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Bass for a new guy

Kylo88

Kylo88

Guest
Jan 23, 2018
20
16
#1
So, I just joined up here, posted my introduction. Now I need to get to my first real question, more gathering opinions and thoughts really.
As it stands right now I'm without a bass, I'm 100% new to the whole thing and I'm looking to buy something hopefully in the next few days. I've shopped around for new stuff that's well priced and ended up looking at used stuff too, which looks like the route I'll take.
Now, I feel like I'm fortunate enough to have a pretty wide scope of things to get, I've spoke to a few sellers and got decent prices on a few different instruments, in no particular order...
Ibanez SR500, which I found ridiculously cheap, though there's some cosmetic problems.
Squier VM Jazz bass, again cheap and the guys willing to toss in a free hard case.
OLP MM2, again seems pretty cheap
Sterling sub, looking at 2 of these, one with a maple and one with a rosewood board, both under £200
Now, I have no experience with ANY of these things, I like the look of them all though.
I'd try them out but time really is of the essence here, and if there's problems going forward I'd be okay with tinkering.
Basically I want something decent enough to practice on and decent enough to record without much hassle. Obviously as it's my first bass it'll by my only one for a while too so I'd like something that'll be versatile enough to cover a lot of bases.
I'm not asking for you guys to pick one for me as such, just looking for more objective opinions and experience from some folk who have more of an idea what they're talking about, that's all.
Any advice on what to look out for on these used things would be great as well.
Hope you lot can help me out!
 
#5
I'd stay away from OLP, every one I've ever seen has been pretty sub-par. The others are all solid starter basses. It sounds like you already know but the Ibanez is the highest-end bass on your list. They have thin, flat necks which most agree are some of the most comfortable and easy to play. It also has a preamp with controls to boost or cut bass mids and highs making it flexible tone-wise but more complicated to adjust. The squier will have a larger body and thicker, rounded neck profile with simpler controls. I just played a sub recently and was impressed with the playability and tone for an inexpensive bass. If had to complain I might say it was a little one dimensional compared to the others but still a solid choice. As others point out sitting with each and seeing what feels right to you is the best way to decide. Even if you don't play you will be able to get a sense of what they feel like and chances are one will probably just feel right. Good luck, hope this helps. :thumbsup:
 
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#6
Of them all, the Squier Jazz and the Ibanez would probably have the greatest variety of sounds and tones. Ergonomically, they're quite different from each other. If possible, go to one or more music stores and sample similar instruments. See which ones feel more comfortable in your hands and let that inform your purchase.
 
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#7
Reedt2000 said:
I'd stay away from OLP, every one I've ever seen has been pretty sub-par. The others are all solid starter basses. It sounds like you already know but the Ibanez is the highest-end bass on your list. They have thin, flat necks which most agree are some of the most comfortable and easy to play. It also has a preamp with controls to boost or cut bass mids and highs making it flexible tone-wise but more complicated to adjust. The squier will have a larger body and thicker, rounded neck profile with simpler controls. I just played a sub recently and was impressed with the playability and tone for an inexpensive bass. If had to complain I might say it was a little one dimensional compared to the others but still a solid choice. As others point out sitting with each and seeing what feels right to you is the best way to decide. Even if you don't play you will be able to get a sense of what they feel like and chances are one will probably just feel right. Good luck, hope this helps. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

☝️ - This really covers the options well. I'd stay away from the OLP, haven't heard best things about them & heavy if I remember correctly.

The others are all real solid first basses - well made and won't hold back your development. Pretty much comes down to what's comfortable for you - skinny Ibanez neck, chunkier Squier neck or Sterling in between - and what sound appeals most to you.

Really can't go wrong. Welcome, and good luck with your first bass!!
 
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#8
I started on an Ibanez SR300M, move on to their BTB, Ibanez is a solid start. Cosmetic is no big deal if you can live with it. Mine came cheap, used, in red, I'm not a red guy at all. I like to say, "are you gonna play it or look at it".
As others have said it comes down to which one calls out to you.
Welcome to The Secret Society
 
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#9
Try to get something that is set up and playable out of the box. You mentioned "tinkering," which is fine down the road, but you're probably not going to even know what to adjust if you have no baseline (not bass line) of how the instrument is supposed to play and feel. And, it's much easier to learn to play on an instrument set up to play.
 
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#11
el_Bajo_Verde said:
Just a tip regarding Ibanez SR500. The finish is extremely thin and the body is soft, so cosmetic problems will be common with that bass. Even your fingernails can tear up the body over time
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Yeah that's basically why the guys offering it so cheap, it's a fair age and he's obviously used it quite a lot so it has some battle scars
 
#12
I started on an Ibby SR300 and it played well but the tone really didn't do it for me and the hardware used to loosen up with stunning regularity. The uber-skinny neck was too much of a good thing too.

I'd give a nod to the VM Squier's. I've had one for 5 years and it's been a champ. So much I want to get another so I have one for flats. Renting another one as we speak and checking it out.

It's a good modding platform of you're so inclined but all I've done to mine so far is a shielding job which was well worth the effort. I was convinced before I'd have to get noiseless pups but now the hum/buzz is greatly reduced so it's livable.

So far the only iffy thing with this one that I'm checking out are the tuners. The tuners on my 1st gen VM are great. No issues at all other than being a basic tuner and a little coarse tuning the e string but otherwise smooth and stable. The tuners on the 2nd gen one are stable but simply quite rough and not smooth at all but I'm thinking that may be the result of sitting new in the rack unused at a store for the last 4 years or so. I'm going to see if the tuners can be sorted out under warranty cause other than that it's a keeper. Sounds fantastic with flats!
 
#13
You'll probably have the most versatility with the SR500. It has dual pick ups and an active preamp which allows you to experiment with settings to find a good tone for different types of music. If this is your first soiree into playing guitar, I'd go with the SR500. The thinner neck will diminish fatigue in the fretting hand. Hand fatigue is something that makes a lot of folks quit when first starting out.

Welcome to the low end and Good Luck!
 
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#15
Main thing is to get the bass that makes you want to hold it when you see it. Something you want to start an affair with. If the bass is in your hands, you are learning your craft...... And I'll vote the Ibanez. They are built exceptionally well for the price point. The Ibby in my avatar spent six hard years on the road and never once failed me.
 
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#16
Try all of them. One might be a perfect fit.
Not an Ibanez fan, so I won't comment.
Same with the OLP.
Played quite a few Sterling SUBs, very nice but not a fan of the preamp at all. Plenty of people here replace it and the pickup.
I like the Squier VM and wouldn't mind the right one, good choice for mods, too, but when it comes to Squier the Classic Vibe line is the way to go if you want something just a bit better.
$399 new but you can find used ones for $300.
That is, unless you're looking at specific available basses in your area, then, I'd try that VM and see how it feels, plays and sounds. You might have a winner.
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#17
What kind of music do you want to play? If it's old school rock or really just any retro or retro-inspired style in general, I'd go for the Squire.

The Squire and Ibanez will look, sound and feel different.

You can certainly play pretty much any kind of music on pretty much any kind of bass, but some basses do tend to fit better than others in terms of looks and sound into a given style than others (feel is more a personal thing). A Jazz slots right in into a wide variety of situations. On the other hand, some styles call out for an active bass, and for that a vintage-type Jazz wouldn't be the ideal way to go.

But, any bass will do, especially to get started. A student of mine is completely an old school blues and 60's/70's classic rocker, but the bass available to him was an active Ibanez and so that's what he uses and of course it works absolutely fine.

So, I'm NOT saying you have to have one bass and not the other for a certain style of music, but you have 4 or 5 choices in front of you that are you asking about where to start in choosing between and, if it were me, I'd start with 1) looks and 2) active or passive. For me, I like traditional looks and passive pickups and electronics. For another guy, he's gonna want the exact opposite, while still another guy might want traditional looks with active electronics or a modern look with passive electronics. If you can figure out where you fit on that spectrum, your bass will choose itself.

If that isn't helping, as I think has been mentioned, just look at them, preferably pick them up and hold them, give the strings a few wacks — which appeals to you more somehow? The best bass is the bass that you'll want to pick up and play
 
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#18
dmt said:
What kind of music do you want to play? If it's old school rock or really just any retro or retro-inspired style in general, I'd go for the Squire.

The Squire and Ibanez will look, sound and feel different.

You can certainly play pretty much any kind of music on pretty much any kind of bass, but some basses do tend to fit better than others in terms of looks and sound into a given style than others (feel is more a personal thing). A Jazz slots right in into a wide variety of situations. On the other hand, some styles call out for an active bass, and for that a vintage-type Jazz wouldn't be the ideal way to go.

But, any bass will do, especially to get started. A student of mine is completely an old school blues and 60's/70's classic rocker, but the bass available to him was an active Ibanez and so that's what he uses and of course it works absolutely fine.

So, I'm NOT saying you have to have one bass and not the other for a certain style of music, but you have 4 or 5 choices in front of you that are you asking about where to start in choosing between and, if it were me, I'd start with 1) looks and 2) active or passive. For me, I like traditional looks and passive pickups and electronics. For another guy, he's gonna want the exact opposite, while still another guy might want traditional looks with active electronics or a modern look with passive electronics. If you can figure out where you fit on that spectrum, your bass will choose itself.

If that isn't helping, as I think has been mentioned, just look at them, preferably pick them up and hold them, give the strings a few wacks — which appeals to you more somehow? The best bass is the bass that you'll want to pick up and play
Click to expand...
Generally my bread and butter with my 6 string is between old school skate punk and various types of metal, from old school Sabbath to djent, as far as what I WANT to play, I find things like slapping and tapping really intriguing on bass and are techniques I want to eventually get to. As a whole I just want to master the instrument as best I can.
I have a few hours spare tonight after work so I'll see if my local music place stocks Ibanez and see if I can get a feel of them compared to the Squier, which I'm terms of looks is what I'm swaying towards, even though the vibe I get is the Ibanez is the better specced if them both
 
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#19
jd56hawk said:
Try all of them. One might be a perfect fit.
Not an Ibanez fan, so I won't comment.
Same with the OLP.
Played quite a few Sterling SUBs, very nice but not a fan of the preamp at all. Plenty of people here replace it and the pickup.
I like the Squier VM and wouldn't mind the right one, good choice for mods, too, but when it comes to Squier the Classic Vibe line is the way to go if you want something just a bit better.
$399 new but you can find used ones for $300.
That is, unless you're looking at specific available basses in your area, then, I'd try that VM and see how it feels, plays and sounds. You might have a winner.
View attachment 2887311
Click to expand...

I had a classic vibe strat for a while, I'd still have it if the colour weren't so.... loud. Was a fantastic feeling and playing guitar though, would have another in a heartbeat, I'm guessing the basses are comparable in quality
 

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