I just started playing bass, and I wanted a versatile, good quality instrument that won't empty my wallet. Anything you guys can recommend?
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I'm new to bass, recommendations?
- Thread starter SiriusXMOctane
- Start date
Give us a little more criteria
Ibanez does make some of the best for the money basses that are found easily. Are there music stores in your area? I always recommend trying to support local even if it is GC. But in these days of internet retail market, we can confuse you easily. There are literally hundreds of brands to chose from.
Keep in mind that you still need an amp, cables, tuner, a music stand, guitar stand, a case or gig bag, a book and or lessons, and perhaps headphones.
All that long being said. The Squier bass packs have every thing you need, they are around $300. You can easily buy separate bass, amp, cable, etc it will cost more but you have more choices and in general gear that will last you longer. The little starter amps are getting better and better, but you will grow out of it quick IF you stick with it.
Welcome to talkbass and to the bass guitar in general
Ibanez does make some of the best for the money basses that are found easily. Are there music stores in your area? I always recommend trying to support local even if it is GC. But in these days of internet retail market, we can confuse you easily. There are literally hundreds of brands to chose from.
Keep in mind that you still need an amp, cables, tuner, a music stand, guitar stand, a case or gig bag, a book and or lessons, and perhaps headphones.
All that long being said. The Squier bass packs have every thing you need, they are around $300. You can easily buy separate bass, amp, cable, etc it will cost more but you have more choices and in general gear that will last you longer. The little starter amps are getting better and better, but you will grow out of it quick IF you stick with it.
Welcome to talkbass and to the bass guitar in general
The closest Guitar Center is in Atlanta, which is about 2 hours from me. There are local shops, but none can give me the versatility I'm looking for. I was thinking one of the S.U.B. Ray4 or 5, maybe.
You certainly can't go wrong with those. You may also want to consider a Squier Precision or Jazz bass. Any of those three will give you a classic sound that can be used for any kind of music.
I should add that I plan on using it for some gigging in the future. Somewhere in the range of hard rock to metal. Thanks for all the recommendations, by the way!
it is definitely worth the drive though. It is way better to play then buy, rather than go off of pure recommendations.
For example, the Ibaneze's are great...but they FEEL different to many people. If I had bought an Ibby sight unseen, it would not have worked b/c the necks are too small for my hands, even though the sound was great. (I "lucked" into a 72 Fender P that both felt and sounded great as my first bass)
I think in the beginning, you want some thing that is going to fell the best, since their is so much selection in tone, sound etc, even in the $2-500 price range.
Like many have said, Ibanez, some of the Squire models, or the SUB Rays all are going to sound good enough to start, so the feel of the bass on your body is the bigger factor in my opinion.
This is what I always tell my beginning bass students. Find a feel, then a sound/tone.
Also, don't limit choice to how a certain look will fit into a certain genre. If a Danelectro Longhorn feels the best for you, and you are playing metal, it doesn't matter. (Metal is about rebellion anyways right?...or at least it was when I got into it). I remember when I got my J bass, all of the metal people were like "You can't play a jazz bass in metal"....then they heard it and were like" Oh...uh....ok"
For example, the Ibaneze's are great...but they FEEL different to many people. If I had bought an Ibby sight unseen, it would not have worked b/c the necks are too small for my hands, even though the sound was great. (I "lucked" into a 72 Fender P that both felt and sounded great as my first bass)
I think in the beginning, you want some thing that is going to fell the best, since their is so much selection in tone, sound etc, even in the $2-500 price range.
Like many have said, Ibanez, some of the Squire models, or the SUB Rays all are going to sound good enough to start, so the feel of the bass on your body is the bigger factor in my opinion.
This is what I always tell my beginning bass students. Find a feel, then a sound/tone.
Also, don't limit choice to how a certain look will fit into a certain genre. If a Danelectro Longhorn feels the best for you, and you are playing metal, it doesn't matter. (Metal is about rebellion anyways right?...or at least it was when I got into it). I remember when I got my J bass, all of the metal people were like "You can't play a jazz bass in metal"....then they heard it and were like" Oh...uh....ok"
Go to a local GC and just play with the different basses, and see what feels right/sounds right.
The Ibanez SR series are rather inexpensive with 3band active EQs, nice slim necks, light bodies, and excellent QC, but also try Squier, Schecter Stiletto, LTD B series, and Peavey Millennium if you can. You'll have a good idea then.
The Ibanez SR series are rather inexpensive with 3band active EQs, nice slim necks, light bodies, and excellent QC, but also try Squier, Schecter Stiletto, LTD B series, and Peavey Millennium if you can. You'll have a good idea then.
As said before, head to some shops and try different basses out. I always loved the look of a Fender Telecaster and wanted one so bad. I played a few and for some reason just couldn't get comfortable with them. I ended up with an Epiphone Tbird Pro (which I love) and I now have a Dingwall NG-2 on order.
Once you get your bass home, just give'r man.
Once you get your bass home, just give'r man.
How much is in your wallet? For some people, $500 is the stratosphere. For others, $1200 is a modest price.
Around $300, I'd suggest looking at Vintage Modified (VM) and Classic Vibe (CV) Squiers. These are takes on classic Fender designs that are quite good in quality all around.
Around $500, my personal recommendation would be to look at the Yamaha BB series, like the BB424x. Very versatile, hot pickups, great build quality. You don't see them in stores too much, but I don't think I've ever heard a word against them by anyone who'd played one. They are on the heavy side.
If you can afford up around $1000-1200, think of an American Fender or a Carvin. I love my Carvin SB4000, which ran me about $1200. Carvin lets you pick the features you want on their basic design template, so every bass is a custom job.
Also, shop around for used instruments. More bang-for-the-buck. Speaking of Carvin specifically, because each one is custom, they tend to sell for less on the used market than, say, Fenders that cost the same amount new. The reason is that you're buying an instrument customized to someone else's specs and a lot of people figure they could just save a bit more and buy their own custom bass; but if you like someone else's Carvin, you can get a great bass for a steal.
Around $300, I'd suggest looking at Vintage Modified (VM) and Classic Vibe (CV) Squiers. These are takes on classic Fender designs that are quite good in quality all around.
Around $500, my personal recommendation would be to look at the Yamaha BB series, like the BB424x. Very versatile, hot pickups, great build quality. You don't see them in stores too much, but I don't think I've ever heard a word against them by anyone who'd played one. They are on the heavy side.
If you can afford up around $1000-1200, think of an American Fender or a Carvin. I love my Carvin SB4000, which ran me about $1200. Carvin lets you pick the features you want on their basic design template, so every bass is a custom job.
Also, shop around for used instruments. More bang-for-the-buck. Speaking of Carvin specifically, because each one is custom, they tend to sell for less on the used market than, say, Fenders that cost the same amount new. The reason is that you're buying an instrument customized to someone else's specs and a lot of people figure they could just save a bit more and buy their own custom bass; but if you like someone else's Carvin, you can get a great bass for a steal.
There's a USA Peavey Axcelerator in the want ads section. That's alot of bass for little money, but it doesn't have the 2TEK bridge thought.
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I may go with the Ray5 because of how it feels. It's also quite cheap and sounds fairly decent. I will be doing more research before I make my final decision.
Yamaha BB424X
I'm a bit of a broken record when it comes to yamaha, but there's a reason for that. I gig with this regularly, and really like it.
