Advice for a first bass

Squier!I have an esp they 're not bad.Played a couple ibanezs wasn,t impressed.Used to own fender jazz went to purchase another and ended up with a Squier.Their deluxe and vm series are as good as any fender i tried at guitar center at in some cases a quarter of the price.I'm sure you'll see plenty of arguements aginst that now but read some posts on here from some people that will try them out instead of turning their nose up and walking by.

 

i would go with Squier. the quality is really good for a low end brand. also, if you want, a Mexican Standard Fender is about 479 new. they play grat and feel great.

 

Yeah, a mexican made standard fits in that price perfectly, and to be honest thats probably what I'd get (http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-Standard-Jazz-Bass-516042-i1148889.gc)

 

then go with the squier deluxe V active jazz. I own that one and it sound and plays awsome. there is a whole thread devoted to this bass about 20 pages.take a look.

 

I have also been playing for 1 year now and looking to spend about £400, but i need a left handed bass. I play a lot o funk and slap, any advise as i really dont know what would be best.

 

the vm jazz is great for that, as well as the deluxe V it has wide string spacing for a 5string which is what drew me to try it cuase i do alot of slap

 

I own a SR505. I love it! It's very comfortable and it has a slim neck for a fiver. Doesn't weigh much either. This is my "go to" bass at the moment. I call her Elaine

Hmm... I was always told Squires were lame. Could this be the guitar only? please lay down some knowledge.

 

Actually, the Ibanez SR405 or SR505 would have been my suggestions. You should be able to figure out, over time, what you like and dislike about bass models from those two basses and expand, augment or re-tailor your collection from there.

 

Timothy--don't distrust your own judgement. You have played and seen a number of instruments. You are experienced enough to make a good selection. You will no doubt own more than one bass in this life. Find one from what is available that makes you enjoy playing and hearing it. YOUR opinion is what matters. You are a bassist!

 

The SR505 has a fantastic track record - I'm not a big fan of ESP LTD because of sub-par workmanship on two I've owned.

The necks are the same width, but the SR is much thinner front-to-back, and feels better IMO.

I'd get the SR without a second thought ..... like ^ said the SR405 is real nice too - doesn't have barts, but sounds great too.

 

Can you get used stuff in your country?

 

Peronsally, I like the Ibanez a lot better.

 

I would also choose Ibanez. Good luck

 

1. Play the different basses.

2. Take into account the styles of music you're wanting to play and make sure that the bass you choose is versatile enough to get the sounds you're needing.

3. Trust your ears and hands and go with whichever you like the sound and feel of best and most importantly whichever motivates you to practice more.

( Keep in mind that there's a vast majority of avid Fender fans here that will push you toward Fenders (or Squier) basses beyond all others. Their reasoning will be "They're great basses", or "I play one", or "Look how many people play them". None of which mean that they're right for 'you'. Only you an decide what is right for you.)

 

Listen, buddy, get on the Fender bandwagon or we're gonna run ya outta town on a rail. Don't say ya haven't been warned.

Seriously, your advice is spot on. OP needs to find a bass that excites them, not what excites us.

 

Unless the store has an INCREDIBLE return policy on a bass that you have to order and pay up front for, I would HIGHLY recommend that you buy one that you have played. The Ibanez SRs are fabulous basses, and for those recommending the Fenders, please keep in mind that a) in India, they're not going to be priced the same and b) they have a MUCH wider spacing than the Ibanez SRs. I have owned several Ibanezes and Fenders, and think that you'd be happier with the Ibanez. That being said, there's NOTHING wrong with any Yamaha 5 that you might like. Seriously trust YOU'RE judgment, even though you don't feel like you've played very long. Jim's right that this is likely not going to be the only bass you'll ever own. Buy the one that feels and sounds best to you today, and don't second guess yourself.