Bass for a beginner

[HolmeBass]

Going to agree with Maxdusty and Remyd, don't buy a starter pack, the amp in there is worthless. Look for something used, I'd say at least a 12" driver and a decent 100W amp. But better if you can find something more like a 250 - 300 W combo amp. Then you can actually do some quiet jamming with people, and your bass will sound good, closer to the way recorded bass sounds.

 

[bass12]

Going to agree with Maxdusty and Remyd, don't buy a starter pack, the amp in there is worthless. Look for something used, I'd say at least a 12" driver and a decent 100W amp. But better if you can find something more like a 250 - 300 W combo amp. Then you can actually do some quiet jamming with people, and your bass will sound good, closer to the way recorded bass sounds.

+1 You want your bass to sound good, otherwise you won't be inspired to play it.

 

[Sid Fang]

... But better if you can find something more like a 250 - 300 W combo amp. Then you can actually do some quiet jamming with people, and your bass will sound good, closer to the way recorded bass sounds.

I really feel that someone needs to break in here and contradict the "need...more....power...." refrain that's quite common on TB. 300W isn't "quiet jamming". 300W is playing a club with no feed to the PA. 300W is an SVT. You can do "quiet jamming" with a 50W amp, less if there's no drummer. I rehearse regularly with a hard rock band using a 150W, 1x12" combo, and it's not running at max volume.

If you're just starting out, focus on getting a decent, but not extravigant, bass, and *some kind* of amp that sounds OK while you practice. You're nor playing out for a little while. The club amp can wait.

Now, if you're shopping for a small practice amp and you come across a nice sounding used 250W combo that falls in your budget, it's always nice to have "headroom". But you shouldn't be spending more dollars to get more Watts at this point, IMHO.

 

[Maxdusty]

I really feel that someone needs to break in here and contradict the "need...more....power...." refrain that's quite common on TB. 300W isn't "quiet jamming". 300W is playing a club with no feed to the PA. 300W is an SVT. You can do "quiet jamming" with a 50W amp, less if there's no drummer. I rehearse regularly with a hard rock band using a 150W, 1x12" combo, and it's not running at max volume.

If you're just starting out, focus on getting a decent, but not extravigant, bass, and *some kind* of amp that sounds OK while you practice. You're nor playing out for a little while. The club amp can wait.

Now, if you're shopping for a small practice amp and you come across a nice sounding used 250W combo that falls in your budget, it's always nice to have "headroom". But you shouldn't be spending more dollars to get more Watts at this point, IMHO.

Also consider how much room you have for the amp in your room. Portability factors etc- do you plan on lugging it around from room to room? I do use a 150w amp in my music room and find it perfectly suited for me in terms of sound and size. I also have a 30w amp Fender BDEC amp I have for sale on CL in our local area because I'm finding my basses don't sound anywhere near as good as on the bigger amp. At higher volumes, the sound on these amps start getting distorted. 50w and upwards might be the answer. 100w min if you're a loud person like me.

 

[HolmeBass]

I really feel that someone needs to break in here and contradict the "need...more....power...." refrain that's quite common on TB. 300W isn't "quiet jamming". 300W is playing a club with no feed to the PA. 300W is an SVT. You can do "quiet jamming" with a 50W amp, less if there's no drummer. I rehearse regularly with a hard rock band using a 150W, 1x12" combo, and it's not running at max volume.

If you're just starting out, focus on getting a decent, but not extravigant, bass, and *some kind* of amp that sounds OK while you practice. You're nor playing out for a little while. The club amp can wait.

Now, if you're shopping for a small practice amp and you come across a nice sounding used 250W combo that falls in your budget, it's always nice to have "headroom". But you shouldn't be spending more dollars to get more Watts at this point, IMHO.

That must be one quiet hard rock band, or you're happy just barely hearing yourself and have no trouble being merely the bottom end of the guitarist's tone. I've never been happy with that arrangement.

300 W from an all-tube amp through an 810 is indeed loud. 300 W through a 112 is not going to be anywhere near as loud. It will probably be just loud enough with a drummer. When I started playing my 115 150W combo amp was not enough to keep up with *any* of the groups I played with that had a drummer. My 400 W amp with a 215 speaker was barely loud enough to keep up with the first real band I gigged with- the drummer in that band hit very hard on a large Yamaha drumkit.

As time has passed and my and my musical cohorts' abilities have matured, we have gotten steadily quieter. As a young player more volume would have been super useful.

 

[LazyGecko]

There are so many great basses for good prices on the market it could make your head spin but....

I see what you did there...

 

[VerryBerry]

+1 You want your bass to sound good, otherwise you won't be inspired to play it.

+1 on the +1 . . .

At this point you don't realize just how much the tone from the amp will influence your enjoyment of playing/practicing.
Good tone can give you goosebumps and make you practice more.
You will have to give that starter-pack amp away to get rid of it later. It has little value once you've bought it.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Squire VM jazz or Ibanez 400 or 500 series.

 

[wlater]

Squire VM jazz or Ibanez 400 or 500 series.

Agree with your suggestions, but the Ibanez 500 series is a fair bit out of the OP's budget of $300. At least new: not sure what they can be found for used. Even the 400 might be too much. And to the OP, if you do buy a separate bass and amp/combo, don't forget about the price of a cable and a good strap. Oh yeah, and GAS inoculations.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Set a budget;
Get some input;
Buy used. ALWAYS.

 

[Maxdusty]

Agree with your suggestions, but the Ibanez 500 series is a fair bit out of the OP's budget of $300. At least new: not sure what they can be found for used. Even the 400 might be too much. And to the OP, if you do buy a separate bass and amp/combo, don't foget about the price of a cable and a good strap. Oh yeah, and GAS inoculations.

Used it's possible but it won't leave enough room for a decent amp. Currently one SR500 for $249 at GC. It's not yet listed in the global GC used site yet as it has just "arrived".

 

[Sid Fang]

That must be one quiet hard rock band, or you're happy just barely hearing yourself and have no trouble being merely the bottom end of the guitarist's tone.

Either that, or I know how to set up and EQ. I want my dynamics in the stage mix to cover the same range as the drummer, and I can easily do that in a small room with 150W and a 12". It *is* EBS, but 150W and a 12" driver just the same. The guitarists are rehearsing with Marshall and Bugera half stacks. They could certainly drown me out if they both maxed out their amps, but they wouldn't be able to hear the drums or vocal monitors, either. [Sometimes I wonder if they can as it stands. ]

 

[cnltb]

Bass for a beginner
I don't think that there is such a thing.