SG bass

[Punkavenger]

I've been hanging out with my hot bass player friend and shes got an 80's Ibanez SG style bass that I really like the size and feel of ... although some of the hardware/pickups are obviously kinda funky.

Should I be looking into a Gibson SG bass? What years, style etc should I be looking for? Are the quality of these high enough where I could buy one without playing it first ... like on ebay or from sweetwater / musicians friend, for example?

http://www.sweetwater.com/guitargallery/bass/all/s020290328/

This one here looks pretty darn sweet but since I have a $1000 limit on equipment purchases I'd have to find one used

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...atchlink:top:en

Heres one I found on ebay

[Willie G. Moseley]

The SG Bass Supreme that was the first "guitar of the week" is usually a good deal---Ltd. Edition (for whatever that's worth), cool looks, sounds good for a short scale. Unfortunately, EB-0s, Eb-3s and more recent SG Basses are usually too neck-heavy for me, even though they're relatively lightweight.

[Steve Haynie]

My first bass was a 1961 Gibson EB-0 that I immediately had butchered with a Dimarzio Model One bass pickup. It was neck heavy. A friend had a slightly different model, maybe an EB-3. It was neck heavy, too.

If it were not for nostalgia or the fact that Dennis Dunaway played an EB-3 there would be no reason to want an SG shaped bass.

[cmatthes]

Qualitywise, the ones I've played aren't bad - not great, but they are also pretty reasonably priced.

I can definitely see the head heavy thing being an issue though - they are pretty lightweight basses.

[JohnnyB]

If it were not for nostalgia or the fact that Dennis Dunaway played an EB-3 there would be no reason to want an SG shaped bass.

Ummm... Jack Bruce?

[Willie G. Moseley]

RE neck-heaviness: I alleviated the problem on more than one bass I had (mostly short-scales, as well as a long-scale Reverend) w/ a ZipLoc snack bag full of split-shot fishing sinkers stuck into the control cavity. Works.

In addition to Jack Bruce and Dennis Dunaway, there was Peter Albin w/ Big Bro. & the Holding Co., David Freiberg w/ Quicksilver Messenger Service, Free's Andy Fraser. In the early days of the Grateful Dead, Lesh was seen w/ an EB-0.

Here's an unusual one:

http://www.vintageguitar.com/features/bran...ls.asp?AID=3240

[moparmagic]

SG basses are the coolest basses ive ever seen. makes me wish i didnt suck completly at bass

edited to add: i think they made a faded one to? that would be cheaper

[mykel]

sg basses remind me of Mike Watt, one of my favorite bassists. he played a tele-bass when he was with the minutemen, but since then, he's often had an sg bass. i've never played one, but he makes me want to try one.

Course his basses are often modded quite a bit. See the following page for some pics and details: Mike Watt's basses

[Ethan]

i love mike watt. i really wanted an sg bass when i was playing bass in the alt-country band-a short scale bass with flatwounds sounds great for that type of stuff and any sort of the aforementioned 60s and early 70s rock. between that and my p bass i figured i would have had all my bases covered (nyak nyak nyak)

[Brooks]

geezer butler briefly played a custom SG looking bass in the late 70's.

also woody from govt mule,

who got a GREAT growl bass tone on the 1st 2 mule albums

from his EB-3 & SVT rig.

[Punkavenger]

How difficult would it be to make a Warmoth SG bass? I could finish it myself and get the exact neck carve/pickups and bridge I wanted. Mostly just concerned about using the correct parts and placement. Not as easy as building a super strat.

[tomteriffic]

I seem to recall the bassist in the original Alice Cooper band (his name slips my mind) playing a white slothead EB-3.

[Steve Haynie]

I seem to recall the bassist in the original Alice Cooper band (his name slips my mind) playing a white slothead EB-3.

His name is Dennis Dunaway.

[cmatthes]

How difficult would it be to make a Warmoth SG bass? I could finish it myself and get the exact neck carve/pickups and bridge I wanted. Mostly just concerned about using the correct parts and placement. Not as easy as building a super strat.

That would likely cost you as much (or more?) than just buying a Gibson bass. It will also be worth exactly $200.31 when you try to sell it...

It might be a more cost-effective option to buy the Epiphone version for cheap and then upgrade any parts/components over time, but with the Gibsons selling for under $1k used (and $1,499 new), I'd just go that route.

BTW - points off for no pics of your hot bass player friend and her Ibanez.

[velorush]

Forgive my ignorance, but is there an advantage to the short scale? disadvantage?

[Punkavenger]

How difficult would it be to make a Warmoth SG bass? I could finish it myself and get the exact neck carve/pickups and bridge I wanted. Mostly just concerned about using the correct parts and placement. Not as easy as building a super strat.

That would likely cost you as much (or more?) than just buying a Gibson bass. It will also be worth exactly $200.31 when you try to sell it...

It might be a more cost-effective option to buy the Epiphone version for cheap and then upgrade any parts/components over time, but with the Gibsons selling for under $1k used (and $1,499 new), I'd just go that route.

BTW - points off for no pics of your hot bass player friend and her Ibanez.

C'mon you remember Jen .... http://www.myspace.com/jencastle

[Willie G. Moseley]

To Velorush:

Advantage of short scale: Easier for (converted) guitar players; usually a lighter-weight instrument.

Disadvantage: Not as much resonance as 34"/full scale, which is the industry standard. When Leo Fender and George Fullerton were working on the Precision Bass prototype in the early '50s, they experimented w/ different scales. Fullerton said 30" or so wasn't very resonant; 36" had too much space between the frets. Setlled on 34".

Advances in electronics and string quality have helped alleviate the "resonance factor" on short scales basses somewhat, IMO. At the present time I own seven full scale basses, one short-scale (a Korean Hallmark Swept-Wing). The Hallmark sounds impressive---again, particularly for a short scale, has a very slim neck, and has neck binding w/ dots, which I need for a visual reference onstage these days.

[JohnnyB]

How's this for a custom order idea?

Newport bass, Monaco Bass SC pickups, 32" scale.

Mmmmmm...

[velorush]

To Velorush:

Advantage of short scale: Easier for (converted) guitar players; usually a lighter-weight instrument.

Disadvantage: Not as much resonance as 34"/full scale, which is the industry standard. When Leo Fender and George Fullerton were working on the Precision Bass prototype in the early '50s, they experimented w/ different scales. Fullerton said 30" or so wasn't very resonant; 36" had too much space between the frets. Setlled on 34".

Advances in electronics and string quality have helped alleviate the "resonance factor" on short scales basses somewhat, IMO. At the present time I own seven full scale basses, one short-scale (a Korean Hallmark Swept-Wing). The Hallmark sounds impressive---again, particularly for a short scale, has a very slim neck, and has neck binding w/ dots, which I need for a visual reference onstage these days.

Thanks for the explanation.

Makes me respect Cream-era Jack Bruce even more.