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Newbie - looking for first bass

#41
Nebadon2000 said:
That wasn't my impression when I was at GC a few months ago and played a few Squires; Based on praise given here and not my experience in past; but IMHO nothing has changed except they look and are finished a tad better.

Listen to Empire Music demo of new American AV 54P and Squires Copy night and day isn't strong enough and I have a good Idea the difference in feel, playability build quality, Gig tough, fit and finish, hardware Etc. is the same.

I am a check it out till your satisfied and if Squire does that for you Great

But every time some asked about basses not matter their Ideas or requirements Squire is always pushed with the added false assertion [hidden as a opinion] that they out preform basses 2-5 times their price in all way's is perplexing and annoying at the same time.

I apologize to the 'Squire Boy's I may have offended but lttlr devil on my left shoulder compelled me after years of reading similar post/responses:)
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I honestly don't believe anyone is saying that they outperform instruments 2 to 3 times their price. What I do believe is that you get a very solid instrument for the price. I have 2 MIM Fenders, both my Squier V.M. and C.M. and my Paranormal Are almost equal in quality.
 
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#43
JimmyAZ said:
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.
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Don’t forget the classifieds on this forum. If I had <$1000 to spend and was looking for a bass, I’d probably be getting this: For Sale/Trade - 1983 G&L L2000 *price drops until this thing sells*
(I’m not related to the ad in any way, I just think it’s a really good deal)
 
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#45
JimmyAZ said:
made in Mexico Player Jazz bass
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Absolutely. Great choice.

JimmyAZ said:
Ibanez and Yamaha
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I have an Ibanez 5 that I really like. It's a 205 and is really comfortable for me to play.
Yamaha is a great brand. I don't have any personal experience. Nathan East has played Yamaha professionally for years, so FWTW.

One thing that you might want to do is watch the weight of the bass. I don't like them to bee too heavy. Personally 9 lbs. is my max. All the basses you mentioned are 34" scale, the fretboard will come in radius dimensions. the smaller the number, the more rounded. Fender is 9.5" most of the time, but some jazz necks can be 12". My Ibanez is 12", which would be more flat than my p bass which is 9.5" radius. - It's a personal decision, no wrong answer, but one will feel different from another.
Whatever you pick, have it setup. It's important to have the intonation, string height, and neck relief set to optimal. If you have the skills, you can do it yourself, but it you don't get a good local shop to do it. You will be glad you did!
JimmyAZ said:
I will be using a Positive Grid Spark amp
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If you are looking for something quiet and don't mind headphones, I practice that way at home all the time.
I have one of these:
B1 Four / B1xFour | Buy Now
It you can plug in your bass and some headphones and your good to go for silent practice.
I have these:
K240 STUDIO | Professional studio headphones
They do a good job of recreating bass, which not every kind of headphone does well.
I have a set of these as well:
KZ ZS6 - Review | ThePhonograph.net
Again, if you are liking the idea of the headphone/IEM route, watch out for making sure the ones you pick can reproduce low frequencies well.
Hope this helps and good luck!
 
#48
Baseball-related Joke.jpg

It should be right there, in front of the home team's dugout.

Seriously, I read this thread (the first page a while ago) and I have a couple of answers. Which one I give will be based upon a clarification.

In your initial post, you said you were just getting a bass to help your better half with her piano lessons. If that's the criteria, any piece of wood with four wires (played through a decent[ish] amp) should suit your needs.

If you're looking to actually play the instrument for your own purposes ... ya know, making music ... I don't think you can go wrong with an Ibanez or a Squier.

You might get more bang for your buck if you scour the used instrument stores and pawn shops.
 
#51
OP, welcome to TalkBass.

You say you don't want a big, thick precision neck - but you are fine with a Fender jazz neck, is that correct?

If you want a really slim and comfortable neck, then I highly recommend that you check out an Ibanez.
 
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#53
JimmyAZ said:
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.
Click to expand...

Dont spend more than $200 on your first bass. You have no idea what you want. What will be comfortable for you. What has the sound tou want .

Buy any $100-200 bass and learn to play it. Over time you will learn what you want, what feels right to you. Then spend the $$.
 
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#54
Do not ever buy a Bass! They are the main cause of Gas.
Purchase a bass Kazoo. Lol

Welcome to TalkBass. The best place to start your journey.

Please do not get caught up in the brand name dilemma.
Go to a Music store and try everything. What ever feels good in your hands is what you should focus on. Then rent it for a short period and play it at home. You may be surprised what bass you end up with.
Squire is no longer a bass to ignore. Neither are Yamaha, Jackson , Ibanez, G&L and many more.

When I went to the store looking for a Fender Jazz I came home with a Warwick.

Enjoy this adventure and please tell us what you end up with.

Thanks
Clayton.
 
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#55
Spark is gonna fart out with a bass at anything but super low volume. You're better off with good headphones and a cheap headphone amp off Amazon.

I agree to play some basses at Guitar Center or other large store. See what neck profile and tone you like. Hard to beat a cheap P or Ray34.
 
#56
pepj said:
If its for a timing thing, its probably easier to strum gtr than nail time on a bass if you dont yet play.
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Better yet, he should get her a metronome...and one for himself if he doesn't have one.
Unless he already knows he's got very good time, playing along with her may not help.

Good time + bad time = a learning experience for the person with bad time

Bad time + bad time = a clusterf... that doesn't help anybody
 
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#57
+1 for the Fender player series.

I have a player P in buttercream and I like it as much as my vintage Fender P's. I would try a few until you find one you really like. I would also have it set up by a professional.
 
#58
OK, spent a bit of time in GC. Felt a bit foolish not knowing how to PLAY a bass. But I could tell some important things.

1). There IS a gap between Squier and MIM. It isn't massive but the fretwork was cleaner and the pickup options seemed superior.

2). I really liked the feel of the Ibanez SR500 in my hands but got turned off with active PUPs. Never liked them in guitars and didn't want to get my first bass with something I might learn to hate.

3). I really don't care about P neck or J neck. really. It isn't that big of a deal. I do have large hands and I decided that would not be a deciding factor.

4). BUT OPTIONAL active PUPs are OK and....

5) checked out Reverb.com for what I wanted and decided for about $200 more I can get brand new exactly what I decided on.

6). Might have made an offer on a guitar they had at GC but the sales guy kinda abandoned me after 5 minutes so....

Fender Precision Player Plus - ordered from Fender and expecting it early next week. Thanks all for the opinions and information.

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