A new bassist looking for advice.

[Doner Designs]

Saw a question about books and did not see an answer but it may be there. I used and liked the Hal Leonard Bass Method 1, 2 and 3 books. Also the Hal Leonard blues book is very good. It has tabs and blues tunes are fun on bass and are good preparation for other genre's as well. Studybass.com has some good info and tools.

Good choice on the bass.

 

[Dug2]

Just noticed that there are a few baases on here that will work for you

 

[SneKisser]

I am rooting for that bass but im fluctuating between the Hartke and Ampeg when it comes to amps.


One more thing: I am skinny. Very. I do have some strenght in my right arm though and i recently started going to the gym.My concern is regarding my skinny fingers. Will they hinder me in laying down those sexy notes on the fretboard?

 

[Fat Freddy]

I am rooting for that bass but im fluctuating between the Hartke and Ampeg when it comes to amps.


One more thing: I am skinny. Very. I do have some strenght in my right arm though and i recently started going to the gym.My concern is regarding my skinny fingers. Will they hinder me in laying down those sexy notes on the fretboard?

Your skinny fingers will hinder you less than my little short fat ones hinder me.....

You'll find that your fingers will get stronger as you play more...

Welcome to TalkBass

 

[Robert Sperling]

No issue with your choice for a first bass, though with your budget I'd look for something used and buy a decent amp (like a Fender Rumble
100 watt for example) because chances are you're going to want to start playing with other musicians relatively soon, and cruddy little
20watt practice amps won't fit that bill. Only problem is I don't know where you'd look in your part of the world. As for learning there's plenty
of free resources online that will even teach you how to do your own set ups and repairs, so my advice is to focus on learning timing, and
to train your ear to recognize the different notes on the fretboard as I've found this extremely useful over the years (it will allow you to
learn songs easier/faster, and to jam with others a bit smoother). Good luck and welcome!

 

[bholder]

In addition to the other online resources, I'm a firm believer in learning by playing along with jam track loops, there are many free jam track sites out there.

 

[SteveHeissner]

That's a good bass. Buy it and enjoy it. Start playing your scales and learn some songs.

One day you may find yourself playing in a band and having great fun.

Welcome to the world of bass!

 

[wintremute]

One more thing: I am skinny. Very. I do have some strenght in my right arm though and i recently started going to the gym.My concern is regarding my skinny fingers. Will they hinder me in laying down those sexy notes on the fretboard?

You've seen rock stars, right?

 

[bholder]

Your skinny fingers will hinder you less than my little short fat ones hinder me.....

You'll find that your fingers will get stronger as you play more...

Welcome to TalkBass

Beat me to it! Definitely have "skinny finger envy" with my fat sausage fingers!

 

[rodv66]

The advice to get a 100 watt amp is very good, better buy a good one now. Practice your scales and timing. You don't have to be flashy, but you need rock solid timing. Try and jam with anyone yoi can and work on locking in with any drummers you are playing with. For a starter amp, the Ampeg combos give you decent bang for the buck

 

[bholder]

The advice to get a 100 watt amp is very good, better buy a good one now. Practice your scales and timing. You don't have to be flashy, but you need rock solid timing. Try and jam with anyone yoi can and work on locking in with any drummers you are playing with. For a starter amp, the Ampeg combos give you decent bang for the buck

Start mixing scales and arpeggios, and pretty soon you have cool bass lines.

 

[filmtex]

Find. A. Drummer. Fast.
Nothing will help you along more than getting together with a drummer who is learning to play just like you are. Find a couple songs you both really like and learn them. Then get together and play the cr@p out of them. Then go learn a couple more. Before you know it you'll both have learned more together than you ever would by yourself and I'll bet you'll meet a guitar player who has just purchased a Squier Strat or Tele and likes the same music you guys do.
Rinse. Repeat.
Figure out how to divide up the singing duties or (ouch) get to know a singer. Agonize over a PA and then go play somewhere. Now you're a gigging musician. Bam. Time to learn more songs. That's how most of us did it, and you can too.
Congrats on your first bass. I just bought my sixth. A Squier VM Fretless Precision. Been playing it at shows since the day I got it. Welcome to TB-it's a great community. Keep us posted....

 

[Graeme25]

Hello everyone!
I am new to this site so I want to apologize if i post in the wrong forum category.

I decided to pick up the bass recently. Well,psychically since i dont have a bass nor an amp yet.
That's the thing.I need advice choosing my first bass and amp. After gathering some feedback i found that this bass is actually a decent one

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

That's all i have for now in terms of basses.So,my request is,please give me suggestions about gear, It will be highly appreciated.

Other specifications:
-I am 16 years old and fairly skinny in the hands ^^
-I like /all/ genres and i dont want to limit to one,as i find it it boring,kinda.
-While i am flexible i do have certain genres which i enjoy more than the rest,those being hard and alt. rock,grunge,and anything that has "punk" in it.
-Budget is anywhere up to 450,nothing more.
-I live in Romania,Europe so i have to shop online if i want decent stuff.Unless im in the mood for a flight to Poland or so.

Hi Snekisser,

If you are still looking for kit. I can recommend the Ampeg BA108 V2 combo. It is a very good quality combo with a great sound. The Aux input allows you to connect you laptop/phone/computer which will allow you to play uTube through and play - along. If you have Head Phones - get a Vox Ap2-BS. This just plugs straight into the guitar jack and you can play silently back to yourself. It comes with 3 accompanying drum tracks built-in to allow you to get on a beat.
You can download bass-tabs from the internet of your favourite songs - but get an easy one first, The Temptations "My Girl" was my first, start to learn the positions of the fingers slowly and then try to play along with the track on utube. - Good luck

 

[Arion]

Hah, thanks a lot guys!
Already got most of those checked out on my list but the hardest thing seems to (surprisingly) be the beginners book.
Can't really find good material regarding that aspect.

TalkingBass.net YouTube channel is arguably the best bass teaching channel. All for free. It's quite organized, and that's the best part. Here's a link to their website: www.talkingbass.net

 

[strictlybass_ic]

To start out a cheap squire, epiphone, or ibby is good enough, just get someone to set it up well so you aren't fighting it or developing bad habits. Pair it up with a modest little amp so you can hear yourself (never mind if it sounds like crap, almost all small amps do and that's not the point right now anyway). Practice, practice, practice, and save your money. Once you have enough familiarity with the instrument and an idea of the sound you like then you can go out and spend some dough on a nicer (or different) bass and a better amp setup.

I personally really like the Ibanez Soundgear series and would point you to a used SR300 as a starter bass. I went through a few other options before i found one of those and fell in love. You can usually find them used for pretty cheap on CL or elsewhere. For an amp just get whatever you can find for cheap that still works.

 

[tedious1]

For Shame!

3 pages already and no-one is being honest with the youngster...

Where is the cautionary note that a bass guitar is nothing more than the physical representation of a vow of celibacy?

And if we can't talk him out of it, we can at least prep him for the harsh realities of being a bass player, things that took us most of our careers to learn, like "When in doubt, fire the drummer, then rage quit." or "Leave the switch on pre- until the sound engineer goes to his desk, then flip it to post."



In all seriousness though,

I am going to give the advice you should be getting, some of it has been covered.

On basses, amps, cabinets - None of us are equipped with your ears. Play everything you can get your paws on, then select the one within your means that sounded/felt best to you. By all means ask questions, but make your own decisions.

This place is great, but it sucks - we're all a little fixated on gear, maybe too much so. Yeah a rig and a bass are the price of entry, but staying is more a product of you, not your gear. It's a poor workman who blames his tools, but it's a far worse workman who expects his tools to make up for his shortcomings. Talkbass emphatically is not a substitute for practicebass...

 

[MCF]

Welcome.

Affinity pj's are nice for a beginner.

If you can afford the Hartke 75, that is a fine choice. The Rumbles are fine too and very light. I think the Rumble 40 and 100 are also nice for a beginners.

As for setup, find the four part Youtube series called Setting Up Your Bass Guitar by John Carruthers. Take your time and follow his instructions. It is really pretty easy. Just make sure you have the right tools.

As for instruction, Roy Vogt's Teach Me Bass Guitar, available in DVD and streaming formats, is excellant and will keep you busy and progressing for months on end. Make sure you get the accompanying book if you go that route.

Mark Smith's Talkingbass is also a good place to start, especially his beginners course which is fairly inexpensive. He offers scale books and is a wealth of info.

The Hal Leonard beginner books are also a good resource. So is Bass Guitar for Dummies, now in its 3rd addition (make sure you get the cd that comes with it).

I also really enjoy Scott Devine's Scott's Bass Lessons. The thing about that resource is finding lessons for beginners can be a little tough. But there are some there with lots of good tips.

A good resource for picking up theory are the posts here on TB by member Amos.

Learning songs is fun and a way to incorporate what you are learning. IMO, the best resources are Constantine's Youtube channel and Paul Wolfe's channel and website. When you're ready, try Paul's I Fought the Law lesson (it sounds like you like punk and the Clash's version he teaches is epic). It is pretty easy to learn and great fun to play along with. Last I saw, the lesson was still free on Youtube.

Learning and playing bass is a lifelong journey. Don't get discouraged when you have tough days; some days are like that.

Most of all, have fun with it!

 

[SneKisser]

For Shame!

3 pages already and no-one is being honest with the youngster...

Where is the cautionary note that a bass guitar is nothing more than the physical representation of a vow of celibacy?

And if we can't talk him out of it, we can at least prep him for the harsh realities of being a bass player, things that took us most of our careers to learn, like "When in doubt, fire the drummer, then rage quit." or "Leave the switch on pre- until the sound engineer goes to his desk, then flip it to post."



In all seriousness though,

I am going to give the advice you should be getting, some of it has been covered.

On basses, amps, cabinets - None of us are equipped with your ears. Play everything you can get your paws on, then select the one within your means that sounded/felt best to you. By all means ask questions, but make your own decisions.

This place is great, but it sucks - we're all a little fixated on gear, maybe too much so. Yeah a rig and a bass are the price of entry, but staying is more a product of you, not your gear. It's a poor workman who blames his tools, but it's a far worse workman who expects his tools to make up for his shortcomings. Talkbass emphatically is not a substitute for practicebass...

One of the things i appreciate being a bass player is that i will skip the "airheads" , if you know what i mean hah.
Also,being in love with Muse i am going to have a few pedals and effects when i'll get better here and there so no problem about stealing some limelight from my future guitarist.

Find. A. Drummer. Fast.
Nothing will help you along more than getting together with a drummer who is learning to play just like you are. Find a couple songs you both really like and learn them. Then get together and play the cr@p out of them. Then go learn a couple more. Before you know it you'll both have learned more together than you ever would by yourself and I'll bet you'll meet a guitar player who has just purchased a Squier Strat or Tele and likes the same music you guys do.
Rinse. Repeat.
Figure out how to divide up the singing duties or (ouch) get to know a singer. Agonize over a PA and then go play somewhere. Now you're a gigging musician. Bam. Time to learn more songs. That's how most of us did it, and you can too.
Congrats on your first bass. I just bought my sixth. A Squier VM Fretless Precision. Been playing it at shows since the day I got it. Welcome to TB-it's a great community. Keep us posted....

The problem is i think im the only one in the entire county here (Constanta,Dobrogea region) to be this young and decide to pick up a bass. Let alone drummers. I initially wanted to become a drummer but i had no place to practice and the drums were hella expensive so bleh i called it quits. I may be able to find a guitarist with ease here though,there are plenty.

 

[equill]

You've picked a good supplier. I live in the Netherlands, and Thomann's service is excellent.
I've only bought one guitar from them (yes, I play both) but it arrived perfectly set up for the strings that were on it.
I did have a problem with one thing I bought from them; they got enough information to make sure I wasn't wasting their time, then organised a replacement. When I told them I was about to leave the country for a month, they held onto the replacement until I got back, and _then_ sent it.

When you've worn out the original strings, Thomann are good, but basstringsonline.com have been very good to me as well.

 

[ianuaditis]

One of the things i appreciate being a bass player is that i will skip the "airheads" , if you know what i mean hah.
Also,being in love with Muse i am going to have a few pedals and effects when i'll get better here and there so no problem about stealing some limelight from my future guitarist.





The problem is i think im the only one in the entire county here (Constanta,Dobrogea region) to be this young and decide to pick up a bass. Let alone drummers. I initially wanted to become a drummer but i had no place to practice and the drums were hella expensive so bleh i called it quits. I may be able to find a guitarist with ease here though,there are plenty.

a drummer is ideal, but if you are going to play with other (non-drummer) musicians, you may want to get a metronome, or something with a click track to develop rhythm and timing.

if you play with other non-drumming musicians, they will expect you to hold down the rhythm.