Just bought my first bass
 

It's a Cort Steller, I've played piano and drums before - was hoping yall could give me some tips about a proper amp that would be good for a beginner - but not sacrifice that fat bass tone. I'm lookin' to play alot of funk, soul, classic rock and blues

Nice bass... I always liked Corts.. and surf-green.

Read the stickies in the AMPS forum.. Theres some really good info and pointers for beginning bass players!

Best of luck..

You won't have time to learn to play the durn thing...now you're a bass player, the chicks will be all over you like stink on a monkey!

Congrats and do post what you find as potential amp candidates. We're here to help.

Riis

The little 15 watters are OK for the bedroom. Not much in the way of "fat tone". For jamming with friends, a small combo around 200w will suffice. I have such an amp, mainly for practicing, but I've gigged it too when I didn't feel like bringing my usual half stack. Lots of good brands, just buy a used one. You'll often pay about half.

Congratulations, mang. :cool:

I use an Acoustic B20 amp. I like how it sounds butt I'm no expert.

Cool color on that bass. There is a lot of info in the amp section as others have mentioned. My only advice is do your research and try out a few out before you make your decision.

Thanks for all the feedback....What about strings? I'm seeing posts about flats....rounds....the difference?

That's pretty nice looking!! Have fun!!!

Yes, you'll need strings. Just stick with some decent roundwounds for the timebeing.

Riis

The main difference is that roundwounds have a round wire outer wrap. They tend to be brighter and more defined sounding than flatwounds, which have a flat wire outer wrap. Flatwounds also tend to be really smooth and slippery feeling. Most basses come with roundwounds and for the most part roundwounds are the string most bassists use.

If, by "funk", you mean you want to slap, you'll want roundwounds. The other genres you mentioned are great for flats, but rounds will work too. In order to get a warm enough tone for blues and soul, I'd get nickel strings rather than stainless steel.

Check the classifieds here on TB, you can find a good deal on a used combo. I don't know what your budget is but there is a GK MB115 for about 300-325. That would be a killer amp for a beginner. Maybe a bit overkill if you just want to take it slow. Acoustic makes some good low priced practice combos.

Welcome to Bass! Amp and string choices are certainly important, but for now it is more important that you learn the instrument itself. If you haven't already, get a good setup.

Your amp needs will depend largely on the types and size of venues you plan to play. And your budget. Take your bass to your local store and play it through as many amps as fit your needs and budget. Play the same song or riff with the same bass settings on each amp. Then let your ears decide.