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Starter bass and amp
Ninja Bot
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I'm interested in starting bass. Only problem is I have little in the way of monies and that's not really gonna change for a while, so I figure why not ask my folks for one for Christmas?
Anyway, I know nothing about the instrument other than it looks and sounds cool. I need to be informed of all the different brands of basses and amps and perhaps what a good starter model would be.
Anyway, I know nothing about the instrument other than it looks and sounds cool. I need to be informed of all the different brands of basses and amps and perhaps what a good starter model would be.
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Honestly, I'd get something really cheap until you are sure it is an instrument you want to play. Bass is certainly not for everyone, or even many.
Bass is very very difficult to make sound good as a solo instrument.
It's an awesome instrument, but it is definately one you need to be committed to if you're going to only learn to play bass and not have a band.
When I was starting to learn strings I wanted bass just because I thought it would be easier than learning guitar, and that was a rude awakening. Fast foward three years and I can play a decent rhythm guitar and still can't do much of anything on a bass.
But to answer your question, it's not so much the guitar, but the amp. This is especially true for bass. Honestly the good starter fender (mexican brand) or gibson models will be fine. You want to save as much as possible so you can get a decent amp, that can provide a deep... well, bass...
Stay away from the pack deals. They tend to bundle the same amp that they do with the electrics. It's bad enough on it's own, but it's also set up primarily for wailing on an electric, so you don't get that good, subtle low buzz from hitting bass strings.
There was a thread a little while back on good amp brands. I would check that out for reccomendations, but mine is a Line 6.
amps, look used. peaveys can be found cheap, and are fairly to really good. built like tanks, and last forever. new, look at avatarspeakers.com for some really good speaker cabs, really low prices. heads, gk rb400. i;d stay away from ampeg at the moment, as the low end stuff is fairly terrible (to me). costs way too much for what you actually get.
i typically say look for head/cab configs, just for flexibility. they are way easier to upgrade, and a lot cheaper for the good stuff. and your back will thank you. its easier to move a 120lb cab and a separate 20lb head than a single 140lb load.
play everything you can find, watch craigslist for people selling stuff, and stay away from those package deals. basically worthless. with almost anything else, you have SOME resale or trade in value.
and i'd probably stay away from line6 on bass. they haven;t been around (on bass) long enough to get a good used market. and since they only have combo's (from what i've seen), it violates my "don't buy bass combos" rule. and i really don;t think they have the power to really work in a band situation.
as far as general advice on bass, i agree with amatuerhour. find someone to play with. its a really difficult solo instrument. again, go hit craigslist, there are always bands looking for bassists. just be upfront about your skill level, and most people would be fine. lessons would probably be good. oh, and exercising, because here on the low end, everything is heavy as sht.
head over to harmony-central.com's bass forum for more indepth advice. theres also talkbass, but they are really formal over there.
It's the best resource on the net (in my opinion) for tabs, instructions, guides, forums, finding bands in your area, tutors, instruments, etc. It's like the PA forums for guitar.
Ultimate guitar is OK for bass tabs, but not really, you usually have to fix the tabs to sound right by playing by ear. The bass forum ,and all UG forums in fact, are a joke, and is best to not be visited. Lessons/guides its ok. Never had to use it for finding bands.
The better website for bass information is Talkbass.com. Their forums can have the gamut of dumb discussions, but its certaintly not the norm like it is on UG. And since its dedicated to upright and electric bass, they have waaaaaayyyyy more useful information than what you'd find on ultimate guitar. They do have tabs available albeit not as large a collection as UG.
But seriously if you've never played one before, don't spend more than $150 until you know you want to keep playing bass. Also, if you buy used, as long as you don't get scammed, you can usually sell it for whatever you paid, making the risk involved minimal. So buy used.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
I'll agree to disagree there, but I will agree that the majority of the forums are probably ass. I was mainly referring to the sticky subjects. A lot of those are really, really informative. The lessons are excellent, and I'll just plain disagree about the tab selection. If he's just learning it doesn't matter if they're a little off because he won't be able to play by ear, and it's one of the best sources of tab on the internet.
That book was my favorite starting point. For any experienced playing bass, it may seem a little light (except for the part in the back that has several interviews with some of the greatest bass players of all time).
This book is great at giving you basic scales, fret board layout, Metal/Country/Jazz/Blues scales and a complete section on buying gear.
My starter bass was a used and badly abused Squire P-bass. Which is a decent route since you can upgrade much of it down the road, but it'll never truly sound great. My father realized this and so for Christmas years upon years ago, he went down to the local shop and got me the combo deal they were running. I can't even remember the bass's brand name, but for the money, it was a great bass, and it came with a 10" Kustom amp. This can be a good route if you're parents are good hagglers. (you mentioned it would be a Christmas gift).
Low end yamaha's and Ibanez are good starter basses, what they lack in looks, they'll make up with playability. The next step up from that would be the epiphone bass's. I just got my Epiphone Thunderbird (around $300) and I love it. It sounds darn close to my Gibson thunderbird (which sits in my room, and really only gets studio use, our shows tend to be... messy, so I bought the Epi to be my beat around bass). Fender/Squire has lots of options, I've just never really utilized any of them.
Sound is really based upon the amp. I recommend Kustoms for cheap, but once you get into a money range, Ampeg really is where it's at.