Please help me with what to buy...NOVICE!!

[MrsNinaAllen]

Hi all
Ive today joined this forum as I need some expert help please.
I am purchasing a bass guitar for my husband for Christmas and I have no idea what to get.

This is what he will do with it:

• Learn to play as a total beginner
• Play reggae music (only)
• Play in studio setting to record with Protools (no live performance or band...yet)

What do I need to get for him eg what make of guitar, strings, amp, connection to pro-tools etc? I would be so grateful for any advise. And please Im a total novice so keep that in mind as Im guessing there is a lot of "bass jargon and lingo" that I wont be familiar with.

Kindest regards
Nina

 

[Robus]

It's cool that you're getting him a bass for Christmas. If he had some experience with the instrument, then I would say as fun as it might be to surprise him, it would be wiser to have him play a number of different basses before you choose. But if he is a complete novice, then he may not have much basis for comparison.

It's a good idea to ask on this forum rather than taking advice from a salesman with an eye on his commission.

You haven't mentioned your price range. Does he play other instruments? Is he new to music, or just new to the bass?

Just taking a stab in the dark, I would be thinking about some version of the Fender Precision bass. There are a lot of them on the market and they come in a wide price range, with the Asian-made Squier line at the lower end, Mexican-made Fenders in the middle, and the US-made Fenders at the upper end.

Others will chime in with advice.