First Bass tips?

[davidjackson]

I play the standard Yamaha BB424 and it is incredible value for money. WhenI bought it I had gone out to buy a MIM P or J bass but neither could compete for me with the Yamaha. My wife was a bit surprised when I got home since I had been raving about upgrading my Squier to a 'proper' Fender model for ages!

Choose with your hands and ears and leave your preconceptions at the door - that's my advice.

 

[NightTripper]

Don't let people tell you that CV is better than VM or vice versa. I tried out CVs and VMs before I bought my VM. I liked its pickups and satin neck finish better than the CVs, but it's all just a matter of preference. VMs and CVs are giggable. Figure out which features you like most and go with the bass that has them.

 

[wrench45us]

whoa did someone mention Status Streamline?

I could walk into a lot of music stores and never see one of those, as much as I might like to. Are they in stores in the UK?

The advice however to try what you can find in the store is good though. You can do a lot to change sound and feel with strings and various pre-amp gizmos, but not much you can do about the feel of the neck and weight of the body.

The instrument should be something you look forward to working with everyday, not something you settle for or what others may recommend.
(unless it is that Status Streamline)

 

[addylewis]

IMO - you want something with a similar pickup situation to the one you've been using...some people (or is it just me) find the top screw on a P-bass pickup wierd when they're used to jazz basses and rest their thumb on it to play.

Standard, VM or CV squiers are good (although standard squiers are cheaper they're still much nicer than affinity squiers...)

I'm just going to say - try out what you can and just get the one that FEELS best and sounds decent (feel first, sound second) don't choose by colour whatever you do...if I'd done that my first bass wouldn't have been the one I actually chose

 

[SteveHeissner]

+1 for anything Squier VM or CV. They get lotsa luv round here. Affordable yet very gig-able. A respectable axe at any price point.

 

[Shazam]

Guys, thanks a lot for the advice you've given me. I'm gonna go check that VM out and see if it's the "one."

 

[Matthew_84]

Try out a couple, it may be the model you're looking for, but individual basses vary slightly from each other. When you find "the one", you'll know.

 

[Shazam]

Hey there I'm back! After checking with the Jazz bass I suddenly became interested in the VM P bass. When I checked the neck of this bass in the Fender site it says it has a "C" shape. I decided to compare it to a Standard P bass and this has a modern "C" shape neck. What's the difference between these two necks?

 

[metlman72]

I believe that "C" refers to the nut width. Fender uses 3 standard necks A,B and C. Someone who knows more about Fenders will be along soon to give you the answer if I was wrong.

 

[klejst]

One thing I can say is when first starting out is to stay within a budget and just get some "starter gear." Focus more on developing your playing skills instead of worrying so much about a big and expensive rig. You can upgrade over the months and years as you developer and go from hobbyist bedroom player to playing local gigs with a band player.

 

[Megas3300]

Squier VM or CV get my vote, I have an all maple 70's vm jazz, I put some DR flats on her and she sounds great, great tone for the price.

 

[Shazam]

I'm back and I still haven't found a bass . There's a Squier Mike Dirnt P bass available and I was just wondering if its any good. By the way I AM NOT A MIKE DIRNT FAN. Just wanted to get that out of the way.