Welcome to the world of playing bass (almost!)
Squier Jazz bass would be a great first bass that will last years. Squier Precision bass too. Or Sire basses are a good inexpensive choice. Ibanez has some quality affordable choices to (but definitely look into which inexpensive models are better than others. You can get a decent bass for relatively cheap these days, but sometimes you really do get what you pay for & buyer beware.)
Just because a bass is inexpensive like a Squier or Sire, doesn't mean it's a "beginner" bass you'll grow out of. Plenty of working musicians play Squiers and Sires and Ibanez.
My advice (for whatever my opinion is worth):
- Get whatever bass you enjoy playing the most. Also, liking the way it looks is important to. It's always great to walk into the room and look at your bass and think, "That's such a cool bass and now i'm gonna play it for a while!" Don't feel silly for picking the bass you like over one that has "better specs". They'll both get the job done.
- When figuring out your budget put some money on the side to have it properly set up by a professional tech or luthier. A properly set up cheap bass will play as well as a bass twice as expensive, and most basses need a setup after you buy them. And learning on a properly set up bass makes learning easier because you're not fighting the instrument. (Don't go to Guitar Center or a major chain store for a setup.)
- Start going to shows in your area and talk to bassists in the bands. Obviously don't bother them while they're setting up or tearing down, but after the show, or before when they're hanging out, when they're not busy. Tell them you're looking to learn bass. Ask them if they know any good bass techs in the area because you want to a have a proper setup done after you buy your first bass. That'll probably get you points with them, that you're on the right path. If you're lucky they'll let you play their bass a little (but don't expect it.) hehe
- If you're close to any music stores, just go in and play all the basses of all the different styles. Just see what feels and sounds good in your hands. That's the most important. Same thing with the amps. Try different ones and see which sounds good to you. People love their Fender Rumble series amps. They're affordable and sound good (if you like the Fender Rumble sound.) I'm not a huge fan, but people love them, and they're probably a great starting point.
Also note: A lot of the instruments on the wall at music stores like Guitar Center haven't been properly set up. If you're lucky, they've been set up a bare minimum so they don't buzz when you play, but they're not
properly-properly set up. So as a beginner i can be hard to tell if a bass plays well when they're been poorly set up. You're just trying to get a general feel for different instruments. You don't have to buy one if it doesn't feel great. And if you do buy one there, or buy one online, you're gonna get it properly set up anyway, so just do your best feeling what you like about a bass.
- Don't worry about pedals. You don't need them. In the late 1990s i sold all my pedals and played without pedals until last month. Just get your bass and your amp running, and start learning to play. Great technique goes a long way and saves a lot of money on pedals you don't need because your technique is good enough to not need it. In the beginning you're better off spending the extra money on getting your bass set up properly and an amp that sounds good to you.
- To reiterate: You don't need pedals. You don't need FX. You don't need a pre amp (your amp has one already). You don't need an EQ (your amp has one already.) You don't need a compressor (a lot of amps have them built in, and unless you're good at setting one up, it'll just squash the life out of your sound.) You don't need distortion or chorus or reverb or delay. This is liberating because, since you don't need any pedals, when you want to start adding pedals to your signal chain, just get whatever pedals you think sound cool. That's it.
At some point you might want to get into the nuanced tweaking of certain compressors and EQs and outboard preamp pedals... but until you get to that point, just get whatever you like. Get whatever sounds cool and have fun with it. (But spend the money on a proper setup and amp first.)
- Don't stress too much about which bass you buy first. Between Squier Jazz and Squier Precision, or Sire models, or Ibanez models, or the other basses people have recommended, they're all gonna be plenty fine. Just get whichever you like. Every bass sounds different, but they pretty much all sound like Bass Guitar. Once you've owned it for a while and get to know it better, you can start modifying it to your liking. Changing string styles and brands is one of the easiest and cheapest ways of getting completely different tones from your bass. (Well, actually, changing technique and playing styles is free and even more fun and effective.
) Pickups can be replaced. Components can be replaced. Or you can do what the rest of us suckers do and just start buying more basses.
- There's a world of information online that you can use to learn for free. There's also a lot of bad information online, and when you're just learning, it could be tough figuring out which is good info and which is bad. If at all possible, private in-person lessons are a great resource for learning and improvement. The instructor will curate the knowledge so that you're not searching endlessly guessing what you should learn next and if it's right. And they can give you immediate feedback as you play. And you can ask questions and get immediate answers. I know not everyone has access them, but if you can swing it, private lessons are terrific. (if the teacher is good and helps you learn)
, I'll make sure to pay more attention and talk to the bassist next time I go tho!
I'll probably head to guitar center when I can just to check out the basses. I'll make sure to get my bass properly set up!
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