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Newbie

R

Ritchbee

Apr 10, 2014
7
0
#1
Hi,

Looking at purchasing my first ever bass and have looked at Squier Affinity P-Bass (starter kit)
Are these a good starting point for a beginner or are their other basses to consider. i.e. Ibanez 300 series or is that to high end for a novice.
Any advice is most welcome.

Cheers
Brian
 
#4
The Ibanez SR300 is also a good bass for a beginner and beyond. I would recommend buying used - you can get much more of a bass for the money. For example, an Ibanez SR300 used can be bought for $150. In terms of Squier, I would go with a used Vintage Modified Precision or classic vibe- better quality for the money.
Ultimately, it's best to go to a music store and try out several basses to see what feels best to you. The best bass for you would be the one you feel most comfortable with.
 
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#6
Definitely try before you buy, but once you do, forget about new basses. Stay away from the talkbass classifieds. Stay away from the bass sections in music stores.

All you need to do is practice. Practice practice practice. With a metronome, or drum machine. Play along to music. Learn everything you can. Learn scales and modes and chords. Get a good teacher and/or watch videos on youtube, but forget about basses. It'll only hinder your progress. I speak from experience. Forget wanting something better and concentrate on getting better. And again, always, ALWAYS with a metronome or drum machine. You can learn Portrait of Tracy and Classical Thump note for note, but if you can't play a simple groove at a consistent tempo, you're useless as a bass player.
 
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#7
buldog5151bass said:
As to amps, I would go used, and something with a 10 or 12 inch speaker. You can find better than that. Play before you buy, something that won't fart out when turn it up.
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I totally agree with this noob advice. People starting out always get sold practice amps as the "standard" thing. Well I've got a bunch sitting around basically useful only to drive headphones. It is much more cost-efficient to find some used combo with enough power and speaker for at least coffee shop levels. The better tone inspires your practice, the higher wattage lets you get together with other noobs learning other instruments for mutual inspiration, and eventually you can use it for real honest gigs in quiet venues rather than it just ending up stored in a corner of the garage.
 
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#8
bassbenj said:
I totally agree with this noob advice. People starting out always get sold practice amps as the "standard" thing. Well I've got a bunch sitting around basically useful only to drive headphones. It is much more cost-efficient to find some used combo with enough power and speaker for at least coffee shop levels. The better tone inspires your practice, the higher wattage lets you get together with other noobs learning other instruments for mutual inspiration, and eventually you can use it for real honest gigs in quiet venues rather than it just ending up stored in a corner of the garage.
Click to expand...
The importance of a good amp can't be stressed enough I agree. Even if you've got a fantastic bass, plugging it in a cheap practice amp will make it sound like crap. Definitely look for a good used amp- they're plentiful on Craigslist- I bought a Fender Bassman 150w amp for $80 in my local area. I used to have a couple of cheap practice amps I would get from buying used basses on CL, I've given them away to a couple of young kids who couldn't afford equipment.
 
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#11
I've usually shied away from recommending Squier Affinities. Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with them, but you can get an SX at www.rondomusic.com and get pretty much the same quality for $50 less or so. The only thing that would make me say to go for the Squier instead was if the shop agreed to throw in a free setup with your purchase, because either is going to need a setup. It's also often possible to go to craigslist and get a starter bass used for cheaper. If you can afford a little more and get up around $300, look at the Vintage Modified Squiers - those are really good for not too much dough. Better yet, watch for a used one for $200.

+1 on the Ampeg BA series combos. I think Slobake or someone had a thread on the BA108 or 110, that he was using his on a church worship team and it kept up just fine.
 
#12
Ritchbee said:
Hi,

Looking at purchasing my first ever bass and have looked at Squier Affinity P-Bass (starter kit)
Are these a good starting point for a beginner or are their other basses to consider. i.e. Ibanez 300 series or is that to high end for a novice.
Any advice is most welcome.

Cheers
Brian
Click to expand...

Oh, and on the "too high-end for a novice" thing - no such thing. A novice can learn just as well on a $5000 boutique bass as on a $179 Squier. Probably better, actually. We only call cheap basses "beginner" basses because beginners don't always know if they're really going to stick with it, so they usually don't want to spend too much. Also, when you don't yet know too much about instruments, you don't necessarily know what characteristics you'll like. Thick necks or thin? Active electronics or passive? Etc. So it's often a good idea to save your money till you have stronger feelings about that kind of thing. Buy the bass you LIKE and that you can AFFORD.
 
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#14
One other thing about used basses, if you buy used and let's say you find a better bass later on down the road, you can sell the first bass for the price you bought it for. A used bass is a used bass no matter how many owners have had it. After playing for a bit, you'll have a better idea of what your ideal bass would be, and the kind of sound and feel that works best for you. An Affinity is a decent bass don't get me wrong, but if you're willing to go for a used bass, you can get a much better Squier or even a Fender.
A "too high-end for a novice" bass is actually in some ways helpful for a novice. They're usually better built and as such, easier to play and just sound better. Usually.
I had a friend that was starting out and picked up a really cheap ebay bass - he let me try it out, and let me tell you, I've been playing bass for 30 years and even I had a hard time playing on it as the neck just felt horrible and made it difficult to play with any speed on it. I guess what I'm trying to say is buy a bass that will work with you through the learning process and not one that will make the process a frustrating one. A good bass is a good bass for anyone.
 
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#15
SanDiegoHarry said:
Don't buy it at GC. There are plenty of these for sale on ebay for *cheap*.

Get a headphone amp and see if you dig it. If not - sell for what you paid!
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Although I can surely get behind the headphone amp (what with living with a clinically-A.D.D artist who works from home and is prone to migraines…let's say I don't feel like getting murdered while practicing :dead:), I gotta disagree with the "no GC" stance, especially in light of eBay's return policy (aka: NONE, unless you have a really, really nice seller). But perhaps I'm a bit spoiled. My local Guitar Center seriously rocks…fair selection, friendly/knowledgable staff, an excellent guitar tech, etc.

Ritchbee; from one "Brian" to another, I've gotten a lot of mileage (pun mildly intended since my work has me traveling a great deal) with a Pocket Rockit S1b. Just find some better headphones. The ones that come with it are "meh". Personally, I prefer the Invalid Link Removed. By draping it across the back, it keeps them from catching on everything and anything whenever I turn my head or scuffing between me and the back of the bass.
 
#16
Malak the Mad said:
Although I can surely get behind the headphone amp (what with living with a clinically-A.D.D artist who works from home and is prone to migraines…let's say I don't feel like getting murdered while practicing :dead:), I gotta disagree with the "no GC" stance, especially in light of eBay's return policy (aka: NONE, unless you have a really, really nice seller). But perhaps I'm a bit spoiled. My local Guitar Center seriously rocks…fair selection, friendly/knowledgable staff, an excellent guitar tech, etc.

Ritchbee; from one "Brian" to another, I've gotten a lot of mileage (pun mildly intended since my work has me traveling a great deal) with a Pocket Rockit S1b. Just find some better headphones. The ones that come with it are "meh". Personally, I prefer the Invalid Link Removed. By draping it across the back, it keeps them from catching on everything and anything whenever I turn my head or scuffing between me and the back of the bass.
Click to expand...

It's your money... but a million people buy these basses and decide the either aren't interested or want to get a better axe - so there are tons for sale.

Buy from someone with good feedback (on ebay) and you'll be okay. There's only so many ways you can screw up a bass guitar. I have bought... I'd say dozens on ebay and have yet to get "bad" or damaged instrument.
 
#17
SanDiegoHarry said:
It's your money... but a million people buy these basses and decide the either aren't interested or want to get a better axe - so there are tons for sale.

Buy from someone with good feedback (on ebay) and you'll be okay. There's only so many ways you can screw up a bass guitar. I have bought... I'd say dozens on ebay and have yet to get "bad" or damaged instrument.
Click to expand...

All of this is true. However, since it's his first, he may not know what will feel "right" in his hands. Certainly I did with my first sold-online/non-returnable bass, but I don't fool myself into believing everyone will turn up an ace on the first try. What I'm suggesting is that he look into somewhere he can either sample several items or can easily return a purchase if it's not "right".

Ritchbee; Discussing this with Harry has got me thinking of an amicable halfway suggestion. Check out as many places that you can conveniently travel to armed with something to take notes on (I'm a fan of the ever-handy Personal Analog Data-assistant…aka a pad). Try out a whatever you can get your hands on and give each an entry whether you like it, love it or hate it. Look up the specs on all of them (Internet…HO!) including nut widths, fretboard radii, electronics, etc. You might find some similarities between the ones that felt/sounded best. This can help inform you on a decent, if not awesome, online purchase.
 
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#19
I agree with both of Malak's and SanDiegoHarry's suggestions. There are quite a number of decent used basses available. Knowing what to look for is a question of being familiar with basses by simply trying them out.
Now speaking solely of Fender style basses:- Let's get this out of the way...try a P Bass and then a Jazz Bass at a store, same amp. Play around with the different sound options on each bass, see which neck, pickup configuration appeals to you. Once you do this, this will make buying a Fender style bass so much easier. You'll have a fair idea of how a bass may sound and feel. The Jazz bass or a jazz-style bass, has a slimmer neck than a P bass, has a more punchy sound to it (perfect for slapping)- the P bass sounds more thumpy it definitely has it's own unique sound all to it's own, the neck doesn't taper like the jazz.
Now going from an Affinity P, VM P bass, CV Pbass, MIM P bass, MIA P bass is a progression in quality but the overall "vibe" and feel if you will, will be similar.
The same goes for the Jazz basses. There are also variants, such as PJ basses that have both a P and a Jazz style pickup. It gives you a little bit more tonal variety but some prefer the pure Jazz or P bass sound on their basses. It really depends on your preferences.

Also never underestimate the importance of a good setup, if the store can do it for free, that would be fantastic. Maximizing the sound and ease of use of the bass will go a long ways into making learning fun. There was a post here some time ago from someone who was starting out with a bass and was commenting on how hard it was to fret a note. After a few descriptions and pictures, we realized that the strings were way too high off the fretboard and the bass needed a truss rod tweak and string height adjustment. It made a huge difference in the playability of the bass and made it so much easier for that individual to play.
 
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