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First bass -- Ibanez, Squier, Cort or ESP

#41
Florox said:
I own two, and have played quite a few. The frets are never done right and thus the strings can't ever be lowered to a very comfortable degree, at least on most, without getting a lot of fret buzz and/or getting completely unusable notes. There's a reason why these are so inexpensive; Sure, a good fretjob and maybe a pickup swap would yield an amazing inexpensive bass, but they're not this way new.
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'Never' means forever and in each and every instance. Are you sure you want to make such a sweeping generalization? I wouldn't.

Oh - there's an exception to my rule here: You must NEVER say NEVER

This is Bandini! It is total Bandini and nothing BUT BANDINI!
 
#43
SurferJoe46 said:
'Never' means forever and in each and every instance. Are you sure you want to make such a sweeping generalization? I wouldn't.

Oh - there's an exception to my rule here: You must NEVER say NEVER

This is Bandini! It is total Bandini and nothing BUT BANDINI!
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Never say never, but I would say that 9 times out of ten, most basses (off the shelf) in that price range, will need some fret work if you want it perfect. However, being your first bass, you might not really notice the difference.

IMO Ibanez pays closer attention to that kind of detail than Squier. In the end, you'll have to handle them and play them your self. Of course you will hear ppls opinions about P vs. J, but honestly all the basses you mentioned will fit the bill for you.

good luck.
 
#44
For that budget I would go with Ibanez, I have two, an EWB20WNE electro accoustic and a BTB770, both had 100% perfect set ups out of the box and no issues, the build is superb and the playability fantastic, Ibanez set ups are very good IME, my BTB plays as well as my USA Precison Deluxe 2011 model which was more than twice the price, obviously a different machine but I am judging just the feel when playing .
I have never had a Squier bass but have had Squier guitars and IMO they are not as good as Ibanez .
 
#48
I have the Ibanez GSR 200. I've had it (and played for) for 2 years, but I'm currently itching for a new bass. So this would pretty much sort you out for your beginner period - and some upgrades would keep you coming back to it!

But in all honestly, I've done a few small gigs with it, it sounds nice. Versatile enough because of the Precision + Jazz pickup combination. The neck is thin and easy to play. Looks pretty cool.

On the other hand, I've heard nothing but praise for Squier Classic Vibe and Vintage Modified basses.

On the third hand, a better amp is probably more important than the bass.. ( £900 amp stack with a £200 bass for me :p )
 
#52
I would seriously look into an Ibanez SR(insert number here based on cost) for your first bass. Thin necks and very versatile and easy to play. What I love about low end Ibanez's are you get a good quality, reliable bass, for a good price. They may not have all the bells and whistles at the lower end, but they work good, sound great and won't let you down. For the price you can't beat it.
 
#53
I totally agree. The only thing I would add is to go to several music shops and play as many basses as you can. Don't walk in with a preconceived idea of what brand or model you want. Remember to think of that $450 as a limit, not a target.

And by all means, forget the phrase "you get what you pay for." If it were true, there would be no such things as good deals or rip-offs!

Mushroo said:
My recommendation is to head to your local music shop and play as many as you can. Which feels and sounds best to you? Used equipment is an especially good way to get "bang for your buck." If you have a friend who plays better than you, bring him/her along to demonstrate.

You don't have to spend a ton of money to get a decent instrument.
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It's also a good idea to learn one or two bass riffs that you like, so you've got something to play when you try them out.
 
#54
My first bass was a Cort 4 string.... it got me started for $200 from a pawn shop, and I played it for about 3 years before I decided to upgrade. My upgrade was to an Ibanez SR405QM, that I got from a store other than GC for $400, and I LOVE IT ! My Cort hangs on a wall and never gets played. As for the amp issue... check EBAY and Craig's list for deals, but I would agree on the 100 watt minimum. I got a 300 watt Behringer on ebay for about $300 if I remember right. Above all, and this has already been said, shop around... find what you like... and then shop around for the best price... check pawn shops and smaller music stores (contrary to popular belief, GC is not the be all end all of music stores) .... get what you want at a price that you like, and then shred the low end like the rest of us
ps... IMO, any bass for any genre of music will work. period.
 
#56
Okay well.. Like a few have said. Try out many different basses and find one that fits your style of playing and the music you play, bring a bass player whom plays better and ask the owner of the store about every bass in the place. I play a Fender J most of the time, but I own about 9 basses in all. I find a J bass is easy to play and you can do alot on them. From Punk, to blues and everything in the middle.

Hope this helped, Tyler.
 
#57
I own a Squire VM, a Cort B5 an Ibanez ATK, and BTB. I would have to agree with some others here that Ibanez will give you better quality control out of the box but stay away from the entry level beginner stuff (even if you are a beginner).

My Squire while a nice bass does have some fret issues. My Ibanez basses on the other hand were pretty much flawless as I received them. I set them once for my personal taste and haven't really touched them since. The squire it seems needs adjustment whenever the weather or seasons change. They are just no where near the consistent QC of an Ibanez.

Shop around, here on TB, on the Bay, on CL, and be patient if you shop hard there are deals to be had. My ATK was $180 on a recent blowout, My BTB $280 on with a HS Case, Cort B5 was $227, and I just scored a brand new Bolt on Peavey Cirrus 5'er for $650. Spend a lot of time searching it will pay off big time!!! $450 + patience will buy you a lot!
 
#58
Take it from someone whos owned a ton of ESP's: Dont buy an ESP Bass unless is has EMG pickups so Id say unless you find an old F205 or F254 for ~$250 dont go for ESP. For your first bass, you are much better off going with Ibanez. Try going for an SR with bartolinis.
 
#59
Those Fender VM basses are great basses for the money, it's a simple classic design you can't go wrong with and they look and sound great.

For a more modern look and sound, you can't go wrong with an Ibanez Soundgear (SR300, SR400QM and the SR500 which you can find used for your budget). These are also extremely light and have very skinny necks.

IMO, buy used and try not to spend more than $275 so you can spend the rest on a decent-wattage (read: loud) amp.
 
#60
Oh, and I agree with Andy_D: while I recommended the Squier basses, quality isn't is good as on the Ibanez basses as far as the lower priced models are concerned.

Don't get me wrong, for what you're paying the minor issues are acceptable, you won't find any major issues that will get in the way of playability. But I've found that in the $300 to $550 range the Ibanez Soundgears usually have better build quality (excellent fret work, no loose or cheap feeling hardware, no blemishes on the body finish, etc.).
 

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