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An Embarassing question...

#41
Just food for thought: My hands are large so I can't really speak from personal experience, just anecdotal evidence.

I have nothing at all against short scales. If they're more comfortable for you, then go for it. I'm just saying you can play a long scale and you'll do just fine.

If you do decide NOT to get a Fender and instead go for a cheap bass, I also recommend a Squier CV or VM series bass over an SX. That's just personal opinion but I happen to think Squier CV and VM are great instruments and bring the quality whereas SX are more iffy. They cost an extra hundy but you've got a great bass you won't feel is inferior in a year.
 
#42
I'm not sure if this has been covered yet, but....

It's a great time to look for a 'starter' bass.

While in general I would agree that used instruments represent greater value, I think that a used 'starter' bass made even 5 years ago is not as good as something that can be bought new for bottom-dollar today.

The Squiers and such are generally pretty nice for the money, and the SX instruments are very attractively priced, without being really that bad in any major way.

HOWEVER: regardless of what instrument you choose, I think the best investment you can make is in good strings and a decent setup.

It's hard enough to learn to play without having to fight the instrument, and setup is often where these otherwise good "starter" basses are not quite up to par.
Likewise, the strings are pretty often junky compared to a $15 set of D'Addarios.

A good setup makes such a difference in the ease and pleasure of playing, that I could honestly see it making-or-breaking someone's initial foray into bass.

If you buy new (or even used) from a store, ask them to set it up for you - ask for:
-Reasonably low action
-Check nut slots to make sure they're not too high
-Intonation
-Truss rod adjustment if necessary

Buy strings from them and ask them to put them on.
Even better, ask them to show you how they put them on, so you can do it yourself next time.

This could cost nothing, or $20, or $50. It will likely be worth it at any of those points.

Just my opinion, of course....;)

Cheers,
Martin
 
#43
nocontrols said:
I agree. If you have tiny hands, stay away from 5 and 6 string basses. Any 34" scale 4 string will be great.

Fenders have good resale value so you could get a used Fender for a fair price and sell it again for roughly the same amount, no harm done. Squiers and SX are cheaper to start off with but they have no resale value. If you buy a cheap bass and then expect to get your money back, you will be disappointed. If you're buying bass and you need to know you'll be able to sell it for about the same amount later on, consider this.
Click to expand...

I have rather small hands and I play a GSR205, which while the soundgears are known for their thin, fast necks the point is it's a 5 string and I can play it. 6s typically become pretty unwieldy though, a bass with a characteristically thin neck and small string spacing would likely be recommended for a smaller handed bass player interested in 6 strings.

That being said, try a bunch of 34 scale 4 and 5 strings, especially the Ibanez soundgears, they can range from really cheap to pretty darn good and have very thin necks with closely spaced strings, perfect for small hands.

But definitely do not discount 30s because people say that it would be harder to find basses for. They're out there, and not going anywhere, use one if you want!
 
#44
Keith Guitars said:
HOWEVER: regardless of what instrument you choose, I think the best investment you can make is in good strings and a decent setup.

It's hard enough to learn to play without having to fight the instrument, and setup is often where these otherwise good "starter" basses are not quite up to par.
Likewise, the strings are pretty often junky compared to a $15 set of D'Addarios.

A good setup makes such a difference in the ease and pleasure of playing, that I could honestly see it making-or-breaking someone's initial foray into bass.

If you buy new (or even used) from a store, ask them to set it up for you - ask for:
-Reasonably low action
-Check nut slots to make sure they're not too high
-Intonation
-Truss rod adjustment if necessary

Buy strings from them and ask them to put them on.
Even better, ask them to show you how they put them on, so you can do it yourself next time.

This could cost nothing, or $20, or $50. It will likely be worth it at any of those points.

Just my opinion, of course....;)

Cheers,
Martin
Click to expand...

^^^
This right here! I have not been playing bass but for a little over a year, but I've played guitar for over 25. Setup is the single most important factor in how well a bass plays, which is directly related to how easy it is to learn certain techniques, as well as how much fun the bass will be to play. My advice is get the best bass you can afford(if it's an SX, so be it. They're well loved by a lot of folk here). Get the bass well set up. And someone here already mentioned it, but IMHO it's best to budget some cash($100-$150, or less used)for a decent amp. Something with a 10" or larger speaker. The Acoustic combos from Guitar Center would be a great low cost alternative. The little practice amps with a 6" speaker sound like crap, period. A $5000 bass through one of those pieces of junk would still sound like crap. IMHO, you really need a larger speaker to properly reproduce the frequencies a bass guiter puts out.
Good luck, and let us know what you choose.
 

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