I need help please! Newbie

[BassMonk9891]

I'm not as knowledgeable as i should be and I'm trying to fully understand my bass and the equipment to utilize it to the best of it's ability. I just started playing 4 years ago and I'm wanna take it more seriously. What is some equipment you would recommend to buy in the near future?
Any advice is welcome

[kevteop]

Assuming you've already got a bass and an amp and a tuner, don't buy anything until you've been playing bass long enough to know what you need, or at least have an idea of what you're missing.

Nobody here can tell you.

[BassMonk9891]

Originally Posted by kevteop

Assuming you've already got a bass and an amp and a tuner, don't buy anything until you've been playing bass long enough to know what you need, or at least have an idea of what you're missing.

Nobody here can tell you.

I do have a bass and amp but I've only played as a side hobby to kill time instead of watching TV. I just joined a band but i have no idea what would be best for performing. I don't know too many musicians so i thought I'd just ask. Appreciate the advice though

[Wren and Cuff]

This is coming from an effects company owner: Don't buy any pedals or anything until you have a good amp and bass. The best pedals in the world won't make a crappy bass and rig sound great.
Research a bit and buy something with a reputation for being tough and spend some money now and you won't have to spend it later.
You don't need a super expensive rig, just don't get a super cheap one.
Also, this is just my opinion but, don't fear a combo amp. For 99% of all gigs you'll play a single 15" speaker or two 10" will be more than enough. And sound men will love you.
Nothing wrong with a more complex/bigger rig later on, but a simple solid set-up now will get you up and rolling.
Ask these folks around here for some tips for a nice compact quality set-up, then you can get some stompboxes

[Noose]

Just thought I'd throw in my two cents. One of the up sides to being a bass player is that you typically don't need a ton of gear. A solid bass amp, a good bass, and a tuner and you should be fine. As far as gigs go, I always bring a little tool kit with me just in case. In that tool kit I have wire cutters, Allen keys, needle nose pliers, screwdriver, electrical tape, a soldering iron and some solder. Of course I also have back up speaker and instrument cables, and a surge protector in my bag.

The first guy who responded is pretty much dead on in saying that if you don't know you need it, you probably don't need it. You might consider trying out a multieffects pedal of some sort if you want to play around with different effects.

[cheapbasslovin]

You're doing all right. If you cut through in a mix with your Cube, then you don't need to upgrade for the time being. Experiment with the sounds you get on that Cube, read the forums (especially basses and amps) to find out what people are looking for, hearing, and experiencing with their gear, and compare them to your rig. When you finally feel like you are ready to make an educated purchase, try to play the gear you are interested in buying in person. Every piece of gear I've been disappointed in has been one I bought cold based on hype, hope, or reviews.

You could start buying gear now (and that would probably be fun) but you'll save yourself a few bucks and some frustration by being just a little bit patient and letting your education catch up to your desire for tone.

Coming onto a forum and asking, "what do I need to be better" is going to lead you to one of two things; this thread where we all say, "I don't know, what do you need?" or a thread where everyone tells you what they use whether it helps you or not. A better way is to figure out specifically what you want to accomplish in your circumstance (e.g. I wanna sound like a tornado in Elton John's refrigerator) and then ask what you need to accomplish it, or to figure out what you need (I need an amp that produces perfect tube tone, weighs 5oz. and outputs 2000W) and then ask what gear can get you there.

Good Luck

[Donny Bassman]

Originally Posted by cheapbasslovin

(I need an amp that produces perfect tube tone, weighs 5oz. and outputs 2000W)

Yea let me know when you find one of those!!! Sounds like a killer amp

[iualum]

...yes, your Cube should be excellent for getting an idea of what type effects you like and/or need for the tunes you play...shoot just saw the demos for the new Cube XLs; tuner, looper, octave...pretty excellent indeed...looks like the only major thing not on it in some fashion is synthesizer (check out the vids of the Markbass Super Synth, it's a tremendous pedal!)...

[kevteop]

Originally Posted by BassMonk9891

I do have a bass and amp but I've only played as a side hobby to kill time instead of watching TV. I just joined a band but i have no idea what would be best for performing. I don't know too many musicians so i thought I'd just ask. Appreciate the advice though

Well, when you start gigging you're going to want about 300W of amp, and you can always rent an amp for gigs or rehearsals if you need to, until then don't worry about what amp you've got.

As for effects, you should really learn to play before you start buying effects, otherwise they'll just be a distraction from your main task of becoming a better player.

Everything else, you need to gain the experience to make the judgement for yourself. There's no point throwing money at stuff unless you either know you need it or you just want to have it for the sake of having it (not that there's anything wrong with that).

In the mean time have fun learning the instrument.

[calshands]

If you feel like spending a bit of money, and you have a little time, the best thing you could probably get to be a better bass player is a teacher.

Probably more than any amp.