Advice for a noob.

[Ghettoblaster]

Here is a bit of background on my reasoning for coming to you all today. I think it is primarily a case of attention deficit disorder which may have stemmed by playing hours upon hours of video games for the past 3 years. What a freaking time sink. Anyway, I recently decided to quit this MMORPG that was occupying all of my time. Now, I find myself doing all kinds of things to try to keep busy. TV just doesn’t keep me entertained for more than 15 minutes. I think this would be a good opportunity to begin playing an instrument. In high school I played the trumpet in marching, symphonic, and jazz band, so I have a decent bit of knowledge in music and theory, but I am about 6 years removed from there and would like to take a new route. My mentality while playing MMOs are ‘Make progress in the game’ - I feel that is how devoted I would like to become with my new hobby, playing the electric bass guitar.

I’m not really sure where to start off. So a couple of questions that I would like some feed back on are…

What kind of guitar should a beginner start off with? (Something relatively cheap / easy to learn on – Brand / Model etc) I’d say a budget of less than $500.

What kind of amp should I get? (Something cheap and easy to use basic features perhaps)

I suspect there is quite a bit of used equipment out there. Any suggestions on websites or locations which have decent deals?

Modes of learning… It looks like there is a fair bit of software out there to help learn to play – Does anyone have a recommendation on what they have had success with when trying to learn to play?

Also, I live in an apartment building and I presume that my neighbors prolly wouldn’t appreciate it if I started jamming in my apartment. Do most of you practice unplugged, or just pop some headphones into the amp to practice?

Anything else you all think I might need to know to make this a more enjoyable experience rather than sparking a frustrating one?

I really appreciate any advice I can get. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Later all,
GhettoBlaster~

[Deacon_Blues]

First go finding a bass teacher or an experienced bassist to first help you with finding the best possible gear you can afford. Often, beginners don't know what defines a good instrument/amp so that is why you shouldn't go there by yourself.

Then save some of your money for some lessons (preferably by a pro). A good teacher will push you forward and make you develop much faster than without one. And more important, the teacher will also be a big source of inspiration.

Play a little every day. Not just scales and exercises, also songs you like and play along to records. When you know some basics, find some people to play with. That will be more fun that just playing by yourself. And "fun" is the keyword here. Well... practicing exercises and scales aren't exactly funny, but they are however important and they will help you have more fun later on.

Some words about the amp. If you want to stay home and play by yourself only, a 20-30 W amp is enough. But if you want to play with a drummer, 100 W is the real minimum. If you're worried about the neighbours, turn down the bass knob as bass frequencies travel through walls the best.

[stabbicus]

For the bass, I'd say there are a lot of Essex (SX) fans around here. Most have done some modifications to them, but from what I hear, for the money you can't go wrong with these. I'm planning on purchasing one sometime soon.

I really don't have any thoughts on a good starter combo amp, sorry. Actually when I typed that I was taken back to my first combo, it was a Gorilla, 40 watt 10 inch combo. I tried playing it in a band situation, and couldn't figure out why it kept farting.

Used equiptment, TalkBass has quite a lovely used gear section. I've purchased a thing or two here with no problems at all.

I live in an apartment as well, and my neighbor eventually got tired of me playing my 350 watt head through 2 15's at 11 p.m. so I bought this little nifty unit called the Pocket Rock-It Bass. It's basically an amp that plugs directly into your bass, and you plug headphones into it. I think I purchased that for $30 at Guitar Center. It comes with headphones (they're crappy, but get the job done). You also need a 9V battery to power it.

The only advice I can give you is, have fun with it. If you aren't having fun with it, you'll lose interest quick.

[JKT]

You are correct re the amount of used gear available. Basses and amps. But like previously posted you need someone to hip you to what exactly you need and that almost needs some face to face with a teacher or experienced player.

Your 500 dollar budget is reasonable for a used good quality entry level or better bass and small low power amp most likely also used. The advice regarding lessons is also good advice.
In lieu of that, there are many good to great DVD based self teaching programs out there, depending on how motivated and musically gifted you are. As you (if you) progress, there is a wealth of experience on this forum that can help you immensely. Good luck.

JKT

[202dy]

Find a good teacher/mentor to guide you along the way. Most teachers would jump at the chance to teach an adult who reads and plays other instruments. Take some time to qualify the teacher. Ask questions about their schooling, what they think is important, where they are playing and what styles they play.

Teachers know how to teach. Sometimes they know about gear. Sometimes they don't. Visit retailer sites on the internet. Read forums such as this. Visit local B&M's to feel the merchandise. You may be able to find a retailer that will rent you a small rig for a month or two until you can make a more informed decision. Talk to your friends about gear. They may know of some used gear available in your area.

Living in an apartment building can be challenging when playing the bass. Turning down a big amp solves the volume vs. neighbor problems but does not allow you to experiment with tone. Unfortunately that is the way it is. Buy the biggest amp in good condition that you can. Turn down and practice. On a day off or a weekend you can crank the volume a bit.

Use the search function on TB. Ask questions here. There is a lot of knowledge available.

Good Luck.

[coolrunner989]

congrats, you've just decided to start playing the best intrument ever! Thanks also for coming to talkbass, everybody around here loves to talk and discuss things and help each other out, you'll learn alot

+1 to everything said above. Go used right now, get somebody around you to help you pick out what you need, go bigger (amp-wise) than you need just to practice, practice different ways (music theory and jamming along to songs). You'll be up and running before you know it.

Have fun!

[Ghettoblaster]

I know what you mean by finding a good teacher... it's like calling a tech support line and getting an automated trouble shooting guide compared to a live person. That is great advice!

[tswd]

My advice on gear, which plenty of people will disagree with, is to NOT get much of a bass right off the bat. Try to get a Squier P-Bass off craigslist or something. The idea being that until you know why that bass is a piece of crap, there's no reason for you to get a better one. Plus, you won't feel bad about messing around with the action and whatnot and possibly screwing it up. After you know what works for you, then get a better bass that fits what you want and need. Starting out, you don't know what that is. So don't spend much money on it.

When you get around to wanting to spend more money, spend it first on amps. A crappy bass played through a top amp will still sound ok. A top of the line bass played through a crappy amp will sound like crap. Get a good amp first.

If you're playing jazz, a 100 Watt amp might be enough to cut through the drums. If you get in a rock band, try to find a 400W. A 200W will barely cut it.

As far as where to get it all: craigslist is your friend.

A good teacher helps. But you'll learn all the technique you need in about a month, so start looking for a band as soon as you can. Experience is the best teacher. And it's bass. It ain't rocket science. Start playing simple root/5th stuff and add to it as you learn more. Nobody else in the band will think like a bass player, so the sooner you get accustomed to how they communicate with you, the better.

[Ghettoblaster]

http://boise.craigslist.org/msg/337916746.html

http://boise.craigslist.org/msg/354708373.html

http://boise.craigslist.org/msg/362470155.html

I found a couple decent deals on craigslist... the pics look okay, but I haven't seen them IRL. I was going to head down to the local guitar center after the holiday to get some first hand info about what I need. I have not yet started looking at the amps but we'll see.

Tell me whatcha think about these links for starters. Are the prices reasonable?

Also, had a question about the lenght of the unit, i noticed most of them are listed at 43 inches, and a few 51's - Does that depend on your size? Is the smaller one easier/harder to play?

[Deathblade Eric]

Greetings from Rightpondia

They all look fine at first glance, but top of the heap by a very long way would be the last one - the Squier thing. Provided it's not a dog, that won't be around for long!

The overall length of the bass is not that significant, what counts is the scale length. This is the distance from the nut (white thing with slots in it at the left hand end of the fretboard) to the bridge (chrome device at the other end). There are several "standards"...

Short Scale - typically 30"
Medium Scale - 32" o.n.o
Long Scale - 34"
Extra Long Scale - 35" & over

Shorter scale lengths (30-32") are easier to play, but you do sacrifice some sound quality & changing up to a longer scale instrument can be a pain - quite literally. If I were starting out now, I'd go for the Industry Standard 34" - you'll find most basses are built to that.

Fender & Fender-style instruments are a pretty safe bet as well, as there's a bucketload of aftermarket add-ons & upgrades available if/when required, provided the basic instrument is well built enough to warrant it.

As for practicing, maybe look at a headphone & mixer set-up to begin with, something you can plug a CD player/Ipod into so's you can jam along at 3 a.m. without interference from the Law - a full size amp will keep for a bit whilst you gain confidence & experience (and build up the gear fund).

Enjoy the blisters, they're worth it.

Pete.