Can't decide on a beginner bass, which would you choose? Help!

[JoshS]

I’m a beginner playing a Talman with a Rumble 25. (I also have a cheap Cort P from the 90s)
It works for me. I don’t really use the bass/ treble boost and just leave those “centered.” I do leave the pu balanced too, but will push more P or more J depending on what tone I want.

This was my buying experience: I really wanted a certain color and made the local GC fetch it from the back. It was in the box. I really liked it, but I had a gift card I did not bring.

When I came back in 2 weeks or so, that model had really taken a beating. (?) Even the sales guy couldn’t explain it. It had some resin all over the back and the frets felt terrible and even the action seemingly changed. (And I didn’t just learn enough in two weeks to finally notice). He grabbed another brand new one (different color) from the back, and it was SO much better. He said the same. In the end, I really like [new color] and I like playing it. I would have said, untouched, the first was probably fine. But ? No idea.

 

[TheLowDown33]

And by the time the OP sinks all of the money into a "proper" set up especially if a fret job is needed, he could have bought a nicer more expensive bass.

Sinking an extra $100 to $150 into a $200 bass is madness. If fret ends are that bad, which they shouldn't be if at all, buy a roll of masking tape and a manicurist's nail file (the ones with multiple grits) and spend an hour getting the fret ends smoother.

Relax. Most basses under $500 need a pretty thorough set up regardless. Chances are if you're a complete beginner, you're going to be afraid or just not know how to get an off the shelf bass into playable condition. Personally, I dont need to pay for setups because I can do the work myself. My point was simply to make sure the bass is set up well to avoid any additional hurdles that come with learning a new instrument. It's hard enough to play the damn thing, let alone with sharp fret ends and mile high action.

 

[bucephylus]

A first bass? Go for a decent used P. Get a teacher to help you ID it.

Whether or not that becomes an ultimate bass, it’s just a really right place to start for so many reasons, I wouldn’t even begin to list them.

 

[bassstrangler]

Relax. Most basses under $500 need a pretty thorough set up regardless. Chances are if you're a complete beginner, you're going to be afraid or just not know how to get an off the shelf bass into playable condition. Personally, I dont need to pay for setups because I can do the work myself. My point was simply to make sure the bass is set up well to avoid any additional hurdles that come with learning a new instrument. It's hard enough to play the damn thing, let alone with sharp fret ends and mile high action.

I love it when people tell me to relax. I enjoy it as much as telling those people to , oh wait there's rules here.

 

[Aloe]

Haha, I'll take my chances... I refuse to pay double the price for same basses... Nope, I'm in South America, Uruguay.

uhm, make sure customs don't include shipping in total cost for taxes (in my country they do).
i.e. $200 bass + $100 shipping may be seen by customs as $300 bass, not $200.

on the topic, I had a Yamaha RBX170 (I believe, similar to newer TRBX174 with Agathis body).
it's a nice begininer's bass, with some drawbacks expected for the price, like poor fretwork, fragile bridge screws or unscrewing output jack. nothing that cannot be fixed though.

 

[leerod054]

uhm, make sure customs don't include shipping in total cost for taxes (in my country they do).
i.e. $200 bass + $100 shipping may be seen by customs as $300 bass, not $200.

on the topic, I had a Yamaha RBX170 (I believe, similar to newer TRBX174 with Agathis body).
it's a nice begininer's bass, with some drawbacks expected for the price, like poor fretwork, fragile bridge screws or unscrewing output jack. nothing that cannot be fixed though.

Just show the purchase receipts.

 

[Aloe]

Just show the purchase receipts.

haha, I actually did that and they insisted that shipping is part of the price.
did you actually have personal experience in dealing with customs outside of US? they can be very greedy, but this depends on the exact country.

 

[leerod054]

haha, I actually did that and they insisted that shipping is part of the price.
did you actually have personal experience in dealing with customs outside of US? they can be very greedy, but this depends on the exact country.

Yes I have and I stuck to my guns on the different cost. Mine was a really nice solid leather coat I got for my dad back in 1970. Had all my documents. Told them shipping has never been part of the purchasing price and dared them to prove otherwise.

 

[nerkoids]

Hi! First thread here. I've started private bass lessons two weeks ago and I want to buy my first bass on a USD 200 budget. As I'm total beginner I can barely play something (scales, etc) so I can't notice really any differences between different basses, I feel very comfortable on all of them so, which one u would buy?

- Yamaha TRBX174
- Ibanez TMB-100 Talman
- Ibanez GSR200 GIO
- Squier Affinity Series Precision Bass PJ

Wow, all basses made by Cortek... so they're all from the same factory

 

[pcake]

uhm, make sure customs don't include shipping in total cost for taxes (in my country they do).
i.e. $200 bass + $100 shipping may be seen by customs as $300 bass, not $200.

on the topic, I had a Yamaha RBX170 (I believe, similar to newer TRBX174 with Agathis body).
it's a nice begininer's bass, with some drawbacks expected for the price, like poor fretwork, fragile bridge screws or unscrewing output jack. nothing that cannot be fixed though.

i had an RBX170 as a backup bass that i also used to bring to some rehearsals. i never really looked at it closely, but it played fine and i never noticed any issues.

 

[Aloe]

i had an RBX170 as a backup bass that i also used to bring to some rehearsals. i never really looked at it closely, but it played fine and i never noticed any issues.

well, I noticed the jack problem in first half a year, it became loose. I tightened it, it again became loose.
probably this could be fixed by additional lock washer, but I changed the whole jack to open type for maximum reliability (because if it got loose, I could fix it without replacing the jack). never had to touch it again since then.

I noticed bridge problem in first year, screws (both hex and screwdriver ones) were very soft and ripped off (I had to loosen strings to rotate them). ended up changing the bridge.

I noticed the sharp frets in several years, maybe they just became worse with time. ended up giving away this bass.

but again, it was a nice sounding and playing bass, for beginner it could be recommended.

p.s. this was that very bass. of course, with flats.

 

[pcake]

guess i got lucky. i got my yamaha in or around 1999 or 2000, not sure if that makes a difference. it sounded good, stayed in tune, had a fairly small and light body. i used to drag it to rehearsal without a case or gigbag. i just dragged it all over the place - even noodled outside my dentist's office till they called me in.

were the edges of the frets sharp? if so, perhaps it was too dry.

 

[TheCrazyJoe]

Personally, I currently play an Ibanez GRS200. Brand new it cost $200, and it's an outstanding instrument in my opinion. I've been playing it very regularly for the past 2 years, in our church band, in a 3 piece jam group (we just play in my friends basement), and blues jams and open mic nights. The bass is a good choice.

Truthfully, all of the basses you've listed as options are very good for the price. You can't go wrong with any of them. If money is the deciding factor, go with what you can afford. Good luck and keep us posted!

Joe