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Which bass should I buy....

M

Mat_F

Sep 7, 2009
29
0
#1
Sorry to be asking such a question, but I'm trying to make a quick decision (while I have the money) and not make a big mistake. I know it's probably a very personal thing and not an easy one to answer, but I'm not yet a bass player, so any help or advice would be very much appreciated. I want to buy one and start learning, but wondered if it might be worth getting a better one to start off with, so that I don't have to replace it too soon.

I have been looking at Ibanez and have gone from the GSR200, to the SR300, to the BTB200 and now considering the BTB470. Would it be wise or silly to put the extra money into a BTB470 over an SR300 or a BTB200?
 
#3
smogg said:
If there is any way you, should go play some basses in your price range and see what fits your hands and sounds good to you.
Click to expand...

I went to a local dealer and looked at a few of the Ibanez guitars, amongst others. I didn't try one (although they did offer) as I can't play and would have felt like a muppet.

My mind is set on an Ibanez, at least until I can play well enough to start considering what sound I might prefer.

I suppose my questions should be....

Considering the "upgrades", is the BTB470 worth almost twice the price of the SR300 or BTB200?

If the BTB470 is much better than an SR300 or BTB200, I could be more likely to stick with it (rather than replace it) so should I just go for it?
 
#7
Even though you are a beginner and don't know how to play, you can still sit down with the basses, hold them as if you were playing, put your hands around the neck, and see what is comfortable in your hands. Think of it like you're a kid getting his first car, but you don't have your license yet. You'd still sit in the seats, grip the steering wheel, look for signs of "quality", etc, right ? Do the same thing when instrument shopping...and bring a friend who "does" play to help with opinions.
 
#11
Dark Horse said:
Even though you are a beginner and don't know how to play, you can still sit down with the basses, hold them as if you were playing, put your hands around the neck, and see what is comfortable in your hands. Think of it like you're a kid getting his first car, but you don't have your license yet. You'd still sit in the seats, grip the steering wheel, look for signs of "quality", etc, right ? Do the same thing when instrument shopping...and bring a friend who "does" play to help with opinions.
Click to expand...

+1.

This is so much more rational than buying a bass because your favorite player has one, or you think it looks cool. It basically comes to sound, feel and price.

Price is the easiest criteria to grip: either you can afford it or you can't.

Feel has to do with weight; balance; neck shape and size; positioning of pickups, hardware and such. Nobody can tell you what's comfortable and what's not.

Sound, as Opossum correctly noted, is not something you will be able to effectivle demonstrate by yourself. Having a player (whether a salesman, teacher or friend) show you the range of sounds that the bass is capable of is well advised. If you have those sounds created on your amp (or similar), you'll get a better guess of how it will sound ince you get playing.

That said...get a Fender. :D
 
#13
neck
fast neck = GSR200
long scale( you can tune this down without losing much tension on the strings), chunky neck (big hands)= BTB's
fast, slim neck (small hands) = SR300
sound
basic = GSSR200
basic phat EQ = BTB's
all around sound= SR300

All of these basses are good starting points
It really depends on what you want, tonewise and comfortability in playing. You must consider what type of music you listen to, and what would you want to play.
Listen to bands you like sound wise, specially the bass parts, try looking for what they use, you can start from there.

Personally I started with an SR300...
 
#15
MIM Fender. Do what they said, feel it, hold it and have someone play. If you hear a Fender next to those with the possibilities, I think you may be sold. But, you may not want to play slap or R&B, etc. You should, however, learn all styles to better your playing ability. Having a bass to cover them is better than having to buy another bass.
 
#16
Get one of your friend that plays bass, or even guitar, take him with you, and get him to try them all, pick ure fav tone.
I think your best bet would be the classifieds on here, look the ibanez yamaha fender mim and squiers, you could snag one at a good price.
 
#17
i would also offer up the advice to buy used. alot of basses (not all) are like cars in that they depreciate a little bit before their worth stabilizes. and unless the instrument is damaged, and its decent one, it isnt going to sound isnt going to get worse.

i would go with fender too (though it looks like youve already decided) but it will be easy to find a mexi made jazz bass that has already bottomed out as far as how much its worth.
 
#20
Stampy said:
I would get the SR300. For 300 bucks its a deal in my opinion. I had an 08 SR300 and I loved the thin fast neck on it, very easy to play for a beginner.
Click to expand...

+1

This is a great bass: very light weight, small, well contoured body, slim neck, quality is very good at this price. As far as sound, it's pretty good, nothing spectacular BUT it's pretty versatile with it's active electronics and you can get a lot of useable sounds out of it, excellent bass to start with.

Guitar Center always has sales so you can pick up one of these for under $300 at times (I got one back in June with their Grads/Dads sale for $240, well worth it).

Of course for around $300 you can also get a much better bass used but unless you're buying at a store where you can try it out, that's always a little risky (not so much getting a BAD bass but getting one that YOU find appealing, especially starting out).
 

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