Buying for beginners, looks might not be everything, but...

[jd56hawk]

Buying a beginner bass...the least expensive you can find, middle of the pack, or $1,500 and up...Fender, MusicMan, Rickenbacker, Ibanez, Warwick or whatever?
Sure, playability, tone and build quality are important, but do you base your purchase on looks?
(I'm guessing most beginners do.)

Definitely more quality "cheap" basses available now than ever before, but some people might like to buy a topnotch bass, especially if they're serious, instead of upgrading later.
I think the most important thing is to buy something you can really bond with.
(Nothing worse for a beginner than to buy the wrong bass and give up in frustration a few months down the line.)

 

[Stylee Mousse]

Sounds reasonable. I think lots of us forget how much you didn't know starting out. I went down some wrong paths for certain !

I wonder what all the internet biz would have done to me as a lad. I got my tips watching bands play live and looking at record sleeves.

 

[blacktocomm]

If I was a new player buying for the first time, I would keep it around the $500 area and pick up Squier or Epiphone or LTD or Ibanez probably based on looks.

As a beginner you have no idea what you like yet. Figuring that out is part of the journey.

 

[Auer]

I never regretted buying quality instruments, even if it wasnt the instrument what I ultimately ended up with. Key's and bass these days.

My Nash PB63 is what I consider quality, and to me worth the asking price easy.

Removing sub-par stuff from your learning experience (or life) is highly beneficial.

 

[Clark Westfield]

I have been playing bass intensively for over 13 years and started out on a Squier VMJazz.

Didn't know a Jazz from a P.

Lucked out that the Squier was a really nice and inspiring instrument to play, as I love Jazz basses.

Now that I have been through at least 12 or so basses since starting, I have found my "keepers and go-too's"

An American Fender J, Reverend, Sadowsky, and Schecter; I have really bonded with all of those upper scale price point instruments, until……….

I just purchased a Yamaha BB234, which is a lower line instrument, that I purchased exclusively to leave at my job, and am blown away how well made and playable it is.

With experience you get to know what you're looking for in an instrument. The look, feel, tone, neck shape, weight all come into play.

The Yamaha is extremely surprising how a good a $320 can be.

If all the others were not there, that BB would work just fine.

Sometime the price fools you.

 

[Wyrdlow]

I don't think you could go far wrong with the Squier, Yamaha and Ibanez offerings. Thomann's Harley Benton range have some very well made, playable bargains too.
Looks are important, though. It probably holds true for other things too, but certainly with basses, motorcycles and members of the opposite sex - however much they excel in other areas - I think there has to be a thrill just from looking! Other opinions are, of course, available!

 

[themickster]

Buying a beginner bass...the least expensive you can find, middle of the pack, or $1,500 and up...Fender, MusicMan, Rickenbacker, Ibanez, Warwick or whatever?
Sure, playability, tone and build quality are important, but do you base your purchase on looks?
(I'm guessing most beginners do.)

Definitely more quality "cheap" basses available now than ever before, but some people might like to buy a topnotch bass, especially if they're serious, instead of upgrading later.
I think the most important thing is to buy something you can really bond with.
(Nothing worse for a beginner than to buy the wrong bass and give up in frustration a few months down the line.)

Does anyone buy a bass they think is ugly?

 

[Grahams Groove]

This always comes up in these threads… I want to look at my basses and feel inspired to pick them up. Don't forget, you can do mods that change the look of a bass to make it your own. Swap tuning pegs, bridges, pick guards, etc.

 

[TheReceder]

An inexpensive bass with a good setup is worth twice as much as an expensive bass with a bad setup.

No matter what, have a good tech look at whatever you choose and plan to spend money on a setup.
I'd go for a sub $400 bass as a first bass.

 

[gunai]

I deliberated what my first bass was based chiefly on "versatility" and not looks.
Between the Ibanez SR300EL:

and the Squier Vintage Modified 70s Jazz:

I opted for the former due to the option to split its humbuckers.
Despite bonding immensely with bass, I did not bond with the particular instrument, and have regretted not getting the all-maple squier since.
The SR300EL I sold off and do not miss at all, the Squier VM I'll likely get without hesitation if it ever pops up in a local secondhand market.

Soon thereafter I ordered a G&L SB-1, this time based chiefly on what sound and playability:

Given the MTO nature, I got to pick whatever looks I wanted.

Sound and playability continued to be chief concerns, with my other 4 string bass, a Sandberg VS at 35'' with a reverse split-coil, which I also got to pick and choose the aesthetics of given the again MTO nature:


I also picked up a 1985 MIJ Yamaha BB300. It being a mid-80s MIJ P-style and its cheap price were the considerations:


Most recently, after spending several years deliberating which 5 stringer to get, I purchased a Schecter SLS Evil Twin-5 LH:

Looks played a minimal role. Chief consideration was neck to body connection, the 35'' Sandberg's back of the neck isn't comfortable in the high registers when strung low.
The rest of the bass's technical specifications were also a match for what I wanted in my first 5 string, other than the Fishman Fluence electronics which if I keep the bass long term I'll likely end up replacing.

My current stock of 4 basses has 3 black bodied basses with no pickguard, which is indicative of my preference for rear-mounted controls, and for somewhat subdued looks.
However, the BB300 is destined to be sold to someone who'd hopefully actually play it from time to time, and in its stead I have an order queued for a condiment-named multiscale 5-string monstrosity in wenge and purpleheart, which will be louder than my other 3 basses combined.

P.S.
I absolutely agree that the most important thing is to get something you bond with, and if that happens to be looks for a newbie bassist, then it's looks they should prioritize alongside minimally decent construction, which in our day and age is no longer an issue. Those Harley Bentons are schweet for their price.

 

[Killing Floor]

Do I know the beginner? I'd take them to a music shop and help them try a few different styles. I'd let them try my own too but there's a theme among my necks so I'd point that out. There are some really good basses out there.

 

[TheReceder]

Does anyone buy a bass they think is ugly?

#1 Was working, during a layover. Parked in front of a pawn shop. Went in and offered to do some setups on some basses and guitars (for free). They were all really bad. After doing about 6 or 7, checked out a TV Silver thunderbird... not my cup of tea, but lowballed them, and they accepted. Later noted the serial number was rubbed out. Contacted a couple police depts to see if it was hot. No reports... but now I know it'll never sell.

 

[TheReceder]

Response... to does anybody buy a bass they think is ugly
#2 Home on extended military leave. Checked out the local music shop to see if there was anything I could grab just to beat on for a month. There was a Black Fender bullet that someone had taken what looked like whiteout and did horrible scroll work... salesman came by and thought I was interested. I let him know I thought it was the worst thing I had ever seen.

His response was that he was going to sell me that bass today.... eventually He did. For 50 bucks. It was good for me.

Later I learned that if you're going to refinish a bass, if you're married, don't do it in your basement. Especially if you plan on doing a lot of clear coats and plan to keep your wife. Ended out selling it to my local shop for a small profit, and profusely apologizing to the wife for stinking up the house.

 

[Wisebass]

Hi jd56hawk

but do you base your purchase on looks?
(I'm guessing most beginners do.)

I was a teenager when I started in the early 80s

The only thing I could afford was a Pbass copy (available in three colors)

Of course my first bass was not a sunburst & tort Pbass copy! (much too ugly )

The shop had also a red & white Pbass copy.

but I took a black & white Pbass copy!

Obviously because it looks like a beginner's bass

greetings

Wise(b)ass

 

[gmarcus]

I got a P bass because I could lean it up against the wall and It wouldn't fall over........

 

[Standalone]

Set goals. In my case, that means knowing when to stop. I have 20 basses and an upright…

 

[MegaSwing]

A bass for a beginner should be solid and stable enough to maintain a quality set-up. It should be relatively free of sharp edges and questionable fit and finish issues. After that, the sky's the limit.

A well-made starter instrument should have a lot in common with an upscale model.

 

[EdO.]

If I was a new player buying for the first time, I would keep it around the $500 area and pick up Squier or Epiphone or LTD or Ibanez probably based on looks.

I have or have had at least one of all of the above listed brands and they are/were all perfectly fine, gig-able basses. Of my current stable of 13 a $300 Epi T-Bird and a Squire VM P/J I gave $90 for off Craigslist are two of my top regularly rotated through players. In addition to a pre-EB Stingray, BC Rich Mockingbird, and Fender Player P I've got around $1K in. We're fortunate to live in a time where you can get into a good quality bass you can make a living with (is that still a possibility? ) without breaking the bank to do so.

The whole mindset that you have to spend a crap load of money to get a good quality player is complete BS. Are they as good as/better than a several thousand dollar custom instrument? No, they're not. What they are though are perfectly fine working man's instruments that sound good and play well. Point of Diminishing Returns. If you can afford AND want an expensive instrument I ain't mad at you. Is it necessary? Absolutely not.

Does anyone buy a bass they think is ugly?

I still wouldn't buy a bass I didn't like the looks of, even an expensive one at a highly discounted price. If it's fugly I ain't buying it.

 

[Nightsprinter]

I'm dying to try a Reverend. And I'm not really into factory guitars anymore.

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

Just bought an Ibanez RGB305 for my stepson for Xmas. Not my flavor but he did the research. I have no doubt it's a quality bass, even though it's under $500. Most of what I gig is well under $1K.

The Bar Band Bassman