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WHICH BASS?


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Hi to all, new to the forum

So I'm looking for a bit of advice please......

I have taken up the bass guitar and been practicing on and off for about a year now

I currently have a Tanglewood Rebel 4K which to be honest is quite cheap but I just bought it for practicing but I have noticed when playing it the awful continuous feedback when playing a note and it's very off putting when playing the next notes as you can still hear previous note.

I'm just wondering whether I'm actually doing anything wrong or is it purely because it's a cheap bass with cheap components and would upgrading to a better model be the way to go?

If so, what do fellow bassists recommend?

Budget approx £600-£700 but I'm open to suggestions don't mind paying a bit more for quality i just want to play a note and not have to hear continuously hum when I'm playing the next notes.......or again am I doing something wrong?


Cheers

Carlos

 

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16 minutes ago, carlos fandango said:

...So I'm looking for a bit of advice please...

Good evening, Carlos, and welcome to the Forum...

Firstly, there is nothing wrong with your bass; changing it for another will do nothing but empty your purse, so forget that, for now. Secondly, please give your location; it helps to know what resources you may have not far from you.
Are you playing through an amp..? Is there any chance of spending just a little of your budget on a couple of lessons with a bass tutor (a real one, not a guitar/bass tutor, preferably...)..? What style of music are you wanting to play (any bands or players you are influenced by..?...).
Have you any bass method books..? The 'standard' 'best buy' recommendation is ...

zbj8FAK.jpg

...the Ultimate Bass Method for beginners, at an unbeatable price. Spiral-bound, so lays flat, and three (yes, three..!) methods in one, to take any player to the level they want to achieve. Highly recommended. Go on; spoil yourself. You know it makes sense...

Amazon.co.uk : Hal Leonards Bass Method...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hal-Leonard-Bass-Method-Complete/dp/0793563836/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Hal+Leonard+Bass+Method&qid=1620574154&sr=8-1

Worth a look..? B|

Edited by Dad3353
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I have no idea why people are mentioning 5 string - the OP hasn't?!?

Anyway, it sounds like you're getting overtones, a quick and easy fix is to put some foam under the strings like the picture below. This will stop the strings from ringing when you move to the next one.

There's nothing wrong with your Rebel bass. The biggest affect on the sound you get on any string instrument is the strings themselves! You need to try out a few sets of strings by different brands, or let folk here know the type of sound you want to get or favourite bands, and we can guide you to the best string choice. Having an expensive bass with poor or cheap strings will still sound poor, it'll just feel nicer to play.

 

91ZHJ0w0WyL._AC_SL1500_.jpg

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Some excellent advice above. Nothing wrong with your Tanglewood. They are decent budget instruments. Your issue is one of technique. You will experience the same problem whatever instrument you play. Why not spend some of that £600 on a few lessons? It will get you on the right track (and save you money).

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Book one taster bass lesson with a tutor and hopefully that playing technique problem will be sorted out there and then. Putting a quick video on here would sort it out even quicker.

If you do end up buying a new bass, the Fender Player Series Precision Bass or jazz Bass are an excellent bang for your buck. I have a few of them.

IMG_20191128_144744.jpg

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Edited by 12stringbassist
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most basses in that price range are good now days, try a few, and go for the one that YOU like best, dont be a sheep.

Good advice ?

the best bit of advice i can only offer is...

There is no such thing as "god given talent"

everyone that is good has put time and effort into it. Period.

you cant pull anything out the hat that you did not put there in the first place.... so my advice ?

its a time thing, put the time in and you will get the rewards, there is NO shortcuts.

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Many thanks to you all for your replies but especially to hooky_lowdown for the tip to put a bit of sponge under the strings.....wow what a huge difference that made
Who'd have thought something so simple would have a drastic improvement...cheers hooky and I'll be keeping my 'cheap' 4 string lefty Tanglewood for a little while longer 😁

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Carlos, you came for advice on buying a new bass for £600, and ended up with a sponge, and your old bass, and £600 in change.

Surely that is the last time that Basschat will save you from spending money! 

 

All the best on your bass journey - all the above advice is good. 

 

  

Edited by bass_dinger
wrong word corrected
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4 hours ago, carlos fandango said:

Many thanks to you all for your replies but especially to hooky_lowdown for the tip to put a bit of sponge under the strings.....wow what a huge difference that made
Who'd have thought something so simple would have a drastic improvement...cheers hooky and I'll be keeping my 'cheap' 4 string lefty Tanglewood for a little while longer 😁

Something else which will lessen overtones are brass saddles, brass is a little softer metal than the standard metal used for saddles, the result is an ever so slightly dampening of the string.

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Glad to hear that the sponge has helped. 

Next step is to practice moving your fingers completely from the last note to the new note you want to play, while using other fingers to mute the unplayed strings. Working on this will allow you to remove the sponge and still have the other strings muted. 

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11 hours ago, hooky_lowdown said:

Or leave the sponge there and just enjoy playing! 😎

There's a lot missing from what he can play if he never learns some technique.

Disclaimer, I am entirely self taught and can't slap my way out of a paper bag. To make it talk I am relying on muting AND ringing when appropriate.

OP still didn't say if he was a pick player.

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