Looking for my first bass, what do you recommend?

[HardNHeavy]

"I thought gas was expensive!".....Oh it sure is!

but for $1,500 your gonna find many basses that'll satisfy. Get out there and start playing them

 

[DwaynieAD]

It is in this case.

And in a lot of other cases too.

You cranky curmudgeons can't help yourself can you.

 

[BlueTalon]

You cranky curmudgeons can't help yourself can you.

I thought the OP saying "Was never a big Fender fan" would have been a tip-off.

 

[George Dennis]

Had a couple, played more. Hated them and sold them for a modest profit. I hope the new owners are thrilled, but assuming everyone else will think like you do that they are the holy grail is, meh. As bad as the P cult.
But try them if you can, then you'll know.

 

[Marc valero]

Also, put a strap on it and see how it feels standing up, if you foresee playing in a band. Weights vary and neck heavy basses are no fun. Also standing has a different feeling when playing.

 

[tpaul]

My .02: you won't know what you want in a bass (other than aesthetics) until you have been playing for a while. Think about it..how will you know if a particular body shape or neck profile or string spacing (to give a few examples) feels good without having experienced several for a long enough period? My advice is to get a cheap used Ibanez (since you say you like them), have it set up properly, and focus on playing for 6-12 months before thinking about a higher quality machine. That said, I will candidly admit that when I asked my guitar buddies for advice on buying my 1st bass (at 40, 19 years ago).....they gave me great advice that I only understood to be spot on years later, which I ignored at the time, and wasted plenty of $$$ by doing so. They said: buy a cheap used Fender. It's the industry standard, will be excellent to learn on and will hold its' value. Instead I reasoned I should buy an acoustic bass guitar.....because that way I wouldn't have to invest in an amp and could pump my whole budget into the bass.......it took me 3 weeks to realize the ABG was an ergonomic nightmare which I lost money on selling before I bought a cheap Spector import and small combo. The Spector is long gone. 3 years later I switched to 5-string....2 years after that I got into fanned frets......2 after that I realized how much more comfortable a very light instrument felt.........my journey has been long and fun, but expensive.
Happy thumpin' and welcome !

So you're still working your way toward that cheap used Fender?

 

[thornshadow99]

Make sure you play a P Bass model from some manufacturer before you buy. You should really start where it all began. When I started playing, one shop owner made me play a '53 Fender and I have never forgotten it.

 

[Thebiggestjerk]

Fender precision or jazz.

the end.

 

[skycruiser]

That's one hell of a starter bass amp.
Also look at the Yamaha TRBX line - 304, 504 and 604.

 

[burgerdj]

Hello! My first post here and looking forward to a lot of good information!

I am looking for my first bass, at least my first in 40 years. I started on bass at 10 and then switch to drums, which I played for decades. Took a few years off (16) and started banging away again a few months ago.

I think I finally figured out how to approach the bass, so I am in the market for my first bass.

I have up $1500.00, but I have read so many reviews about so many instruments my head is spinning. I have always liked Ibanez. Was never a big Fender fan. Looking at 4 strings basses from Sire, Washburn, Warwick, Spector, Shecter, Yamaha, Ibanez, etc.

I want to play a variety of musical styles, but really leaning toward funk and heavy stuff.

I was, at one point, an experienced musician. These days, at 50, I just want to learn to be proficient on bass and enjoy playing. I like nice stuff, so I should be able to get a decent bass for the kind of money. I about had an aneurism when I saw what top of the line basses cost these days. I thought gas was expensive!

I have kind of narrowed my search to the following, but I am open to other ideas:
1. Sire M7
2. Ibanez SR1600D
3. Ibanez SR2600CBB
4. Shecter SLS Elite
5. Spector NS Pulse
And several older Yamaha, Warwick and Washburns.

What would y'all suggest?

Funk and heavy stuff? Get yourself a Stingray.

 

[DOMIT]

Funk AND heavy? You need something with versatile tones. +1 for Stingray. That being said, you don't know if you are going to like it... so... spend the $300 or so on their import S.U.B. line and keep the rest in your pocket. That isn't just a great CHEAP bass, it's a great instrument overall that just happens to be cheap. Pretty? Hmmm... beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But very versatile tones and a comfy neck.

 

[mrperkolator]

@SolarisMinor short of going and playing them, I'd suggest watching @LowEndLobster's Youtube channel. He's played on damn near everything, so that should help with selection.

Playing on different ones may help though. I discovered I don't like the extra reach with 35" scale basses. Some people swear by them though. Thankfully that's why we have variety.

 

[jdh3000]

Ibanez SR 500... Great starter bass and good keeper bass; thin neck, durable, sounds good and reasonably priced. You won't outgrow it, when you're ready to gig, it's a good gigging instrument.

 

[lomo]

So you're still working your way toward that cheap used Fender?

LOL....I have firmly settled on a few non-negotiable parameters: 34" scale length, 5 strings, passive, 19mm string spacing @ bridge and < 9 lbs. In that realm I have several, including a coupla Fenders

 

[Fynn]

Hello! My first post here and looking forward to a lot of good information!

I am looking for my first bass, at least my first in 40 years. I started on bass at 10 and then switch to drums, which I played for decades. Took a few years off (16) and started banging away again a few months ago.

I think I finally figured out how to approach the bass, so I am in the market for my first bass.

I have up $1500.00, but I have read so many reviews about so many instruments my head is spinning. I have always liked Ibanez. Was never a big Fender fan. Looking at 4 strings basses from Sire, Washburn, Warwick, Spector, Shecter, Yamaha, Ibanez, etc.

I want to play a variety of musical styles, but really leaning toward funk and heavy stuff.

I was, at one point, an experienced musician. These days, at 50, I just want to learn to be proficient on bass and enjoy playing. I like nice stuff, so I should be able to get a decent bass for the kind of money. I about had an aneurism when I saw what top of the line basses cost these days. I thought gas was expensive!

I have kind of narrowed my search to the following, but I am open to other ideas:
1. Sire M7
2. Ibanez SR1600D
3. Ibanez SR2600CBB
4. Shecter SLS Elite
5. Spector NS Pulse
And several older Yamaha, Warwick and Washburns.

What would y'all suggest?

Reading reviews of bass guitars can be really counterproductive. There's tons of basses that are great, but you find lots of them being poorly built because of lacking quality control and so on. I found that I just love playing instruments that are similar to what my favorite artists play. Because those people were my inspiration to begin with and therefore I have alot of joy playing my favorite riffs of my favorite artists on these instruments.
When you just want to buy the most versatile bass possible for your needs, you'll find that there's so many compromises you'll have to make choosing one over another.
Also you have to make sure that you don't get tricked into believing more expensive means more good. Sure it's nice having an expensive Ibanez, but a cheap one will do for most players needs and you can easily sell it again if you don't like it very much. You seem to have chosen pretty much only basses with humbuckers. Do you really enjoy to tone you get out of humbuckers, or do you believe that they're just better or more versatile? Do you need an active preamp?
You'll probably only found out what you really need if you just go into a store and play some bass guitars.
The Sire is a really great instrument for the price, but will probably be the most likely to be not quite so well set up or manufactured. Spectors, just like Warwick, seem to fill a very specific niche and I can tell you I love my basic Warwick Corvette, but it's probably the least versatile bass I have.
Maybe you really just need to buy a mid class Ibanez, figure out if you like it, and then go from there. No need to spend all of your budget on a single bass guitar if you don't even know if you'll fully enjoy it.

 

[SolarisMinor]

Very grateful for all input, opinions and advice!!!

I am heading down to a somewhat local place ASAP to try several basses. They are closed on Monday, of course.

Perhaps fortunately, I am a big guy with big hands. If I remember clearly, I have a 12 or 13 key reach on a piano. I could be remembering incorrectly, I have had a lot of booze since piano classes at OCC.

If I get something this week, I will post a photo! Thanks again to everyone!

 

[PennyroyalWe]

I thought gas was expensive!

Be careful, GAS is expensive!

 

[Ric5]

Hello! My first post here and looking forward to a lot of good information!

I am looking for my first bass, at least my first in 40 years. I started on bass at 10 and then switch to drums, which I played for decades. Took a few years off (16) and started banging away again a few months ago.

I think I finally figured out how to approach the bass, so I am in the market for my first bass.

I have up $1500.00, but I have read so many reviews about so many instruments my head is spinning. I have always liked Ibanez. Was never a big Fender fan. Looking at 4 strings basses from Sire, Washburn, Warwick, Spector, Shecter, Yamaha, Ibanez, etc.

I want to play a variety of musical styles, but really leaning toward funk and heavy stuff.

I was, at one point, an experienced musician. These days, at 50, I just want to learn to be proficient on bass and enjoy playing. I like nice stuff, so I should be able to get a decent bass for the kind of money. I about had an aneurism when I saw what top of the line basses cost these days. I thought gas was expensive!

I have kind of narrowed my search to the following, but I am open to other ideas:
1. Sire M7
2. Ibanez SR1600D
3. Ibanez SR2600CBB
4. Shecter SLS Elite
5. Spector NS Pulse
And several older Yamaha, Warwick and Washburns.

What would y'all suggest?

Try an Ibanez 5 string

 

[wazzel]

I am going to add to the "go play some basses before you decide" group. You have to like the way it sounds and feels. There are lots of quality basses in the $1,000 to $1,500 range that would do fine. A sub $1k bass might be a better option until you have some time playing and figure out what you like and what you don't like. Make it used and you can basically get your money back if you only keep it a short time.

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

P