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So I want to learn bass...

#41
Those guitar amps should be okay for practicing at home for now. I spent about $300 on my first bass and used a tiny, cheap Vox guitar amp I had, and it was good enough - it even had an Aux input and headphone out as well, which was helpful. Used it to jam with my buddy playing an acoustic guitar fine enough.

Didn't sound great though, and I wouldn't bring it to a band audition but good enough to get me going.

Focus on playing a few basses first and put your money towards one that's comfortable, looks and sounds good (to you), and if possible, has the strings sitting fairly low (close to the neck) without it producing any buzzing on any fret - though this may be hard in your price range but worth looking for.
 
#42
OP,
I've been known to practice bass technique on a mini-squeir. I just ignored the b and the thin e. I did it to develop muscle memory.
My choice of gloves is extra-large. .
Nothing wrong with starting on a piccalo bass, easier on the hands while learning bass clef.
 
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#43
Gorn said:
No amount of advice you're going to get here can compare to you sitting in the bass room at Sam Ash trying everything in your price range.
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hrodbert696 said:
head to the store and try some out in person
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lfmn16 said:
Get a good teacher
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Sneezed said:
I haven't really had time to go
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well then, when you do = it will be your first real step towards becoming a real bass player! good luck making time to check out some instruments! :thumbsup:
 
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#46
Drgonzonm said:
OP,
I've known to practice bass technique on a mini-squeir. I just ignored the b and the thin e. I did it to develop muscle memory.
My choice of gloves is extra-large. .
Nothing wrong with starting on a piccalo bass, easier on the hands while learning bass clef.
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Practicing bass technique on a guitar is a horrible, horrible idea, in my opinion.
 
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#49
Sneezed said:
I've wanted to learn bass for over a year now and recently got a job so now I have some money to actually buy one. What would be a good bass for someone who wants to learn bass? I'm hoping for a more rock/metal sound and the very most I could pay would be $300.

(Also I'm only 5'1" and have really small hands so would a short scale bass be better for someone like me or not??)
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You can probably find a decent squire starter bass for that. You can get pretty much any sound you could want out of them, depending on your amp, and they're built fairly well. Should be a good start.
 
#50
Gorn said:
Practicing bass technique on a guitar is a horrible, horrible idea, in my opinion.
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Not just a guitar, but a mini. (Reduced scale). In all seriousness, the guitar gives visual feedback based on fret markers. Maybe approaching bass playing on a mini is not for you, but starting piccalo, the transition to large scale is not too bad. Good luck, @Gorn on your bass playing.
I started on an upright, so i used 124 fingering. On a guitar it's ofpf, even with a 35" scale it's still ofpf.
If the OP has problems with ofpf, then 124 might be applicable.
To the OP , it's never to late to start on bass, maybe it's too late, if you are daisy pushing mode.
 
#53
Gorn said:
An amp is a complete waste of money at this point in your bass playing education if you have a guitar amp available. There are no coffee shop gigs in your immediate future. Making the time to go to Sam Ash really is a good idea.
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+1 Just keep the volume down so you don't blow the speaker. Focus on trying some basses - bring a friend along who plays guitar or bass, they'll know more what to look for/avoid. Don't assume every model bass will be the same, so if you like the way a bass looks, feels & plays, consider putting down a deposit. When you settle on your bass, ask the store to show you how to change strings & do a basic setup.

Consider looking for a teacher, even for 1 or 2 lessons to make sure you're holding & playing the bass correctly - can also take your teacher with you bass shopping. If you don't like how your brother's amps sound, or if you want to turn up the volume, then when you pick your bass play it through different bass amps. Buying used will be cheaper - check the TB classifieds if someone doesn't post here offering the amp you're looking for.


And Welcome to TB! Don't hesitate to ask any questions, a lot of knowledgeable, helpful people here.
 
#54
Contrary to much of the recommendations here, just playing basses in a store until YOU like one is NOT a good plan.
If you are a beginner or someone who has not even begun yet, you will probably have no idea what to look for.
Do you have any friends that play bass... well?
Ask them to go to the store with you.
Don't worry about sound or looks, get a bass with good action. You will be much more inclined to practice if it doesn't hurt your fingers to play.
Good luck
 
#56
Man, that's a lot to throw at a new TB'er and new bassist. My take is like a lot of the posters, but I'll try and keep it simple.

A short scale is a good place to start if you are shorter and have small hands, you can try other basses later as you develop your skills. The Ibanez Mikro and the Squier short scale Jaguar are probably your best bets. They're generally good quality and can take you far, they're popular and should be easy enough to find, possibly used, and if it doesn't work out should be easy to sell later.

If you can, take someone who knows basses with you shopping, or even any friend that plays an instrument can be helpful to have with you. Pick a bass that feels good, has a look you like, and appeals to you. You want to dig your new bass!

Don't go buy an amp just yet, you can use a guitar amp for now just for learning, you'll then have time to save and figure out what you want. Use any money you have left over to get a few lessons with a bass instructor. Even one lesson can get you started, they can help with how to hold the bass, what's the best thing to start practicing, and checking to make sure the instrument is adjusted properly.

From there, Guitar Center has free lessons at their stores, there's tons of stuff on YouTube, and there's tons of info from websites, esp here at TB. Make use of all of it! The important thing is to keep at it and love what you're doing.
 
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#58
Sneezed, welcome to the jungle!

By now you may be somewhat overwhelmed by all the inputs you're receiving. Note that you've got a lot of folks on here with massive amounts of time in the bass game, so a lot of great suggestions have came your way already...

.... now of course we aren't in your shoes, so none of us know what your circumstances are, such as your age, level of current music education, school and/or day to day workload, ability to easily get to a music store with a reasonable array of gear, whether you have a decent mentor to help get you started, financial situation, true motivation, etc... the list goes on.

What I can say is that if I could go back in time, and had all the things available today that didn't exist for me in my youth, I'd track somewhere along this path (and yes, I'll be parroting what some have already said):

1-I'd ask myself if I'm truly ready, motivated, and have the time to dive into something that may or may not be something I'd stick with. This is a road of true dedication. This is the single most important thing to work out before the big dive.

2-find a good bass teacher, one with a lot of experience in bringing new players with no experience into the bass/music scene. Preferably one with a few different bass models to use prior to purchase. If you sign up to work with them on a routine basis, some may even have a short-term loaner, doesn't hurt to ask. Part of what they should be able to do is guide you to a reasonable and functional first purchase. This to me is the next real step, and this will cost money, but remember, good education is valuable.

3-Within a fairly short time frame you should be able to gauge whether you really want to stick to it or not. If so, by now you should be prepared to actively search out a bass. I echo what others have said regarding use of an available guitar amp to start. I oppose the notion of buying a large gig-grade amp at this point, because you may find (as countless others have) that this really isn't your cup of tea after all. If this transpires and you've shucked out a large amount of money for a new amp you won't use, well, there's a whole bunch of folks out there that would be glad to take your new amp off you at a substantial loss.

4-After your "burn-in" period, anywhere from weeks to a few months, you should be able to make the call on whether to get a gig-grade amp. The type of music, age/maturity, and experience of potential band mates will help dictate what type and size of amp to flow towards.

5-expect the unexpected in the music scene, and do your best to drive steadily through all the twists, turns, and obstacles you'll surely encounter on this journey. It is not an easy path, but for many of us it IS the path, one we don't want to get off of.

All the best to ya!
The Fool
 
#59
I think you will be happier later on if you learn how to play on a 34" scale. It's very easy to play a short or medium scale bass if you can play a 34 or 35" bass, but going the other direction is hard for a lot of people. Also, will you take lessons? I would set aside some of that $300 for lessons from a reputable teacher.
 

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