So I want to learn bass...

[clickclack]

This is what I did and it worked so that's what I'm recommending.

Scrap the amp idea and get a nice PC audio card with guitar interface and a nice headphone. It doesn't have to be a Sennheiser. Those will be a lot more useful in the beginning than an amp and will let you practice more and comfortably. PreSonus Audiobox or Focusrite Scarlett are both fine for this job.

Next, find bass backing tracks of your favorite bands and play along. Lots of song specific tuts on Youtube. Some are wrong, some are correct, you'll figure it out. Do this everyday and you'll be able to play at increased speed and accuracy in a shorter time. Study songs part by part, then connect it all. To be able to play what had seemed like an impossible song before, perfectly, feels great! As you learn new songs and especially by different bassists and groups, you'll learn different techniques. As you gain finger strength and keep feeding your cerebellum, you will gain confidence and keep going. Slow and steady. Finally, don't be afraid to use a pick. Some songs and sounds require it. Picking also leaves more capacity for your left hand generally in the beginning, so not bad while mastering a song. But two and even three finger style is a must of course. Enjoy the adventure!

 

[whero]

Plenty of great basses and amps that would fit in your budget on the website in this thread. .
Just kidding - do not buy anything from that website - they'll take your money and send you shoes (apparently).

But seriously... I could write pages about what you should and shouldn't do, but here's my best, shortest, advice: You can buy a brand new this thread within your budget. If you shop around you might find someone selling one even cheaper second hand, because they've been playing a couple of years and are ready to upgrade, or they've decided bass isn't for them after all. A set like this is fine when you're starting out, probably playing along with CDs/MP3s in your bedroom. It's also OK to use if you take lessons, and just about good enough if you start playing in the garage with a couple of friends (assuming they're on a similar budget). Just play it and play it and play it and take some lessons and practise and practise and practise, until you decide if bass is for you. If it is, you can start worrying later about how to pay for the upgrade cycle that will last the rest of your life.

A lot of us would have started with gear like this. Most people my age who started playing in the 1960s/'70s started with something much worse. My first bass was a very used '60s Aria semi-acoustic with mismatched tuners and one missing tone knob. I have no idea what brand the amp was. It looked like it had been home made out of used radio parts from the '50s and was covered in peeling cream vinyl. But it had two 12" speakers, and when I played along to the only rock record I owned (Led Zeppelin II) it made enough noise to drive my mother batsh*t crazy, which was exactly the effect I was going for.

 

[MrLenny1]

Traveler bass.

 

[Flamingo21]

But it had two 12" speakers, and when I played along to the only rock record I owned (Led Zeppelin II) it made enough noise to drive my mother batsh*t crazy, which was exactly the effect I was going for.

Good boy!

 

[Flamingo21]

This. Also, when I started out there was literally no less useful advice than "play a bunch of basses". It's like telling a 15 year old to go drive a bunch of cars before they pick which one to learn on.

When the 15 year old gets into an unfamiliar car and starts driving, there will be so much fod her/him to worry about, she/he will have no attention left for the car and how it responds.

On the other hand, when the OP walks into her Sam Ash and picks up a bass, she can devote all her attention to how it looks, feels, and responds.

So it isn't a good comparison. Rather, I ask: what made the advice so useless to you, in your situation?

 

[clickclack]

So it isn't a good comparison. Rather, I ask: what made the advice so useless to you

Think of it like choosing a sword with no knowledge about swords to be more comparable. I can imagine what a good sword feels like but I don't know. It's just a false sense, an illusion fed by years of gaming and movies perhaps. So I can't choose a fine sword and I can't know if it will fail me in the middle of a fight or serve me a thousand battles. Simple really.

 

[AcridSaint]

When the 15 year old gets into an unfamiliar car and starts driving, there will be so much fod her/him to worry about, she/he will have no attention left for the car and how it responds.

On the other hand, when the OP walks into her Sam Ash and picks up a bass, she can devote all her attention to how it looks, feels, and responds.

So it isn't a good comparison. Rather, I ask: what made the advice so useless to you, in your situation?

If you are starting from a position of complete ignorance (and not in a bad way), how are you supposed to make a well-reasoned decision? You don't think that there's fod to worry about when playing bass for the first time? You walk into Sam Ash and see one bass with two knobs and one with 5 and a couple switches. 4 string, 5 string, 6 string... one-piece bridges, individual saddles... inline tuners, 2x2... How does she know that one body shape or another will end up being more or less comfortable? How does she know what a "good" bass sounds like? Plugged in or unplugged? How does she know what a "good" action feels like? Is she a high or a low player? Does she know about neck dive? How does she know what strings are right for her? Is that string noise coming from overly bright pickups? Or the preamp? Or the strings? Or the player? All of that assumes that the brand new player can actually get past the nerves of walking into a store and playing poorly in front of who knows how many strangers.

A complete beginner (IE someone who doesn't play other instruments and doesn't have exposure to them) will not be able to answer these questions for their self. So, they often default to buying the one they think looks the best or whatever the sales guy tells them is the "good" one.

So yes, it was completely worthless advice to me. If you don't know what qualities you want or need, you can't make an informed decision. If you are just going by what qualities other people tell you that you need, then you don't even need to walk into a store.

 

[braindead0]

Here's my 2 cents.

Perhaps fill in your location with a bit more precision than 'California'. I'd imagine there might be someone here who would be willing to let you try a few basses, suggest teachers...etc. Maybe post a new thread 'Anyone near X willing to let me try out some basses'?

Whatever you do, make sure you have some money leftover to get a good setup. Others have mentioned 'basic setup'.. I'm not sure if that's different from a 'good setup'.. All I know is I spent several years trying to learn on a bass with terrible action, nut too low.. huge neck relief and the bridge cranked all the way up to compensate. Brand new bass, shop said they set it up.. I had no idea...thought that was just the way it was...

Fixing the action on that bass made a massive difference in playability. I have no clue what a good setup costs though...probably depends on how bad the situation is..

 

[Sneezed]

If you are starting from a position of complete ignorance (and not in a bad way), how are you supposed to make a well-reasoned decision? You don't think that there's fod to worry about when playing bass for the first time? You walk into Sam Ash and see one bass with two knobs and one with 5 and a couple switches. 4 string, 5 string, 6 string... one-piece bridges, individual saddles... inline tuners, 2x2... How does she know that one body shape or another will end up being more or less comfortable? How does she know what a "good" bass sounds like? Plugged in or unplugged? How does she know what a "good" action feels like? Is she a high or a low player? Does she know about neck dive? How does she know what strings are right for her? Is that string noise coming from overly bright pickups? Or the preamp? Or the strings? Or the player? All of that assumes that the brand new player can actually get past the nerves of walking into a store and playing poorly in front of who knows how many strangers.

A complete beginner (IE someone who doesn't play other instruments and doesn't have exposure to them) will not be able to answer these questions for their self. So, they often default to buying the one they think looks the best or whatever the sales guy tells them is the "good" one.

So yes, it was completely worthless advice to me. If you don't know what qualities you want or need, you can't make an informed decision. If you are just going by what qualities other people tell you that you need, then you don't even need to walk into a store.

I do play three other instruments but none of them are string instruments or even bass clef so I have absolutely no idea what to look for in a bass

 

[AcridSaint]

I do play three other instruments but none of them are string instruments or even bass clef so I have absolutely no idea what to look for in a bass

I think it's always best to assume that a new bass player has no relevant experience to apply to the bass than to assume that they already know everything they'll want. If you go the route of shopping around music stores, I would try to find a local bass player that you respect to go with you and help you audition them. I did this early on after I realized that my SX wasn't going to be a "forever" instrument and have zero regrets. He helped me find an awesome bass and helped me get a good deal on it.

If you can't do that then I think you are better off doing some research here and then buying online.

 

[Badwater]

Size does not matter. Some small players play regular scale bass. And some tall players play short scale bass. The difference is in the amount of movement and precision between regular scale and short scale. The shorter scale uses less hand movement and requires more precision vs the regular scale which requires more hand movement and less precision. A short scale fretless is more difficult to play than a regular scale fretless. Neck taper, thickness, and width will have a bigger impact on how comfortable it will be.

As stated above, there are many variety of neck sizes and shapes. And the only way to know what feels right is to play a few.

 

[MKD]

I do play three other instruments but none of them are string instruments or even bass clef so I have absolutely no idea what to look for in a bass

Just wing it! - i've actually never learnt bass clef (gasp) even though have played bass for 20years.....how many times are you actually going to find written music for a metal song anyway? you'll likely be playing from listening to tracks or jamming with your friends. anything you download tab or music-wise is usually wrong anyway.

but back to the bass, seriously - anything is a good starting point, theres no point us going on about brands and models etc if you dont know what they are anyway lol. just find one you like the look of and is comfortable to hold and play. Not to sound mean at all, but you'll suck to start with anyway so us telling you what sounds good doesn't really come into it. Comfy to hold/play + looks good to you = best bass to start on. you can always sell it if you want a different one right?

 

[pie_man_25]

Nooooo! EB-0 with fuzz is awesome and übermetal, whilst the Mikro is just tiny. She's not 4 years old, she's pretty much the size of Tal, Victor Wooten etc.
I'd suggest to try a Squier jazz of some sort or an Ibanez SR300. If those prove too long, look into Mustangs, Broncos, EB-0.

I might have to try an eb-0 with some fuzz

Nooooo! EB-0 with fuzz is awesome and übermetal, whilst the Mikro is just tiny. She's not 4 years old, she's pretty much the size of Tal, Victor Wooten etc.
I'd suggest to try a Squier jazz of some sort or an Ibanez SR300. If those prove too long, look into Mustangs, Broncos, EB-0.

 

[Luke S Mouse]

You're starting off great, already smarter than me having a budget and getting a deal.

I personally learned off of Youtube, just find the songs you like or are on the radio and go from there. Great way to get your familiarity with the fretboard and get your right hand in shape if you are playing fingerstyle.

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

No need for a short-scale. There are children and petite women who play full-sized basses just fine!

You need to figure out if you want a 4-string or a 5-string! I'd suggest a 5-string for METAL!!