Conference napalm::guitar

    
    For recording, an electric bass will record more easily than an
    acoustic bass.  A double bass plus a good mike will cost you more
    money than an electric bass.
    
    Both fretted and fretless basses are used in jazz.  Some well known
    fretless players are Jaco Pastorious and Mark Egan.  Fretted players
    include Steve Swallow, Bob Crenshaw and Ron Carter (when he dains
    to use an electric). Frets will aid you in the beginning as it will
    be easier to play in tune.  Fretless instruments more closely
    approximate the tone of an acoustic bass and get that "growl" sound
    but are quit unforgiving when it comes to intonation!!!
    
    For your purpose second hand is probably best.  A Fender Precision
    or Jazz Bass is your best bet.  If you have small hands and/or are not
    picky about the tonal quality, the Fender Mustang and Musicmaster
    which have shorter scale necks may be a good choice.  Among other
    brands, Ibanez has built a number of nice inexpensive basses, including
    some fretless models.  
    
    Are you in Europe?  Hagstrom of Sweden made a number of nice basses.
    Hohner of Germany used to market a Fretless bass back in the early
    seventies that you may be able to locate second hand.

    > I would like to add a real bass line (instead of doing it with
    > the piano)
    
    Have you considered using a synth or a sampler?  Bass is not one of
    the harder instruments to make sound "real".
    
    $300 may not get you a great synth, and probably will not get you
    a sampler.  But remember, that a synth, even a lower end synth,
    can do a lot more than a bass can.
    
    I've heard great bass sounds (among other things) from a Casio CZ-101 which 
    I've seen go for as little as $175.  And the CZ-101 has MIDI so you
    can start adding MIDI modules (keyboardless MIDI sound generating
    devices) which tend to be much less expensive and more flexible than
    MIDI keyboards.
    
    	db

    If you decide to go with a real bass, budget some of your money
    for a bass compressor; a fairly inexpensive stomp box will do.
    Using a compressor in the signal path to the recorder will make
    it much easier to get a good, even recorded sound.

    I have been pleased with the Porta 05 recording both electric and
    synthesized bass.  The prior notes have contained great suggestions
    that some of us have learned only after time-consuming experimentation.
    
    Using a mid-prices Ibanez plugged in directly, the results were
    far better than I expected - but adding compression will help. Using
    a mike on a 15" speaker gives more depth to the tone.  Those EQ
    controls on the deck are easy to overuse.
    
    For the synth, which is Roland, a wide range of patches can be
    found, including Acoustic Bass.  And then there is a Valhalla patch
    called Jaco Fave !  The keyboard requires a different technique,
    and in my opinion does not create as fat a bass sound as the
    electric - but this is fine in songs that don't need wall shaking
    support.  The synth bass has worked well in the R&B band I jam
    with also.
    
    As an instrument to learn, the bass is its own kind of instrument
    having tonal, rhythmic and movement characteristics of its own,
    which all have a learning curve.  If you already know the
    keyboard, and you don't plan to feature bass solos in your
    music, then the synthesizer approach sounds very effective and
    quick to get up on.  I have heard that the Mini-Moog is great
    for bass.  Good Luck !