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Right now I have a stock Ibanez GSR100EX. Even the stock strings. Can someone(s) tell me a list of improvements that would work with my bass while also being economically friendly? Thanks guys.

New strings :P
cheaper items would be pots and tuners, if the ibanez stick ones aren't up to par.. Next I'd move onto pickups suitable for whatever tone you need

The best thing i'd say is learn how to do a good set up, a well set up instrument will be alot better than one that you just throw money at.

New strings would be good, stock strings are usually damn awful... tightening all the screws etc up too around can be useful... pots are pots, unless they're loose or crackly I wouldn't bother changing them but you could change the tone cap for a different value to get different sounds... shielding will remove alot of the hum if it has it and that's a cheap and a good move, here's an article on it http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/shielding/bass.php

Then yeah i'd look at changing the pickups for something else maybe but the tone cap can give your pickups a completely different tone easily, don't get BUMS (Blind Urge to Mod Syndrome)

Blurillaz wrote:New strings :P
cheaper items would be pots and tuners, if the ibanez stick ones aren't up to par.. Next I'd move onto pickups suitable for whatever tone you need

how do you change the pots? any string suggestions? i like a really down and dirty, low, drone/death metal tone. so what pick ups would suit that?

I'd say you need to get that baby around a good amp and see what you hear. You mentioned hating your amp in the other thread, so not to say that your bass couldn't use some improvements too, but you should identify which improvements and why. Maybe through a good amp you'll realize that you actually like the sounds it makes!

When I was new to forums I got all caught up on needing to change this or that or the other thing to find my "sound", and I did need to make some changes, however I threw a lot of money away in the process. It's really hard not to want to go from 0-60 in terms of getting better gear, but it will be so much more worth it (and you'll appreciate it more!) if you slow down and make an informed decision. That being said, we're all here to help.

Lots of metal players use Ibanez basses, so you're already on the right track!


But seriously, get some new strings.

Do you like a bright, zingy sound or a darker, thuddier sound?

spacelordmother wrote:I'd say you need to get that baby around a good amp and see what you hear. You mentioned hating your amp in the other thread, so not to say that your bass couldn't use some improvements too, but you should identify which improvements and why. Maybe through a good amp you'll realize that you actually like the sounds it makes!

When I was new to forums I got all caught up on needing to change this or that or the other thing to find my "sound", and I did need to make some changes, however I threw a lot of money away in the process. It's really hard not to want to go from 0-60 in terms of getting better gear, but it will be so much more worth it (and you'll appreciate it more!) if you slow down and make an informed decision. That being said, we're all here to help.

Lots of metal players use Ibanez basses, so you're already on the right track!


But seriously, get some new strings.

Do you like a bright, zingy sound or a darker, thuddier sound?

thuddier. definatly

good words from scruffie and mother.

around here, we get about a lot of gear whoring and worship. plenty of fun that is, however, we should not let our sonic art suffer at the mercy of GAS. it seems to be easy to get lost in the possession of certain gear fashions rather than to create music with the current tools we have. that being said, much of how gear performs is determined by an ever-evolving individual taste... here are some points from my experience:

to understand what a good bass sound / fuzz sound is to your ears, you have to try things out and build on experience.

i think ibanez is a great place to begin on bass. from the GSR to Prestige series, i've never played an Ibanez which turned me off. i mean stock.

regarding amplifiers, there is a saying more or less: a crap amp can make a good bass sound bad, while a good amp can make a crap bass sound good. a good amp doesn't have to be super expensive. just continue to do some research, take your bass to music stores, and try things out. Peavey gear always served me well, also Gallien-Krueger seems to be a hard bang-for-buck to beat these days.

for fuzz / distortion, i would recommend a couple starting points: Electro-Harmonix Bass Big Muff Pi (fuzz)or Boss ODB-3 Bass Overdrive (distortion). Both effects are more versatile than folks will usually give credit. I have both and still dig both.

for other effects, do your research, stay within your budget, and give things a try before you buy (if available).

stay patient, play lots, and see what compositional doorways various gear can open for you...

The best and most inexpensive change you can make is your strings.
Determine what sound you want and go from there.

Rounds for a more bright top end sound, flats for a rolled off high end and deep fundamental sound.

MM

sutarappa wrote:good words from scruffie and mother.

around here, we get about a lot of gear whoring and worship. plenty of fun that is, however, we should not let our sonic art suffer at the mercy of GAS. it seems to be easy to get lost in the possession of certain gear fashions rather than to create music with the current tools we have. that being said, much of how gear performs is determined by an ever-evolving individual taste... here are some points from my experience:

to understand what a good bass sound / fuzz sound is to your ears, you have to try things out and build on experience.

i think ibanez is a great place to begin on bass. from the GSR to Prestige series, i've never played an Ibanez which turned me off. i mean stock.

regarding amplifiers, there is a saying more or less: a crap amp can make a good bass sound bad, while a good amp can make a crap bass sound good. a good amp doesn't have to be super expensive. just continue to do some research, take your bass to music stores, and try things out. Peavey gear always served me well, also Gallien-Krueger seems to be a hard bang-for-buck to beat these days.

for fuzz / distortion, i would recommend a couple starting points: Electro-Harmonix Bass Big Muff Pi (fuzz)or Boss ODB-3 Bass Overdrive (distortion). Both effects are more versatile than folks will usually give credit. I have both and still dig both.

for other effects, do your research, stay within your budget, and give things a try before you buy (if available).

stay patient, play lots, and see what compositional doorways various gear can open for you...

I am absolutely in love with the tone and sound of my bass, i have played through multiple amps and it sounds magnificent in all of them. But in mine it sounds like shit. The main thing I want right now is a new amp/head or combo amp (410 or 210 maybe?) and a bass big muff pi. Like you said, my bass is great, i love it and it's sound; but when played through MY amp it makes it sound cheap and digital. I played through my friends Peavey 410 today (can't remember what head) and he said that it sounded better than his Dean Razorback V....but that stupid, stupid amp i bought....

metalmariachi wrote:The best and most inexpensive change you can make is your strings.
Determine what sound you want and go from there.

Rounds for a more bright top end sound, flats for a rolled off high end and deep fundamental sound.

MM

what are some good brands and styles of flats?

.

Zack AKA Moose wrote:

sutarappa wrote:good words from scruffie and mother.

around here, we get about a lot of gear whoring and worship. plenty of fun that is, however, we should not let our sonic art suffer at the mercy of GAS. it seems to be easy to get lost in the possession of certain gear fashions rather than to create music with the current tools we have. that being said, much of how gear performs is determined by an ever-evolving individual taste... here are some points from my experience:

to understand what a good bass sound / fuzz sound is to your ears, you have to try things out and build on experience.

i think ibanez is a great place to begin on bass. from the GSR to Prestige series, i've never played an Ibanez which turned me off. i mean stock.

regarding amplifiers, there is a saying more or less: a crap amp can make a good bass sound bad, while a good amp can make a crap bass sound good. a good amp doesn't have to be super expensive. just continue to do some research, take your bass to music stores, and try things out. Peavey gear always served me well, also Gallien-Krueger seems to be a hard bang-for-buck to beat these days.

for fuzz / distortion, i would recommend a couple starting points: Electro-Harmonix Bass Big Muff Pi (fuzz)or Boss ODB-3 Bass Overdrive (distortion). Both effects are more versatile than folks will usually give credit. I have both and still dig both.

for other effects, do your research, stay within your budget, and give things a try before you buy (if available).

stay patient, play lots, and see what compositional doorways various gear can open for you...

I am absolutely in love with the tone and sound of my bass, i have played through multiple amps and it sounds magnificent in all of them. But in mine it sounds like shit. The main thing I want right now is a new amp/head or combo amp (410 or 210 maybe?) and a bass big muff pi. Like you said, my bass is great, i love it and it's sound; but when played through MY amp it makes it sound cheap and digital. I played through my friends Peavey 410 today (can't remember what head) and he said that it sounded better than his Dean Razorback V....but that stupid, stupid amp i bought....

... like 'mother was saying, it sounds like you're on the right track and aiming for a good thing to change in your setup. keep rockin' and fuzz lovin'

Now, should I get a 1x10, 2x10, 1x15, or 4x10? Combo or amp/head? Where is a good place to look?

.

Zack AKA Moose wrote:Now, should I get a 1x10, 2x10, 1x15, or 4x10? Combo or amp/head? Where is a good place to look?

You were saying you wanted to play doom and oldschool types of stuff right? Id say look at things with 15s they are the oldschool sound and you can find them cheap because of all the 10's love that has been going round for....... ever....

Where...? Look everywhere. Music shops, Pawn shops, CL, forum classifieds ect..