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Help me choose my first bass
- Thread starter Michal_Toth
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- buying first bass help me
Well I was to the store and I gotta say the staff there was horrible. Didn't get to try out everything I wanted, the basses were horribly set up even though there were labels that said otherwise.
It was completely out of tune to start with, after I tuned one by ear (TRBX174)...even though it was weird tuning a whole octave down from what I'm used to, I got to the point where I said "that'll work". Tried playing some scales and found out that already at 7th fret E and G were completely off. The strings hit the fret with every note I played....I'm not even mentioning that two of the sellers there kept arguing. I got so frustrated I got up and left. The bass was fine when it came to the neck width, string spacing, the overall tone (apart from the additional noises the bass made), but as I said I was too frustrated to think clearly so I decided not to buy anything.
I'll probably go to the local store in my town to see the SX some day and see what I'll think of it.
I'll post updates on my situation if any of you care.
It was completely out of tune to start with, after I tuned one by ear (TRBX174)...even though it was weird tuning a whole octave down from what I'm used to, I got to the point where I said "that'll work". Tried playing some scales and found out that already at 7th fret E and G were completely off. The strings hit the fret with every note I played....I'm not even mentioning that two of the sellers there kept arguing. I got so frustrated I got up and left. The bass was fine when it came to the neck width, string spacing, the overall tone (apart from the additional noises the bass made), but as I said I was too frustrated to think clearly so I decided not to buy anything.
I'll probably go to the local store in my town to see the SX some day and see what I'll think of it.
I'll post updates on my situation if any of you care.
wintremute
mediocrity at its finest
- Oct 16, 2014
- 6,942
- 29,551
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Langstrom Carrot Farms
That sucks that you had a bad experience. Stores like that just drive people to shop online. Let us know how it goes with the SX (and how the people are at the local store).
Wait......I'm confused
In post #3 you had mentioned
"..and the thing is I don't have any stores in the city I live in..."
??
wintremute
mediocrity at its finest
- Oct 16, 2014
- 6,942
- 29,551
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Langstrom Carrot Farms
English isn't my main language so I didn't get my point across right...to rephrase...the only store that we got here has only one bass that I found and it was an SX bass.
Greetings and welcome, Michael!
I have a headphone amplifier for my bass guitar. In fact, it's a matter of life or death for me. My wife…
without 
equals 
! To that effect, I bought a C-Tech Pocket Rockit S1b when I got my first bass. It's simple, easy to use, very effective, portable (great for traveling, which I do…a lot!) and can connect with an mp3 player or laptop when I want to play along with pre-recorded music.
S1b Pocket Rock•it
I forget…classic guitars have very flat fretboards, yes? If so, the SX might work well for you, assuming that particular item is in good working order. All of the ones listed here in the U.S. have a 14-inch radius, as opposed to the curvier Fender/Squier fretboards (7.25 to 9.5-inches). Mind you, I also have long-ish fingers, but the vintage-style, 7.25" radius works best for me, so there is no telling what will work best for you.
Have you checked out the instruments offered by Retrovibe (formerly ProBass)? They're based out of the U.K., plus it's proprietor, David, is a member here on TalkBass. Unfortunately, I can't remember his user ID, but someone here might. If not, you can always contact him through is website.
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I have a headphone amplifier for my bass guitar. In fact, it's a matter of life or death for me. My wife…
- …works from home
- …has considerable Attention Deficit Disorder
- …is prone to terrible migraine headaches brought about by loud noises
without equals ! To that effect, I bought a C-Tech Pocket Rockit S1b when I got my first bass. It's simple, easy to use, very effective, portable (great for traveling, which I do…a lot!) and can connect with an mp3 player or laptop when I want to play along with pre-recorded music.S1b Pocket Rock•it
I forget…classic guitars have very flat fretboards, yes? If so, the SX might work well for you, assuming that particular item is in good working order. All of the ones listed here in the U.S. have a 14-inch radius, as opposed to the curvier Fender/Squier fretboards (7.25 to 9.5-inches). Mind you, I also have long-ish fingers, but the vintage-style, 7.25" radius works best for me, so there is no telling what will work best for you.
Have you checked out the instruments offered by Retrovibe (formerly ProBass)? They're based out of the U.K., plus it's proprietor, David, is a member here on TalkBass. Unfortunately, I can't remember his user ID, but someone here might. If not, you can always contact him through is website.
Invalid Link Removed
Greetings and welcome, Michael!
I have a headphone amplifier for my bass guitar. In fact, it's a matter of life or death for me. My wife…
…so, a headphone amp is a "must have" for me. Put simply,
- …works from home
- …has considerable Attention Deficit Disorder
- …is prone to terrible migraine headaches brought about by loud noises
S1b Pocket Rock•it
I forget…classic guitars have very flat fretboards, yes? If so, the SX might work well for you, assuming that particular item is in good working order. All of the ones listed here in the U.S. have a 14-inch radius, as opposed to the curvier Fender/Squier fretboards (7.25 to 9.5-inches). Mind you, I also have long-ish fingers, but the vintage-style, 7.25" radius works best for me, so there is no telling what will work best for you.
Have you checked out the instruments offered by Retrovibe (formerly ProBass)? They're based out of the U.K., plus it's proprietor, David, is a member here on TalkBass. Unfortunately, I can't remember his user ID, but someone here might. If not, you can always contact him through is website.
Invalid Link Removed
I wasn't able to find the S1b in any online shop near me unfortunately, so I probably wouldn't be able to get it without payibg crazy import fees.
I'm afraid I'd have a similar problem with the Retrovibe basses since they're stationed in the UK.
Yes, classical guitars have really flat fretboards, mostly because the fretboards are so wide. It wouldn't be very comfortable to try to fret the lowest string if the fretboard had a crazy radius. I didn't have time yet to try the SX out, so I can't tell yet whether or not it fits me.
Anyway thank you for your post. I didn't put into consideration the fretboard radius before, so...thanks for reminding me.
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I'd say look at a PJ with a J neck. It's boring, but you can easily change components as they are standard so if you want some minor changes they are easy to do.
As it looks like you are in Europe you might want to consider looking at one of the Harley Benton basses as they are cheap, and the one I got for £100 as a cheap back-up bass for bar jam sessions turned out to actually be a decent enough bass (although heavy), apart from a saddle on the bridge that jammed. The hardware's not exactly fancy and ultimately you might want to change the tuners and pickups as well as the bridge, but it might be a reasonable point to start from as you can easily swap components.
I terms of headphone monitoring, I'd suggest getting a Zoom B1on if you are starting out as it has an aux in for playing along to stuff, and perfectly decent effects, notably amplifier models and a room ambience.
Also factor in some sort of case or bag (e.g. a decent Ritter gig bag, or one of the semi-hard cases) and a stand, and cable with a right-angle connector to avoid the risk of sticking a bass with an edge jack connector on the stand with the jack still in.
I saw the Harley Benton basses already, but I didn't know whether or not I should consider buying one. I wanted a bass made by a brand I know makes quality products (Yamaha, Fender, Ibanez, Dean, ESP). The hardware swapping is out of the question right now as I'm a complete newbie to basses. I have little to no hands on experience with them. Hell, first time I actually played one was this week at the store I went to.
The Zoom B1on is pretty nice. I like it. Thanks for telling me about it.
I don't think I need a bag right away, as I don't think I will be moving it anywhere. The stand and cable I plan on buying with the actual bass or online afterwards. Will definitely look at ones with the right-angle connector.
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I was pleasantly surprised. You can get an ESP PJ for around £280ish. I'm not suggesting swapping out components initially, but the option is useful.
I'd recommend getting one anyway, for the sake of safety. I have bags but also keep my basses shut away in a cupboard away from pets and general accidents.
I have all my guitars on wall hangers, so I'm contemplating adding another one for my bass. But whether I use a regular stand or a wall hanger I'm not going to have it in a bag I think anyway. I only put my classical/accoustic in a bag when I travel or when I go to play somewhere.
I'm going to look into the Harley Benton more, but there is a great downside to them - I can't try them out anywhere. :/
Not being able to try one out is an issue, although Thomann does have a good returns policy. For me HB was a surprise as for a 'throw away' bass I got something actually usable fretless (YMMV) that would make a decent starter bass.
I presume there isn't much on the second hand market, there?
Not really. And I'm a sceptic, so I don't ever buy anything in second hand stores.
And that's the thing, you can't be sure with them and the hassle of sending it back all nervous and waiting for them to reply is something I'd rather avoid.
As far as headphone monitoring/amp, I'd check these 2 ideas out. I'm not sure the availability in Slovakia, but worth looking into IMHO. I haven't tried one of these as well, but general consensus from people I've talked to are positive.
These will let you plug any headphones you have into them.
Vox amPlug 2 Bass Headphone Amp
These have the headphones and amp all in one package.
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Welcome to Talk Bass. Good luck on the bass hunt and learning, you'll be in love with the low end in no time.
These will let you plug any headphones you have into them.
Vox amPlug 2 Bass Headphone Amp
These have the headphones and amp all in one package.
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Welcome to Talk Bass. Good luck on the bass hunt and learning, you'll be in love with the low end in no time.
Just got off my duff here at work and decided to check into that for you. They are offered on Thomman!
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Thank you very much! I really like the Vox amPlug2. It's probably what I'm going to opt for. But I received other recommendations as well so I will check all of those out and try to decide what would be the best for me.
You're very welcome! Good luck in the hunt and find what speaks to you. What speaks to others may not work for you =p.
Your English is almost perfect my friend, better than many native English speakers I know, so don't worry!
In my experience, Yamaha make excellent equipment and I'd always recommend them. It's a shame they don't make a "beginner" model with JJ pickups or I'd have one myself...but the PJ layout is a decent starting point for anyone. I recently was given (!) a Harley Benton PB50 and I have to say it's a lot better than you would imagine, especially for the price. I could easily gig that bass as it is, and upgrades would be easy if I felt the need.
