps with two delays and chorus and overdrive with a compressor etc. You will probably just have clean and dirty sounds with some slight tweaks like an EQ or compressor. The AxeFX II can handle tweaking those things really well to get just what you want. Check out the B7K pedal emulations in the Tone Match forum, for example.

2. I just bought a Schecter Stiletto Studio 5 ($749) and it should arrive before Xmas. I can't give you the full run down but it was recommended not only by Nolly from Periphery as a fantastic budget recording (but also live) bass, but everywhere I ask people seem to praise it. Now if you really can't stretch your price that much it may be worth looking at either the Schecter Stiletto Custom 4 ($549) or an Ibanez bass (SR series are great). Don't forget to browse Craigslist/eBay for some used basses as well. You could easily get a $1,200 bass for $600 if you wait a while.

Agree on both counts. I have one of those basses, and I love it. I'm not the only one... my old bass player is extremely jealous and wants to take it off my hands. (Unfortunately it spends too much time in it's case and only gets action when I lay down the occasional bass track, but I still won't oblige my old friend on this one.) Great sound and playability and I really think it's a great deal for what I paid for it. FWIW I've had pretty much better results with active electronics in basses than guitars. I absolutely hated any EMG's or other active electronics I've tried in guitars, but on bass I like the added EQ possibilities.

Of course we're all different, so definitely take all of these suggestions and try to find places where you can try out a few, or at least online shops that will take returns easily. In my case the Schecter I got was one where I found it used online from Musician's Friend and bought it based on the quality of other Schecter instruments that I had tried. I knew that they had a good return policy, but was very happy with it anyway, so it worked out.

On #1, the Axe-FX is very capable of getting great bass sounds. You can keep it simple by just dialing in the SVT sim and a cab and letting it rip, or you can get quite elaborate with your routing and add compression (single and/or multi-band), stomp box distortions if you like a little bite, and all of the effects you know and love on guitar. My main bass patch is somewhat elaborate but it covers almost any sound I'd want from a bass. I use light compression up front and split to two rows in the grid, one with the amp and the other just going through a PEQ to boost and shape the tone. This mimics the signal chain I've used in the real world of mixing a DI signal with an amped signal. Before the amp side of the chain I have a stomp box I can kick in for when I want just a little more bite and grunt to the sound and I have a few modulation effects that are generally bypassed, but I can kick them in for a little spice on certain parts. It all comes together at the end with a multi-band compressor, again with a light touch, just to smooth and even out the lows so they are more consistent. So, in my case, the sound engineer may get a bit carried away with attention to detail, but on the other hand, the Axe-FX will get plenty of great bass sounds without getting that complicated.

[jimfist]

@ Genghis

My main bass patch is somewhat elaborate but it covers almost any sound I'd want from a bass. I use light compression up front and split to two rows in the grid, one with the amp and the other just going through a PEQ to boost and shape the tone. This mimics the signal chain I've used in the real world of mixing a DI signal with an amped signal. Before the amp side of the chain I have a stomp box I can kick in for when I want just a little more bite and grunt to the sound and I have a few modulation effects that are generally bypassed, but I can kick them in for a little spice on certain parts. It all comes together at the end with a multi-band compressor, again with a light touch, just to smooth and even out the lows so they are more consistent.

I just laughed my ass off when i read this! You literally describe almost EXACTLY a preset I was noodling through tonight, with those same components in the same locations. And as it happens, I was playing through this on my Schecter Studio Elite 4 string....actually kind of spooky how coincidental that was. Check out the photos...LOL

IMG_12121300181525.jpgIMG_12121300205542.jpg


I switch in and out the PEQ, Drive, Chorus & Pitch blocks depending on what I need.

[Heshion]

SEE RESPONSES BELOW.

I'm interested in just playing around with some home recording and seeing what I can come up with, so I'm looking to pick up a bass guitar to go with my Axe II

1. Can I get a really good studio tone using a Bass Guitar for direct just like Regular Guitars? I have zero intentions in purchasing a real bass amp or anything like that. My whole setup is FRFR with the Axe II 9.01 for home recording and playing.

YES, YOU CAN.

2. I don't know a single thing about bass guitars and what to look for, and not really looking to have a high schooler from guitar center try to recommend something for me. I'm looking to spend anywhere from $400-$600 USD on a nice studio Bass to be run straight through the Axe II and compliment it. (More than likely Dropped in tuning to match guitars)

IT'D BE SAFE TO SAY THAT THERE ARE MORE FENDER BASSES ON THE ROAD THAN ANY OTHER. THAT SAID, YOUR CHOICES ARE THE JAZZ OR THE PRECISION MOSTLY, OR VARIANTS THEREOF. JAZZ BASSES ARE MORE 'TINNY', AND PRECISIONS ARE MORE BEEFY. MORE PRECISIONS IN HEAVY ROCK THAN JAZZ BASSES ID' THINK. CHECK OUT THE FENDER BLACKTOP PRECISION. IT'S IN YOUR PRICE POINT. THE UP SIDE TO FENDER PASSIVE BASSES IS THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE CONCERNED WITH BATTERIES. IF YOU SET IT DOWN FOR A MONTH, AND WANT TO DO SOME RECORDING, JUST PLUG IN AND GO. ALSO CHECK OUT THE MUSIC MAN STERLING. THIS MONTH IN PREMIER GUITAR, IS AN ARTICLE ABOUT 5 GREAT BASSES FOR UNDER $1000. NUDGE NUDGE, WINK WINK.

I enjoy playing everything from Pink Floyd esque to Opeth interludes to All Shall Perish Death Metal. I appreciate all sorts of genres.

Any insight and feedback from people who have tested waters or have good recommendations I would really appreciate it! Thanks much!

[GotMetalBoy]

I'm interested in just playing around with some home recording and seeing what I can come up with, so I'm looking to pick up a bass guitar to go with my Axe II

1. Can I get a really good studio tone using a Bass Guitar for direct just like Regular Guitars? I have zero intentions in purchasing a real bass amp or anything like that. My whole setup is FRFR with the Axe II 9.01 for home recording and playing.

2. I don't know a single thing about bass guitars and what to look for, and not really looking to have a high schooler from guitar center try to recommend something for me. I'm looking to spend anywhere from $400-$600 USD on a nice studio Bass to be run straight through the Axe II and compliment it. (More than likely Dropped in tuning to match guitars)

I enjoy playing everything from Pink Floyd esque to Opeth interludes to All Shall Perish Death Metal. I appreciate all sorts of genres.

Any insight and feedback from people who have tested waters or have good recommendations I would really appreciate it! Thanks much!

Yes, you can definitely get good bass sounds out of the AF2 and it's what I use live and for recording. The magic is in the Multiband Compressor and tone matching.

I recommend Rondo Music Home Page for guitars and basses bc they have great instruments at low prices and the best customer support. I would say their as good as my MIM Fender basses except, you may want to replace the pickups.

Also, stay away from basses w/ cheap active pickups and electronics bc they usually cause noise and distort. I personally always use passive pickups and electronics and let my AF2 be in charge of my tone and I always hated having to remember to pull my guitar cable out, so the battery wouldn't die in actives. A lot of mid priced basses have passive pickups w/ active electronics. A good example are Schecter basses w/ EMG-HZ pickups. The pickups are passive but the electronics are active, so they are not much more than a cheap built in EQ. I gut the active electronics and replace them w/ passive or just always set the EQ knobs to the middle indent, so they are set flat and let the AF2 do all the work.

[phantomofalfred]

I purchased my first Steinberger Spirit XT-25 5 string bass and have not used any other since. Really easy to play, great tone, and only $420.00 on musicians friend.
I use the Axe for both Bass and Guitar, but who says you have to use a bass amp on a bass??? I use FAS MODERN for my bass tones, you can clean it up but still leave it gritty.
Try the FAS with the HARTKE 4/10 cab. Killer bass sound.

[jimfist]

I purchased my first Steinberger Spirit XT-25 5 string bass and have not used any other since. Really easy to play, great tone, and only $420.00 on musicians friend.
I use the Axe for both Bass and Guitar, but who says you have to use a bass amp on a bass??? I use FAS MODERN for my bass tones, you can clean it up but still leave it gritty.
Try the FAS with the HARTKE 4/10 cab. Killer bass sound.

True enough. The Tube Pre is also a nice alternative that is versatile. FWIW I recently put together a bass tone I really like that has an obvious vintage vibe to it based on the Brit 800 amp model - great for classic rock and older school heavy rock. I didn't use a cab block with it, but by rolling off a LOT of top end was able to get it to sound pretty nice through my full range bass rig. Very, VERY tube-y sounding.