Which bass kit should I buy

[electracoyote]

When I was a teacher, I used to put the bass or guitar in the student's hands, let them strum it both ways, and see what happened naturally, where the natural rhythm was, which one felt better. It seems more lefties could go either way, and most righties stuck to strumming or plucking with their right hand.

If a leftie can go either way, right-handed instruments are much more abundant.

 

[nerkoids]

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.

YES, THIS 10000+

 

[ZeBula]

When I was a teacher, I used to put the bass or guitar in the student's hands, let them strum it both ways, and see what happened naturally, where the natural rhythm was, which one felt better. It seems more lefties could go either way, and most righties stuck to strumming or plucking with their right hand.

If a leftie can go either way, right-handed instruments are much more abundant.

What about the kit?

 

[nerkoids]

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.

I've heard demos of that PJ -- sounds great, although that is some major ugly tort

 

[tedious1]

Since I'm a leftie, I use my left hand for everything and I feel my right hand weak and not as fast as my left. Can I still learn how to play in a right hand bass?

Check my sig file, there is a club for that...

With no other determining factor (like missing fingers, or range of motion limitations, what hand keeps time on the steering wheel when you are driving? May as well start with that one as the picking hand if your brain already is predisposed to using it to keep time.

 

[suededoesit]

Hi! I'm a lefty and I think it's ridiculous to say the "cure" is to play right handed. Can you imagine telling a righty he needs to play left handed? What's the difference? There isn't any. You're going to experience the same challenges learning bass regardless of which orientation you are.

So let's say you buy into the concept of being able to note the fretboard easier with your left hand if you're left handed. Then you're most likely going to experience challenges with keeping rhythm with your right hand. The "cure" to getting that right hand up to snuff is nothing more than playing alot and building dexterity. That's it. There is no easy way.

And I previously read this thread where someone said if you don't switch you're going to experience a "lifetime of equipment failures", and that too is just not true. Outside of the orientation of the bass itself, there's no difference in any other gear. There's no left handed amps, cause I checked . Or cables, or straps, or tuners, or pedals, or pedalboards- none of it.

And in terms of the gear you listed? I don't believe there's any real difference. That's all entry level bass gear 101. I personally don't believe you can qualify either one as better or best.

Is it harder to find good quality left handed basses? Yes. But between Musiciansfriend, Ebay, Reverb, and the like, you can find whatever you're looking for. My collection is as good as anyone else's on TB that I've viewed. You might have to pay a few bucks more here and there, but that is what it is. Celebrate being a lefty, there's nothing weird about that.

 

[suededoesit]

Link Removed
There you go buddy.

I was going to suggest this as well. Good call.

 

[d-dave]

Hi! I'm a lefty and I think it's ridiculous to say the "cure" is to play right handed. Can you imagine telling a righty he needs to play left handed? What's the difference? There isn't any. You're going to experience the same challenges learning bass regardless of which orientation you are.

So let's say you buy into the concept of being able to note the fretboard easier with your left hand if you're left handed. Then you're most likely going to experience challenges with keeping rhythm with your right hand. The "cure" to getting that right hand up to snuff is nothing more than playing alot and building dexterity. That's it. There is no easy way.

And I previously read this thread where someone said if you don't switch you're going to experience a "lifetime of equipment failures", and that too is just not true. Outside of the orientation of the bass itself, there's no difference in any other gear. There's no left handed amps, cause I checked . Or cables, or straps, or tuners, or pedals, or pedalboards- none of it.

And in terms of the gear you listed? I don't believe there's any real difference. That's all entry level bass gear 101. I personally don't believe you can qualify either one as better or best.

Is it harder to find good quality left handed basses? Yes. But between Musiciansfriend, Ebay, Reverb, and the like, you can find whatever you're looking for. My collection is as good as anyone else's on TB that I've viewed. You might have to pay a few bucks more here and there, but that is what it is. Celebrate being a lefty, there's nothing weird about that.

Just curious... who, exactly, said anything about a "cure"? I've scanned over the thread (just scanned, mind you) and you're the first person I've said who used that reference.

 

[Bassmaticmatt]

My girlfriend is lefty but her dad thought her to play guitar right handed. She struggles with keeping tempo with her strumming hand. Just saying.

 

[suededoesit]

Just curious... who, exactly, said anything about a "cure"? I've scanned over the thread (just scanned, mind you) and you're the first person I've said who used that reference.

I used that term. I used it in reference to folks saying a lefty would somehow need to be altered or changed other than the way they were born. As if something was wrong with them and they needed to be "cured". Something that no one would ever suggest to a righty, but strangely find it OK to suggest for a lefty.

For instance, the OP who is a lefty, is having issues with dexterity in his right hand. Lots of folks who posted in the thread suggested that he play right handed. Not having dexterity in your weaker hand is nothing new to any musician. I believe that no one would ever consider suggesting to a right handed bassist who was having dexterity issues in his left hand to switch to a left handed bass. No, they'd tell him to keep practicing and build up that strength.

 

[d-dave]

Understood. I think most people were simply making the point that... you're just starting out. Don't let not having access to a lefty instrument or lack of dexterity in either hand influence your decision. Play what you want. Rightys have an advantage as there is a far greater variety to choose from and the instruments are typically cheaper. So, if you feel remotely comfortable playing righty, then why not?

My dad has a good friend who was in a mining accident and lost his pinkie and ring finger on his left hand along with the accompanying two bones in his hand. Years ago, he wanted to learn to play bass guitar. He bought a bass and dad brought it over to the house so I could set it up for him. It was a righty Aria Pro II. I begged him to learn lefty because he wouldn't be at nearly the disadvantage or handicap as learning to play righty. He scoffed at the idea because he wasn't left handed. He quit after maybe... maybe a couple of weeks because he was discouraged.

I'm just saying, play what works. You're just starting out. It's all foreign. Don't play righty because some dude told you to, but don't play lefty because you're left handed and you feel like you have to.

 

[electracoyote]

Hi! I'm a lefty and I think it's ridiculous to say the "cure" is to play right handed. Can you imagine telling a righty he needs to play left handed? What's the difference? There isn't any. You're going to experience the same challenges learning bass regardless of which orientation you are.

So let's say you buy into the concept of being able to note the fretboard easier with your left hand if you're left handed. Then you're most likely going to experience challenges with keeping rhythm with your right hand. The "cure" to getting that right hand up to snuff is nothing more than playing alot and building dexterity. That's it. There is no easy way.

I've taught a lot of lefties in 12 years as a private music teacher.

It's true, if they absolutely had to, anyone could learn any orientation regardless of their inclination and intuitive handedness. All the right handed players in the world could switch to left handed, and with enough time and effort, reach a similar level of proficiency.

But to say it doesn't matter for a beginner is patently false. Catering to a prevalent handedness can save a beginner from a lot of frustration and undue effort. I've put a lot of instruments in the hands of a lot of beginners, asked them to play around with it both left and right handed, and made careful observations. Sometimes handedness is readily apparent, and I always go with whatever nature dictates whenever possible. Sometimes it doesn't matter, and the beginner shows the same comfort level either way.

It's usually readily obvious to me after years of performing this experiment. I've always erred on the side of which hand has the better rhythmic ability for plucking, picking, or strumming, and that has served my students very well.

For some reason, my left-handed students were more flexible in that regard and showed equal dexterity either way. But some did not, and I strongly encouraged parents to not put an additional burden on the student and helped them seek out a left-handed instrument.

So, even though I firmly believe in an innate handedness, there is a grey area there. Whenever a student shows a distinct preference for left or right handedness, and a distinct aversion for the opposite, I don't argue with Mother Nature. Only in the case that I determine a student is truly ambidextrous do I suggest right handed instruments, only because they are more abundant.

I have heard stories from musicians who said their first attempts at playing an instrument were utter failures, and with experience they came to the conclusion it was due to being forced into a handedness they were not comfortable with. When they later switched to the other hand and tried again, they stayed committed, progressed, and became proficient.

In short, my approach requires no "cure" for there is no "illness."

 

[nerkoids]

And OP, eventually, if bass is for you, and if you so happen to go lefty on it, down the road, if you are so inclined, to make up for the lack of choices, you can build your own -- or get it done.

I know I've complained in the past about the lack of choice for lefties like you and I, but being in Europe, you have a much better chance at finding something of good value (inexpensive and decent enough quality).

Also, Spain has the European HQ for SX, they are bound to have at least the same number of models as rondomusic.com site in the US (and will be considerably cheaper).

 

[PortlandBass77]

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 am not familiar with the used instrument market in Europe lol... I would assume at the minimum there are pawn shops or the European equivalent to craigslist of Kiijii?

If not the OP could get a decent Harley Benton of a SX for under $200.

 

[kodiakblair]

My good brother @nerkoids . Still no word on a LH PB-50 for you

That's a good shout regarding SX Guitars in Spain.

sxguitars

The online ordering takes you to a Facebook shop page where strangely only one bass kit and one bass appears for sale.
Both are priced 199 euro + shipping. Probably best to contact them first about other models.

 

[tedious1]

For some reason, my left-handed students were more flexible in that regard and showed equal dexterity either way. But some did not, and I strongly encouraged parents to not put an additional burden on the student and helped them seek out a left-handed instrument.

I can take a guess at the why lefties tended to be more flexible, we live in a right-handed world.

A trivial example, the Atari 2600 had a one button joystick, setup so that it was comfortable if you had the stick in your right hand...

Cap guns, easy for a righty to check the roll of caps, a left has to pivot the cap gun...

And the list continues.

In point of fact, my first guitar teacher did much the same as you, had me playing both a lefty and a righty (she was a lefty herself) before settling me on the righty, but by that point, I'd already been living in a right handed world for years and years.

 

[kodiakblair]

@PortlandBass77

I'm sorry man. That came out harsher than intended. Mercado Livre and Gumtree that I mentioned are European
versions of Craigslit and Kiijii but as you could see pickings are kinda slim.

Nothing to stop the OP going SX or Harley Benton route to start. I put together a 320 euro shopping list up for him,
heard nothing back so I'm sure they'll do what's best for themselves.

 

[electracoyote]

I can take a guess at the why lefties tended to be more flexible, we live in a right-handed world.

A trivial example, the Atari 2600 had a one button joystick, setup so that it was comfortable if you had the stick in your right hand...

Cap guns, easy for a righty to check the roll of caps, a left has to pivot the cap gun...

And the list continues.

In point of fact, my first guitar teacher did much the same as you, had me playing both a lefty and a righty (she was a lefty herself) before settling me on the righty, but by that point, I'd already been living in a right handed world for years and years.

You might be right about that. Or perhaps lefties are better at using both hemispheres or cross-utilizing them. Seems I read some psychology once that hinted at that.

I'm right-handed in everything except firearms. I can shoot equally well with both hands and off both shoulders. My Army shooting instructor was amazed and let me qualify with rifle and hand gun twice, one righty, one lefty. I have no idea why that is the case, because I am an abysmal failure doing almost anything else left handed.

 

[garciawork]

Haven't read the whole thread, but I am mostly right handed and cannot for the life of me hold a guitar or bass righty, and therefore play lefty. I personally think it makes more sense my way... but I know I am strange in my experience. That said, I do a number of things lefty, and my wife believes I was supposed to be left handed based on my horrendous penmanship, but was forced to learn right handed, so that could explain it. Just know, if you can learn righty, do it, you will have WAY more bass options. Not a lot out there for us lefties.