beginner looking for help: J&D S4B Bass guitar

R

redpoppy

New member
Hi all,

Im new to this place and only recently started playing the bass. Im really clueless about the world of guitars and such (i play piano)...so my research has been limited to the internet reviews and some kind sales peeps at music/guitar shops.

I've been practicing on a Yamaha BBN4 III the last 3 months (belongs to a friend) and I really like the tone and J style pickups and the string spacings work for my right hand, although the frets are kinda far apart (but my fingers are slowly developing strength i think).

I've played on a Ibanez soundgear (sorry no idea what series but quite highend i think) as well and though I like the fretboard, i find the strings too close together and im not used to the position of the pickups (split style i think) ... i dont know where or how to place my fingers and my fingers keep getting stuck in the strings heh...This might sound really dumb but for these reasons im keen on getting a j-style 4 string passive bass. I dont need a fancy one and my budget for a brand new one is ideally below $500.

I've checked out the usual recommended basses for beginners (yamaha RBX, ibanez GSR series), but the ones that i like from yamaha that fit my criteria are expensive (the BB range) and i dont like that the IBanez uses an active pickup. Im partial to this one by J&D :

http://www.jandd-guitars.com/jd-s4b.htm.

Ive tried it out at Ranking Sports (bras brasah) and it sounded nice. i like the tone and its quite playable to me ... and i like the finish lol. but im not an objective judge of basses cos of my limited knowledge so i'd greatly appreciate any input from you guys.ARe J&D basses reliable? Im also open to other suggestions....

thanks for reading :)
 
not many people use them... with my limited bass knowledge, coz i've ventured into them, yamaha and ibanez are among the best... go check out swee lee bras besah or sims drive, or go to the yamaha combo shop... look around and check websites... the great john myung of dream theatre himself is using a yamaha one... the j&d ones look real good but yeah... its like around average...


haha, mine is like this rather old aria pro 2 FB series thing... old but lovely...
 
a Craftsman bass? i tried one at the soft outing and i'm actually quite amazed that it can produce good tones. went over to citymusic and again. pretty happy with the sound.

i'm thinking about buying one to play at home. :)
 
3notesAbar..u sure lurve using the phrase bang for a buck..heh.no offence.
 
j and d produces good quality guitars, even though they're not so well known and made in taiwan. i bot a les paul imitation and my friend actually said its better than his 57 vintage fender...it was very well setup by the guy at the shop(ranking), he lowered my bridge(im still a noob), raised the pickups slightly and then the axe was perfect.
 
reliability? nope, that' something you'll have to ask a longterm craftsman bass player. i haven't bought one.

playability? yes, in general, i thought for $200 bucks, the craftsman basses played as well as many other brands i played. if there were minor finish problems, i certainly didn't notice it! :wink:
 
Hey,

thanks for all the replies. checked in over the weekend and didnt get any so am really surprised with the reponse :p

thor666>> Hi there, maybe i misunderstood your post, but im not referring to a Craftsman bass. I did check them out at citymusic and was told its their inhouse brand, manufactured in China i believe. Im not a snob when it comes to such things, but i wasnt impressed with the tone, playability or finish of the craftsman basses. It could just be me and my limited experience though. :oops:

3notesAbar >> Its not a translucent red one, but has a solid reddish ash body. it looks like this (hope this works)

[/img]http://www.jandd-guitars.com/jd-s4b.htm.

distorted_soul >> Hey thanks for your suggestions. I have checked out the places you mentioned. Im abit hesitant to get a Ibanez cos they are mostly active pickups, and I dont think im ready to deal with that right now. The JnD one is the most similar I can find in terms of tone and playability (in my price range) to the Yamaha BBN4 series that I have been practicing on (thanks to a very generous friend). I also like that its not as heavy as those BB basses.

Flying_V >> hey any chance the one you bought is the one Im interested in? (see url i posted). You got yours from Ranking Sports? Sounds like you're really happy with it ...May i know how much you paid for yours ? :)


Im desperate to run out and buy it right now. only thing stopping me from doing so is Im a bit of a worrywart and i'd like to know more people's experiences (good or bad) with JnD basses before I invest in one. I've only come across 2 reviews for this model online (which happen to be really good).

thanks for everyone's responses... really appreciate it.
 
oh and another one ... I know this probably isnt the place to ask this but anyone have recommendations for 121 bass lessons?

Preferably not yamaha music school (nothing against yamaha, just the inflexibility).

Oh ... and better yet if the teacher is a girl :D


edited to add that redpoppy is a girl too
 
Well, thor was suggesting you could try a craftsman. Uhm well, since you might not be confident in choosing a bass because of your limited experience, try to find someone more experienced to go with you when trying out basses, it helps.
 
anyone tried the stingray copy by craftsmen? feel like getting one but the color is not to my taste, prob getting olp instead but wanna hear some comments on this first
 
regarding the teacher, you can contact wendy phua of zhen.com.sg . she's a bass teacher and of course, female.
 
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