I need help ;o Mainly from Bassists.

[Overdriven]

Okay... I've been interested in Bass Guitars for 2-3 years and I'm getting one soon ;o.

That's where I need the help...

Anyone who can recommend a decent Bass Guitar for a n00b [not for long :[] Like me? =)

Also need a decent Amp.

Gifv help, and estimated cost :[

Thanks in advanced.


PS: Playing Bass tabs on an Electric Guitar is fun

 

[Jonaldo]

Have you got a budget for:-

a) Bass
b) Amp
or
c) Overall

 

[Overdriven]

I've got the budget for it... spending 250-350.

 

[Funkybunny]

he read on the intarweb taht bass-players got chicks easy... :worthy:

 

[old.user4556]

My advice depends on what style you want to play. Is it going to be mostly rock/indie stuff, or are you going to want to play some slap/funk?

I wouldn't advise the slapping until you get good at the basics and by that time you can invest in something a bit better.

For a good starter bass, I recommend the Squire Precision Bass for £159. I started on this guitar and I still play it to this day (had it since I was 17, i'm now 24). The build quality isn't the best, but what do you expect for the money. The bottom end is great on the Precision Bass, a sound I couldn't replicate on my Warwick which cost £1500. So for the money, it's a great start.

Don't let anyone tell you that it's crap: i've gigged it at T in the Park in a packed tent and it sounded pretty good to me and everyone else there .

If you want a more funk/jazz sound, you'll need to go to active pickups to be able to put more treble on the sound to get that Stanley Clarke twang. However, this also increases price.

That gives you £150 for a bass amp. In honesty, that's not going to get you much; although something like this would be ideal for a starter. If you're going to be gigging it, the sound engineer will DI the bass into the PA anyway, so your amp will only be used as a monitor speaker with the PA handling the whack of the sound.

The best thing to do would be to go to a music shop, specify your budget and let them recommend a package to you. That way, you'll know what it sounds like before you buy instead of picking one that 'looks nice' on the internet.

All the best in your guitar hunt! You could also try ebay?

G

 

[Overdriven]

Well yeah, mainly looking at Rock/Indie etc [Slapping/Funk scares me ]

Do I really need a bigger amp at the start? I'm really looking for something that 'handles' really well, to be honest - The looks doesnt matter for me.
Sound > Looks.

I just looked at the guitar and it seems nice, might go fetch it on Saturday.
Question, what's the major differance between the Squire and the Westfeild?

And the amps don't look too bad actually.

 

[Overdriven]

Cant Edit Last Post.

The music store near where I live sells a nice amp actually, costs £179.99 IIRC. Might look into it after my friend tests it.. As they're getting one of them :/


EDIT: Was an electric guitar amp... I'll most probably buy the one you said.
EDIT 2: Thought I'll go back and check if they have any.

 

[old.user4556]

Do I really need a bigger amp at the start?

Not really, just something that lets you hear the guitar will do really. Once you start gigging and playing in a band, you might find a smaller amp might not like being cranked up. First things first though, get the best you can afford.

 

[Overdriven]

Kinda allready been dragged into a band :/ Just me and two/three friends.. They forced me choose an guitar, so I picked Bass since I really like it... I can pick up really quickly - Might get the one you said, since id be 'cranking it up' alot o_o


Will the one you suggested explode if I put it up [full]? o_o Don't want that to happen.

 

[harebear]

Id try find a shop that sells them and ask for some help there and see which ones feel best aswell

 

[old.user4556]

Will the one you suggested explode if I put it up [full]? o_o Don't want that to happen.

Erm, well - turning the 'volume' up on the guitar isn't going to make it explode, but turning any guitar amp up to maximum is likely to blow the speaker.

The Precision Bass has a punchy low end with a loud output, so you're gonna get a beefy sound.

 

[Overdriven]

T'is what I ment, on the amp.
Aye, suppose you're right :[.

So the two you suggested are worth getting yeah? Will just be under £300.

 

[Overdriven]

Id try find a shop that sells them and ask for some help there and see which ones feel best aswell

Intend to :[

 

[old.user4556]

I definitely recommend you try a few, but the Precision bass is a great starter. It's also slightly harder to play than other bass guitars, but that's a good thing because it really helps build up those blisters on your fingers and strengthen your hand muscles. Then you'll get good on the Precision and then perhaps invest in a Jazz bass and you'll be funking it up in no time.

Stick at it.

G

 

[Overdriven]

Thanks for the help =), I'll be aiming to get one on my 17th B-Day. [Just over 2 weeks].


By the way It's mainly rock/indie ;o Jazz is cool, prefer blues.
I'll see how it goes, WHEN I get better I'll get a better guitar. =)


Thanks again.

 

[old.user4556]

I'll see how it goes, WHEN I get better I'll get a better guitar. =)

Excellent attitude, you'll appreciate it when you work up to the dream guitar. I've seen so many shit bands with young lads in my life playing on Les Paul customs at £1500, or 5 string Warwick basses. All that money wasted.

If Claptop picked up a £100 guitar and played through a £50 amp, it would still sound like Clapton .

 

[Abommynation]

How easy is learning the bass guitar to do by yourself? I'm really interested in learning for myself but I don't really have the bling to shell out on lessons. My only previous musical experience has been with a clarinet (ew!). :x

 

[Jonaldo]

It's easy enough to buy a few decent books and magazines then as long as you are pretty dedicated you will pick it up fairly quickly.

I learned to play guitar without any lessons but I learnt almost everything from a fantastic book called "The guitar handbook - Ralph Denyer". It explained pretty much every technique and how chords/scales/harmonies are all constructed and even had detailed information about all he hardware and how to fix and customise guitars. I don't know if there's a similar book for bassists but even this book might help out, just ignore the chord sections

 

[old.user4556]

I agree with Jonaldo, teach yourself. If you have the drive for it, it will come to you. What makes it easier to learn it buy a bass tab book, or a chord book for your favourite album or one of your favourite bands. That way you can listen and play along.

I did this with Oasis' Definitely Maybe - bought the chord book and played along.

 

[Abommynation]

Coolio! Thanks for the info, chaps!

 

[Jonaldo]

Oh I forgot to mention.. If you are going to learn from books and things, IGNORE anything with a title that is similar in any way to "blablabla in a week!!". You cannot learn to play an instrument in a week (except maybe the triangle..) these books are utter bollocks and you'll gain nothing from them. Get something that teaches you techniques and how to actually play, then get some tablature so you can apply it to 'real' music and actually enjoy it. Then you'll make steady progress.

In a story similar to Big G, I learned to play guitar to Pearl Jam - Ten, and Rage against the machines eponymous album (amongst other things of course).

 

[Abommynation]

Yer! Always been a bit skeptical of those books. I'll head down to the ol' music store tomorrow and see what they have. I'm getting pretty excited about the whole thing now!

 

[tRoG]

I'd advise buying a used amp, tbh. Even for small gigs, you'll need at least 100 watts. The wee 30 watt practise things just don't cut it. You could probably pick up a 100 watt combo used for under £175.

Oh, and learn theory!

It might seem a bit boring, but when you come to joining a band and creating original music, it really pays off. When I first started, I just used tabs and read books/magazines etc., paying no heed to the theory behind it. My technique was very good, but when my band started creating music, I found myself in the shit. Playing the root ain't particularly fun