Thursday, 20 November 2008

Top 5 Inexpensive Bass Guitars For Girls

Top 5 Inexpensive Bass Guitars For Girls
By Jon Brickley




For a long time the job of a bassist has always been thought of as man's work. There were standout female bass players like Tina Weymouth or Carol Kaye, but in the largely male dominated rock industry, bassists were mostly guys.



That's really started to change in the past decade or so. Now we see many more female bass players. Here are five top inexpensive basses for beginniners or if you just want a name brand bass guitar without paying a lot:



1 Squier by Fender Affinity Series Bronco Bass Guitar



These basses are just plain cool anyway, forget about the fact they're only about $150 online. Broncos are super easy to play and have a short 30" scale neck. A real basic setup - one middle pickup, volume and tone -means there's not a lot that can go wrong. If there's ever a problem in the electronics cavity, it should be a simple repair job. Bronco basses are solid instruments and are very cool looking with their shallow cutaways. They also deliver Fender tone for not a lotta $$.



2 Ibanez GSRM20 Mikro Short Scale



This is another short scale bass guitar with a 28.6" inch neck. It fits great in smaller hands and would be a great choice for a petite female. By the way, this bass also seriously rocks. The pickups and electronics are quality and record well. The Ibanez mikro short scale is a quality bass that will provide huge low end for you to rock the house.



3 Squier by Fender Affinity Series P Bass or J Bass



Fender Precision and Jazz basses are two of the standard choices for bass guitar players, male or female. Buying one from the Affinity series is a good way to save substantial $$. These are full size basses with long scale necks. They also weigh more than the short scale basses which is something to consider. Full scale basses can be tiresome to have slung over your shoulder for long periods of time - like band rehearsals and gigs. Other than that, a Squier Precision or Jazz bass is a great place to start and a good way to get a new bass at a bargain price.



4 Daisy Rock - Rock Candy Bass (Atomic Pink)



Daisy Rock is a company that designs bass guitars for girls. Some of them are much more 'girlie' than others. The Rock Candy Bass is a full scale, yet lightweight bass guitar. It comes equipped with very good electronics and pumps out the low end. The bass body is contoured body is designed to perfectly fit the female form. A little pricier than the others but well worth the money.



5 Daisy Rock Daisy Bass



This bass is actually shaped like a daisy. It's geared toward younger girls, but is a very solid instrument and will perform great at gigging and recording. It's a very lightweight bass and sports a short scale neck. Teen girls and petite women will find this bass most comfortable to play. Because of the shape, it may be difficult to play this bass while sitting. It's not only an inexpensive alternative, it's a delightful fashion statement as well.



The instruments reviewed here were picked for being the most suitable bass guitar designs for females. These models provide a lot of bang for the buck and are relatively inexpensive basses. Girls who want to play bass or want a new bass for cheap, won't go wrong with any of these choices.




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Wednesday, 5 November 2008

RickenBacker Bass Guitars - 4003 Model

RickenBacker Bass Guitars - 4003 Model
By Mike N. Foster




The Rickenbacker 4003 Bass is famous for its ringing sustain, treble punch, and solid underlying bottom end. It's also famous for its distinctive, elegantly curved body shape, accentuated by a subtle strip of binding, deluxe triangular fretboard inlays, stereo output, neck-thru-body construction, double truss rods, and high output single-coil pickups with wide response range and brilliant clarity. The Vintage Tone Selector activates a capacitor in the treble pickup circuit to emphasize the high end. Pressed in, you get the familiar 4003 sound, pull it out to add bite and crispness.



In the short lifetime of electric string instruments, very few basses have earned the accolade necessary to genuinely call themselves "classics." Even less can claim the title of industry standard - but no one can dispute the fact that the Rickenbacker 4000 Series deserves these titles. The piano string-like ring, punch, and sustain brought the bass player out of the shadows and into the spotlight.



Unique style and unmistakable tone!
Rickenbacker's original solid-body electric bass was first introduced in the spring of 1957, bringing its own unique style to the Rock and Roll explosion of the early 60's and 70's. In the hands of bass-masters including Paul McCartney, Chris Squire, and Geddy Lee, 4000-series basses forged a solid reputation for distinct tone and comfortable playability. The latest Rickenbacker 4003 bass stays true to its roots, offering these same characteristics to a whole new generation of players.



Neck-thru construction
True pioneers in musical instrument construction, Rickenbacker luthiers were the first to produce a neck-thru-body bass design. A single piece of wood from the headstock to the tailpiece allows string vibration to travel unhindered through the length of the instrument. This results in a clarity of tone and ringing sustain unmatched by bolt-on or set-neck designs. The 4003 uses this same neck-thru principle today. This construction process is too time-consuming for most mass-production brands to implement, but many boutique bass builders are now discovering the benefits of what Rickenbacker has been doing from the beginning. It may take a little longer to build this bass, but Rickenbacker knows it's worth the wait. Get one in your hands, and you'll agree.



Balanced sound for diverse musical styles
Some basses offer deep tone at the low end of the spectrum, but the higher notes tend to be a bit thin. The 4003's combination bridge/tailpiece assembly reflects more string energy over the pickups for a consistent, balanced sound across the entire fretboard. You get piano-like clarity at the top with plenty of growl down below. This is why Rickenbacker basses are played by such a diverse group of musicians. Lemmy from Motorhead, Andre 3000 from Outkast, Mike Mills from REM, and Chris Ross from Wolfmother are all able to get the tone they need from the same instrument. With so many genres represented, you're sure to dial in a sound that suits your style.



Super-slim body
Instead of the chunky, bass-heavy designs used by many manufacturers, a slim, streamlined body gives the 4003 increased treble response and added punch. Both body and neck are made of maple for a full, bright tone with a nice, crisp bite. The rosewood fretboard adds mellow warmth, so notes in the upper register don't sound harsh or shrill. Any style, any technique, comes through with expressive, dynamic clarity.



All about the neck
The thin, fast neck has become a favorite among progressive-rockers and bass-shredders alike. Check out some of Cliff Burton's earliest work with Metallica, Chris Squier's jaw-dropping solos from the 70's, or any of Geddy Lee's blistering Rickenbacker riffs. You can play the slickest runs from low to high and back again without getting bogged down like you would on a fat-necked bass. It may be skinny, but it's also strong and stable thanks to the dual truss rod system. Each neck is designed with a natural curvature, or "neck relief", to ensure the best possible string/fret contact. If the neck relief changes, you'll get fret-buzz and even dead spots in extreme cases. The truss rod adds stiffness from inside, maintaining the proper curvature. Neck relief is partially dependent on string tension, so changing to heavier- or lighter-gauge strings can cause problems, along with temperature and humidity fluctuations. In these situations, the dual truss rod system can be tightened or loosened to compensate for the new conditions, letting every note ring out as it should.




You can find more info about the Rickenbacker 4003 Bass Guitar at:



http://RickenBacker.YouGet.info



Mike N. Foster



http://RickenBacker.YouGet.info



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