New Bassist with questions

[nojokes]

I have been playing bass now two weeks. I love it and have been told I am progressing quick. I am using a Yamaha 4 string with passive pickups on a Peavy 50 watt 1x10 combo.

I plan to upgrade my bass once I am more skilled however I do want to go ahead and get a few things.


Here is my list
http://www.guitarcenter.com/wishlist...px?wlid=278794

I am looking for suggestions to the gear. I am not rich but am able to buy what is needed, and a few things that I think will be cool and keep me interested.

I play with a guitarist running a 300 watt marshall amp solid state & sometimes his 300 watt Bugera tube amp on a marshall 4x12 My brother is a drummer and plays acoustic drums loud (not miced) They both have turned down there volume but my lil peavy sucks.

So any suggestions are great. I am looking to have fun with this new hobby

[mmbongo]

Is there any particular reason why you need so many effects pedals? I think you'll find you won't use them as much as a guitarist would.

Also you should get a good tuner, like a TC Electronics Polytuner. Not only will it keep you in tune, but it will show you what note you're playing so you can learn the fretboard quicker.

Also a drum machine is nice to practice with. Get that instead of a metronome, since a drum machine will also serve as a metronome.

[theduke1]

Get yourself a ZoomB9.1UT A carvin R1000 Head with a 4x10 cab Done for life!

[bassrique]

Originally Posted by nojokes

I have been playing bass now two weeks. I love it and have been told I am progressing quick. I am using a Yamaha 4 string with passive pickups on a Peavy 50 watt 1x10 combo.

I plan to upgrade my bass once I am more skilled however I do want to go ahead and get a few things.


Here is my list
http://www.guitarcenter.com/wishlist...px?wlid=278794

I am looking for suggestions to the gear. I am not rich but am able to buy what is needed, and a few things that I think will be cool and keep me interested.

I play with a guitarist running a 300 watt marshall amp solid state & sometimes his 300 watt Bugera tube amp on a marshall 4x12 My brother is a drummer and plays acoustic drums loud (not miced) They both have turned down there volume but my lil peavy sucks.

So any suggestions are great. I am looking to have fun with this new hobby

This site contains a wealth of information. The vBulletin search function works well. Spend some time in the archives. It's what I do when I want info on equipment. Then, when you have a foundation of knowledge, you can ask better questions. I'm not saying your initial question here is bad by the way. Good luck and practice!

[drummer5359]

Welcome to the site.

[Downunderwonder]

Top of your list should be some earplugs.

It's great that your jam mates will hold their volume down for you to keep up with the wee Peavy. If you get a modest rig they can continue to learn good habits. Most stages are way too loud.

[CrispyDelicious]

Originally Posted by mmbongo

Is there any particular reason why you need so many effects pedals? I think you'll find you won't use them as much as a guitarist would.

Don't go into the Effects forum and say that!

I have like, 14 pedals, and thats minimal compared to some of those guys

[Gard]

Originally Posted by mmbongo

Is there any particular reason why you need so many effects pedals? I think you'll find you won't use them as much as a guitarist would.

Also you should get a good tuner, like a TC Electronics Polytuner. Not only will it keep you in tune, but it will show you what note you're playing so you can learn the fretboard quicker.

Also a drum machine is nice to practice with. Get that instead of a metronome, since a drum machine will also serve as a metronome.

Some good advice here.

First, the bass you have is functional and reliable, instead of upgrading your bass anytime soon, find a good reliable repairman near you, bring it in and have it professionally set up. Make sure the intonation is correct, and get the action as low as it will go and be playable, so you are not fighting the bass at all and you can concentrate on playing music with the bass.

Second, the only thing you should be considering seriously is upgrading your amplification issue, based on your first post. If you're playing with a guitarist that has THREE HUNDRED WATTS, you have a problem already. Most 20 watt guitar amps are too freakin' loud, IME. So, look into getting the best amp and cab you can within your budget and time-frame. There are plenty of good quality, affordable alternatives out there right now, including some of the mid to upper line Peavey stuff (I gigged with Peavey gear for 10 years). I would suggest an amp with at least a 600 watt @ 4 ohm power rating, and a good 410 cab that can handle that kind of input. Let YOUR ears tell you what is good, not a salesman or a bunch of bozos on an internet discussion board...er...uh...wait......



There is a lot of good information and advice here, and there is a lot of bushwa as well, take your time, ask questions, and make decisions based on what you think it right for you.

Good luck!

[MJ5150]

What's your favorite NFL and college football teams?

-Mike

[ThudThudThud]

^---What they said.

I'd suggest looking in the classified section here for an amp/cab.
You'll save money, and likely get more watts for your buck.
300w is a lot for guitar player, but it's quite marginal for a bass player.

I wholly agree on the tuner.
Since you've only been playing a little while, it's going to take a little time for your personal tone to develop. Maybe you can find a used multi-effects that you can tinker with to try out certain sounds to see if they are appropriate. Just buying the pedals you think will be right could be an expensive mistake.

[Gard]

Originally Posted by MJ5150

What's your favorite NFL team?

-Mike

He's from Indy, guess.



(I'm bettin' he won't like me very much )

[MakiSupaStar]

Great advice here. Drum machine instead of tuner. You can pick up used ones for almost nothing. Don't bother with pedals yet. The effects you desire will make themselves known to you soon enough. I actually played clean for 5-6 years before I jumped on the pedal addiction. Amp is the weak link here. 300 watts is a ridiculous guitar head. That thing has to be insanely loud. Like Gard said, look for something around 600 watts at 4ohms. Seems like a solid state head would give you the most wattage for you dollar, but don't shy away from something with a tube pre SWR 'redface' or something along those lines. Get a 4x10 cab. You can always pick up good used ones for around 100 bucks on CL.

[Pacman]

moved to Miscellaneous. Off Topic is for non music related subjects.

[rtslinger]

Welcome to TB my first ? is where is you guitar player going to play with a 300 watt any kind of amp? 300 watts and more is for the bass player a 100, 200 watt guitar amp will bring down walls. Unless you are going to being playing outdoors in a field somewhere, you guys and your friends will be deaf before you even play anywhere. He needs to lose a few hundred watts and you should go with between 300-400 watts would give you plenty of headroom if you guitar player is tearing up the place with a more reasonable but, still loud as he** 100 watt Marshall. If that doesn't happen, you will need to reach for 600-800 watts or more to work around that kind of wattage. I hope you have deep pockets you will need them. RTS

[spaz21387]

Id also avoid acoustic at all costs... new acoustic stuff doesnt compare to old vintage acoustic stuff... If you must buy new go with hartke 3 year warranty and great stuff. id buy a used cab and a new hartke head if i were you. I have a bunch of pedals too but never use them i find that plugging direct into the amp sounds better then any thing you can get from pedals.

[Lowbrow]

That Acoustic B200H head sounds very good and is easy to operate. At the same time, I'd avoid the Acoustic cabs. Suggest rather Acoustic's B200 combo, which is the B200H head in a 1x15 combo. Sounds very good and has an extension speaker jack.

Don't confuse the new Acoustic stuff with the vintage Acoustic line, but some if it is surprisingly good-sounding starter gear. The stuff is heavy and sometimes less than road worthy; not all the offerings are great (like those cabs). At the same time, I've been playing for 35 years, and I loved my B200, and still own the sweet-sounding B20 practice amp and a B600H head.

[Zoa]

Meh, I kinda disagree with the above post, if his guitarist is running 300 watts he needs every watt he can get, and for that you want a head and cabs, not a combo. Also, this way, if he wants to upgrade the cabs in the future, he can do that. The new Acoustic stuff is surprisingly good though.

I agree with most of the advice here. Get your bass professionally set up, with good strings, and take some lessons. Hold off on the effects pedals, and get a drum machine and a tuner.

By the way, OP, if you are getting multiple cabs, get two of the same cab, not two different ones. They work a lot better that way.

[Nick901]

Wait a while before you invest in pedals.

[aprod]

Forget about all the pedals for now and put your dollars into the best amp and as many watts as you can afford. Bassists needs many more watts than a guitar player. Three hundred watts for a guitar amp is crazy. Have you guys heard a 100 watt Marshall tube amp? LOUD!!! The advice about getting your bass a pro setup should be taken seriously. Have you sought out a good teacher? Community colleges have classes that high schoolers may attend, at least they do here in Cali. Good luck.

[hublocker]

Learning to play better is way more important than what gear you have.