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

[OldSchoolFlats]

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

Startin' with 5-string, eh?

Anywho, love the P/J thing, and active electronics! Great! I went Yamaha for my $500 bass (wanted a 4-string), but looked closely at Ibanez.

I'll second the comment above on setup/fretwork. Did my own fret-leveling and filed-down some fret-sprout, and really enjoyed it much more.

 

[DrBnz]

Of course you pay attention to looks. I won't even pick it up if its ugly. Then comes the "how does the neck FEEL". If it doesn't pass those two then I walk away.

 

[smatanovic]

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.

I recently saw an interview with Ben Shepherd (Soundgarden), where he said that his no1 is a Mexican PBass. I know that many folks here look down their noses at MIM fenders, but, as a noob, that was really enlightening to me.

 

[KellyC]

Hi jd56hawk



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 View attachment 5277607

greetings

Wise(b)ass

Plus it's harder to find those pants in red and white !

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

Startin' with 5-string, eh?

Anywho, love the P/J thing, and active electronics! Great! I went Yamaha for my $500 bass (wanted a 4-string), but looked closely at Ibanez.

I'll second the comment above on setup/fretwork. Did my own fret-leveling and filed-down some fret-sprout, and really enjoyed it much more.

His call. He wants to play metal. He knew the difference between the 300 and 305. Smart kid. I just unboxed it today. Not my cuppa, but sounds and plays great! A bit of fret sprout but I'll wait to see if it bothers him.

BBB

 

[bigdaddybass12]

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.

Yes on this. Honestly, the $300 basses are better than a lot of people give them credit for. You need to hand pick it from GC. I play at some nice places, the bass I usually take cost $299. Leaving basses I paid a lot more at home. I get compliments on appearance and sound. (Sterling Ray4). It's stable, stays in tune, nice stingray sound. I have played for close to 30 years, I have had the 'close to top notch' basses, but like my $300 bass. Sounds as good. Sorry some may disagree,

 

[Wisebass]

Plus it's harder to find those pants in red and white !

Maybe today? In the 80s you could get striped "stretch" Jeans in all colors! (at least in Europe, not kidding!)

I had a pair in blue & signal orange. Looked awesome both with army boots or sneakers!

But when I started giging I went to an all black look anyway.

Wise

 

[TheReceder]

Yes on this. Honestly, the $300 basses are better than a lot of people give them credit for. You need to hand pick it from GC. I play at some nice places, the bass I usually take cost $299. Leaving basses I paid a lot more at home. I get compliments on appearance and sound. (Sterling Ray4). It's stable, stays in tune, nice stingray sound. I have played for close to 30 years, I have had the 'close to top notch' basses, but like my $300 bass. Sounds as good. Sorry some may disagree,

I think I've found my long lost brother.

 

[Knavery]

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

Did you come up with that? If so, it's book worthy.

 

[TheReceder]

Did you come up with that? If so, it's book worthy.

I think it falls under the catagory if you put a thousand monkeys in a room with typewriters eventually one might write a novel... or at least a decent greeting card.

 

[Short4since64]

For a beginner, it comes down to 2 things - setup and playability. If the beginner is young, a short scale as a 1st instrument. Fairly light strings for the student to build up finger strength, flats for comfort, with no calluses 66s feel like hacksaw blades. An older beginner with adult size hands can start out on a long scale (I wish I had, still playing shorties at 75, have to watch my hands when playing a long scale). Pickups, electronics are immaterial, a beginner is not going to be playing thru a Mesa Subway or a classic SVT and fridge. The Epiphone SG style basses are excellent starters as well as Ibanez and Squire. And, although not directly related, no one should be playing their first notes thru an old guitar amp that sounds like cattle flatulence. A Rumble is inexpensive and sounds good.

 

[MrLenny1]

$500 approximate would be my sugestion.

 

[JC BASS 91]

When I started, for whatever reason, looks didn't factor in. I just wanted a bass. I knew next to nothing and relied on the store owner of the small shop to steer me. He had a couple of sleek, shiny Series 10 basses hanging on the wall for a a few hundred each. I liked the look of them, but he told me they weren't worth the money and would fall apart down the road. He pointed me to a Hondo Fame Bassmaster 001 P-bass copy on the wall. Had a photoflame top with brown stain, gold hardware, Grover tuners and even a massive, Kahler Tremelo bridge. He told me that when it had been released that it was the 'top of the line' from Hondo. I paid $125 for it and he threw in a hard case for it. I played it for about 9 years and ultimately sold it for a little more than I paid for it.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

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.)

I thing the number one thing is you don't want to do is buy an instrument nobody else is going to want when it's time to move on to other passions or a better instrument. If you try to "cheap" you way through this is much the same as throwing money down the drain. Buy quality, and consider buying used gear.

 

[Watchootognbout]

When I first became interested in electric bass,I knew nothing about "this bass for this sound"
In my head was"every bass makes a bass noise"

All of my bass "heroes"played different basses,but had different sounds because of different techniques.

Later,I learned that some have an inherent difference in sound because of construction methods.
And cost was a factor.

So I chose my first and every bass from then on based on looks.
I still do.

And focus basically on technique.

 

[brianrost]

When I was actually a beginner I didn't know any better so I bought a bass that looked like a Gibson EB-3 because that's what Jack Bruce played. It didn't sound anything like an EB-3, but it was an OK bass.

If I had known better I could have bought a used P-bass for the same money ($190 as I recall, a brand new Precision was $283 list) and of course there plenty around but I didn't like the look. Since it was 1973, chances are I would have scored a 60s P, maybe even pre-CBS. Not that I would have understood what I was getting.

So yes, for most beginners the looks matter.

 

[HueyFreeman]

As good as Reverend's are, their necks may not be the best for a beginner.

 

[ravelax]

I think it's inevitable that as a beginner, you go mostly by looks. It's still a good idea to do some basic research before spending money, but it's easy to be overwhelmed reading opinions on the internet, so it's a good idea to talk to someone with more experience (in a store if one doesn't know anyone else).

I don't think it makes that much difference exactly what one starts with, in terms of specs or even scale lenght or so. Eventually as one learns to play the instrument one will be able to play any bass. It's more important to not cheap out and buy the cheapest bass, than the exact model one starts with. A cheap, boring looking instrument will not be inspiring. A decent bass is better to learn on, and as one progresses and starts to get an idea about what one wants in a bass a better instrument will also be easier to sell if needed.

I was lucky enough when starting out to have a good bass at home to learn on, my dad's 78 Fender J. Based on that, I chose a used MIM Fender J as my first bass.

 

[burgerdj]

My kids will start on a passive bass that costs somewhere between $Free and $350…one of mine or something decent in line with the school year costs of their current instruments. They need to find what works for them, without me introducing too much bias. If I had to guess, it'll be a Yamaha or Ibanez.

 

[tb-player]

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?

I thought this was why God invented Sire.