Beginner Amp

Hey man. You are on the right track as far as basses go. The Standard (I'm assuming) Precision
is a sweet bass, not only for beginners, but for players of all levels. Nearly every serious bass player has or has had a Fender P-Bass in their arsenal. Fender makes things nice and sturdy, and above all, sweet sounding and easy to play. Also check out the Standard Jazz Bass, in case you haven't already done so. I was going to buy a Standard P-Bass (don't get me wrong- it's awesome), but I bought a Fender Standard Jazz Bass instead. I thought it sounded better and it had a better feel to it. It was easier to play, too. It is only like $15 or $20 more than the P-Bass. Give them both a good long chance and consider things like their sound, looks, feel, and playability. You will be happy with whichever bass you choose. Fender offers a great bass in an easily affordable package. Amps will also take a good deal of thought. Look at every brand in your price range. Look for used amps, too. Just play your bass through every amp you consider and decide which is right for you. Let your ears decide for you. I have a nice practice amp that I love. It's a Peavey MicroBass. It's portable, it sounds great, it's solid and sturdy, and it only costs about $135 brand new. Try it out- you will probably like it. Good luck. Let me know how it goes.

Dan

 

Welcome to Talkbass, Enema, (you big on colon hygiene or sumthin???).

A Precis is a good choice. Two caveats:

1. Buy USED if you can try out the bass before buying or return it if it turns out to be defective (unless you have an irrational hangup with used basses like me). Unlike used amps, any problems with a used bass show up immediately so you'll know what to steer clear of.

2. This relates to #1 - try out as many Precis's as you can. These are mass production instruments and two visually identical ones can be very different in terms of playability/tone. No single person is monitoring quality as they go down the assembly line.

As for the amp, a real small one that won Bass Player "Top Tone' and "Best Built" award is the Peavey Microbass, $180 list (which means you'll pay a lot less). Don't expect much in terms of volume.

If you can go up a little higher than $300, an Ampeg B50R Rocket would most likely keep you happy longer.

 

Hey by the way, if you buy the Peavey MicroBass,
you might have up to $150-$165 left over. With that kind of money you can buy yourself a good hardshell case, an extra set of strings, and a strap, etc. Protect your investment.
One more thing: The beauty about Fender basses is the fact that they are always upgradable. In the future, you can buy new pickups and a new bridge. The Fender basses sound great to begin with, but these things will make them sound even better for a relatively cheap price (bridge will cost $50 or $60, pickups will cost anywhere from $80 to $160 or more).

 

lets count the fender plugs in that post.......

for 300 you can get a much better amp than a microbass... I would definitely go used because you will get a much better quality amp for the same price... as for which you get? try to get something that has at least 100 watts in a combo because that will at least give you all the power you want at home and facilitate you being able to jam with a drummer, as long as he or she does not wail on his/her kit too hard.... perhaps one of the used peavey combos TNT or TKO would be good for you.... one is only 80 watts, but the difference between 80 and 100 watts should not matter for what you want it too, and the price would be nicer too.... these are common amps so you should be able to find them, but make sure you play through them with your bass... never settle for the first thing you think is a deal.... take your time and make the right choice...
IF you do not like those try anything you can get your hands on in your price range... i guarantee you will find what you are looking for.


Mike

 

Amp: The style of music you play and the volume you will need, performance volume vs. practice volume, are important to consider in buying an amp. However, my suggestion would be to try out the SWR workingman's series of combos. They always get great reviews in BP and you would be reaping the benefits of trickle-down technology of one of the most innovative, popular, and successful base lines of all time. I see a LOT of young bass players compromising their tone with a crappy budget amp when they don't have to. If you can't at least get a reasonably good sound from your bass, you won't be inspired to practice and play. Also, a slightly better amp will allow you to grow into amp, as opposed to constantly selling and buying every year or two as you mature as a player and need better equipment.

Bass: I think that a Fender would be an excellent place to start. You would be hard-pressed to find a player, modern or older, who either didn't start on a Fender or doesn't have one in his/her collection. the main factor to consider here is neck size. The P has a neck that is a bit meatier and is 3/4'' wide at the nut. The Jazz may be slimmer and will only be 1/2'' wide at the nut. One isn't necessarily better than the other...just different. It is EXTREMELY important for YOU to play both (they're very easy to find in music stores) and to determine FOR YOURSELF which neck feels better to you and is easier to play. Playability is far more important at this stage than a sparkling metallic finish, 7 pickups, or 27 strings with 3 mini-toggle switches, etc. You get my point. Feel free to ask follow-up questions here and best of luck with the decision.