Practice bass....

[Koshchei]

If you are not rich, I find that is not a good idea to slam the $$$ bass for the daily noodling.
I would use a 500$ or 300$ bass for that.
And keep the good ones for recording, gigs, or just some "selected practice sessions" {I mean: low frequency use}

Unless... you love the "relic" effect.

Not sure about your practice regimen, but in my experience, instruments don't generally get dinged up while woodshedding.

 

[SLO Surfer]

save money and enjoy the best bass that I can afford.

You answered your own question in post #7!

 

[dbsfgyd1]

After a few issues with getting a "new" bass, it's also given me time to think and I've slowly moved my focus from an entry level model to something a bit more substantial. I haven't yet pulled the trigger, but I'm extremely tempted.

So what I'm wondering is if people generally have a practice bass to learn and mess about with, rather than put their prized possession through daily torture.

Part of me is saying I should get something dirt cheap for practicing and messing about etc, but I don't know if I'm just being overly cautious.

Any thoughts?

My thoughts are you get the best bass you can afford, which will make your practice sessions a much more enjoyable experience.

 

[groove pump]

Thanks for the replies.

In all honesty I haven't really learnt to play much at all yet. After considering entry level models, my mind took over and I started looking at the next model up, then the next, and so on... I'm currently considering an Ibanez Premium model at a very tempting price. Having not owned and played a bass over many years, I don't know how long they would last under different types of usage. I doubt I'll be gigging, and if I did it would be quite some time before I'd be at that stage. I do intend to look after whatever bass I own, which is why I started the thread.

If buying a cheap Ibanez to learn and practice on would mean that my expensive bass would last longer, then I'd consider it to be a worthwhile investment. But if I'm just being too cautious and daft, I'd rather save money and enjoy the best bass that I can afford.

You're not being daft - a decent instrument is an investment, even if we're talking $400-$500 for a yummy 2nd hand bass. We don't buy them to wreck 'em, right?

That being said, playing a bass will not wreck it... as long as you don't play your notes by whacking the strings with a claw hammer. Many years of playing may wear on your frets a little bit, but maybe not much at all. It's not as though you'll only get a couple of good years out of it before it starts to go dead on you. If you don't use it to shovel snow, it should be okay for decades.

I've never spent more than $800-$850 on a brand new bass. Even then, I've found that I do NOT like that feeling of wanting to be ultra careful with a brand new axe and not let its perfect finish get a single tiny ding or nick in the finish. That's just dumb - I need to be able to play the thing!

I just picked up a used bass - sort of a Jazz on steroids - that's got a little visible mileage on it. LOVING it!! Maybe the best bass I've ever touched, but I also don't need to handle it with hyper-extreme care. It's solid, plays great, and fits me like it was made for me.

If you want some huge bang for your buck, I'd say stay patient, shop-shop-shop, and buy that "best bass for you" that you can afford. It will inspire you and also help you to play better if it has a great fit for you. Since you're not even gigging for now, you don't even need to worry about it getting beer sloshed on it or some bozo trying to swipe it off the stage (or out of your car). When you do eventually go to a gig, you can always drop it in its bag or case between sets.

Sorry if I'm being repetitive - I didn't read all the other replies yet.

 

[Wisebass]

Hi Falcon

Very cool thread!

Any thoughts?

My thoughts: I started playing bass on a piece of crap. I will never play a bass like this again!

I won' t say what it was because I will get lynched.

I just thought a cheap practice bass might minimise wear on an expensive bass. I know it sounds a bit silly, but there was some logic behind it.

The logic is okay, but every second you spend with an instrument you don' t like is a waste of time! (IMO)

And this is not a price question! I just don' t buy a bass that I don 't like.

I did buy expensive basses for their sound and look in the past. I lost a lot of money when I sold them.

I learned! You can do the same thing buying cheap basses. Believe me it will be the same thing!

Don' t buy basses to do this or to do that!

Beater basses for dive bars? Forget it!

The junkie who steals your bass or robs you leaving the bar doesn' t know the difference!

He will kill you for 10 bucks or take your bass and be arrested the next day…

It' s about the next shot!


The bass I use for practicing is my mainplayer! The bass I take to all of my gigs!

Why? Because I love to play it!

And this is the only reason to buy a bass!!! (IMO of course!)

Does anyone use "practice strings"

You don' t? I play hard and heavy! And my rounds get a good beating before I use them on a gig

(they will stay in tune that way!)

and for recordings too because I don 't like that "tin" on top out of the pack sound.

something is moot, here...i smell it....

Too many frets and not enough practice

Sorry Falcon! Wasn' t meant to be high horsed at all! Just a fretless player joke!


greetings

Wise(b)ass

 

[LBS-bass]

Just to clarify, I own no "beater basses." Some would cost less to replace than others, that is all. All of my basses play nicely and sound good or I wouldn't own them.

 

[SAlcott]

And that comes down to where you are in your life and what things are worth to you. I'm guessing its insured? If you have an instrument like that and live in NYC, I bet you are doing pretty well for yourself. (Awesome!)
Good luck tonight
When I bought my Pedulla for $1K, I was in high school making $6 an hour at a part time job. (That's why it took a year to save up for it) I played it a lot, just not at any shady places... it wasnt worth it to me to have it damaged or stolen.

I scuffled and scrimped and saved. It's insured. I travel mainly by subway. I take my Serek bass guitar to all bass guitar gigs. If I can't take an instrument to where I work, it's useless to me.

 

[Hawaii Islander]

For $500 or so you can buy something substantial to learn on.
At that price, I wouldn't really worry about wearing it out practicing an hour or so a day. For that matter, I would have no concerns with a $1,000, if you're thinking of spending more money.
The only thing I'd worry about is buying a cheap bass that you can't bond with, something that will keep you from practicing every day.
You're better off finding something that sounds good and feels better, no matter the price. Something that makes you grab it the minute you have an hour to spare.
If it happens to be a low-priced bass, fine, but if it's an expensive bass, all the better.
Believe me, you're not going to damage it just by playing it.

I agree with this line of thinking. Playability, comfort, sound, and how the bass appeals to you are more important than price. If you find a bass that meets those criteria, go for it and enjoy it.

 

[DrThumpenstein]

Get something you're excited to play. As long as it feels good in your hands and sound good plugged in, you're off to a good start.

 

[Cliff Colton]

Buy your second bass first.

 

[NativeBobcat]

Buy a good bass and play it as much as you can. Really bond with it.

Eventually, down the road (and from hanging out here at Talkbass), you’ll acquire GAS and you’ll start buying a lot more basses that you don’t really need.

But the truth is: you only really NEED that one.

 

[CoffeeLove]

After a few issues with getting a "new" bass, it's also given me time to think and I've slowly moved my focus from an entry level model to something a bit more substantial. I haven't yet pulled the trigger, but I'm extremely tempted.

So what I'm wondering is if people generally have a practice bass to learn and mess about with, rather than put their prized possession through daily torture.

Part of me is saying I should get something dirt cheap for practicing and messing about etc, but I don't know if I'm just being overly cautious.

Any thoughts?

Option 1: You can have both. I picked up a used 5 string Court on Craigslist for $30 that hangs on the wall in my garage for easy access and to beat around as needed (our bands rehearsal room). That is basically free in my mind (best of both worlds thinking).

Option 2: Just save up and buy something nice after you have put in some time learning to play and are certain you will stick with it (practical thinking).

Option 3: If you are loaded with money, go buy something really nice. Then, decide you dont want to play bass anymore and sell it to me for less than half of the original price, which is usually the resale value "if" you are lucky (mildly sarcastic but true thinking).

Seriously though, welcome to the world of bass, hope you love it as much as I have. Best wishes

 

[PizzaFiend]

Life is short. Buy what you love, and play it for that reason. And you don't need to settle on just one.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Why play a lesser bass? If you had a new Toyota Camry, you wouldn't get an old Yugo to drive around town.

 

[Bass V]

Define 'virtually perfect'.

really? lol ok, I'll play
the quick and simple answer is a bass that feels, plays, and sounds like a dream with 0 real issues.
but wait! there's more!
if legions can fall all over themselves salivating for vintage $$$ Fenders then let's set the best of those as the bar defining a virtually perfect bass, knowing some will point out perceived faults of their choosing.
the LB11 I suggest is a vintage P bass, it's just not old, expensive, or sporting the same headstock.
if you prefer a higher bar then that's why $20,000 basses are made, have all you want. I'll stack mine up against any of them, will I lose every time? maybe, but it won't be by much cos the LB11 is a damn good P bass.
sufficient? I think so.
obviously the op has dismissed my recommendation as have many others, no problem, but equally obvious is the op has been making typical mistakes in getting started when IT IS such a simple thing. if someone feels they need a 32 cylinder Bugatti to take their drivers test but isn't sure cos that new Ferrari looks good too ...and has wasted a decade deciding... then what can I say? lol my cool VW does just as well.
for $200 the op could have had an LB11 and a Fender B-DEC amp a decade ago and be Jaco by now.
btw, the LB11 is lightweight and has a sweet near Jazz Bass neck. what's not to love?

 

[AudioTaper]

And be Jaco by now?
...ok....

Ever stop to think OP doesnt want a Pbass? MAYBE that's why hes been talking about the Ibanez Soundgear the entire time.

I uses to do set up work those Silvertone basses. They are fine for a cheap P, but are lacking in many ways. As are P basses in general. (But that's MY opinion)

 

[LBS-bass]

And be Jaco by now?
...ok....

Ever stop to think OP doesnt want a Pbass? MAYBE that's why hes been talking about the Ibanez Soundgear the entire time.

I uses to do set up work those Silvertone basses. They are fine for a cheap P, but are lacking in many ways. As are P basses in general. (But that's MY opinion)

Back in the day, before such things were deemed "vintage" and "collectible" by people who didn't actually want to play them, most of us avoided the cheap stuff coming out of Asia because we'd picked them up and tried to play them and found them lacking in all sorts of ways. Impossible to intonate with necks that tended to warp, etc.

I don't know where all these magically wonderful ones have come from in recent years but I wouldn't have wasted my time with them when they were relatively new. Maybe all the super crappy ones ended up as kindling and what's left are the ones that, by some happy accident, were actually playable. I know there are going to be legions of people coming in here to tell me that I'm wrong, but I'm only saying how they were viewed when you could still buy them new in the stores.

ETA: Inexpensive basses today tend to be much better instruments, but there's still a reason some instruments cost a lot more.

 

[lermgalieu]

I’m sure this has been said, but You need to flip your thinking: practice with a nice instrument and get a beater for gigs.

 

[Watchootognbout]

I didn't mean like completely wearing out a bass to the point where it is useless, I just thought a cheap practice bass might minimise wear on an expensive bass. I know it sounds a bit silly, but there was some logic behind it. Like I don't know how much it would cost for various maintenance which I may not be capable of doing myself.

What kind of music and/or life do you play/live that wears out a bass?

 

[Mushroo]

Sign me up for the "expensive basses for practicing and recording; cheap basses for gigs" club.