Equipment needed? for a newbie

[CalLum]

ok so im not sure if this was the right place on the forum i hope it is but anyways. Now i am planning on learning the bass guitar and have researched and looked around a bit on the internet. i have decided on a few things but am not sure on others, also i would like to know what equipment is essential for playing. I plan to start some music lessons in january.

im a bit tight on cash at the moment but here are some things i was thinking of:

Yamaha RBX170: i played this bass in store and thought it was good.

Marshall MB30 Mk2 amp: now ive never actually played on one of these but there 30 watts for £84 which sounds cheap, also ive heard marshall has a good reputation. However will this be very durable and is 30 watts anygood? are there any other amps that are better for a similar price?

a cable of somesort? to connect the amp to the guitar?

pics,
a bag,
a strap.
Will i need a tuner?

Also i dont plan to do any gigs until im good enough, so at least a few years?

[i_got_a_mohawk]

30 watts isnt that much, but its enough to get you going, and more than enough for practicing by yourself.

I had a marshall 25 watt amp in the past that was almost inaudible, but i think it was dodgy to be honest.

One wee practice amp i like is the Peavey Max110 and the Ashdown AfterEight (the larger models are also quite nice), got my better half one for her birthday. If you look used you can get a practice amp for sub-£50.

Ive never owned one, but i know alot of people who have, and yamaha makes really good basses right across the spectrum!

You'll need an instrument cable to connect the bass to the amp, you'll only really need a bag if you are taking the bass places, but it is useful to have, a strap would also be very useful.

For tuners, i like the korg GA-30, costs about £10.

using picks is a personal preference, alot of people will play bass just with thier fingers As you are just starting out, it might be useful to buy a few different type and sized picks, to find which you feel most comfortable with.

[tplyons]

The RBX170 is a great started bass.

The Marshall, I can't comment on personally, but it wouldn't be bad to start with 30W. I started with a 15W combo that lasted about a year before I replaced it with a full stack, but that's because I was playing out. 30W should be able to handle jamming with a guitarist.

You'll need a 1/4" to 1/4" instrument cable. I'd say about a five meter or 15 foot cable should do the trick just fine.

Picks? Not necessarilly, but granted they're a few pennies apiece, sure, why not? Never hurts to learn to play with a pick.

A gig bag - ask them at the shop for something fairly well padded. You'll be glad you did. I urge you to consider one with backpack straps as well if it's in your price range.

Strap? Anything should do just fine. A 2" nylon strap should do the trick, I played with these for years before moving to a 3" leather padded strap because my basses were getting heavier and heavier.

A tuner is certainly a must... Korg GA-30 is a good, inexpensive piece.

Good luck.

[CalLum]

thanks for the advice also is it difficult to tune a bass do you do it automatically or do you do it by yourself? Also is bass written in like musical notes, Tabs or what?

[i_got_a_mohawk]

You tune a bass like you would tune a guitar.

You tighten or loosen the strings using the metal bits on the headstock, using a tuner you plug a cable from the bass to the tuner, and the tuner will tell you what note you are playing.

You want the bass to be tuned E-A-D-G (with E being the lowest note and the thickest sting, and G being the highest note and the thinnest string).

You can get bass music as sheet music or as tablature.

[CalLum]

what cable would you need to connect to a tuner a regular instrument cable? Also i know it is very difficult to tell but is it a matter of months, years or decades before you can gig? Also is a 30 watt amp particularly loud or not?

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Just a regular instrument cable.

It depends on how quickly you learn and get to the stage where you want to play with a band, and then when that band gets to the stage it wants to gig.

My first band practiced for about 2 weeks, we had all only been playing for about 5-6 months.

One of the bands im in now has been together for what must be almost 3 years, and we only had our first proper gigs a few months back.

So it really depends on you and the band your in, and when you are all happy with playing infront of people.

A 30 watt amp isnt particularly loud, you could probably practice pretty quietly with a guitarist, but not with a drummer, no chance. I used a peavey Rage158 guitar amp (15 watt with an 8inch speaker, i started on guitar) for ages before getting an actual bass amp.

One thing you'll soon find out is how highly powered bass amps are.

Also, the power rating (wattage) isnt the be and end all of how loud something is, two amps could be 30 watts and have very different volume levels.

[CalLum]

thankyou for the information Also how do people blow there amps? i plan on keeping mine for as long as it lasts.

[BullHorn]

The Yamaha RBX170 is good, I still have one.

Got alot of beating from me and it still rocks. Except that one time when the belt sled and the head hit the ground, leaving a little scratch on the head and a medium-sized crack in the neck. :x

It still plays awesome, btw.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by CalLum

thankyou for the information Also how do people blow there amps? i plan on keeping mine for as long as it lasts.

People blow amps by running them too hard, by turning lots of dials all the way up usually, sometimes it will just happen (faulty unit), you can tell if you are damaging an amplifier because it will make lots of not nice at all noises!