i am a lefty who plays righty. I have a large slelctionc that would not be available in lefty models.
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Which bass kit should I buy
- Thread starter ZeBula
- Start date
I think the whole lefty-playing- righty thing isn't a huge deal unless you play anything else besides guitar or bass. I think you're supposed to strum with your dominant hand because you SHOULD (but not always) have more of a sense of rhythm in your dominant hand, thus making it easier to play in time when you first start. It's the same reason there are lefty and righty drummers, but obviously it's a lot more important to play in your natural position for drums than any stringed instrument. Honestly though, I feel like EVERYONE'S sense of rhythm kinda sucks when you first start playing so I don't think it matters much 
EDIT- for what it's worth, I'm a lefty who learned righty, but that's only because my first bass was a righty Harmony P
EDIT- for what it's worth, I'm a lefty who learned righty, but that's only because my first bass was a righty Harmony P
As for the OP's question, Affinity's really aren't awful for what they are (could do a lot worse), and I understand the desire to play out of an amp and hear the bass in the room, but I agree with the others in that you should definitely look into a VM or CV and skimp on the amp for now. It really depends on how committed you'll be to learning bass
Sorry! I screwed up again, the one with the Rumble 15, I guess that's this one:
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The other kit bass has a rosewood fingerboard instead of maple. Some people say that maple boards give a brighter sound, haven't noticed much difference myself, but something to consider. I haven't played through any Harley Benton amps, it has a headphone out, but no mention of aux in for MP3's or other input. the Rumble 15 looks like a better deal
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The other kit bass has a rosewood fingerboard instead of maple. Some people say that maple boards give a brighter sound, haven't noticed much difference myself, but something to consider. I haven't played through any Harley Benton amps, it has a headphone out, but no mention of aux in for MP3's or other input. the Rumble 15 looks like a better deal
Package 1 - P bass & 15watt amp w/8 inch speaker.
Package 2 - PJ bass & 40watt amp w/10 inch speaker.
I would choose package 2
Package 2 - PJ bass & 40watt amp w/10 inch speaker.
I would choose package 2
I'm a lefty, and play right handed. I actually feel like it is an advantage since my dominant hand is doing the more intricate work. Play right handed, you'll get sick of only finding white, black, and sunburst basses when you're ready to upgrade!
This [Invalid or Expired Link Removed], for the simple fact that it's a PJ. And like wandering bass says, get the righty. There are a lot more right handed basses out there, and less premium than ones made for lefties (supply and demand).
Of course, if you learn righty you may also be able to play lefty as well. I have a friend who's ambidextrous. He castartn draw equally well with either hand. We were out at a pub playing darts (cricket), and needed to close out bulls eye's to win (needed 3 of them).
He gets up there, throws one with his right hand, says "Wow, look at that. Maybe I'll use my left hand next." Sure enough, threw another bull. Went back to right, and threw the third bull (known as a hat trick). Totally buzzed and goofing, we were betting for beers and the 2 guys we were playing against thought we were sandbagging them (laying off to get them to bet, then bring out the A game).
There was a tense moment when I thought they were going to want to throw punches, but they mellowed out and bought us our pints. We played again and purposefully lost (nothing obvious) and bought them pints to make it even.
Of course, if you learn righty you may also be able to play lefty as well. I have a friend who's ambidextrous. He castartn draw equally well with either hand. We were out at a pub playing darts (cricket), and needed to close out bulls eye's to win (needed 3 of them).
He gets up there, throws one with his right hand, says "Wow, look at that. Maybe I'll use my left hand next." Sure enough, threw another bull. Went back to right, and threw the third bull (known as a hat trick). Totally buzzed and goofing, we were betting for beers and the 2 guys we were playing against thought we were sandbagging them (laying off to get them to bet, then bring out the A game).
There was a tense moment when I thought they were going to want to throw punches, but they mellowed out and bought us our pints. We played again and purposefully lost (nothing obvious) and bought them pints to make it even.
my husband is the fastest guitar player i've worked with, and he's a left who plays righty guitars. one of the reasons he says he decided to do this was so he'd have more guitars to choose from; the other was he said it was easier to learn because there were so many more right handed players he could watch and learn from more easily.
given the choice, i'd go for the 40 watt amp.
given the choice, i'd go for the 40 watt amp.
I have one starting student that is a lefty, and bought himself a left handed bass, and a left-handed guitar. He is now wishing he had started on a normal, right-handed instrument, because left-handed ones are probably a TENTH of the available instruments.
FYI: Half my family is left-handed. Going out to dinner, there are some booth seating arrangements that work, and some that dont.
FYI: Half my family is left-handed. Going out to dinner, there are some booth seating arrangements that work, and some that dont.
I'm a lefty, always played bass righty. Try playing air guitar, however you hold it is often a good indicator of how you should play guitar.
I'd get the kit with the fender rumble amp. I use mine daily. It's a great little amp. And I'm a lefty as well playing a righty bass.
If very much suggest learning this way. It will make finding basses so much easier in the long run. Your left hand having more dexdarity and strength will make it easier initially to play. You right hand will adapt without issue as well.
Once again, being a lefty that plays bass right handed, I strongly suggest you learn this way.
If very much suggest learning this way. It will make finding basses so much easier in the long run. Your left hand having more dexdarity and strength will make it easier initially to play. You right hand will adapt without issue as well.
Once again, being a lefty that plays bass right handed, I strongly suggest you learn this way.
Learn lefty, my friend.
Plus, the Harley Benton basses are a better buy and you'll be getting similar quality than those Affinity Squiers.
Plain and simple: don't buy a kit. They are extremely low quality and won't inspire you to practice. Find a decent new or used bass for around €200 and an amp for around €100. You'll end up paying about the same as for a kit and get much better quality.
IMHO you can do WAY better than the Affinity kits in the ~350€ zone. OP being in Portugal and me having wide experience with thomann generally and Harley Benton particularly I think the best you can get is this PJ. WAY better than an Affinity Squier and in line with Squier's VM series in quality. The JB75 is an OK bass but it's heavy and the neck is chunkier than a typical Jazz. This HotRod PJ OTOH comes with a modern C shaped neck (much thinner front to back), much more playable and lighter, while being great sounding (the Wilkinson pickups on the JB75, while being marketed as superior, haven't impressed me much either, IME they sound boomy, I prefer the no brand P/J pickups offered, sound way more flat and detailed to me). It's 111€, unbeatable. With 222€ more you can get [Invalid or Expired Link Removed], which is perfectly giggable and (besides a guy who got a lemon) has very positive reviews. With the final addition of one of these BDI21 gadgets (for some extra tone shaping and eventual crunch, I own a SansAmp RBI and know this 29€ copy is OK sounding) you'd have perfectly capable and powerful rig, for under 400€ (considering you also need a couple plug cables, a strap and a gig bag). There's more modest combo options, such as [Invalid or Expired Link Removed], which is still way better than those offered with the Affinity packs.
That makes perfect sense but there's one snag. eBay Portugal has just 7 bass guitars listed,all new and none are Squiers.
Craigslist Portugal has no bass guitars listed for sale period. Mercado Livre Portugal has 1 bass guitar listed and it's a Washburn.
If there's a bustling used instruments market in Portugal then please point me in that direction cause I sure can't find it.
I'm a lefty that plays "right-handed" basses. Honestly, both hands have a lot of work to do. I think it's better to choose a righty bass because you have so many more options to choose from!
Fretting can be quite tricky and does require dexterity, also having to mute strings while fretting seems to be slightly more work than right-hand muting, IMO
Fretting can be quite tricky and does require dexterity, also having to mute strings while fretting seems to be slightly more work than right-hand muting, IMO
A close personal friend of mine is left handed and plays guitar right handed very well. When we were a lot younger, I once made the comment, "Man, imagine how good you'd be if you'd started playing left handed!" He replied, "Exactly as good as I am now. Man, I started playing this way, so picking up a guitar left handed is just as weird to me as when you pick up a guitar left handed."
If you're just starting, every movement you make as a player is foreign to you. Everything you do is going to be different. Both hands have to function and both hands have to have specific jobs in order to be a competent player. If you've truly never played before, choosing to play right handed with make it far easier when it comes to picking instruments in the future.
I am a lefty and play right-handed. My son is a lefty that plays lefty. I don't subscribe to the logic that it doesn't matter or that you should play righty because you'll have more options or whatever. Play the way that feels right to YOU, via trying it out. It DOES make a difference.
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