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Any advice on buying a second bass?

K

KeivMan

Oct 7, 2009
2
0
#1
Now im pretty sure that im not reposting this, but if I am then I'm sorry :P

I'm pretty new to playing bass, I've got the Fender starter kit, so i have a Squier and the little Fender amp and stuff, and I've been playing it for about 9 months or so...
I doubt i really need a new bass, but i saw an Ibanez Jet King + hard case for sale for $425, and it just got me thinking about what would be good for a next step up.
So my question is, what would be a good bass to buy thats a step up from my beginner one, but not too expensive (under $800)?
 
#3
same advice as i'd give anyone looking to buy a bass, no matter how long they've been playing or how many basses they already own:
play every bass you can get your hands on, and buy the one that speaks to you. buy a bass because it feels great and plays great. you can swap pickups, hardware, whatever later to make it sound however you want it, but if it doesn't feel and play like butter, it'll only collect dust.
 
#4
KeivMan said:
Now im pretty sure that im not reposting this, but if I am then I'm sorry :P

I'm pretty new to playing bass, I've got the Fender starter kit, so i have a Squier and the little Fender amp and stuff, and I've been playing it for about 9 months or so...
I doubt i really need a new bass, but i saw an Ibanez Jet King + hard case for sale for $425, and it just got me thinking about what would be good for a next step up.
So my question is, what would be a good bass to buy thats a step up from my beginner one, but not too expensive (under $800)?
Click to expand...

SECOND Bass? Oh my! We are a noob! Believe me it gets a LOT worse than two basses! :hmm:

Here's how I look at it. Each new bass to me is a kind of adventure into new music or territory. On the one hand it might be that my musical interests have changed. If I was into "old school" and now I'm interested in a more "modern" sound. that would be typical of your discussion above. The Ibanez is the standard for "modern" sound as Fender is for "old school". It doesn't mean you HAVE to use only one or the other, but you get the idea.

Or you can look at a new bass as an eductional experience with the cost of the new bass being the "tuition" for the class. In this case often just some used bass or cheapo clone does the job. Want to learn about 5 string, 6 string, fretless, 8 or 12 string, acoustic basses and so on? Want to have the experience of how they all work, sound, get setup, play, feel, tone, music they each work with or simply do NOT work with? it's an education, get it?

In the end I usually sell off the "educational" basses for something a little better but not always. Some times the learning experience is how to mod and tailor a given bass to my express taste and desires. Then I keep it.

====

And then there is the other approach to bass buying. This is for guys who don't want to have a bunch of different bass tones and ideas in their bag. They are looking for ONE tone which they will call "their" tone. And if this is you, then each new bass is always picked the same way: You just fall in love. And when it happens, it doesn't matter what it costs, how bad it plays or how much everybody else hates it. You'll HAVE to own it. Yeah it has happened to me a couple of times.


Good luck.
 
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#7
Maybe I'm against the grain here, but buy a bass because it sounds great. Most any bass can be made to play however you want (with a good setup), but you cannot make a poor sounding bass sound good through any amount of polishing.
 
#8
If you buy a 2nd bass, buy something 'different' (beyond good sound etc). For example, if you've got a 4 string now (which I assume the 'starter kit' is) then buy a 5-string as 2nd bass (you'll probably soon look for a 5-string anyway).
 
#12
My second bass was a MIM 60's RI Fender jazz bass bought it for 300 played it for a year then sold it for 360 (cost 30 to ship) Loved that bass and got my cash back out of it for my 3rd bass. Plus something like that youll still have 500 or so for a good amp
 
#13
1- Being a new bass player, do you know what you really want/need in a bass? Is there something that your current bass does/does not do which makes you want an upgrade?
2-Do you think you might buy the $425 bass, only to REALLY want a $750 bass six months from now?

Take my advice with a grain of salt. I just re-discovered bass playing after a 10 yr layoff. I have a MIM Jazz that I bought in 1999ish. I seen some basses that I'd like to have. Almost purchased a EBMM last week. I decided to hold off until I better reaquaint myself with the craft. I don't want to pay $1400 for a bass, only to regret it later. I might find that an EBMM isn't really what I need. Not to mention, my current bass handles my current skill level just fine. I decided to upgrade my amp instead.
DOn't feel like you NEED to buy the Ibanez. Good deals come around all the time.
 
#15
Second Bass: Do you need it or do you just want it?
Better Amp: Same thing - Do you need it or do you just want it?
Structured Lessons: (you know the drill),.......etc. etc. etc.

It could go either way or might not even go anywhere for either one. Only you can answer those questions.
 
#18
Have you had lessons yet?

If not, I'd suggest investing some part of this money into taking lessons (for the next 6 months or so). I've been playing bass for a year now, have been taking lessons since then. 60 Euros a month, that hurts a student's wallet, but its been a better investment than a new bass. Or get a SX and do both (thats what I gonna do in the near future).
 

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