what to buy: effects or a 5 string?

zsquad wrote:but what are your guys' thoughts on my experience? like i said, i've only been playing for a little over months, which means i've only had my current bass for that same amount of time. should i already be getting another bass?
i think i've decided i'll get a 5 string if i buy anything at all. how much is that squier 5 string? it looks sweet, but i didn't see a price on that website. if i don't buy a jazz bass like that squier, what 5 string should i get? roughly how much should i save up for a quality 5 string in general?

Smaz wrote:I was waiting for this topic I've actually thought about doing one already on it, but here's the basics...

First things first: NEITHER IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER ONE!

Ok, now that's out the way... A few main differences:

Neck:

Jazz: The neck on the Jazz is quite thin, so the strings are fairly close together. This gives it what people call a 'fast neck', as you can quickly move around the neck - perfect for slap playing, and improvising etc.

Precision: This one is much thicker than the jazz, so the strings are further apart. If you have small hands you may struggle with it, but some people prefer the fatter neck. As the strings are further apart, playing with a pick is a little bit easier.

Body:

The two basses are very similar in terms of size. They both have cutaways near the neck, to allow you to reach all frets easily, without having to reach over the body.

The Jazz has an offset body, which (if I'm right) means that the middle of the bass, where the body curves in, don't align. I don't know of any major benefits of this, but it looks cool...

Pickups: Probably the most important thing!

Jazz: The Jazz has two pickups - one by the bridge, one closer to the neck. Because of this, you can control how much of each pickup is being used, and get a huge variety of sounds from it to suit the type of music your playing, or to whichever you prefer Playing over the neck pickup gives a nice warm, almost soft sound. Playing over the bridge pickup gives a much more harsh & defined sound, as the strings have higher tension towards the bridge (and nut).

Precision: The precision has one pickup, which is split down the middle & are placed on top of each other, to form an almost 'Z' shape (just extend the two lines ^^). This means that you don't have as much variety over the sound, but it's one of the best sounds in the world... It's a much more 'crunchy' sound I suppose.

Uses:

Well, what do you want to use the bass for? Rock? Metal? Funk? Reggae? Slap, fingerstyle or with a pick? While both basses are suitable for all genres you will find that...

NOTE: Both basses are suitable for ANY kind of music, with ANY tehcnique. The following is more my opinion, than facts.

Jazz: The fast neck & the pickups make it perfect for slap playing - quickly move around the neck & get a great funky sound from it. The closer string spacing also helps fingerstyle.

Precision: The string spacing makes it great for playing with a pick, while the sound can cut through anything - playing in a metal band, your sound won't be lost over those heavy guitars...

I think that pretty much covers everything...? If you have any questions, just ask!

The main thing I suggest, is going & sitting down with them both in a shop. Try them, and try them again. Don't pick one based on what people say, pick one based on which one feels better, when it's in your hands When I bought my Jazz, I went in there knowing I wanted a Jazz for the slap playing, funk etc. When I played them, I prefered the Precision, but still went with the Jazz as I had it in my head thats what I should have bought. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE the Jazz... But I ended up going back a year later & buying a Precison

I'll add some pics tomorrow too!

Smaz