Hail

I know this should probably be in the gear thread, but I figured that more bass players are going to check this board than the gear board and it is probably the opinions of bass players that is going to help me the most here... plus I also thought I would be better off putting all my questions in one thread, so hopefully this is ok!

I have been playing guitar a few years, and recently decided that I wanted to have a go with bass. I picked up an Epiphone Explorer a few months back, I like it... nice to play, but have put off buying an amp as money is a bit tight and I wasn't in a serious band - until now. I am doing bass (obviously) and backing vocals in a black metal band with some tech death thrown in here and there, so I have been using a plectrum as there are a lot of trem. riffs, but after extended periods of playing my picking arm gets really tight from the wrist to the elbow and hurts a fair bit... I never experienced this with guitar! What could be causing this and how do I fix it? Finger picking is pretty much impossible for me with this band.

Now comes the amp question. As I said before, I have nothing... I was jamming along through my guitar amp before but that eventually killed it... should have thought that one through a bit better as now I'm down a JCM2000... shit. I would like to get the early Deicide/Suffo tone, you know... really twangy sounding! Is there a certain sized cab or something I should use for this, or is it more the EQ settings? I am pretty much after recommendations, really. I don't want something super expensive, as I don't have heaps of cash... but it has to sound at least decent and be loud enough for jamming with. I was looking at a Behringer, as they are cheap and of a high wattage... but I get a feeling they are probably shit. MarkBass look nice, but expensive. You tell me!

Final question, pick-ups. Are the ones on the Explorer decent or would I eventually want to upgrade? Passive vs Active for black/death metal?

Cheers,
T.

Oh I nearly forgot... I would like a bit of overdrive. Is there a pedal anyone would suggest for this? I don't want heaps, just a bit to give it a bit more power.

if your money is tight, try either one of those ampeg or GK half stack kits they have at musicians friend.
as for the pickups. dont worry about it, its not worth the effort, just save for a better bass.
if your playing blazing fast, just keep going with the pick technique and you'll get better, but work up your fingering. Im not telling you not to use a pick, but finger technique at high speeds is more respectable.

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Thanks for the reply. I'm in Australia, so I reckon the postage would more than make up for any saving I made using Musicians Friend haha, I will have a look for the same amps down here though!