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Sorry...another "need advice on first bass thread"
- Thread starter ski_rush
- Start date
Gear snobs are idiots.
Why would any player prioritize gear over ability? A Squier VM won't make the OP, *a beginner new to bass*, a better player. This person would be better served avoiding any gear snobs throughout their career instead of pandering to a specific audience.
As good an instrument as the TRB series ones are, I'm not so sure about suggesting a bass that retails for 4-5 times the price of the ones OP is considering...
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Another vote for pawn shops. Not tough to find a Squier Affinity for $99. If you don't like it, you should be able to sell it for $98 pretty easily.
@tlite
Hey Vanderbilt, if I kick in some change do you feel like doing a solid for our new friend from Nebraska with your MIM Jazz?
Hey Vanderbilt, if I kick in some change do you feel like doing a solid for our new friend from Nebraska with your MIM Jazz?
Have to agree the SR-500 is the best bass on that list, and a rather good price if it's in good shape If you have a local GC you can always return used gear within 14 days of purchase just by bringing it back to the local store, even if it was an internet order.
I would maybe have a luthier check it out for any glaring issues.. and at least ime - the sr-500's neck can be sensitive to weather/temp changes.. but it will be lightweight, the neck will be thin and fast.
It should feel pretty good to play. Just bare in mind it has Active pickups - don't leave it plugged in when you aren't playing, and keep fresh 9v's around for when it needs to be replaced. At less than $200... you should more than get your money's worth out of it. In a band setting it might take some EQ'ing to sit well in the mix, but this bass should hold you over easily for a year or two while you're learning to play it. They go brand new for $600 and $700 depending on the model.
I would maybe have a luthier check it out for any glaring issues.. and at least ime - the sr-500's neck can be sensitive to weather/temp changes.. but it will be lightweight, the neck will be thin and fast.
It should feel pretty good to play. Just bare in mind it has Active pickups - don't leave it plugged in when you aren't playing, and keep fresh 9v's around for when it needs to be replaced. At less than $200... you should more than get your money's worth out of it. In a band setting it might take some EQ'ing to sit well in the mix, but this bass should hold you over easily for a year or two while you're learning to play it. They go brand new for $600 and $700 depending on the model.
I have an 6-7 y/o Fender Rumble 15w that has been left out overnight in the rain.. still works like a champ and more than enough for home by myself use.. would easily work for studio use mic'd up with headphone monitors. Won't be loud enough for most drummers by itself, but when you get to that point, maybe even leave gear in practice spaces and end up buying something with more oomph, you'll still be glad you have a practice amp at home.
Awwwwww, man. That would've been awesome and I'd have been totally on board. The Analog Fender J was playing great and would've been perfect. That said, I literally sold it locally yesterday.
Awwwwww, man. That would've been awesome and I'd have been totally on board. The Analog Fender J was playing great and would've been perfect. That said, I literally sold it locally yesterday.
Timing sucks, but I knew that you would have been onboard for helping out. Thanks for responding.
Maybe you could just send him one of your spare umbrellas as consolation
Yep, when I started out I did not want to deal with headphones and wanted to hear and feel the thump of the bass. Everyone does.
Funny thing is, now that I am working on a band and actually know enough to get myself in trouble I use studio headphones to legitimately practice and learn.
OP will be a gear junky before you know it now that he/she is tuned into Reverb
It sounds like it might be tough to get a few different types of instruments into your hands in your area, but if at all possible I suggest you see how different types feel: if you can get to any music store or pawn shop worth anything, they should at least have (something like) a Fender Precision Bass, a Fender Jazz Bass, and some sort of Ibanez Soundgear. See what feels best, particularly with regard to the neck and the weight, and that should give you some idea of which way to go if you really do want to play. Most instruments can be made to sound okay for most styles of music, so I suggest going with what feels good right out of the gate. Even if your preferences change (I preferred a jazz neck when starting out and gravitated toward precision necks over time), starting on an instrument that feels good will make you want to keep at it. (I learned this selling kayaks, but it applies to instruments, too, haha.)
Especially if you go used, you can find a perfectly good instrument even in that price range. As you might read on here, budget instruments built in the past decade or so are better than they’ve ever been. And you can find an old US-made Peavey TKO for less than what a decent headphone amp and headphones would cost (not knocking headphone amps, I love mine, but thinking budget here).
All the best in starting out on bass. I hope you love it.
Especially if you go used, you can find a perfectly good instrument even in that price range. As you might read on here, budget instruments built in the past decade or so are better than they’ve ever been. And you can find an old US-made Peavey TKO for less than what a decent headphone amp and headphones would cost (not knocking headphone amps, I love mine, but thinking budget here).
All the best in starting out on bass. I hope you love it.
Rogues aren't as bad as most people make them out to be, if you are thinking about getting one though you might want to look around first. You can usually find an "out of box" one listed on musicians friend for like $60 free shipping.
I passed a fretless one up a while back for $70 free shipping. I couldn't justify buying it though, I had an unfinished project and too many basses already.
In your price range a LTD B-50 is a fantastic choice. Very light, well built, great sound, holds tune extremely well and has one of the best feeling necks I have ever played.
As far as GC’s condition ratings, in my experience, basses are generally in better shape than their rating. Every used bass I have ordered off their site has said “good condition” but most have been in “great condition” once a little cleaning and spit shining.
Good luck with your search. I hope you find a great bass to begin your bass playin’ journey.
mega dittos on the LTD B-50, those will outlive you and the next guy, they can be found for $100 used but if you need something shipped to you and you don't have an amp or anything else then I can't recommend the LB11 $200 starter package highly enough. everything in it is merely serviceable crap except the bass which is phenomenally good at any price, it mirrors a vintage Fender P bass for chump change and the amp will be ok with headphones. good tone is important, learning to play with crappy tone will kill the thrill real fast, 'phones are good for that and the LB11 delivers in spades, chances are it'll come set up fairly well but proper setups are part of the learning process, out of your options so far this is likely your best bet. IDK if amazon ships free but somebody does, they show the bass in black which is what I have and it looks better than the other colors schemes IMO. out of all my years and basses this is what I now play all day / every day...
https://www.amazon.com/Silvertone-G...ocphy=9032809&hvtargid=pla-590019516185&psc=1
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So, I made the trip to the Omaha GC today so that I could get my hands on a few of these and see how they sound. I “tested” out some sub $200 basses from Dean, Ibanez, Yamaha, and Mitchell.
Of all the basses, I might like the Mitchell MB200 best. I thought it had a good feel and sound. But, to be quite honest, I’m a such a beginner that I really couldn’t tell much difference between them. It’s not like I can rock out and play a song in the store. Some guys were. I thought about asking them questions, but didn’t want to bug anyone.
I liked the Dean Custom Zone in green, but it might be a little flashy for such a beginner. That kind of flash needs some skill/confidence.
At this point, I’m leaning towards the Mitchell MB200.
Of all the basses, I might like the Mitchell MB200 best. I thought it had a good feel and sound. But, to be quite honest, I’m a such a beginner that I really couldn’t tell much difference between them. It’s not like I can rock out and play a song in the store. Some guys were. I thought about asking them questions, but didn’t want to bug anyone.
I liked the Dean Custom Zone in green, but it might be a little flashy for such a beginner. That kind of flash needs some skill/confidence.
At this point, I’m leaning towards the Mitchell MB200.
I have heard that some of the Mitchell basses have problems. I would trust Dean , Ibanez and Yamaha. Yamaha has very good quality.
Not sure if I would particularly trust Mitchell either. No experience with it, but with Ibanez and Yamaha in the same price range that would be a more known and reliable route! The Yamaha RBX174 in Mango is a good looking bass, sounds good to !
