Just starting.

[nonohmic]

Congrats on picking bass. Bassists get the most chicks we just dont brag about it like guitarists and singers!!!

And as for the first bass, the guys at your local store should be able to help you the best. Go for something that is comfortable and something you like the look of. If your just starting out you need incentive to practice and a good looking, comfortable bass can give that to you.

Enjoy!!

 

[DumbChild]

Hey man congrads on picking bass. Haha im somewhat of a recent starter myself, but i could never love anything more then bass.
Best advice is to head down to ur music shop and play a few bass in your price range. I do not think u should wait or buy a more expensive one because there is no guarantee bass will be your thing. So yea head into your local music store and see which bass u are comfortable with and like the sound of.

and by the way do NOT let the bloke talk u into getting a guitar. I head in there and hes like No u dont want that piece of crap, no1 likes bass, get urself a guitar. Well i had some words to say to him, i applied there a little later cause i can do a better job then that guy lol. Oh im blabbing

Just get urself a good bass and see how u like things, i look forward to talking to u on talkbass in the future.

 

[lola99]

To Dumbchild, that's great advice. Don't let the guy at the store sell you a guitar instead of a bass; they try to do that. For some reason the guys at my local store simply could NOT believe anyone would buy a bass as they felt that the guitar was more "versatile" so I ended up shopping online and getting the bass from a friend. Weird. You'd think they would want to make money instead of discouraging potential customers

Oh, and here's a site that explains some terms http://www.tunemybass.com/bass_guitar_buying_guide/

 

[Danny E.]

Thanks lola, for that link. It's really helping alot in choosing a bass. I don't think I'll order that bass just yet. I'll check out a near-by music store to find a comfortable bass.

 

[Danny E.]

IDK if there is a rule about reviving dead threads but I didn't want to start up a new one for such a small question.

What is a humbucker pick up? I see them alot on Epiphone basses and was wondering about them.

Also: How are Epiphone basses? Are they good beginner basses?

 

[srxplayer]

Humbuckers have two coils in the housing and they are wired opposite of each other. They sometimes have a darker sound than a single coil like what is in a Fender Jazz bass. But they can sound like anything depending on the way the mfg. voices the windings. Due to the dual coils and opposed winding they tend to be less noisy. The opposed winding cancells out the hum you get from single coils.

As for Epiphone basses they are probably ok to start with. I havent played any that have impressed me much. I have heard some good things about the Epiphone T-Bird bass in these forums but. Do a search on Epiphone and I'm sure you will turn up a lot.

This is a picture of an Ibanez SRX505 with Humbucker style pick up's. Hope this helps.

 

[SamJ]

My first bass back in '82 was an Ibanez knock off P-bass, and it was great! these newer Ibanez are even more amazing for the price.. they're definitely the best bang for the buck out there.

But I also like the idea of buying a used Fender or something.. I've seen US made P and J basses in reasonable shape going for as little as $500...

 

[Plain Old Me]

My first bass was an Ibaniz. They are great to begin on, they have solid tone, are built very solidly, have decent pups and electronics, keep tune, and are fairly easy to play. I play a bass by a company called Traben these days (and I love both the sound and the looks), and they have a few less expensive models you might want to check out if you can find a local dealer.
http://trabenbass.com/
Also I would steer clear of Epiphone and Gibson bass stuff. They make great guitars, but I have never been impressed with their basses.