Advice on electric bass

[noblemountain]

I have always wanted to learn how to play bass guitar and am now in a position to learn. I don't want to spend a ton of money up front, until I know I'll continue playing. I am willing to spend money later on if I truly am going to continue with it as a hobby. I searched a lot of bass forums and have gotten some good ideas and feedback there, but I thought I'd ask BG if there were any bass players here and if so, what equipment they'd recommend for a newbie. I'm looking to spend <300 on my first bass...I am also curious about good bass amps. The general consensus was that 10's were great for all around sound...but 15's produced a much nicer low end. Any specific amps you guys would recommend? Any sites I may have missed that are helpful to the beginner that won't be able to take pro lessons? (due to location/time) I will have several decent musicians to jam with once a week, but none of them play bass or my type of music (they are mostly a folk band and I tend to be more into punk/metal). Any advice is much appreciated.

This is the bass that was recommended to me to get my feet wet...

http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend....tar?sku=517444

[Gadritan]

I can tell you now that if you're going to be jamming with a live drummer, you won't be able to find a capable amp + bass for under $300. Yeah, 10's are great, but you won't be able to get a 4x10 cab + head in that price range. I'm not even sure you could find a combo amp in that range, especially if you're already spending $200 on the bass.

Best way to find a good bass/amp for a good price is to get someone you personally know with experience and hit up pawn shops. You'll get a hell of a lot more bang for your buck that way. You just need to make sure you have someone knowledgeable with you so you don't end up with some trash.

Don't order shit online. You always want to play a musical instrument before purchasing. Despite being the exact same model and coming off the line right next to each other, each and every bass can play and sound differently.

As far as lessons, youtube is your friend. Don't get too caught up in doing it exactly like they do. Everyone puts their own little flair on it, and as long as you have the core aspects down, whatever style feels the most comfortable for you is the way to go. I'd also HIGHLY recommend you start practicing finger picking, using a pick, and slapping from the get go. It'll save you some headaches later on, and it's really important to be comfortable with all 3 techniques to get tone you want, when you want. If you learn a rift, practice it with all 3 techniques until you're comfortable doing it all 3 ways.

[Max™]

Well, I'd advise getting one of these:
http://healthskills.files.wordpress....ectric-eel.jpg
drunk enough to fuck one of these:
http://www.flheritage.com/facts/symb...mbols/bass.jpg
...then see what happens.

[Dmitry]

If you're just starting out, I'd recommend getting a combo from a website that comes with the bass, amp, bag, tuner, and sometimes a book to start with. The amps that come with those are really tiny, and the instruments are hit or miss, like Gadritan said they are all different. But look for something that you like since you'll be the one playing it, and once you outgrow it, you can get a nicer one $200+

[noblemountain]

Yeah, I absolutely won't be getting a good amp yet...was just thinking about the future. I plan on buying the guitar from a music shop in nashville...I'm lucky that I have a fairly good music city so near to me. My plan was to use a cheap 20-40 dollar amp until I get more into it and want something nicer, then save up and drop real money into it. Money won't be an issue if I decide to get really into it, but I also don't wanna waste money for no reason until I'm sure I'll like it.

[Gadritan]

Try to get someone to go with ya man. Those guys work off commission, so they're gonna' feed you a lot of bullshit. They're particularly bad about it at music shops since most of them really don't know much of dick but think they're musical geniuses.

Edit: Worst thing you can do is tell them "I'm just starting out." It puts a bulls-eye on ya. If ya can't get anyone to go with ya, research a little and come in sounding somewhat knowledgeable and you'll be alright.

[Zalius]

http://www.rondomusic.com/bassguitars4.html

[Acturus]

Make sure to buy an actual bass amp, and not a guitar amp. The guitar amps don't do the low tones of a bass justice.

Also, PAWN SHOP! I got a great 300w combo amp for $300 and no sales tax. I still have it, and I still love it.

[noblemountain]

Make sure to buy an actual bass amp, and not a guitar amp. The guitar amps don't do the low tones of a bass justice.

Also, PAWN SHOP! I got a great 300w combo amp for $300 and no sales tax. I still have it, and I still love it.

I don't know why pawn shops never crossed my mind. I'm sure there's a million of 'em in Nashville with sob story intstruments. Gonna check that out for sure sometime soon. I got a buddy who plays guitar that will go with me. I'm guessing he'll be able to help me pick one that has a good sound to it.

I saw some 10 inch sub amps for around 150-200...so that's prolly what I'll do initially. All the 20-30 dollar models are tiny little treble speakers it seems.

[Dolmen]

My first bass was a Raven (they make models based on Ibanez basses), and I bought a Crate 10w bass amp to go with that. The now former bassist for my band still plays both 10 years later, and they still rock. That Crate 10w amp kept up with jamming with a 120w tube guitar amp and a drum kit. We had so many comments from people about how loud and clear it was for an amp that's 12"x12"x8" and only 10 watts. Go to a guitar store with a jam room, and crank it up. Look for a cheaper amp that isn't going to horribly distort the sound as you crank the volume. As an FYI, the Raven bass was $180 and the amp was $100.

[Osede]

You can try to go to www.talkbass.com to look into more advice. Besides, I bought a SWR LA 10 35W combo in there from some one which cost me about 120usd, at least it fulfill my needed at the moment.

For me, I would not recommend to get a cheap bass as a beginner. What you can do is look around ebay or the music shop in surrounding area to look for a good second hand bass. I was lucky enough to buy a modified into fretless fender jazz bass with only 150usd in ebay.

[Suit and Tie]

I'm selling my Fender Mexican Jazz Bass for $275 if you're interested.

[DAKPluto]

http://www.rondomusic.com/bassguitars4.html

This, big time.

SX basses are freaking nuts for their price. My SX Quilt top fretless is my main fretless. And I recently just got my 6 String SX Jazz that is freaking great.

To start, I recommend just a nice SX P-bass. Like any bass, it will need some setup when you get it, so take it into your local shop, and have their guy not only setup the bass for you, but show you what he is doing.

[Zanz L. Barre The 3rd]

I don't know too much about equipment, but as a musician I would encourage you to make an effort and learn all major/minor/augmented/diminished scales and/or chords, it pays off sooooo much in the long run

[Dmitry]

I got one of the Epiphone bass starter kits, and the amp with that is decent, but not if you're playing with anybody else.

That rondo music site is making me want to buy another bass which I don't neeeeeeed

[noblemountain]

This, big time.

SX basses are freaking nuts for their price. My SX Quilt top fretless is my main fretless. And I recently just got my 6 String SX Jazz that is freaking great.

To start, I recommend just a nice SX P-bass. Like any bass, it will need some setup when you get it, so take it into your local shop, and have their guy not only setup the bass for you, but show you what he is doing.

I am glad that someone endorses these guys...I kept thinking this site was too good to be true. Everything is so cheap there. I am hoping to go to Nashville in the next couple weeks after I get some more vacation time and checking out the pawn shops/music shops there. Even if I don't find what I'm looking for, I'll be able to at least get a feel for what I should be looking for from the friend that's going with me.

The problem with taking the bass anywhere to have it tuned and adjusted is that I live so far from "anywhere". lol...I literally have to make special arrangements to even leave the property for more than a few hours. Are there any good digital tuners out there or are they all garbage?

[DAKPluto]

I personally use the Korg Pitchblack tuner. The strobe mode is great, and it's one of the only pedal tunes that can accuractly pick up my Electric Upright Bass.

Cost a lot more, but the peterson strobe tuner is really good also. But the Pitchblack is more than enough. Since you don't play upright I assume, the normal Boss or PlanetWaves pedal tuners would do just fine also.

[Ikarys]

Before buying anything, even the cheapest, I would definitely put yourself in a position to play around with somebody's toys. Are you currently taking lessons, or just thinking about it? If none of your usual musician group plays bass, I would definitely find some people who will let you mess around with their instruments first, and the more you can find to play, the better.

Neck thickness and scale is so important for basses, you want to make sure you are playing an instrument that is enjoyable not just to your ear but your hands as well. For basses in a starter price range, the one you were recommended is exactly what I'd suggest to someone, but you can find a Squire or Yamaha bass (and those SX, yeah) that is comparable, and will have a very different feel.

Acoustic makes decent bass amps for their price range - if you've played around to the point where you feel justified in purchasing a combo amp that could stand up to a jam band type setting, I'd recommend checking one out. Otherwise, start out with something tiny. Those bass starter kits aren't a terrible idea, but you really do get what you pay for; especially in regards to the amp, you are going to be wringing every dollar of performance out of a starter kit you can.

[Meat]

dont use a horrible Jamaican accent

[Acturus]

dont use a horrible Jamaican accent

slap, pop, yah mon?

Also, those Rondo basses are very affordable. I personally have an aesthetic issue with pickguards on a bass, but there's a good selection of very well priced instruments on that website.