Guitar Center trip on Saturday!

Do your best to forget about prices etc and get the bass that you felt the most comfortable with. As for amps, it really depends on what you need it for. It wouldn't hurt to pick up a nice ~300 watt 410 setup, but if you dont need something that size then you could get a better quality but smaller combo. Once again get the one you like the sound of the most.

PS don't forget to squeze the salesman for the best prices. A good way to go about this would be to saying you're just looking for an amp, then find the one you want and ask for the best price etc. THEN try basses... get best price on that yada yada then 'think about it' for a second and ask what they can do if you get both.

 

Get used gear...Your money will go A LOT further!

 

Absolutely!!!!!!!

In fact stay out of GC unless you are just going to test gear.

Used pro gear is the great deal. Much of it sat in homes and was not worked hard. Tastes change and the person unloads it. Same for you. You buy some used piece, don't like it after a month or so sell it and recoup your investment. If you have it a year and you sell it for $100 less than you payed for it, you rented it for less than $10 a month.

This way you can try every speaker config til you find your thing. Tubes hybrids SS all are out there waiting for you.

Used pro gear gets you good construction and real wood cabs. It keeps it's value with a slower depreciation.

Good luck.

 

BUY USED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

If you take that money, comb through the TB classifieds, you will be SO much happier and will actually be able to get something usable for the long haul. $1k will get you a nice bass and a really nice combo, or a 2x10 or 1x12 and a good quallity pro quality amp. You will end up paying some 30% more just in the used section at GC, not even considering new. If you go, leave your money at home and just find out some of the stuff you like, and find a member here selling some of the same gear and get hooked up!

Take your bass in there and test it through cabs. Play everything in your price range. After you get through them and sort that out, then pull a different bass off the wall and play through some of the same amps to compare.

You can get Fender MIM Jazzes for $350 all day long here
You can get a quality 2x10 or 1x12 for under $300 in great condition.
There are a ton of $300-$400 amps, many new.

Good luck. If you find a good deal there, then great, but nothing usually beats used TB prices.
W

 

Yeah dude, definitely used. $600 and a 2 hour road trip got me this:

 

I'm not suggesting that anyone on TB selling something would intentionally cause you any grief - but used is still used and all the new is gone out of it as is any possibility of a warranty for full replacement and/or repair by the seller.

I bought some p'ups from a very nice person here on TB, and I even sent him cash in an envelope since I didn't want to use PayPal or send a check, just to make the transaction easier for him - and he could have easily just put the cash in his pocket and said he never saw it.

ONE happy experience doe NOT a trend make, however. This transaction might have been outside the normal curve.

If you ghost gear forums long enough, you know you've seen someone post that "this POS is so bad that I'm gonna flip it and get something that is much better" - and who knows which piece of gear that is anyway?

I would never buy anything I couldn't play first and if you DO buy used, there's always the shipping, wondering if you are getting a unit that hasn't been dropped off a truck or run a 170% for hours by some shredder.

Even if you buy a used bunch of gear at a place that offers a warranty - like a brick-n-mortar store, you're still taking a chance on getting abused gear that may not show up as defective for a short time - maybe just long enough to get off warranty.

The last thing I bought used was an Epi LP/Special bass - but it wasn't 'mine' and I quickly flipped it for a great profit and bought new at GC with the money. It was a great bass - but it was used.

The peace of mind is really worth it.

We buy car insurance, betting that we will get into an accident, and the insurance company - by taking your premium payment - is betting you won't and is willing to put up their assets to cover their end of the bet and to mitigate your losses.

Would you think a store would or should be any different?

You might get some private seller with a conscience (especially at TB as is the way I've seen things go here) to offer to accept the item back if you pay shipping - or whatever relationship you can make with them - but the store is always there and the doors are open at posted time and days of the week.

The service you will get is priceless I feel. Caveat emptor.

IMO - buy new and the ever-present possibility of even new gear failure is made sweeter with a NEW-GEAR WARRANTY.

 

I think with $1k and the situation in the OP, just audition some amps.

Got a decent bass. Got a crappy amp. Get new (or used) awesome amp. Prob'ly with money left over.

To me that sounds smarter than getting another decent bass and an okay amp on the budget.

 

.......actually - it's just opinions.

You are the master of your own thousand dollars.

 

The GK MB212 combo is a good bet for that price range. I've got my issues with the lack of cabinet damping but that's pretty minor in the scheme of how good the box is for the price. Add some foam if the mids are boxy sounding or something. Still worth it

 

Take your Ibanez that you have now, for when you're trying out amps.

 

I didnt read all responses, but i KNOW enugh of them said check out tb classifieds. buying used is an excellent way to be able to try out nice basses without paying the full sticker price. For the level youre looking at, I recommend a higher-level Ibanez soundgear with a PJ setup. but theres so many brands out there, who knows what you can find in the TB classifieds at a great price

 

When it's your only rig and you're relatively inexperienced with gear, buying used is also a good way to get screwed with broken crap. There are definitely reasons not to buy used amps and cabs if you aren't very well educated about gear.

Not saying it'll burn you every time, but there are reasons to buy stuff new with warranty when you're on your first rig. Take this from a guy who went through a bunch of half-working rigs over the years and had to take his lumps

 

FWIW I have over 70 TB transactions and have been misled exactly twice with purchases. Neither was a disaster in the end, although both were a drag at the time.

 

That is exactly what I would do.