What should I look at? What are the go tos? Def want on the light weight side and if pickup positions offer variety, great. Ideally findable at local Guitar Center to try. I already have bass rig (MarkBass head an 12 inch cab). Would use for recording on DAW and live gigs.

Ive been using for years a 4 string Ibanez with all active pick-ups. Electronics not always reliable, not worth fixing.

I bet @dragondreams could make some recommendations!

For studio work I actually picked up one of the super short scale Ibanez MiKro bases. For gigging I'd want something more along the lines of a normal short scale or standard scale, but the MiKro is just so nice in how small it is. (plus I mostly play guitar, so a 28" scale is a lot easier for me)

I bought a Gretsch G2220 short scale bass last year, so much easier than the standard size J-bass. Good tone, I did have to give it a quick set up (truss rod and string height and intonation) when I got it, but that's not hard to do.

I really like my blue early '80s Rickenbacker Bass, that would be good for live & studio situations.

I also enjoy playing my Kala ukulele fretless Bass... although with the rubbery strings which makes ease of playing cool, it does Go Out Of Tune frequently so I primarily use it for my studio recordings.

I find the standard fender P bass very easy to record and mix well when I use it direct, and easy to get the tone I want out at shows as well.

i picked up a fender mustang PJ bass on sale last fall:
https://www.fender.com/en-US/electric-basses/mustang-bass/player-mustang-bass-pj/0144053528.html

i was introduced to this bass last summer when visiting @ericdistad and @jendistad, it's what jen plays in @thefaithfulsidekicks. it was my first short-scale bass and at first i thought it was a mistake since didn't like the stock strings, and the jazz/bridge pickup was very noisy.

but a few days ago i installed a seymour duncan apollo jazz bridge pickup, and put rotosound flatwound strings on it, and it's been SOOO much fun to play! my fingers are sore. not gigging right now, and i think i'll alway keep my "real" jazz bass, but i can definitely see this mustang taking a temporary lead for anything i record in the near future. very playable and sounds great now with the upgrades.

it's definitely lightweight, and with both P & J style pickups the tones are pretty versatile. there aren't independent volume controls for each pickup like a J-bass, just a 3-position toggle for pickups and an overall volume & tone. but if you have the means, i would recommend it.

I’ve got a bunch of basses, but my number one bass the past two years is a P bass from Harley Benton that cost about $115 US, plus shipping. I changed out the pickup to a Geezer Butler pickup ($100 and no soldering!!), put flat wound strings on it and just love how it plays and sounds.
https://www.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_pb_20_sbk_standard_series.htm

I've been playing my Ibanez 4-String since a roommate left it at our house and disappeared back in the summer of 1991. There is something funky with the electronics, both pickups are "always on" now. I've bought a few other basses over the years, but always sold them, at this point that's "my bass."

I actually still have an SR (made by Ibanez) 5-String that's currently in storage. Something funky with the electronics on it too. I just couldn't get used to the low string not being E, so I haven't tried fixing it and keep meaning to sell it.

@opossum - that is absolutely true, as he has approximately 247 basses. That said, @dragondreams almost without fault recommends Sire Marcus Miller basses something like this one. Perhaps he will offer more specifics.

https://tinyurl.com/bdd7z5kp

The P series Sire Marcus Miller range are heavy. Likewise the V series. They're J and PJ clones. Fabulous basses at stunning prices.

My option for lighter weight and greater tonal versatility would be something from their M series. I have a four string and a six string version. As well as the brilliant preamp, they offer coil switching on the pups: single, parallel humbucking, series humbucking. They also sound fantastic running passive. The whole range feature a blend control for pickup selection, so the choice of sounds is enormous.



Pretty much all the bass sounds on my tracks are Sire, usually the M5 four string, the M7 six string, or my V3 Jazz Bass clone.

Yeah, I've had a few V series Sires and still have one four string jazz bass and they are heavy. For the money you get a lot of sound, though. The active electronics really give you a wide palette of tones. But because I'm a simple man who loves simple things I play 99% of my bass tracks with my trusty old Guild B302 that really does almost everything I need a bass to do. Propably won't find one at a Guitar Center. Sire is still better for those bright and snappy more modern tones and detuned metal madness, for sure.

I was looking at the Sire 5-string fretless, actually. I've tried a fretless (it was great!), and I've tried a 5-string (also great!), but not a 5-string fretless. The only ones I can find are Sire, which none of my local stores stock...

I'd love to try before I buy, but that'd mean a plane ticket. Not happening anytime soon.

I was just going to recommend something with both P & J pickups but I see @burrsettles has covered that pretty thoroughly! I use a Jaguar and really like having the ability to blend the sound from the two pickups with the independent volume knobs, but either way it's useful having the two pickup options on the same guitar. Good for some versatility if that's what you're looking for.

Awesome thanks. Which Jaguar do you have @sollis

I have a Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar bass @seb, but after a quick search it looks like it's discontinued now :( This one's a fairly close match though: https://www.fender.com/en-GB/squier-electric-basses/jaguar-bass/classic-vibe-jaguar-bass/0374560500.html

I'm sure there are similar Fender options as well if your budget extends to that.

So whats the dif between the Jag and the Fender assuming both have J& P pickups and both can be blended? If I get a PJ, do i want a J or P body, whats the dif? Do I miss out on anything if I do PJ vs just P bass? :)

Squire Bronco Bass. For $200 or less, you cannot be disappointed. I used one for all bass parts this year.

A friend of mine has the Squier Special P, a P-bass with a Jazz neck and both P and J style pickups, and it's fantastic. I like it more than my std Jazz bass. Can often be had for right around $200.

Difference between my Jag and a Fender Jag would be the quality, if that's what you're asking @seb. Fender obviously are pricier, but much better quality.

And you're right, PJ setups can come on all types of bodies. As for what's best, or what differences you'll hear/feel with different bodies, I don't have enough bass expertise to tell you I'm afraid! Always a good idea to try some different ones out if you're able to.

I don't think a P bass offers anything that would be missing on a PJ. Again though, not a bass expert here, so if anyone knows better please do correct me!

thank you all

For lightweight, Sandberg do some of their P and J style basses with Cedar bodies. The similarly-named but completely different Strandberg brand do very lightweight headless basses, and the new Ibanez headless ranges are probably pretty light too.

But for a live situation you want something that makes you look cool and feel cool and will be a trusty companion on the road. Go into the shop and see how they make you feel. Be sure to rummage in the secondhand section. With a good setup any bass is playable.

Don't worry about pickups; your amp or pedals or front desk can sort out the sound you want. Passive is great as it means you never have to worry about flat batteries.

My go to bass these days is an Epiphone viola bass. Looks like Sir Paul’s Hofner, but costs about 400.00.