Looking for my First Bass

Deechord · #1 01-07-2013, 02:03 PM

Been checking out the CL as well as the classifieds here. Noodled around with some Ibanez stuff over at GC. Like the way they feel. Been playing my buddies Fender jazz....(heavy) when we jam. Been playing guitar for about a year.
Have not played any Peavy's but there is a Millenium for sale....have not contacted the owner...so it might be sold. It has upgraded VFL humbuckers on it. I think I am looking for something with P/J pups. I lean towards rock....and blues. But at this point I am open. This Bass "thing" done grabbed me but good!

NYCbassist · #2 01-07-2013, 02:11 PM

The Peaveys are pretty good value. They have Usa made Millennium's in the Pawn shop near me for like $150. I would personally rather get a Japan Squier but it depends on your budget.

Greevus · #3 01-07-2013, 02:16 PM

if i were doing it all over again, it would be SQUIER retro/classic, really any. i'm sure they have a P/J configuration through the years. i bought one for $200 in '96 and i still play it. i picked up a Classic Vibe at GC about a year ago and i was amazed it was new for $300. very nice stuff and great value, all purpose, easy to mod, easy to flip.

my main basses are older Ibanez (Blazer/Roadstar), but they are beefier than Fenders and the newer Ibanez stuff. i play two P/J Roadstars and i remove the J pups. i'm a P guy.

i also think Peavey has always been underrated. they got a bad rap through the years for some reason, but their stuff is always sturdy. always heavy too it seems.

hrodbert696 · #4 01-07-2013, 02:18 PM

What's your budget? Bass is going to feel heavy if you're used to guitar, that's just the fact of it, but some are heavier than others. Some are a little slimmer in the body. Schecter Stilettos, some of the Ibanez models, the Washburn Taurus come to mind. You might try the Squier VM Jaguar if you like P/J pickups. The Yamaha BB424 is also a great P/J bass but it's heavy (BB stands for "broad body" if I remember right).

Welcome to the low end!

Deechord · #5 01-07-2013, 02:22 PM

Budget in the $300-500. I figure that should get me something decent.

Deechord · #6 01-07-2013, 02:26 PM

Yes...guess I'm going to have to "Man Up" if I want to play Bass. LOL

3234718 · #7 01-07-2013, 02:29 PM

Used carvin.

MyMusic · #8 01-07-2013, 02:55 PM

Just keep trying them you'll soon find your dream.

Joe Louvar · #9 01-07-2013, 03:01 PM

You should be able to get a great used bass for $300-$500. When buying a secondhand bass, make sure you look at it carefully checking for damage, like any major or hairline cracks, bent tuners, warped neck, frets, stripped or missing springs, screws, noisy pots, after market parts, etc, and if everything checks out and it sounds good and you like the price - go for it. Oh, and remember the action (setup) can always be changed to best suit your playing - so keep that in mind when buying.

mogpipe · #10 01-07-2013, 03:16 PM

Squier Vintage 70's Modified Jazz. All the way! I just got one and I LOVE it! For under $300.00, it's a no brainer. Do some research, read the reviews. Order it through zZounds.com, and they split it into 4 payments! Easy way to get a great bass!!

Ron G · #11 01-07-2013, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deechord

Been checking out the CL as well as the classifieds here. Noodled around with some Ibanez stuff over at GC. Like the way they feel. Been playing my buddies Fender jazz....(heavy) when we jam. Been playing guitar for about a year.
Have not played any Peavy's but there is a Millenium for sale....have not contacted the owner...so it might be sold. It has upgraded VFL humbuckers on it. I think I am looking for something with P/J pups. I lean towards rock....and blues. But at this point I am open. This Bass "thing" done grabbed me but good!

What style of music do you like and who is your favorite bass player?

My first bass was a jazz, but I'm a big Motown fan switched to a p-bass. The jazz just did not sound right.

Kmonk · #12 01-07-2013, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deechord

Budget in the $300-500. I figure that should get me something decent.

You can get some nice used Ibanez or Spector Legend in this price range. I have even seen some MIA Fenders for a couple hundreds more.

NYCbassist · #13 01-07-2013, 04:08 PM

I just played a Gorgeous Charvel CX 490 . Trust me you don't need to spend over $200. This one was a very Dark Blue. P/J configuration and MIJ. Not positive of year but I can find out tomorrow and get Serial# for you.

Malak the Mad · #14 01-08-2013, 02:42 AM

First off, I have to heartily agree with anyone who says "try lots and see what you like best". That being said, I do have some suggestions based on your original post. Specifically...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deechord

Been playing guitar for about a year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deechord

I think I am looking for something with P/J pups.I lean towards rock....and blues. But at this point I am open.

I've heard many a tale of guitarists-turned-bassists who've turned to either lighter models or short-scale basses. Here's just a few;

Fender or Squier Mustang Bass: 30" short scale neck. There are two different Squiers, both easily within your price range. The Fender would have to be a used item. Neither has a P/J pickup config, but I've heard very good reviews of the Duncan Designed pickups the VM Mustang carries.

Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar SS: 30" short scale. This DOES have a P/J config. It's light as all hell, and as a bonus, is well under your budget.

Okay, I have to be totally honest here, the next two are my personal faves. I'm terribly biased towards them, but that doesn't mean I don't stand behind my logical reasons for hawking the crap outta them!

Squier Standard P-Bass Special: You'd have to find a used one of these. Squier discontinued the Standard Line a few years ago, but I see them frequently as used or refurbished (e.g.: Guitar Center's used site almost always has one or two listed). It's a little lighter than a straight-up P-Bass, has a slimmer Jazz neck and has a P/J config. One would easily be within your budget. The two I own cost $250 and $125 respectively.

Fender Aerodyne Jazz: This is not a typical Jazz bass, by any stretch. Despite it's standard Jazz 34" scale length, it's a very light bass (8.5 lbs) due to it's carved-top body and tighter neck radius (7.5" instead of 9.5"). It also has the P/J config you've been leaning towards. This one would definitely have to be found used. I usually see them going for $400 to $500 used, but I lucked out and got mine for $376. I could go on for a long, long time about it, but I'll wrap it up with one last thing; it sounds great, especially once I installed a Drop-D de-tuner and found some strings that compliments the P/J config.

And now for the obligatory pics…

Deechord · #15 01-08-2013, 03:12 AM

Malak...you want to sell me the the gray one????? LOL

Kuroth · #16 01-08-2013, 06:24 AM

Music Man Bongo but you would have to go up a bit in your budget for a used one..

I too was looking for my first bass and was looking in that price range and then decided what the heck, If I stay in that price range I bet I buy 2 basses within a year so spent the extra $$$ and moved up to the little more expensive one that I think will keep the GAS away for a long while..

Light weight, Thin fast neck, killer tone.. I just love mine..

SteveHeissner · #17 01-08-2013, 06:28 AM

I started with a Peavey Grind as one of my starter basses. Today if I were starting all over again I'd go with one of the Squier VM or CV's in the $300 range. Very nice basses. In fact, I have a VM Jazz as a backup to my Fender American P-bass. I don't think you can go wrong with the basses that Squier is making these days. If my budget was in the $700 range I'd go with a Warwick Corvette Double Buck Rockbass. Good luck.

PJMiDi · #18 01-08-2013, 06:35 AM

80's MIJ Squiers, the new VM/CB Squiers, Peavey Fury, Spector Legend, G&L tribute. There's an ton of good instruments for under 500 used. Those are just some I'd look to try out.

marcray · #19 01-08-2013, 06:37 AM

Fender Modern Player Jaguar that I tried at GC a couple of months ago was the nicest neck in there, sounded excellent, P/J config. That and the Squier Precision classic vibe 54 (I guess) felt better than any other Fender in there and they were both around $300. The Squier was way under I believe.

Aznslappadabass · #20 01-08-2013, 08:11 AM

With some obvious bias you can try a used sterling my musicman ray34 or sb14 (in my experience the ray has a been harder for guitarists to pick up and use over the sb14 which they all seemed to universally love for its sound and how relatively small and light it was. I'd say the sbmm sb14 is a good option as well. As always try before you buy as the best opinion that matters on the right bass for you is yours.