Ukulele player moving to bass

[lordlogan]

So my birthday is in about 3 days, i was thinking hmmm maybe a bass would be good for me, so ive got a few questions,

Whats the best bass for under $300?

Will i need to replace the Eletric guitar amp i already have for a bass specific amp?

If so whats the best amp and bass for $300?

Is it a bad idea to start with an acoustic bass?

What should i look for when searching for basses or amps?

Thank you -Logan

[lordlogan]

no advice?

No reccomended guitars?

anybody?

[ben12390]

well first of all, welcome to TB.
second of all, when it comes to a first bass buying experience, and if you know nothing about guitars, i would say go to a music store and play on everything you can get your hands on.

every bass is different. some you might like than others.
personally, i would say consider a squier jazz bass. its got a thin neck, versatile sounds, and you can find many variations of them for super cheap.

and maybe you will pick one up and just hate it. who knows. it's all your choice.

You will need a bass specific amp. well, you can play on a guitar amp, but it wont sound very good, and you run the risk of blowing the small speaker of a guitar practice amp.

go out and get yourself a small bass amp combo. i would suggest the brand Acoustic. you can find them about anywhere, and they're decently cheap and reliable.

just go to a music store, such as Guitar Center, and just play around. ask one of the guys or gals there to help you out.

happy hunting!

[Coolhandjjl]

It is a journey. Enjoy it.

[ffutterman]

You'll probably get some very long responses to some of those questions, so I'll just say what I know from my own experience.

For amps, you'll want a bass amp instead of a guitar amp. I got a Fender Rumble 60, which is a nice one to practice on and isn't too expensive. You may have to search around on eBay or on the forums here for one. I don't think they're produced anymore, but I really like mine and it's just kind of a solid get-the-job-done amp.

You can get a decent Ibanez or Squier bass for $300 or less. However, it may be worth looking into used ones from the sales forums here, Craigslist, etc.. Occasionally, you can find a nice used bass that's in decent condition that would normally cost over $300 new.

[ben12390]

also, dont start with an acoustic bass.
it sounds like a good idea, but they are just way too quiet. most guys still use an amp with them

when buying, playability is best. if the neck is too big or too uncomfortable, it's not worth it.
find one that fits, and sounds good, and fits your price range.

[lordlogan]

Thanks guys

Are the SX basses any good, the folks at the uke forum i regular recommended them to me.
If they are good Whats the best combo the sell cause i want the best i can get and all there numbers in the names confuse me

[chuck norriss]

or you can transition with a uke bass
look on youtube--bakhiti kumalo (et al) playing uke bass

[lordlogan]

i considered the U-bass but its a bit out of my price range

[PDGood]

Welcome to the board.

To spread your money the furthest I would look at used Squier or Ibanez or Peavey basses on Craig's list. You should be able to find one in the $100-150 range pretty easily.
When buying an inexpensive bass, the biggest concern is the neck. Get someone to show you the difference between a bass with high action and low action and how to look at the bow of the neck to see if it could be adjusted to get decent action.

Ibanez basses have very thin necks which might be helpful if you're converting from a Uke. Short scale basses will be easier to play as well.

You can practice through a guitar amp, but if you're going to play with anyone at all (louder volume), they aren't suitable. They are not designed to handle the low frequencies.

[Punk Rock Jason]

Hey.

I would pretty much echo the things said here. A Squier or Ibanez would be a good idea as a first bass. I started on an Ibanez GSR 200 that (if I remember right) cost around $200. You could probably even find one used for a decent price. That bass was really light and played well for me for years before I upgraded.

You do want a bass amp - otherwise you're running a risk of damaging your guitar amp. I've mostly used Crate amps, which have been pretty solid and aren't bad price-wise. I also have a small (20W) Peavey amp that's really been good to me.

So, there's my $.02. Have fun!

[lordlogan]

alright thanks for the help guys :/

anything else?

Any reviews on those SX basses?

[gjbassist]

Yes, SX basses are a good bang for the buck. There are many threads here on TB talking about them. Typically new strings and a minor set up are all that is required to make a good playing instrument. Rondo generally has good customer service too. The selection is a bit thin right now though.
As far as the amp goes, yes you need a bass amp for electric bass. You can get away with playing guitar through a bass amp but bass through a guitar amp generally sounds like crap!

[southpaw219]

I can't speak to the quality of SX basses, but I've got some suggestions.

After you've played something in a store and decided what you like, check out eBay. There is a ridiculous array of basses for sale there, many of them new and inexpensive. Some stores offer free shipping on everything they sell.

In person, I recently bought a Hagstrom HB-4, used, for less than $300 bucks. The thing has sustain for years (at around 110 BPM, it rang for 24 beats on each string and they'd have kept on ringing if I hadn't given up counting (Obviously, that's open strings, the sustain expectedly becomes shorter as I move up the neck)). The HB-4 is a short-scale bass (30.75").

Schecter is worth checking out: http://schecterguitars.com/Products/Bass.aspx

The people recommending Squier and Ibanez are giving you good advice, too. Like they said, go to a store and play everything in your price range. It's all subjective.

When testing, I'd suggest that you play all the basses clean through an amp. Hear what they sound like unadulterated by distortion or effects.

Ideally, if you've got an emulator like a Korg Pandora and can bring it to the store -- bypass the amp models and effects to hear the (nearly) exact character of the bass -- you can use headphones and not have other people's playing get in the way of your assessment.

[lordlogan]

my only problem trying out basses is i dont know what im doing i dont know what im looking for, but i think i'm getting a Yamaha i can get for almost nothing just to try bass out

[Beginner Bass]

SX basses are known for being of great value in this forum. But the answer you'll get most is to go to a store and try them and decide what feels best.

[southpaw219]

Originally Posted by lordlogan

my only problem trying out basses is i dont know what im doing i dont know what im looking for, but i think i'm getting a Yamaha i can get for almost nothing just to try bass out

You need to trust your ears and your fingers and, lastly, your eyes.

Play every note, just do chromatic scales all the way up the neck. It's much more important to hear each note at each fret than it is to play licks. This is how best you can tell if there are notes that lack sustain (they don't ring out as long as others around them), or dead spots on the neck.

With your fingers, you want to feel for flaws, most commonly whether there are any sharp(ish) fret edges that weren't filed very well. Also, by sliding from note to note, you can feel discrepancies in fret height.

Finally, give the bass a good look. Check out the finish. Look at the neck joint to see if there are gaps. Sight the neck to see if it's straight. Go over it like a crime scene.

If you're satisfied ... buy the sucker!

[namraj]

I'm a bass player who plays Ukulele, you certainly want an electric bass (acoustic basses, especially cheap ones, sound thin and weak). The amp on the other hand will probably do for now, though some cheap guitar amps can't deal with the low frequencies very well and distort when you start to turn them up.

If you go for a starter pack, which is a sensible start, then pay the extra to get the shop to set the bass up, or negotiate it free. This will make a massive difference (if they do a good job).

Go for a brand that you've heard of here. That way you don't end up playing a real piece of junk.

Try before you buy!

Don't buy Stagg

Good choices are SX, Squire, Ibanez, Dean, Washburn

Disclaimer: This is just my opinion but it is based on a fair amount of experience

[Ric5]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNPx6RS8PiM