Newbie - looking for first bass

[JimmyAZ]

Hi all,

I have never played a bass. I have electric and acoustic guitars so some experience with stringed pieces of wood. Wife unit is trying to learn piano. First ever musical instrument for her and she is struggling with timing. I thought maybe if I could lay down a decent beat on a bass it would help and we could actually play together. (Note I also posted this on gearpage.com if this sounds familiar).

I've had multiple opinions on what I should buy. I'll lay out where I am at the moment and seek opinions of alternatives. I do not want to buy a cheap guitar that I will hate in 6 months or that is impossible to sell if I decide bass isn't for me. That pretty much eliminates all the Chinese manufactured stuff. No Squire. I also think I want the smaller neck style closer to a regular electric guitar versus the larger Precision bass neck size. Full scale is preferred.

Looking at Fender it seems the best point of entry for me is the made in Mexico Player Jazz bass at a cost of about $775 ordered direct from them. I'm OK with this and am close to just doing it. But I wonder what alternatives in that price range might offer superior product that is also something that would sell on the secondary market if I lose interest. Such as Ibanez and Yamaha.

Any direction as to which product lines are made either in Japan, Mexico or some place where quality standards are high from alternatives to Fender would be welcome.

Also, since I plan to start only in my living room with the wife I will be using a Positive Grid Spark amp at first. Wondering if anyone has tried that with any success.

Thanks for allowing me to participate on the forum.

 

[Warpeg]

The MIM stuff is a good pick. However, since you already have experience with stringed instruments, you are positioned well to just go to a shop and try out a bunch of basses. See which models feel, sound, and look the best to you.

 

[dalkowski]

+1 to what @Warpeg sez. Play a bunch and find the one that feels right.

I'd add: Don't sleep on Squier basses. They have been punching well above their weight the last several years and in some cases are dollar-for-dollar a better value than their Fender counterparts. Proud owner of an olde Fender P and a late-model Squier Mustang and love em both.

Finally, welcome!

 

[JimmyAZ]

Thanks. Thinking I'll check out Guitarcenter later. I know. Many hate them. But realistically how many guitar shops have much variety in bass?

 

[JimmyAZ]

My wifes piano teacher who plays bass primarily is pretty strongly against Squire. Not sure why kinda hard to reach her.

 

[BGroovy]

Guitar Center is great for trying a lot of basses, and they have an excellent return policy if you don’t bond with it once you bring it home.

Ibanez makes excellent basses and you can find them used for not a ton of money. Many of their models have a narrow string spacing you may find comfortable coming from guitar. They also have a popular medium scale model that can be comfortable for guitar players.

Remember that cheap electronics can be easily replaced over time and how the instrument (especially the neck) feels to you is the most important factor. A bass that makes you just want to noodle up and down the fretboard is a winner.

 

[CletusMarley]

I would just go play some basses and pick one you like. I've played a lot through a Spark amp. They are fine for low volume practice. The speaker always started to fart out when I cranked it. I was always afraid I was going to blow it up. Lol

 

[Zatenm]

Hi all,

I have never played a bass. I have electric and acoustic guitars so some experience with stringed pieces of wood. Wife unit is trying to learn piano. First ever musical instrument for her and she is struggling with timing. I thought maybe if I could lay down a decent beat on a bass it would help and we could actually play together. (Note I also posted this on gearpage.com if this sounds familiar).

I've had multiple opinions on what I should buy. I'll lay out where I am at the moment and seek opinions of alternatives. I do not want to buy a cheap guitar that I will hate in 6 months or that is impossible to sell if I decide bass isn't for me. That pretty much eliminates all the Chinese manufactured stuff. No Squire. I also think I want the smaller neck style closer to a regular electric guitar versus the larger Precision bass neck size. Full scale is preferred.

Looking at Fender it seems the best point of entry for me is the made in Mexico Player Jazz bass at a cost of about $775 ordered direct from them. I'm OK with this and am close to just doing it. But I wonder what alternatives in that price range might offer superior product that is also something that would sell on the secondary market if I lose interest. Such as Ibanez and Yamaha.

Any direction as to which product lines are made either in Japan, Mexico or some place where quality standards are high from alternatives to Fender would be welcome.

Also, since I plan to start only in my living room with the wife I will be using a Positive Grid Spark amp at first. Wondering if anyone has tried that with any success.

Thanks for allowing me to participate on the forum.

My 2 cent:

Good thinking about getting a Jazz. Perennial classic with a lot of tonal versatility to cover all bases (Though you might be tempted to also get a P bass at some point
Nothing wrong with Squire - very impressive value and quality for the money (when compared to MIM/ MIA). Don't shy away from them, especially the Classic Vibe series.
If you can swing it, I would go with a Vintera 60's jazz bass (MIM), no question. MUCH better than the player series you mentioned. Not cheap for a beginner but an absolutely top-notch instrument and could be the only bass you'd ever need. I'd highly recommend to try one and compare.

Enjoy the journey & good luck!

 

[FullumMusic]

Thanks. Thinking I'll check out Guitarcenter later. I know. Many hate them. But realistically how many guitar shops have much variety in bass?

Yeah, GC kinda sucks, but at the same time, for a lot of people it's the only place to go and physically try instruments before they buy, so don't sweat it too much.

I'm just gonna repeat what was already... head over to a shop and just play some instruments in your price range to see how they feel. If you've played guitar before you can easily pick up a bass and play it enough to feel it in your hands. You don't have to play impressive bass lines to know how it feels in your hands. Just play the roots or root-5, or some major and minor arpeggios. If it feels good to you, and it sounds good to you, it's good.

The thing i always worry about when telling people to "go try some basses" and it's a place like GC, is that they might be trying basses that have been set up poorly (Neck relief/truss rod, string height, intonation, fret sprout). In theory, instruments should be properly set up before they go on the wall so that when you pull it off the wall to play, it plays nicely. But it's GC, so who knows if they're being set up properly (or even at all) before they go on display. There will be different standards at each GC store, or even probably at individual stores depending on who's doing the setups when shipments come in.

That said, still, the best way to find a bass you like is to play a bunch of basses until you feel & hear one you like.

Also, welcome to the world of bass!

 

[pepj]

If its for a timing thing, its probably easier to strum gtr than nail time on a bass if you dont yet play.

 

[dalkowski]

My wifes piano teacher who plays bass primarily is pretty strongly against Squire. Not sure why kinda hard to reach her.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion. But they get much love from the bass players here.

 

[jd56hawk]

Nothing wrong with a P or a J bass, but MIM?
No way.
Leo Fender inspired is my suggestion, though.
Best in its price range.
G&L Kiloton Tribute.

USA-made is even better.

As for Squier, I wouldn't trade this for two Fender MIMs, even if they threw in a Rumble 100!

 

[Killing Floor]

80% of the posts will say to buy a P bass. Those are great. I play mine daily.

But really your criteria should be the same as for your guitar. Find one with the neck shape that fits your hands. In my case that happens to be a C profile, 63 era shape. But we are all different (except for me, I am the only constant). I happen to prefer my Strat and my Teles and my JM with the same profile. And as much as I love my LP it is a little harder to play because of my hand shape.

If you can find the neck shape of your favorite electric guitar (it will be in the specs online if you don’t know) be sure to try a bass with similar shape.

All the other stuff can be changed easily. Good luck. Have fun.

 

[jd56hawk]

Forgot to mention...my Spark Go arrived yesterday.
It works fine for practice. I'm sure the bigger model will work out for you.

 

[Batced]

80% of the posts will say to buy a P bass. Those are great. I play mine daily.

But really your criteria should be the same as for your guitar. Find one with the neck shape that fits your hands. In my case that happens to be a C profile, 63 era shape. But we are all different (except for me, I am the only constant). I happen to prefer my Strat and my Teles and my JM with the same profile. And as much as I love my LP it is a little harder to play because of my hand shape.

If you can find the neck shape of your favorite electric guitar (it will be in the specs online if you don’t know) be sure to try a bass with similar shape.

All the other stuff can be changed easily. Good luck. Have fun.

Seconding this bit of advice, my favorite necks are usually slim because I was a guitar player first, so most of choices tend to be Jazz or a Thunderbird (slightly wider than I’d like and longer but it’s still ridiculously comfortable).

Regarding Squier, the quality has certainly improved leaps and bounds. I’m biased as my first guitar and later basses were Squier and they definitely got the job done when learning and even putting in the work at shows. But very much worthwhile to check out and feel around with, and see if you bond with it.

 

[CallMeAl]

Player Jazz is a solid choice. But then again, so is Ibanez or Yamaha. Or G&L… or Squier for that matter!

I echo the chorus to try as many as you can. Happy hunting!

 

[MonetBass]

Nothing wrong with a P or a J bass, but MIM?
No way.

Ignore this terrible generalization. My MIM Fender Player Jazz bass was nearly perfect out the box. It sounds and plays great.

Also look at Ibanez (if you don't mind active basses) or Yamaha, specifically their BB series.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

My wifes piano teacher who plays bass primarily is pretty strongly against Squire. Not sure why kinda hard to reach her.

There's plenty of folks on here who will tell you otherwise, some of them (myself included) have quite the solid taste of "foot" in their mouths. Given that the price of Squier basses can go anywhere from $150-$499, it's not quite the bargain bin instrument line it used to be in the 90s-00s, there's about 3 tiers now....Affinity/Sonic Series, Vintage Modified, and Classic Vibe are the main ones. The Classic Vibe series is especially great, and will compete with several of Fender's older entry level options IMO.

All-in-all, a good bass is a good bass no matter what's on the headstock. Folks with far more experience than me will tell you they've played killer Squiers and MIA Fender stinkers...it happens to any mass production instrument.


Now with all of THAT out of the way...I'd check out the new Ibanez SR500e, I just got one yesterday and am QUITE the fan of it. More on that later when pictures and my change of strings comes in


EDIT: Also, I'd get a metronome to use with the wifey. You could also skip the bass and just do that or even get yourself rolling on drums! Still buy a bass though, we have the coolest forum on the internet after all

 

[Maxi Funkl]

Sire as well is good launching point to the bass world.

 

[JimmyAZ]

Thanks all. Wish I knew as much about bass as i do guitar. And I can try them but don't know how to play a bass so not sure I'll get much out of that. Perhaps the answer is risk little and get a Squire against the recommendations of my wife's piano teacher. It might be years since she looked at the bass market and perhaps older ones were crap.

Heading to GC. Might make a stupid decision today. LOL