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Bass for a new guy

#21
Welcome to TalkBass!!!!

Based on reading all of your comments so far, I would go with the Ibanez to start. Slim necks are easier to start on. Active preamps will let you explore more tones more quickly.

And this is coming from a guy who plays all passive basses that are either Fender or heavily influenced by Fender.
 
#22
Do you have any friends who are bass players? If so, have them go with you to look at these basses. They will be able to tell pretty quickly if a bass is playable and worth what they are asking or not. I'm a retired band director and as part of my job I started 6th graders on all the band instruments. Parents would ask be about used instruments and my answer was always "don't buy it unless they will let me check it out first". If you can't find anyone to help you I would recommend that you buy new from a reputable music store. A Ibanez Talman 100 is a great bass for little money and it comes with a warranty.

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#23
I would say it's between two - the SR500 and the VM Jazz for the used basses on your list. I would probably forgo the OLP.

New, have you looked at the Ibanez Talman TMB100 basses? They should be around the price range of the Sterling SUB basses but are more versatile in terms of tone. As you can see by my user pic, I love MM Ray basses but as a first and only (for now anyway) bass- I would recommend a more versatile model.

As mentioned above, the SR500 is prone to getting scratched up pretty easily but the neck on those basses are Bubinga, thin and very comfortable - 3 band EQ - it's an active bass so there's a preamp and a decidedly more modern tone.
The VM Jazz is passive, old school controls, volume, volume, tone - won't require a battery, neck is still comfortable but not quite like the Ibanez, the stock pickups are single coils which will hum if the volume is not equal on both pickups.

Best suggestion is to try both really - they're both good basses to have and it's a matter of preference between the two.
 
#24
Quick rundown - different basses will feel, well different... It's very individual and subjective. Couple terms and things to know:
1. scale length. 34" is pretty much the norm. Shorter than that is "short scale". There are 35" and sometimes 35+" scale basses. They are most of the time 5 string, but there are plenty of 5 string bass guitars that have 34" scale.

2. fretboard radius. Has to do with the curve of the fretboard. Schecter for example, uses 16" radius for many of the basses they offer. That would be very flat. Fender uses 9.5" for lots of theirs. That would be a more curved.

3. Neck thickness. Pretty obvious. Just a heads up on that, if you see a thick (or thin) neck and aren't thinking that will work for you, just know that works in conjunction with fretboard radius. A thicker, more rounded neck might be surprisingly comfortable. Which leads me to...

4. Play as many different basses as you reasonable can.

5. Once you decide on something, get a new set of strings for it and have it set up by a professional guitar repair tech. They will lower (or raise) the action (basically that means string height), set intonation (homework alert, look that one up if you aren't familiar with the term...) make sure the truss rod is set correctly to provide the right amount of relief, set the pickup height. - Possibly more homework, you might need to research anything else I just said....

6. My 2-cents. If you are looking for a versatile first bass, a 34" P/J bass with passive electronics will be a good place to start. Again, this is pretty subjective and personal, so YMMV.

Hope this helps!!
 
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#25
Kylo88 said:
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!
Click to expand...

Plenty of info here if you have an hour or two…and this is only part 2!

Squier vintage modified club, part 2
 
#26
The Squier and Ibby are decent basses. The Squier is somewhat more modifiable (everything is Fender standard hardware) if you should decide you want something a little different down the road.

Yes, Ibby necks are small - likely smaller than even the Squier. The one thing I'll suggest is, if you have big hands (I do) eventually you might want something with a bigger neck, so befrore you buy somting trty a Precision just to see if you like the thicker neck better. I have one bass with a Jazz width neck, and if I want to play it on a weekend, I have to play it for several days straight to get really comfortable with it. The rest of my herd is wider necks - my "jazz" has a P bass neck, as it's more comfortable for me.
 
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#27
I'll add to the echo. Good choices. Get what's most comfortable for you. I'm an Ibanez fanboi, so I'll say if they all feel good, get the SR500. Fantastic bass.

micguy said:
Yes, Ibby necks are small - likely smaller than even the Squier. The one thing I'll suggest is, if you have big hands (I do) eventually you might want something with a bigger neck, so befrore you buy somting trty a Precision just to see if you like the thicker neck better. I have one bass with a Jazz width neck, and if I want to play it on a weekend, I have to play it for several days straight to get really comfortable with it. The rest of my herd is wider necks - my "jazz" has a P bass neck, as it's more comfortable for me.
Click to expand...

I have large hands, and prefer the slimmer SR style necks. Everyone has differences in what is comfortable for them. I don't think there's a standard. I know people with small hands who absolutely prefer those old baseball bat necks. There's some big people on here who will demand a short-scale bass. And, I know a rather small lady in town who loves her boat anchor P (it's soooo heavy).

OP, do a quick comfort run, buy the most comfortable one.
 
#29
Cant go wrong with Squier VM, and the Stirling Sub is incredibly high quality for its price, if very very heavy (I have the 5s) Play them all, and decide which one you like the feel and sound of the most. However, keep in mind that most guitar store basses will have a terrible setup, but that can always be changed. Also make sure you test them out on a variety of EQ settings on the amp.
 
#30
So I’ve had a play around on a couple of Squier jobs after work, the vm and cv jazz’s were great feeling, kinda heavy I found, but coming from a world of unchambered Les Pauls and my Ibanez SZ, weights no issue as yet, was actually pretty impressed with the affinity PJ as well, seems like a lot of instrument for the money, didn’t have any Ibanez stuff in stock unfortunately so I’ll need to hold off to the weekend to try out an SR and see if I get along with it. But should I go the Squier route I feel like I’d be alright :)
 
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#32
My current main is an Ibanez SR505, light, versatile, thin neck. The finish is thin, but I like a bass that looks like it has been used. That being said there is absolutely nothing wrong with Squier. Try them both and go with the one that feels and sounds better. I would lean towards the Ibby if you had to choose without trying. I have no experience with OLP’s.
 
#33
I I don’t have any experience with them either, actually had to do some googling to find out. Apparently they’re just an old company who had a liscence to produce cheaper musicman style stuff, sort of a pre-sterling sterling, hearing mixed things about them though
 
#34
I didn't notice anything in your post where you mentioned any instrument experience (guitar?).

That's fine if you have never played guitar or bass, but honestly I think it renders the "play as many as you can" sort of moot. You're not going to be able to really tell the difference. This is your first bass so I would honestly just get something feels comfortable to hold and sits on your leg comfortably and if you can't try it out, just look for light weight and skinny neck if you have smaller hands.

This is going to be a marathon so you need endurance. As a first bass, I would definitely look for comfort over all else. That SR500 is probably the golden goose as they are super light weight and Ibanez necks are really comfortable (Disclaimer: I only have SR505, never held the SR500). I have never played the Squier so I cannot give thoughts, but they get big praise around here.

Remember, this is your first bass and if you are comfortable and not fighting it, it won't be your last. If you buy used at a good price, there's a good chance you can sell for that price to put into a nicer bass once you have a good idea of what you are looking for. But in order for that to happen, you really need to spend a few months on something.

Good luck!
 
#35
Here’s a few pictures of the SR, just so you can see the extent of the cosmetics, it’s far from cute but the seller insists it’s just the finish and the strap button thats damaged, he’s asking £100 for it
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#36
Oh and one more thing. Make sure your strings are Nickel when you purchase new strings for it. I wouldn't keep the current strings on it unless it's a new bass.

Because your fingers are tender and not hardened yet from playing, the nickel will help you toughen up your fingers without destroying them like stainless steel strings. Your fingers will be sore, but not near as bad as stainless steel. Depending on how much you play off the bat, there will probably be a day where you can't play, but want to. Stainless Steel right off the bat will make those days even worse.

Give them a try down the road (I love them), but do nickels first.

And since that SR500 picture was posted while typing this, I don't think I would do it. There could be a number of unfixable issues with that thing. He didn't play it a lot; he used it as a weapon to recover debts. But then again, maybe did just gig a crap ton on it and didn't care for it at all. :eyebrow:
 
#37
TyCobb said:
I didn't notice anything in your post where you mentioned any instrument experience (guitar?).

That's fine if you have never played guitar or bass, but honestly I think it renders the "play as many as you can" sort of moot. You're not going to be able to really tell the difference. This is your first bass so I would honestly just get something feels comfortable to hold and sits on your leg comfortably and if you can't try it out, just look for light weight and skinny neck if you have smaller hands.

This is going to be a marathon so you need endurance. As a first bass, I would definitely look for comfort over all else. That SR500 is probably the golden goose as they are super light weight and Ibanez necks are really comfortable (Disclaimer: I only have SR505, never held the SR500). I have never played the Squier so I cannot give thoughts, but they get big praise around here.

Remember, this is your first bass and if you are comfortable and not fighting it, it won't be your last. If you buy used at a good price, there's a good chance you can sell for that price to put into a nicer bass once you have a good idea of what you are looking for. But in order for that to happen, you really need to spend a few months on something.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
Yeah, I’ve got a few years experience on guitar, just forayed into extended range too, but in terms of bass I’m a complete newcomer, and thanks for the advice bud!
 
#38
TyCobb said:
Oh and one more thing. Make sure your strings are Nickel when you purchase new strings for it. I wouldn't keep the current strings on it unless it's a new bass.

Because your fingers are tender and not hardened yet from playing, the nickel will help you toughen up your fingers without destroying them like stainless steel strings. Your fingers will be sore, but not near as bad as stainless steel. Depending on how much you play off the bat, there will probably be a day where you can't play, but want to. Stainless Steel right off the bat will make those days even worse.

Give them a try down the road (I love them), but do nickels first.

And since that SR500 picture was posted while typing this, I don't think I would do it. There could be a number of unfixable issues with that thing. He didn't play it a lot; he used it as a weapon to recover debts. But then again, maybe did just gig a crap ton on it and didn't care for it at all. :eyebrow:
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice on the strings mate.
Yeah that’s what I’m kinda worried about, I’ve been stung with buying used sight unseen before so I’ve got reservations since it’s as blatantly rough looking and not just a few dings
 
#40
I'd also agree with Ibanez as others have stated. Quick action due to thin neck. I'd also recommend going with a short scale bass vs the traditional 34 inch scale. That shorter neck makes it much easier to stretch fingers across 4 frets and will help you to use your pinky when fingering. Greatest advice i had when starting out was to not neglect the pinky... Use it early and you'r way better off in the long run. A short scale will make that easier.
 

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