First Bass Rig??

[Madasterlrd]

Hey, this is my first post on TalkBass but:

This summer I saved up and bought a Fender Blacktop Jazz Bass. I have a small peavey practice amp and I use my dads old Kustom amp when I play out. Now I want to save up and get a amp I can use for playing lots of different genres(jazz, rock, funk, ect.). I was think probably like the 1000 dollar range.

Also, if there is already a thread on here for this could you give me a link for it.

Thanks!

[JimmyM]

Well we can all name off our favorite manufacturers, but for $1000 you can buy yourself a decent rig these days, and there are an insane amount of choices out there. Check out what your favorite bassists use. Go look at Youtube demos. Go play a few if you can.

[klejst]

+1 to what Jimmy said. With $1000 you can put together a pretty nice and decent bass rig especially if you shop the used market.

[Madasterlrd]

Thanks. For used equipment is Craigslist and eBay usually the best spots to look?

[klejst]

Originally Posted by Madasterlrd

Thanks. For used equipment is Craigslist and eBay usually the best spots to look?

Of those two I would say Craigslist is the better because you can see in person what your buying and check it out before you buy it which you should always do. Also GuitarCenter.com's used section is also a pretty good place to check out. Can find some good deals on there sometimes and also you generally get a 30 day return policy with them if something would to go wrong, however read the find print on that as well. Don't shun your local ma' and pa' music stores either.

[Marko5657]

Originally Posted by Madasterlrd

Thanks. For used equipment is Craigslist and eBay usually the best spots to look?

Search Guitar Center’s “used” equipment on-line. Very-reasonable shipping, and you have a liberal amount of time to return it.

And if you’re not happy, you can return it to your local GC.

Imo, best scenario for buying used gear.

[capnsandwich]

Remember, your back is important and they make rigs now that weigh a lot less than what your dad used to carry around. GK, Markbass, and Genz Benz are good rigs to look at.

[metal_bass7]

I've been doing the same thing for the past few weeks now off and on looking to upgrade soon. I'm coming from an Ampeg BA115 going to some 500 watt head and a 2x15 cab.

Are you looking for a combo amp? Head/Cab combo? What size of band are you playing with?

There are all sorts of different threads on here, I am new to these forums like you but have been reading posts for months, dig deep. I have been reading post from a few years ago and they have helped immensely. I usually do a search on here or on google and TB is almost always on the top 5 results with a thread on the topic.

Happy Bassing!!!

[Madasterlrd]

I just looked up guitar centers used section and that looks awesome! I haven't looked at their used stuff before.

And I'm playing some blues stuff with a guitar player and a violinist. And also starting up a band with a guitarist and drummer.

So I'm gonna look up and try playing different combinations of rigs.

Thanks for the help

[spacebassed]

A lot of good suggestions in this thread so far, but ultimately, it comes down to what you like. We all know what tones we like, but you might like something totally different - get out there and play through as much as you can and see what strikes you. For me it's an Eden WT800, and an old Ampeg B15n - I can do everything I need to with those two amps. Something Solid State - or Solid State with a tube in the preamp - with 300-500 watts would be a good place to start, so would a 4x10" cabinet - folks are also using a lot of 1x12" cabs too. Don't be afraid to buy used, if you find something you like look for a used deal on craigslist, ebay, or the classifieds here - you'll get a lot more bang for your buck.

Any particular players who have a tone you like? That would be a good starting point.

[Madasterlrd]

Yeah, I really like how Flea sounds, I know he uses GK. And Cone from Sum41 has Ampeg. So I'll definately look into those.