Beginner Bass/Amp Reccomendations, $1500

[lonestarwings]

I'm sure you've seen this a hundred times before, but I was wondering if I could get some advice about my particular situation. I've always been a fan of the bass guitar but have never had the time to learn (been sort of a bass head in my youth, dabbling with subwoofers and whatnot, always listen for bass lines in my favorite songs, some of my favorite bands have bassists as frontmen, etc etc). Well I finally have the time and some spare cash. I have arranged to start taking lessons from a fairly well known bassist in a few weeks. I played woodwinds in high school but this is my first venture into strings.

Now I need to start looking for equipment.

Budget: 1500 bucks for amp and Guitar, prefer to buy new equipment. Don't mind spending less if that's a more prudent move at this point.

Type of music I like: Hard Rock and heavy metal mostly, but I I appreciate everything from country to jazz and have no problem dabbling in any genre. I realize I will need to start out with the basics first.

Location: Austin, TX (if it matters)

My hands are about average sized, I'm 6'0 200 lbs if that matters.


I was considering a fender p-series of some sort but don't know about the specific model I should be looking for.

It seems like I should stick with 4 stringers at first for learning , even though a lot of bassists I like seem to use 5 strings. I could always buy a 5 string later.

Don't really know if I need an active or passive model. Active seems like the way to go but I'm sure it adds cost too.

Amps I really have no idea about....some of the behringer 15" 300 watt models seemed like they would do fine, but again, I really have no clue.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[IotaNet]

This is what I would do ...


Go to your local guitar store. (Avoid Guitar Center if you can -- their instruments tend to be poorly set-up. The flip side is that they have a lot to choose from.)

Ask the salesman to pull down two basses:
1) An American Fender Jazz
2) An American Fender Precision

These are probably the most common basses in the world. You may or may not choose one of them but they provide an excellent "baseline" for determining your preferences. The American-made models are more expensive but they tend to be of higher quality. You may choose not to spend the money on an American but again, it will provide a baseline.

Fool around with them both. They have different sounds and different feels. Doesn't matter if you can't play anything just play notes up and down the fretboard. Play them sitting down. Play them standing up with a strap. The objective of this exercise to see what "feels right" to you.

After a while, you will probably develop a preference. Take some mental notes but don't buy anything.

Go back to the store and revisit the one you liked the best. Now tell the salesman, "I really liked the Fender (P or J) -- what else do you have that's similar to to this?" Mess around some more. By now, you will probably have found something that feels right. Something that makes you say "Yeah -- I like THIS." If it's in your budget, buy it.

Regarding your budget, that's MORE than enough money to get you what you're looking for. Whatever you decide to spend, I'd allocate 2/3 of it for the instrument and 1/3 for the amplification.

Remember -- it's about what you like, not what we suggest. Also, it probably won't be your last bass so take it with a grain of salt.

Most of all, have fun -- and welcome to the world of bass!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Since you're in Austin, you have some excellent stores to checkout. Go to Bass Emporium for an excellent selection. I've never been there, but I would be shocked if all their basses are not well maintained. You might also want to check out Austin Bass Traders. Austin Bass Traders is much more oriented to high end basses, but it would be nice to know what the cream of the crop feels like.

Both stores have nice websites also.

 

[whizack]

if you're anything like me, what you'll do is the exact same thing I did... You'll go out and buy something that looks awesome and sounds pretty good.

Then you'll learn some more about bass, amps, cabinets, etc. and start to hone in on your style.

Then you'll buy the bass you actually wanted that cost 1200 dollars more than your first bass did.

 

[Pickebass]

Go to Bass Emporium... John is a great guy and they can get you something that won't break the bank. With Glenn at Austin Bass Traders, you have to make an appointment. He truly does have some really cool gear. You might want to try Strait music also. Bass Emporium also keeps a good selection of used gear reasonably priced

 

[M5Yates]

I know you said you'd like to buy a new bass, but Austin is so full of good used instruments, you really should consider looking. There are many advantages to buying used. The price will have depreciated to the point that you won't lose money if you decide to sell it and try a different instrument. Used basses usually are well setup and debugged of things like fret buzz and flaky electronics.

Go by Bass Emporium and the GC in Northcross Mall to try a few different instruments - but in Austin, Craigslist is your friend. You'll find almost a dozen different basses listed each day.

Start small (and cheap), and then upgrade your rig when you are ready to play out. You don’t need an 8x10 and tube head to practice in your bedroom. I like the Ampeg B100 for about $400 used, but there are a bunch of good options.

A Mexican Fender Jazz (or Precision) can be had for $300 and make a great starter bass. Some guys find that’s all they’ll ever need. You'll find that simple, passive controls let you concentrate on your playing, instead of worrying about tweaking your sound.

This one has had a pro shielding job:
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This one is like new (but should be bargained down on his price):
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I’m curious, who are you taking lessons with?

Bill

 

[lonestarwings]

Thanks for all the replies so far. I will definitely consider used intsruments too. I think it makes more sense to spend a little less for a solid starter instrument, then buy something I really like later, assuming I actually have the capacity to become a decent player.

I will stop by Bass Emporium on Anderson Lane sometime next week and get a feel for things.

I'm supposed to start taking lessons from Terry Hale through red leaf school of music later next month.

 

[lomo]

I don't think you'll be able to figure now out exactly what you'll want in 1 year, let alone 3. I advise buying a Fender Jazz-it's much more versatile than the P and is a classic you may keep forever but will be easily resold if you decide otherwise. I'd get a USA model (better fit and finish than the Mexican ones). As far as the amp goes. A small combo is fine for practicing your first year and you'll always have a need for one. Eden Nemesis is a good brand, but there are many. Definitely try used bass and gear!

 

[iriegnome]

Being so new to bass playing, Fender Jazz or P would work perfectly. If you go with the American versions, you will be much more ahead of the game in the long run. Stop into any store and give each a try. You are mainly going after feel at this point. The Jazz has a smaller neck, IMO, a better feel. The P has a little larger neck (at the nut) and feels much different. From there you can bass(hehe) your decision. STAY AWAY FROM BEHRINGER... You can do better for the same money. Plus, when you want to move into a bigger and better amp you will not be stuck with it.
Check out the Fender Kick back or the Ampeg kick back models. Ver good, no to expensive. 60 to 80 watts is a perfect combo to learn on and get started with. I am sure a USED Peavey TNT would be a great bass amp as well.

 

[Lesfunk]

My advice is to get the best bass you can afford. You learn faster and enjoy playing more if your bass plays, good, feels good, sounds good, stays in tune, etc.
I would personally walk in to bass emporium and spend all 1500.00 on that 1997 Flea 4 with a lane poor pick up. That is a great bass! I ve played those for 10 years now and you can't go wrong. Graphite neck never needs adjustments, practically never goes out of tune, built like an anvil. Lane poor no longer in business making those pickups worth their weight in gold. Plus you,ll get every penny back if you need to sell it.

 

[Audball]

lonestarwings, I just started on bass myself (have only had 2 lessons so far), and would heartily agree with the suggestion of going to Bass Emporium (it's on Anderson, in between the railroad tracks and Burnet). I bought an entry level Spector that I couldn't be happier with, and the guys at BE (I bought mine from Chuck), in addition to providing fantastic information and demonstrations, ensure that it's set up perfectly (action, intonation, etc.) when you leave the store no matter which you buy. Check out the inventory online at their website, both new and used listings.

On the other hand, both the Craiglist ads M5Yates posted look promising, and CL definitely does have quite a few listings for basses at any one time; however, for me, since I'm just starting, I felt I didn't have the knowledge and experience to be able to determine if there was anything wrong with used instruments... If you do go the CL route, it would help to bring along a bassist buddy to check out the instrument in question for you.

As for Guitar Center, I've never had any of the horror story experiences you find mentioned so frequently online... The GC at Burnet/Anderson has always been a good experience for me -- but perhaps that's because I always use the same salesperson in the drums department (and would probably want to only ever deal with either Deuce or the "dude with horns" - I forget his name - in the bass/guitar section). Additionally, I've never had any issue getting them to lower the prices (e.g. could easily get $100 of a $600 Yamaha bass I was looking at) - don't hesitate to ask them for their absolute lowest price.

As for "what's right for you", IotaNet got it right when (s)he mentioned having to check things out for yourself (have to consider sound, weight, cost, etc.). There are plenty of options for <$1500, new and used.

I'd be interested on your take about lessons with Terry at RLM after you've had a few under your belt. I'm taking lessons with Ed Friedland at BassEmporium (would be stupid IMO to NOT take lessons in person from the author of the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] I'm using), but he's a bit pricey for me for the long term...

 

[bullshark]

Here's my suggestion, it's well under your budget.

Amp: Traynor(Yorkville) XM200TC (which you can extend later on with the TC115 if you feel you need more bass extension, but that little combo pack plenty of punch straight-out-the-box)
Bass: Fender Highway1 Precision

You'd have money left over for cable, strings, books and stuff.

 

[*insertcoolname]

Personally, I wouldn't spend all $1500 right away. Sure a stingray would be nice but as a beginer you probably won't notice much of a difference between a $200 bass and a $1000 dollar bass. I would go with a Mexican Fender Jazz bass which will run you about 450, if I remember right. These are great versitile basses and are perfect for fingerstyle as well as slapping/popping.

As far as amps go, get a quality combo without too much power. Behringer's are very attractive with small price tags and big wattages, but they are cheap and break easily. It's much better to put your money into quality then quantity at this point. A Fender Bassman combo would suit you well.

That's just my 0.02, and I spend too much anyway...

 

[lonestarwings]

Thanks again for all the replies, they've been extremely helpful. I am definitely going to Bass Emporium tomorrow if I don't get called into work. I will explain my situation and hopefully audition a bunch of different basses.

I am a little hesitant because I don't even know the first thing about playing the instrument, but I suppose it's not too hard just to pluck a few strings and listen for the tone. Maybe if they're not too busy they can give me a brief walkthrough at B.E.

I went into Strait music today and they had about 2 dozen different basses, but no one really seemed available to help take them down, so I just left after looking for 10 or 15 minutes.

 

[lonestarwings]

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This listing kind of caught my eye, a 2 year old american p-bass in black (the color I'd like) for $700 bucks. Is that too much for something in that condition?

 

[Audball]

When I went shopping in Bass Emporium, I hadn't ever plucked a string myself - and I walked out of the shop with my Spector *still* without having plucked one. Chuck spent plenty of time with me explaining this and that (what a P-bass pickup arrangement sounds like, ditto with J-bass style, playing both near the bridge and next, etc. etc.) and playing through an amp for me -- more than enough for me to form an opinion and feel satisfied with my purchase. (Deuce did the same for me at Guitar Center, though I sadly experienced the same as you at Strait Music). You should be able to get the same type of service when looking for an amp, too.

I am a little hesitant because I don't even know the first thing about playing the instrument, but I suppose it's not too hard just to pluck a few strings and listen for the tone. Maybe if they're not too busy they can give me a brief walkthrough at B.E.

 

[Lesfunk]

Trust me although you have no logical reason to.

Get the best bass you can afford. You will thank me later.
The amp is not important now. Save up for a decent amp.

Everyone has Their own opinions and I'm no different .
I think you should get a simple, high quality bass. Forget the bells and whistles. That'll come later.

 

[M5Yates]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

This listing kind of caught my eye, a 2 year old american p-bass in black (the color I'd like) for $700 bucks. Is that too much for something in that condition?

Average price.
If you decide you like the wider P neck and this bass checks out ok, offer $600 and wait for a $650 counter.

I do have to add, that it's hard to beat the variety and price of our own TalkBass classifeds.

 

[scottice]

How about a Fender Aerodyne P/J and a B-Dec 30?

 

[BDR]

I just started a few months ago, watch out it's a sickness. I started with a Schecter which had a problem. So I returned it for a Fender MIM jazz but I ended up with a Geddy Lee. After a month and really getting in to playing, I bought a Fender American jazz and love it, feels good and great tone. So here's what I would do, like the other have said go to a bass store and try some out.

This is what I would do

Fender American Jazz
Peavey Max115 amp

Just my .02 you have to what is right for you! Good luck