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Bass for a Beginner???

#21
Bass Beginner said:
Sorry (i am really new to this) is a setup like just the amp and guitar cable??
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Please refrain from calling it a g****r. Even though it's considered a bass g****r, we just call it a bass.

+1 on the SX

I bought one for my son, and I am impressed with the quality of such a cheap bass.

A setup can be several things, and is possible to do by yourself with practice.
  • Adjust the neck's curvature by turning the trussrod. It is best to only turn the trussrod 1/4 turn per day. Once fully adjusted and it's the curvature that you like (I like mine completely straight), the intonation needs to be adjusted (more on this later).
  • Adjust the string height. You do this by lowering/raising the saddles of the bridge. When the string height is where you want it from the fretboard, adjust the intonation.
  • Lower/raise the pickup height in accordance with the string height. This involves turning the screws of the pickup (they will raise when loosened).
  • Adjust the intonation. Move the saddles forward or backwards to get the intonation correct. Buy a tuner and tune each string to the open note. Then check to see if it's in tune on the 12th fret. If not, repeat moving the saddles until the open note of a string is in tune and fretting the 12th fret is in tune as well.
 
#24
Bass Beginner said:
Sorry, i don't like calling a bass a guitar either, because everyone plays guitar but only some people play bass. So, do most of u all suggest used??
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Yes, my first bass was a yamaha, great bass , I just paid 100 usd, then I moved into many basses: fender, lakland stingray , sadowsky etc. I only keep my cheap yamaha and the sadowsky, the reason I keep my yamaha is because it is such great instrument, I cant get any better bass for $ 100.

again check the classifed section, TB member are great people to deal with
 
#25
You should have gone to guitar center last weekend. Their 4 of july sale had some good deals. a Friend of mine wanted to learn bass so I helped him pick out a bass and he ended up getting a yahmaha 170 something bass and it was the nicest bass under 200$. He got a good deal too he paid 130 for the bass. I still would recomend the squire vintage modified series they sound great and are very low priced.
 
#26
I found an Ibanez soundgear that a guy near me bought in the fall of o4, (i found it on craigslist.com), but he doesn't say much about it though, not even the specific kind of soundgear that it is. He is selling it for 125 with a guitar case, so i don't know??
 
#28
I am actually thinking about going with a ESP LTD B50. I have heard that these basses are great for beginners and they last and last. I have read a bunch of customer reviews, and all are great!!! One guy said that he had his for 5 years and he still uses it. It is at the top of my price range, but i think it will be worth it. Eventually i would have to replace the strings and maybe pickups, but i hope it is what it is cracked up to be.
 
#29
You know, I was in the same position as you several months ago. I had never even picked up a bass, but I knew I wanted to learn. Everybody says to go down to the music store and try a bunch of basses, and pick the one that "feels right". Well, I didn't know what "feeling right" felt like! And I was also embarrassed to try and play one because I had no idea what I was doing and there are always people sitting around Guitar Center playing the coolest riffs. I wandered through Guitar Center picking up basses and thinking to myself "this one is nice" or "this one looks cool", but I had no idea what I was looking for. My friend who plays guitar couldn't help because he didn't know diddly squat about basses either, and the morons and douchebags who work at Guitar Center will always try to sell you the crappy Ibanez starter set with a weak little 15 Watt amp.

Basically, what I ended up doing is finding one of the most popular basses on the planet, a Fender Precision Bass. I figured, if so many of my favorite bass players use a P-Bass, how can I go wrong? Instead of paying $400+ for a new one at Guitar Center, I found a MIM I really liked on Ebay and just bought it for around $300. It's a 2004 Agave Blue and I love it. I fiddled with it, I learned how to change the strings, I learned how to set intonation and string height and even tweaked the truss rod. I took the pickguard off and changed it, and while I had it off, I poked around at all the wiring and the pickups just to see what everything looked like.

Now that I've been playing for awhile, I have a frame of reference. When I pick up other basses, I instantly notice if they are lighter or heavier, how the strings feel, how the neck feels, how high the action is set and so on. And I know a few riffs and can compare how it sounds to my P.

So now I'm rambling. But my suggestion is, just jump in with something that is already a proven winner, then you never have to worry about picking something that you'll regret. Even if you end up not liking the P-Bass (or whatever you choose), you shouldn't have any trouble selling it and getting what you want. I happen love my P, but more importantly, it gave me a frame of reference for any time I pick up another bass.
 
#30
Bass Beginner said:
:help:

Hey i am new to this site and was thinking about learning how to play the bass. I need advice on what i should get as my first guitar. I have looked at some of the beginner packages that some of the music sites offer, and have looked at some of the reviews, and most are not very promising, so i plan to just buy a bass Guitar, amp, new chord and maybe a tuner if i have enough money. I am not goin to be playing in front of anyone (hopefully) for awhile. I was wanting a good quality bass that would last me awhile (at least 2 years) with out me having to pay soo much. I was thinkin about a Dean Edge 10a Electric Bass with active Electronics. My other thought was an Ibanez GSR100Z 4 string. Both are the exact same price, though the Dean is made out of Basswood and the Ibanez is made of Agathis. The Dean has two Humbucker Pickups, while the Ibanez has a STD P. If u think i should lean toward something else just let me know.

(by the way u can check both of these basses out yourself at musiciansfriend.com or most online bass suppliers)
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Hi there. Welcome to the great world of Bass!

The four things you mention buying are good starts- bass, amp, cord and tuner. I think those basses that you are looking at will serve you well, and perhaps even beyond two years. I would say that if you can spend the money, or if you have a friend who does setups on basses, then do that. It will be money well-spent, as it will make an instrument easier to play, and ultimately least frustrating as possible. Not that bass is frustrating- you want to learn new skills, of course, but not be "fighting" the instrument.

See if you can become friends with a decent bass player in the area you live in, if you don't have one already. See if your new friend might be able to take and hour and come with you/meet you at the store to check some basses/amps. That way you can play it yourself, and also hear someone play it who can really give it a go so you can listen. It would be something I would do for a friend if they were interested in starting. In any event, both those basses should be decent.

Hope this helps.

My general sense of things here is that there are very few, if any, dumb questions- particularly with someone new to the bass. So feel free to ask away. I'm here to help, as I'm sure many others are.
 
#31
Thanks guys, i actually have a friend who has a band, but he plays the guitar. So i started talking to their bass player on myspace. The funny thing is when i asked him the same questions i am asking you all, he didn't know. I think he was just a guitar player like my friend, but was just put at bass because they needed one. I don't think he even knows how to finger pick, and definately not popping and slapping.
 
#32
Hi, I just bought my bass a couple weeks ago and I know EXACTLY what you are going through, I had never played any instrument or held a bass or anything like that.
the people at talkbass helped a lot but the best thing was when i went to guitarcenter and i had this one guy help me out. he played a few basses that i picked out (since i wouldnt know what to do with it) and i judged which one sounded good.
I wanted a shecter really badly, but it was above 400$ and i didnt want to spend that much, on the other hand, the
GSR200 I looked at wasnt as good as i imagined it would be.
Then i saw a bass i had looked at on the internets, the
SRX2EX1, he played it and it was perfectly in the middle.
I settled on the SRX2EX2, the same thing, just in a cooler color, white with black trim. its 300$, again, more than i was looking at spending.
These basses are guitarcenter/musiciansfriend exclusive. they look much better in person then on the internet.
Also, i took it to my first bass lesson yesterday and the instructor was impressed with it, saying that it had "nice action" and a very large variety of tones and such.
(It has four knobs!)
I honestly dont think i could have chosen better.
Its in the Ibanez SRX series (soundgear) which is a very good line of basses.

Just try it out, or let someone else try it out for you. even if you dont buy it, pm me if you have any troubles or dont know where to start. I'm learning very quickly and I know that friends who know what youre going through are important.

Also, I looked at getting the ESP LTD B50 too! I actually went to GC to get accessories and then wanted to go to sam ash to pick the bass up, but the GC guy set me straight.
Don't go with reviews. ask someone with experience, i nearly walked out with the crappiest amp in the store. The guy also said the GSR200 is nicer than the ESP LTD B50.

and just a heads up, cables come separatley so expect to pay more for them (15$ for mine) For some reason i thought they were included.
your guitar center guy should point out all the essentials like a gig bag, stand etc. but one more thing, get a tuner. I got a korg chromatic and my instructor thinks i got a very good one. great for 15$

thats about all i have to say. other than, try to get a deal. GC doesnt mind light haggling. and also, dont buy the cheapest amp with the highest watts you see. I repeat, DO NOT. the very best thing you could do is on the other end of the spectrum. find an amp that has low watts, but a highish price. dont go with a behringer 15 watt amp, or a behringer 45 watt amp at the same price, go with an acoustic B20.
20 watts for 120 bucks. it is really really high quality. great sound, options, everything.

I hope this covers a lot for you, dont hesitate to pm me, remember i only found out what a pickup was like 2 weeks ago.
 
#34
TMacATK said:
SX all the way.
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+1
SX017.gif
S4010353.gif
 
#35
Waitaminute, my last post wasn't really helpful. Let me try again:

1. The idea of starting with a bass that has had a long following is a good one. I would look primarily at Precision or Jazz copies (from SX).

2. When you go to the music store, put your left hand around some necks neck and just fret the strings. All you are trying to find out is if thin or thick necks feel better to you. Thin neck = Jazz style, thick neck = Precision.

3. Actually if you prefer thick necks, I would not get a regular precision but one that also has a J pup at the bridge (like the SX SPJ bass line). Even though a P-pup (that's the normal precision pickup that's in 2 pieces) is really versatile, you may as well get a bass that helps you learn how multiple pups react to each other, and how to dial in different sounds.

Hope this helps. :)
 
#36
I got my first bass, an ESP b50, for under $200. Cheaper is not always bad! Also I'd strongly recommend getting a tuner. Since this is your first instrument, it would be best to make the whole experience as painless as possible, and tuners are handy things.
 
#37
ok all this information can be overwhelming...
i was fortunate enough to have a good friends father take me to guitar center but before we went he gave me the most important begginer information
"if u like how it looks and u like how U look with ur bass, ur gonna play a lot better!"
its SOOO true..i know they say dont buy with ur eyes, but when your a beginner and u dont know how to play well..ANYTHING
u cant really judge by the sound
i went in and asked for a good rock/metal bass...he handed me a squier P in white with semour duncan pick ups(price tag said $275)
it was the first time i touched a bass and was FLOORED.
i had never felt the huge strings and was amazed.
but it was white...and i never liked white anything
so i asked if they had any in the back in a different color and sure enough they had a black one
it didnt have the semour duncans but it also didnt have the $275 price tag ($145) it was amazing!!! the guy set up the neck for me and tuned it aswell

i just rolled my finger over the E string and was STOKED!!
(sure it was hooked up to a $1200 half stack but w.e :D)
thats the other thing...DONT let them hook it up to a way- out- of- ur- price range amp..when u get home ull be disapointed

the second most important thing is:
-Go to any music store at a time u know wont be crowded

i went at 6 o clock and all the junkies/rockers were across the street at Inn and out

i was the only person in the bass room and only saw 3-4 other ppl the entire time i was in there
it was a great beginner environment and i felt like a rockstar despite just playing open strings :D

studybass.com
go there even before u get a guitar and just get stuff in ur head...i wanted a bass for 2 months and my parents said in 3 weeks if show us ur serious u can get one...i read that entire site 3x in those three weeks(each time getting more and more outta it) and they saw my desire and helped pay

i have no idea if ur parents will be like this but maybe u can get them to chip in and step up to a better bass...

as for specific basses no1 can tell u that...we can suggest to u but if u want to be good, develop ur own style and ur own taste...being shy was my biggest down fall and i regret it.. dont just settle with the first bass they throw at u...ask them for a different one too

also dont venture too far outta ur price range..ull find ur self dissapointed at the lower level and discourage u early on.

get a amp that has 2 inputs so u can plug a mp3 player/ipod into it and play along with music.
this helped me the most!
its like $8 for a stereo adapter and a 12" cable it sits atop my amp and i can play my favorite tracks and jam along to them

well i typed this all in the quick reply so its probably WAY too long cause i only see like 5 lines :D

sorry for not specifying a bass but ITS UP TO U..if u let some1 else make it for u, ull be dissapointed

anyways good luck and welcome to TB
 
#39
$200 budget for the bass should get you something fairly nice. I would advise against Rondo (SX) for one reason only - they all need a good setup. Most of the guys who buy them do their own, but you probably aren't in that position yet and will have to take to a music store for a setup. That will run you around $50 more or less, depending where you live. If you buy one from them, they'll set it up for you for free most likely. There are some dealers who will offer free lifetime setups if you buy the bass there. Personally, I recommend most of my students get a Squier p-bass or j-bass to start. The Fender versions are still pretty much the standard so might as well get a cheaper version of it to start. See if you can find a used one in store to save some money.

For amps, you don't need much right now. The little Roland amps are pretty cool for not much money. Get a tuner for sure and a little better chord than the one they throw in for free.

Next step, sign up for 2 months of lessons and do everything your teacher tells you to do.
 

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