I just spent 3 hrs at guitar center.

Chihlidog

Chihlidog

Kick Henry Jackassowski
I came home with the same thing I left with. :embarrassed:

I decided that I was going to be smart, and instead of trading the Mesa for a really sweet guitar, to trade it for stuff I need. I checked out a ton of stuff. The main thing I wanted was a bass. They knew I has a recto for possible trade so they were of course super cool about letting me play anything I wanted. I tried a few Ibanez, a Schecter, and a two Music Mans.

I liked a 500 dollar Indonesian Ibanez better than the 1200 dollar Music Man! :facepalm: This one, in fact:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ibanez-SR500-Soundgear-4-String-Bass-102550159-i1148507.gc

I didnt know it was Indonesian, I figured at least Korean. Nope. I have to say, I dont consider myself a headstock snob at all, but I was really turned off simply by the fact that it was Indonesian. Probably be worth 200 bucks if I decided to sell it next week. But It felt, played, and sounded better than basses twice its price.

I also looked at drum software. I have a program right now that was generously "given" to me by a forumite here which has been serving me quite well. However, I have begun to wish I could do more with drums. I was listening to the radio on the way to GC and that Phill Collins tune "Take me home" came on, and I was thinking "Man, I wish I could do something like this with my drum software.". So I talke dto one of their audio guys who was incredibly cool and patient with me (not used to that from GC) and he walked me through a bunch of different stuff. I decided I want EZ-drummer, and one of these:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Akai-MPD24-USB-MIDI-Pad-Controller-103812038-i1172897.gc

Of curse, I would need an external HDD to store all my new music I'd write with the bass and drum software, and they had one on sale for 99 bucks. 320 gig. Not bad.

I could have walked out with the bass, EZ drummer, the controller, the external hard drive and some cash, but I didnt. Told them I at least want to sleep on it. I dunno. I dont use the Dual Rec, it's way too much power for me and I have no way to record it. I felt like I wasnt getting enough though. Maybe if the bass had at least been an MIK.

Thoughts? Anyone have use EZ drummer? Anyone ever use that controller? Suggestions for a bass? Im torn. I definitely could have used all that stuff but I just wasnt sure enough about it to say goodbye yet to the recto.

I'll probably post some of these same questions over on HC. No offense intended at all, just looking for a lot of feedback and suggestions before I do the deal. So fire away if you've got any. Thanks for reading this novel of a post :embarrassed:
 
Dude, sell the recto. GC won't give you anything *like* enough for it. And, an external hard drive would run you less cash at newegg.com - though i just bought a 250 gig Seagate at WalMart for $69.
 
Aahzz said:
Dude, sell the recto. GC won't give you anything *like* enough for it. And, an external hard drive would run you less cash at newegg.com - though i just bought a 250 gig Seagate at WalMart for $69.
Click to expand...

2 issues with selling the mesa. 1) Shipping that ab would be incredibly expensive, so I doubt it would actually sell and 2) I pay no tax on a trade with GC. They offered me 1200 for it and I am sure if I pressed a little I could get a bit more. The state tax here in PA is 7 percent, so trading it for let's say 1300 might end up being a not so bad deal vs. selling it outright.
 
I have EZdrummer and totally love it!
I control mine with an electronic drum kit.
One thing to keep in mind is that EZdrummer has an extensive library of beats and fills that you can drag and drop to create a drum track. So you may just want to do that, rather than using the trigger pad, and that's one less thing you need to get.
:thu:
 
Chihlidog said:
2 issues with selling the mesa. 1) Shipping that ab would be incredibly expensive, so I doubt it would actually sell and 2) I pay no tax on a trade with GC. They offered me 1200 for it and I am sure if I pressed a little I could get a bit more. The state tax here in PA is 7 percent, so trading it for let's say 1300 might end up being a not so bad deal vs. selling it outright.
Click to expand...

OK, that's actually not a bad deal - my local GC would've offered you $800 for it...
 
micwalt said:
One thing to keep in mind is that EZdrummer has an extensive library of beats and fills that you can drag and drop to create a drum track. So you may just want to do that, rather than using the trigger pad, and that's one less thing you need to get.
:thu:
Click to expand...

This is what I do with it when I use it. Works well:thu: I'm a sucker for real drums mic'd though:grin:

I have a clip somewhere where I used just the stock beats and fills....let me see if I can find it.
 
ibanez is one of those brands that simply has no resale value. their 70s guitars have just started to see some increases, but in comparison to other "vintage" equipment, they're still on the low end. call it Peavey Syndrome. good, inexpensive equipment that everybody bags on because at one time they owned one and are "better now".

what gets me most about ibanez is that they keep moving production and their quality hasn't taken a hit. remarkable.

as for that amp, sell it on CL and ignore the tire-kickers.
 
oh yeah, and as for basses, my dang Squier Affinity j-Bass holds it's own with everything else I play - perfect for recording. Pick one up and have plenty left over for a really sweet guitar as well....
 
micwalt said:
I have EZdrummer and totally love it!
I control mine with an electronic drum kit.
One thing to keep in mind is that EZdrummer has an extensive library of beats and fills that you can drag and drop to create a drum track. So you may just want to do that, rather than using the trigger pad, and that's one less thing you need to get.
:thu:
Click to expand...

OK, so, lets say I get the ez drummer. Can I modify the drum track? Like, ok, I take the stock drum track, but I want to add a fill here and there, and maybe shorten it or lengthen it. Is that possible?

The thing I really liked about the controller is that I would be able to take any song, and basically play along with it, and there's my track. It fixes timing issues automatically, right?

See, I am totally new to drum software, which is the main thing that keeps me from recording a lot more. I want a lot of control and a lot of variety, but at the same time dont want to spend too much time making the track. The program I have right now is a really great program and I am very appreciative of the person that hooked me up with it but it's very very tedious, I have to click EVERY hit to make a pattern, then drag each individual pattern to a sequence over and over and over and over.

With the controller, I also LOVE the fact that it is pressure sensitive. I mean, it really seems like what I ultimately wanted with drums, almost as good as having a full drumset, with the added bonus that I am not limited by the fact that I cant play the drums :embarrassed:
 
Aahzz said:
OK, that's actually not a bad deal - my local GC would've offered you $800 for it...
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think I could actually get 1400. I know how GC works, I was surprised they offered me so much. Plus, like I said, the tax break could save me a hundred bucks right there. I could walk out of there with an assload of gear. biggrin
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
ibanez is one of those brands that simply has no resale value. their 70s guitars have just started to see some increases, but in comparison to other "vintage" equipment, they're still on the low end. call it Peavey Syndrome. good, inexpensive equipment that everybody bags on because at one time they owned one and are "better now".

what gets me most about ibanez is that they keep moving production and their quality hasn't taken a hit. remarkable.

as for that amp, sell it on CL and ignore the tire-kickers.
Click to expand...

See, I dont usually like Ibanez guitars so I just never payed much attention to resale value, or models, new prices, etc. They just never feel right to me and I have tried a bunch.

This bass, however....I dont know what to say really. It was perfect. Now, I have barely ever played bass in my life so I even told the salesman, look, I am a guitar player, not a bassist. I dont think I am going to be able to tell that much difference, they ALL feel awkward to me. Till he handed me this thing. It sat in my lap perfectly, the neck is raw and feels fantastic, the action is loooow and smooth and perfect and it sounded GREAT. I was playing through a fairly inexpensive Ampeg (around 320 bucks) and I was able to get a really thundery sound, a really mellow sound, a really throaty sorta percussive sound, everything I was looking for. Every bass sound I had in my head, this thing pulled it off beautifully. The Music Man had higher action, and a sort of muddy sound no matter what I did.

I was never impressed with Ibanez until now. Man, that was nicer than I ever imagined a bass could be. Honestly, I would take that without a second thought over the high end Warwicks and Music Mans it was hanging next to, it played and sounded that good. If you ever see one in a store, pick it up, plug it in and play it and I think you'll see what I mean. If there were no names on the headstocks, and no prices on the guits, I absolutely would have guessed this one was the most expensive, American made high end bass in the room.

But I just have a thing about the made in Indonesia stuff. I shouldnt, but I do. Getting rid of an American tone machine for an Indonesian bass just feels so .....wrong.
 
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Chihlidog said:
See, I dont usually like Ibanez guitars so I just never payed much attention to resale value, or models, new prices, etc. They just never feel right to me and I have tried a bunch.

This bass, however....I dont know what to say really. It was perfect. Now, I have barely ever played bass in my life so I even told the salesman, look, I am a guitar player, not a bassist. I dont think I am going to be able to tell that much difference, they ALL feel awkward to me. Till he handed me this thing. It sat in my lap perfectly, the neck is raw and feels fantastic, the action is loooow and smooth and perfect and it sounded GREAT. I was playing through a fairly inexpensive Ampeg (around 320 bucks) and I was able to get a really thundery sound, a really mellow sound, a really throaty sorta percussive sound, everything I was looking for. Every bass sound I had in my head, this thing pulled it off beautifully. The Music Man had higher action, and a sort of muddy sound no matter what I did.

I was never impressed with Ibanez until now. Man, that was nicer than I ever imagined a bass could be. Honestly, I would take that without a second thought over the high end Warwicks and Music Mans it was hanging next to, it played and sounded that good. If you ever see one in a store, pick it up, plug it in and play it and I think you'll see what I mean. If there were no names on the headstocks, and no prices on the guits, I absolutely would have guessed this one was the most expensive, American made high end bass in the room.

But I just have a thing about the made in Indonesia stuff. I shouldnt, but I do. Getting rid of an American tone machine for an Indonesian bass just feels so .....wrong.
Click to expand...

i don't like most guitars. all manufacturers put out dogs, and most of those dogs end up in the big box stores. but every so often you get one, and you can't put it down. well, that's the one for you. regardless of where it comes from.

don't take that to mean that i disagree with your dilemma. you made a great trade and don't want to piddle it away, especially on something that has no resale value. so i suggest you check around and see what else is out there. hit up the used shops and Craigslist. see what turns up for $300. in a quick CL search i found some pretty decent Ibanez, Fender, Peavey, and Epiphone.

lastly, if you're getting rid of the Mesa, then maybe its worth looking at guitar amps before basses. that way its a more direct comparison. you may end up having the same concerns with smaller amps, but at least its not trading apples for bananas.
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
i don't like most guitars. all manufacturers put out dogs, and most of those dogs end up in the big box stores. but every so often you get one, and you can't put it down. well, that's the one for you. regardless of where it comes from.

don't take that to mean that i disagree with your dilemma. you made a great trade and don't want to piddle it away, especially on something that has no resale value. so i suggest you check around and see what else is out there. hit up the used shops and Craigslist. see what turns up for $300. in a quick CL search i found some pretty decent Ibanez, Fender, Peavey, and Epiphone.

lastly, if you're getting rid of the Mesa, then maybe its worth looking at guitar amps before basses. that way its a more direct comparison. you may end up having the same concerns with smaller amps, but at least its not trading apples for bananas.
Click to expand...

This is what I have been trying to get across. You said it better in a few words than I could with a paragraph.

The problem with getting another amp is that I have no way of recording it. I originally was thinking about a nice combo and a recording interface that would let me mic up an amp. Prages has been a lot of help with that. However, I dont NEED that. What I actually NEED as opposed to want is stuff that I can record with.

I am actually very happy with my guitarport, and will use it more than any amp I get, especially for recording. I dont have a bass, which is just silly, and I need one if I want to make full recordings. I need more options for drums. I need something I can record some vocals with, and I need storage for my music. I went into GC using my brain, as Jmo tried to convince me to do the other day in a conversation we had on facebook. I could get all the stuff I need no problem, with no cash outlay.

But as you said, at the end of the day, I dont want to feel like I piddled away a great trade. It will bug me forever if I do, even though I have no use whatsoever for that recto.
 
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