I Need Epiphone help !

[Ryzin]

Hey my names Ryan, im 15 and am i amateur bassist, im looking to buy my first bass tonight. I need this bass for school and my gcse's also my band xD. Ive got £220 and have been looking up epiphones and i have started to be interested in them. I have studied them for a couple of days but still cant decide what bass out of the EB-3, Les paul special bass, Thunderbird IV and the Violin Sunburst. I like the EB-3 very much because of the SG shape and style but is it a good rock bass and is it good for a beginner?.

Please Reply Quickly
Thanks Ryan.

[Wooks79]

Thunderbirds are good fun except for the neck dive, and cheap on thomann.

If you we're looking for anything other than epiphone, I would say that this bass for sale would be excellent - http://basschat.co.uk/topic/185577-squier-classic-vibe-60s-precision-sonic-blue/page__pid__1822441__st__20#entry1822441

If I had the money I'd have snapped it up myself by now!

[neepheid]

The specific answers to your questions:

The EB-3 is a bass and not much else. What I mean by that is that it'll do you a reasonable job within fairly regular rock boundaries but if you're looking for sparkling highs and hi-fi slap sound then it won't be so much use.

Is it good for a beginner? Well, my first bass was an Epi EB-3. It does have quite a slim neck, but it's quite unbalanced because of the little SG body, long scale and giant shovel of a headstock with full size tuners. This means that the neck will always be wanting to tip towards the floor and you'll have to keep it propped up. This might hamper your technique. Honestly, if I had my time again, knowing what I know now I wouldn't have an Epi EB-3 as my first bass (or any bass, come to think of it). This is just my opinion but when you're starting out you'd be much better off taking a more balanced bass like a Squier Jazz or Precision, or Yamaha make good stuff (an RBX can probably be obtained new within your budget, or a second hand BB) and while this is just my experience, I bought the EB-3 because it looked pretty with no idea what I actually wanted from a bass and it sat unused for ages.

You might love it. Ultimately, the only way to check is to try one first. There must be one in a shop somewhere.

Knowing what I know now, and although I don't really care for any of them, out of that four I would take the Les Paul Special. I had an Epi Les Paul Standard bass once (they don't make them any more) and it was lovely.

[Big_Stu]

I've had two of the Epiphone EB3s & would agree with most of what Neepheid has said. I got rid of my 1st one because I barely used it; years later thought I'd made a mistake so got another I saw going cheap. The headstock is massive compared to a Gibson & that together with the longer neck than the body was designed for makes it dive. There's also a massive colour variation in the manufacture so if you're going mail order you may end up with a fairly pink one, rather than a real cherry one that I found.
I do want another, white one, but that's entirely because I'm going to extensively mod it.

I've yet to find anyone who has one of the cheaper Thunderbird styles who's happy with the sound of it - as Big Red X said in another thread, they look like one - and that's all they've got, or words to that effect.

In your position, 1st bass etc I'd have a really good look at the Les Paul shape one, I wouldn't have a violin bass given, but that's just me.

Alternatively - and it pains me to say this - you should seriously consider one of the better Fender Squiers (not the basic models). They're pretty much an industry standard with good reason. As and when you want to upgrade the parts will be interchangeable with the higher spec Fender parts - or parts made with Fenders in mind by many manufacturers; buying a copy that looks like a Fender won't guarantee you those options.

[rogerstodge]

I'd always point someone in the direction of a fender, can't go far wrong with them, you'd prob pick a MIM up for not far off £220..

[Donnyboy]

I think the EB3 is a cracking bass and very good value for money, excellent rock bass, and you can get good sounds with the different pickup settings. Nice long slim neck is very playable. I also think it looks good.
The Thunderbird Pro would also be worth considering and the above would also apply.
Both I think would be within your budget especially 2nd hand, but make sure you get a good one. I've got a EB3 that's top notch , but have a friend with a EB0 that is poorly finished and almost unplayable!
Anyway good luck.

Btw if your anywhere near Falirk Central Scotland you're welcome to come and try the EB3.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='rogerstodge' timestamp='1349196206' post='1823144']
I'd always point someone in the direction of a fender, can't go far wrong with them, you'd prob pick a MIM up for not far off £220..
[/quote]

I agree. Or look at the Squier Classic Vibe or Vintage Modified range. I started out when I was 14 (1995!) and back then Squier were little more than entry-level instruments, very good for the money but something you would soon hanker to upgrade from. The CV and VM Squiers are truly superb instruments, not just at the price point either.

[brensabre79]

Best first bass for rock (or any style of music) is a Fender (or a good copy). There is a reason that the Fender Precision and Jazz basses have been on more records than any other type of bass. Even some who use other basses for videos etc. use a Fender bass in the studio. Why? Because they work!

The Squier Vintage Modified series are awesome basses for the money and you can probably get one with your budget too! Also, because Fender basses are pretty much the industry standard, you can always get spare bits, easy to upgrade and customise too!

If it really [u]must[/u] be an Epiphone...

SG bass - Similar to the Gibson EB-3, the neck pickup is really muffled, Bridge pickup really nasal. Combined they sound quite full, not sure if its a rock sound though. They have a distinctive sound that you can't escape really. The body is not a great design for balance so they can be a bit uncomfortable to wear.

Thunderbird bass - This is the only real 'rock' bass from Epi! Neck dive is a major issue, but can be fixed by moving the strap button. Again the sound is distinctive. If you go for the T-Bird Pro (probably secondhand) they are a more up to date design with a more flexible sound. And actually nice to play too - you'd better be tall though

I'd avoid the Violin altogether for rock.

Trust someone who has been down this road though, Fender style basses are the best first bass. Add Gibsons Epiphones Rickenbackers etc. to your collection later on, they all have their uses, but a Fender Jazz can cover them all pretty well!

[Mr. Foxen]

New or secondhand. Either way I'd budget a trip to someone from this thread as part of it, start off right is going to help loads: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/26654-recommended-luthiers/

[Donnyboy]

Just wondering whether any of the advice was of use, or not.

[Mr Fretbuzz]

Yep a Fender Squire P Bass

[Jools4001]

I have an Epi Pro IV that I use as my backup bass, and it also wears heavier strings than usual because it's always tuned to Eb. I got it because I've always liked slightly idiosyncratic basses, not that the T-Bird is particularly radical ,but it's a slightly less obvious choice than an P or J type bass. I also use it in a rock band and it's just right for that, it's active so it's got a good range of sounds (although cranking the treble gets a bit fizzy) and it looks cool.

I don't have a problem with neck dive, the strap button on the pro is behind the neck join (or would be if it had one 'cos it's a neck through) and a 4" strap takes care of any remaining tendency for the headstock to point floorwards. But...because the strap button is where it is the whole bass hangs further to the left so that the first fret seems a long way away, and where my right hand naturally falls it's virtually on the bridge rather than over the bridge pickup (fine for pick players I guess - but I'm not one). The other thing that is caused by the strap button positioning is that if you let the bass simply dangle from the strap, it flops forward with the face of the bass towards the floor at about 20 degrees, so unless you keep the upper bout pinned to your body with your right forearm, or assume a Steve Harris 'foot on the monitor' ose and rest the bass on your right thigh you can't see the fingerboard.

That's fine for pounding out Thin Lizzy and AC/DC stuff, but for anything more intricate it can be a pain. I'm an old git and I've been playing a long time, so it's not too much trouble to adapt, but if I was a new player...I'd get a Squier J or similar