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Maybe they don't allow x-box in Tampa?
The better answer is that he'll be so busy learning bass he won't want/need the distraction of it.

On the subject of starter kits -
While you won't find a starter kit with an amp big enough to jam over a drummer, having a nice small practice amp w/a headphone jack always comes in handy. Nothing will prevent you from buying a bigger combo amp or separate head & cab when/if the need arises. (Maybe even several!) But I still plug into my little Hartke B200 to practice at home, and I take it with me when I travel. I leave the 100 lb. 4-10 cab & head in the guitar player's basement where we practice.
 
Im a bit confused about where you will be buying the bass, USA or Australia. If your buying in Aust. all prices are more than double american prices.

Dont buy new strings, as a begginer you wont hear the difference anyway.

I'm also going to recomend Ibanez, but Ive heard many good things about the SR series. also look at Yamaha, Epiphone, washburn, and the cheap corts.

And make sure so leave enough money for a hard case, that way you can knock it around a bit without damaging it. as a begginer you will probably hit it on everything it can be hit on, dont stress if you do.
 
So your Dad won't help you buy a bass because he doesn't think you are serious about it although it may expand your mind and increase your creativity but he'll help you buy an xbox because video games should be taken much more seriously.

It's because i have played video games for as long as i can remember, and everyone thinks thats all i can do.
A bass guitar is something like ive never done before, so everyones a little skeptical.

thanks on what GC is, i'll look em up.

also i found some nice looking cheap guitars, but im not sure why theyre cheap and if they are poor quality.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=ViewItem&item=310043626393
and
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Jay-Turser-...oryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

If you guys think they are not going to fall apart or sound like crap i think i'll buy one of them.

also im not sure how to get into the classifieds. maybe im an idiot but i cant find the link. LOL. i'll go have a look now.
 
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Alright ive decided that the starter kit looks a bit too cheap ;) so i think i'll either get a Dean ML Metalman 4-String Bass Guitar, or a Ibanez GSR200 4-String Bass.

Have not played the Ibenez but can comment on the Dean. It was my first bass, bought brand new at GC at the list sale for $49. Did not like the strap position, the balance or the weight. Also oversized which made it almost impossible to get a gig bag or case for under $150. It did roar. I was very happy after about 6 months to upgrade and sell my ML on ebay.
 
So i found the classifieds :) im also attempting to buy a SR400 and an SR800.
thanks for the comment on the metalman, i'll have a think about it if i see a cheap one.
I think the best thing to do is to buy a guitar from the classifieds, and if not, then something from GC or that jay turser on ebay.
 
oh and about the case stuff:
I went into the local music store today to
a) drop in my head so it can get repared
b) pick up my dean case which has been on order since janurary

I get the case and put it in the car, and went to orchestra. I arrived early, so I had a look at the case. I open up the box, open the case and look inside. The inside pading was in the shape of a Z dean, mine is the ML. I try and move the pads, thinking they were movable, they weren't. So I took it back to the store, and tell them about the case.

The ONLY dean dealer in the country is incredibly bad, and Has stuffed up the order, the guy who ordered the Z GUITAR case will have ended up with my ML BASS case.

So another one will be shipped up to the store and I will get a free T-shirt (gee, somthing I've always wanted and worth waiting 5 months for). so maybe I will have a case for my bass in the next week. another week of my bass being out of a case.
 
a few tips (dont make the mistakes i did):

1.learn to play with you fingers, although picking is easy and geat you will benifit MAJORLY by learing to do both (dont just stick to piking, its taken me a month to learn to finger now) actually IMHO id probibly steer away from piking altogeather just to make life easier

2.
as a beginner buy something verstile, you'll probibly find yourself constantly trying diffrent styles untill you decide on what you like buy possibily a p/j bass

3.
dont worry about amp quality for the moment unless you plan to jamm or play with others, playing with amps too much tends to draw your concerntration away from you technique and on the amp settings

4. starter kits are great as they set you up with (almost) all you need, but if you do youll probibly fing yourself with G.A.S in a few weeks time. play the bass befor you buy it even if your going to sit there playing nots at random and possibly ask someone with experiance to come with you and gve you advice

5. know a bit about bassas befor you buy one, know the differance between a J bass and a P bass, know what the bridge is, know where the nut is just get the jist of the terminoligy

6. HAVE FUN- learn tabs, spen time fiddling around, play air bass with a bass in your hands, and in genral just f**k around.
 
My first bass was a Squier P-Bass, it was cheap and I knew I wanted a Precision or similar further down the line so it made sense to buy a cheapy along the lines of what I wanted later on. Then a friend of mine gave me a nasty Peavey guitar amp to learn on (which I later used as a practice amp until I blew it). Then I slowly but surely replaced that with better stuff...and I haven't stopped spending since...welcome to the sweet world of bass my friend.