Newbie seeking gear advice.

[Riptide]

This will be my first post on the forums, as I decided to make an account today! Good to be here; it seems like a very nice community.

I have always been interested in playing the Bass Guitar ever since childhood but until recently have had no way of purchasing my own Bass. I have (slightly) learned how to play basic scales and such through friends and high school jazz band but I honestly feel lost when looking at Basses and all associated equipment.

I'm here to seek advice on things that may be useful to know about. as far as gear goes.

Now before I continue, I'd like to clarify that I am searching for gear that could be mainly directed towards metal/hardcore playstyles; seeing that I am being offered a position in a friend's metalcore/djent band as a bassist once I purchase my equipment (we're going to take it slow for my benefit, however).

I've been looking at two specific Basses.
1. Fender Deluxe P Bass Special [http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/fender-deluxe-p-bass-special-4-string-bass]
2. Fender Blacktop P Bass [http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/fender-blacktop-precision-bass]
Mainly these two because of the 'best bang for your buck' aspect and the good reviews I've heard for both.

Though, the bass itself is about all that I know of as far as how good they may be. I have no idea about amps, bass heads, cabinets, monitors, pickups, effect pedals, strings, and plenty of other specs (I'm honestly clueless).

Help me out a little bit here, every time I try to search for myself, I just end up getting frustrated with all of the choices and give up.

Thanks in advance for any and all information/advice I may receive in this thread. Sincerest of apologies for the super-long post and spotty information/requests (seeing as I haven't slept in 24 hours or more) as well. Much appreciated.

 

[lakefx]

For your first amp, find a used 4x10 cabinet and head on craigslist. That will be by far your best bang for the buck with enough volume to keep up with metal/hardcore drummers. Around here, I see Peavey 4x10 rigs with a decent head sell for less than $300 regularly and occasionally even Ampeg, Hartke, Carvin or similar reputable rigs.

The key is to make sure you take a bass with you and plug in to the rig to make sure it works. Crank it up a bit, put your ear near each speaker (with earplugs!) and make sure none of them have raspy grating sound and that they are all making about the same sounds. Twist all of the knobs to make sure there isn't excessive noise. A little noise when twisting the knobs is OK and can usually be fixed with a little cleaning, but a lot of noise is a bad sign.

 

[MalcolmAmos]

.......Now before I continue, I'd like to clarify that I am searching for gear that could be mainly directed towards metal/hardcore playstyles; seeing that I am being offered a position in a friend's metalcore/djent band as a bassist once I purchase my equipment (we're going to take it slow for my benefit, however).

I've been looking at two specific Basses.
1. Fender Deluxe P Bass Special [http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/fender-deluxe-p-bass-special-4-string-bass]
2. Fender Blacktop P Bass [http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/fender-blacktop-precision-bass]
Mainly these two because of the 'best bang for your buck' aspect and the good reviews I've heard for both.d

Could not get either of those sites to come up. But, I'll answer your question this way. Either will do what you want. If I was purchasing my first bass it would be a 4 string because most of the instructional books, video, etc. will be for a 4 string. As price is the leveling agent the more you play the more you get. Yahama makes an acceptable started bass.

Take a friend with you - one that plays bass would be preferred. But anyone that plays a stringed instrument can help you with your decisions.

As to the amp. You will need at least 150 Watts if you will be gigging - to cut through the other instruments. Beyond that as far as pedals, effects, etc. I'd not venture off into that until you know how to play more. You will need an electric tuner, a bass stand, a music stand, a cable and a strap. When you start going places a gig bag will be necessary, until then the bass can rest on your bass stand.

Take a friend and make an afternoon of it. The bass you chose should feel right when you strap it on. Next it should sound good - to you - when sound comes from it.

 

[Technotitclan]

The age old question "whats the best bass for metal" The answer is any bass. My recommendation is that you find a store somewhere close to you with more than a couple basses and try them all out. Just one at a time. It might seem kind of daunting due to the variety. Just take your time. There only basses and nothing is wright or wrong. First and most important thing is it has to be comfortable. find a style neck and body that feel good that you can play for hours. Then find the one with the right sound. After you've done that you can head back here and post up what bass you liked the feel of and what bass you liked the sound of and someone here will be able to give you the make/model of a bass that has that matching combo.

For amps we will need to know the situation to give you a recommendation. What equipment does the band use and how load do they play. Are they all playing through combos or Marshall stacks? to they turn them up to 11 or keep the volume at a comfortable level? While your at the music store your probably going to want to pick out one amp then play it through a 4x10 and a 1x15 to see which one you like the sound of more. Every cab and head sounds a little different.

 

[Technotitclan]

Re: amps, I agree with Lakefx. A used half stack with be the best bang for your buck. Yes they do all sound different but the amp will not have a big an impact on your sound as the bass.

 

[Mark Wilson]

I feel you're going to get a better response in Basses.
Moved.

 

[ibateur]

Buy after try is the best advice.

 

[Malak the Mad]

Buy after try is the best advice.

Very good advice. You want to make sure what you've got in your hands feels and sounds right to you.

That being said, I have a suggestion. If you're looking for something that can go from a classic P-bass sound to something more aggressive, see if you can try out a Blacktop Jazz. It's got quite a lot of bang for it's buck, and, in my personal opinion, a bit more "character" than the Blacktop Precision. But then again, I go for a sound with a bit more "bite" to it, so take that with a grain o' salt.

Happy Hunting!

 

[FloridaTim]

When picking out an acoustic guitar a couple of years ago I sat at the store (local music shop) and tried them all. I said "I want this one" and the owner just asked if I was sure. He thought a thin bodied guitar was kind of small for me. I am 6'5" 290 lbs. I repeated that that was the one I wanted. He picked it up to start setting it up and said, "Wow. This plays great." He never questioned me again about my choice. Play them all. Choose the one that feels right.

 

[hrodbert696]

On basses - like others have said, either will work. The standard (and true) advice is to get to a store and try some out and buy the one you like, not online, if you possibly have a store near you.

As for amps etc. A lot depends on what you're going to do with it (practice at home? Jam in a basement? Play gigs? In what size venues?) and who you're playing with. If it's a loud hardcore band, you'll need a lot of volume. There are a lot of variables that go into how loud your amp is, but the two main ones are wattage and speaker surface area. The rule of thumb I heard is that you get an extra 10% of volume every time you double the wattage, but volume goes up in even proportion to speaker area (i.e. two 15" speakers are twice as loud as one). More or less - TBers with more tech savvy than me will want to correct that, but it can be helpful as a rule of thumb.

So supposing you have 100 watts through a 1x10 speaker cabinet; 200 watts through a 1x10 will be about 10% louder, while 100 watts through a 2x10 will be twice as loud.

My vote would be to look for a reasonably portable combo with at least 200 watts and a 1x15 or 2x10 speakers, AND (important) an outlet for an extension cab. That gives you something strong enough for practice and jam sessions without having to haul around a cumbersome half-stack. Then you can add another 2x10 or 4x10 or whatever as you need it.

Also, an MXR M-80 will be a great starting pedal for tone, EQ, and distortion to start with.

 

[Pet Sounds]

There's much good advice here. I would add that you may want to buy a better bass on the used market. A new Deluxe MIM P-Bass is $700 -- and so is a used American Standard, if you shop around.

 

[StuartV]

1) Buy used. If you do a little shopping around, you can be sure that what you are buying is a good value for what it is. That way, if you don't like it, you'll know you can sell it again for roughly what you paid.

2) Buying used from the Classifieds here is a great way to do it. Sellers here, particularly ones with good Feedback, are generally reliable and great to deal with.

3) Buying used from Guitar Center Used Gear online is also a great way to do it. If you don't like what you get, or there's something wrong with it, you have 30 days to return it and you can do so by taking it to the nearest GC to you and returning it in person, instead of having to ship it.

4) A P bass is almost guaranteed to work for any kind of music, so it's almost always a good choice. BUT, if you're really interested in playing metal, you MIGHT want to go directly to a 5-string bass. Ask your bandmates about that.

5) Used Made in America Peavey Fury basses are P basses that can generally be found used for $150 - 200 in very good condition. And they are great basses. Period. Not just great basses for beginners. If you do decide to pursue a 4-string bass, I highly recommend looking for one of these.

 

[cyclopsbookworm]

1) Buy used. If you do a little shopping around, you can be sure that what you are buying is a good value for what it is. That way, if you don't like it, you'll know you can sell it again for roughly what you paid.

2) Buying used from the Classifieds here is a great way to do it. Sellers here, particularly ones with good Feedback, are generally reliable and great to deal with.

3) Buying used from Guitar Center Used Gear online is also a great way to do it. If you don't like what you get, or there's something wrong with it, you have 30 days to return it and you can do so by taking it to the nearest GC to you and returning it in person, instead of having to ship it.

4) A P bass is almost guaranteed to work for any kind of music, so it's almost always a good choice. BUT, if you're really interested in playing metal, you MIGHT want to go directly to a 5-string bass. Ask your bandmates about that.

5) Used Made in America Peavey Fury basses are P basses that can generally be found used for $150 - 200 in very good condition. And they are great basses. Period. Not just great basses for beginners. If you do decide to pursue a 4-string bass, I highly recommend looking for one of these.

+1 to these. Especially the 5-er....depending on the band. If they use alternate tuning (which a lot of djent bands do. I know many are using Drop C at the moment) it's easier on a 5-er without having to make too many alterations. It can be done on a 4 just as easily, but you may have to dedicate an instrument to that particular tuning due to the difficulties you'll face setting up the nut and truss rod tension every time you change strings and tuning.

It can be done in standard tuning, to some extent, but may be more work than it's worth.

So definitely get an idea from your band what they play in and what they're looking for. That said, I stick to 4-stringers at the moment. I have enough that if I had to dedicate one to a specific tuning, it wouldn't be a problem. Plus 4's are just more comfortable to me.

Another thing I'd suggest is search come of the threads on here when you do find what you're looking for. There's a lot of great advice on not only string gauges and instruments that work well for those genres, but also techniques and setup advice that make keeping up not so much of a hassle.

And welcome to the site.

 

[Orangeclawhammr]

Take a friend with you - one that plays bass would be preferred. But anyone that plays a stringed instrument can help you with your decisions.

Take a friend and make an afternoon of it. The bass you chose should feel right when you strap it on. Next it should sound good - to you - when sound comes from it.

While you're at it, get this friend who plays bass to show you some things to play so you will get a better idea of what you find comfortable.

 

[Ibby]

I would say the the most important thing when buying a bass is to try it before you buy it, especially if you are new to it! Go to your local music store and try every single bass that they have, every single one... And then you will hopefully get a feel for what brands you like, dont like, and what you look for in a bass. Then you can buy online if you feel comfortable. But buying a bass with no experience with it can be dangerous, even though the basses you are looking at are fenders. Thats my advice, im sure there are more qualified people to advise you on amps to buy so ill leave it at that!

 

[Hotblack]

Take a look through the Hardware, Setup, Repair section. I assume that you are trying out in person. Make sure the neck has the proper amount of relief. Ensure that the electronics work. Look for any cracks and flaws (may not be a deal-breaker, but can help you negotiate price). See if someone can adjust string height to your liking. Find out the return/exchange policy.