Beginner bass enquiry

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Dvaita

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May 3, 2018
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#1
Hello everyone,

I'm interested in getting a bass. Long story short, my parents wouldn't buy me a bass in my early teens and now that I'm living in my own and making my own money I thought I'd give it a chance. Yaaaay

My budget would be 250 pounds tops for both bass and an amp however I don't mind buying used(for new I have only considered Harley Benton so far). Bare in mind that I have no background in music so can't really check used basses and amps properly.

Also, another question is what would you recommend for stoner/psy/prog/desert/doom rock?(from both used and from new Harley Benton bundles)

What else is needed when buying a bass? I know that usually new strings are needed, so any recommendation on beginner's gear would be awesome.
 
#2
Well, what bass to go for is a pretty personal choice. If you have no idea, it’s not the worst idea to just go with what appeals to you visually among whatever basses you can afford. Or something similar to what one of your favorite players plays, or what a friend recommends, etc. Me, I like the classics: the Fender Precision, Fender Jazz and also the short scale Fender Mustang, plus I’ve always thought the Gibson Thunderbird is cool. Less expensive versions of those Fender models are made by Squire and less expensive versions of Gibson basses are made by Epiphone (plus Epiphone has some original basses not made by Gibson, such as the Allen Woody Rumblekat).

In bass-speak, "P" stands for Precision and "J" stands for Jazz. A PJ model looks like a Precision but includes, along with the P pickup, a J pickup for some more variety. I mention this because the Squire Affinity range has some PJ models that could fit in your budget straight up (sans amp), but bought used would leave you with some money left for your ampage.

Amp-wise, you could get almost anything for a small practice amp to learn to play on at home. For stage use, well, it depends on how big a stage you’ll be playing, the PA support and how much you’re willing to carry around, but assuming you’ll buy a solid state amp, I’d say you want something that puts out a minimum of about 200 Watts, preferably double that for playing with a drummer. I use a 500w amp, which is actually more than I need. My smaller amp is 150 Watts and that is good for "tasteful" type stuff or restrained band practice (and much more than enough for home practice), but insufficient for rocking out with a hard hitting drummer and loud guitarist. Others can recommend models better than I as I haven’t bought a new amp in a quite a while now.

What else do you need? Well, if you buy new, and sometimes even used, you won’t necessaily need new strings. As bass strings are expensive, that helps! You’ll want what’s called a "setup", making sure the neck is set right and the strings are set to the right height and that the notes play in the proper pitch. This is pretty important since if your bass isn’t set up properly, that will lead to all sorts of struggles (and frustration) that shouldn’t be there and that aren’t the player’s fault. Most (all?) music shops have someone called a "tech" or "guitar tech" who can do the setup for a not-too-large fee comparable to the price of a set of strings. If you buy your bass from a shop, try to get them to include a setup for no additional cost. Finally you’ll need an instrument cable or two (2nd one for backup or for letting you place a pedal in the middle) and a tuner. For rock, many players use a pick (plectrum), so you might as well pick up 2 or 3 of those. Some people only play with fingers, but picks aren’t expensive and you might as well have one or two around (I said 3 above because you’ll quickly lose one :laugh:) to see if you get on with them.

Where possible, buy used to make your money go farther!

Hope all that helps. Good luck and enjoy the journey!
 
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#6
Definitely check out the Epiphone basses as they are decent quality and can be found used fairly inexpensive. Ibanez is a good brand to start with, too.
dmt covered a lot that you’ll need to pay attention to, especially regarding strings and a setup. So for that little bundle you may need to save just a bit more.
As for amps, with your musical style choices, once you start playing with a band you’ll need an amp that can deliver at least 200 watts. I play in a very loud metal band and get by with fine with 300 watts but I also have a lot of speakers to help with the volume.
Just start with the bass, learn some stuff, then find some friends to jam with. It’s a lot of information written down but it comes together pretty easily.
Good luck and have fun.

f
 
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#7
Dvaita said:
Hello everyone,

I'm interested in getting a bass. Long story short, my parents wouldn't buy me a bass in my early teens and now that I'm living in my own and making my own money I thought I'd give it a chance. Yaaaay

My budget would be 250 pounds tops for both bass and an amp however I don't mind buying used(for new I have only considered Harley Benton so far). Bare in mind that I have no background in music so can't really check used basses and amps properly.

Also, another question is what would you recommend for stoner/psy/prog/desert/doom rock?(from both used and from new Harley Benton bundles)

What else is needed when buying a bass? I know that usually new strings are needed, so any recommendation on beginner's gear would be awesome.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the world of bass...
My daughter's school has 4 HB Jazz basses and they all play very well, seem reasonably well made and are well finished with decent fretwork. IMO the Jazz, by virtue of its two pickups compared to the single of the Precision, will give you more scope for fully exploring different tones as you learn to play, and how the diffrtentvsettings can be used to enhance the various playing techniquesyou will discover along the way. Some will say the Precision, by virtue of it's simplicity, will not distract you from learning - they have a point but, on balance, I would still go with the Jazz as it will grow with you.
I'm afraid I can't comment on any of the amplifiers you mentioned, but you can probably find a used Ashdown or Peavey combo for under £100 that will outperform any headphones available at a similar price point.
Good luck...
 
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#9
Thanks everyone, the information you've provided was way more than I expected.

In case I decide to go for used bass and amp what should I check?(really have no clue)

A small practice amp and a headphone amp will do for quite a while I suppose since I do not plan of jamming with other musicians soon.
 
#10
Dvaita said:
Thanks everyone, the information you've provided was way more than I expected.

In case I decide to go for used bass and amp what should I check?(really have no clue)

A small practice amp and a headphone amp will do for quite a while I suppose since I do not plan of jamming with other musicians soon.
Click to expand...

Since you have no bass or music experience, best is to find a bas player willing to go to the store with you and give a close scan to any instrument you think you might want to buy.
If you can't find someone (doesn't have to be a friend, most bass players are willing to help a noobie get started if they can) Then you just have to rely on your own sense of what you want. This includes the look of the bass. How hard it is to push strings down and have it make a note and of course how it sounds. I strongly suggest being able to play any bass you are thinking of buying through a bass amplifier. And then at that point, sit down with the bass on your leg and play EVERY note on that neck. Start on each string by plucking the string and then pressing the string down at each fret all the way up the neck plucking a note at each one. You pay attention to the sound of each note. It should be pure and clean with no clanking or buzzing. And it should ring out and not just give a dull thud. (these are called dead notes) All this can take some time in the store, but can save you a ton of butt-pain later having to deal with a faulty bass.

As for practice amps, I have a bunch but never use them. They are only suitable for driving headphones in my opinion. Save and buy some nice cheap used 50 watt combo amp as your practice amp. Practicing on headphones is not very inspiring in my opinion and is best only to not irritate close neighbors. A 50 watt combo will make a killer and inspiring practice amp and is also useful later when you start having some friends over to jam together and even later for small coffee shop type gigs. Bass is not like guitar. 50 watts on a guitar will saw down a tree, but to compete with drums in a band a bass takes serious power. If the PA is adequate, A DI (direct interface or direct input) box that runs the bass into a PA system are cheap and effective. My advice would be get the bass first and then as soon as possible try to score some old used cheap 50 watt or so combo to keep you practicing. Note that guitar amps DO NOT work with bass as guitar speakers are designed to not respond to low frequencies and playing a loud bass through them can cause damage.
 
#11
Dvaita said:
Thanks everyone, the information you've provided was way more than I expected.

In case I decide to go for used bass and amp what should I check?(really have no clue)

A small practice amp and a headphone amp will do for quite a while I suppose since I do not plan of jamming with other musicians soon.
Click to expand...

Again I would avoid headphones at this price point. They will inevitably sound bad, will give you no sense of tone or dynamics, may not give a true sense of pitch at the low end (you won't know if you are in tune) and, if they distort at low volumes, could even damage your hearing. Spend the money on a better amp. YMMV, but...
 
#12
Qlanq said:
Good advice above.
Get to a music shop and see what takes your fancy.
For the time being you might want to think about a cheap headphoe amp:
Vox Amplifiers Vox AC30 Plug In Amplifier Hot Rox UK
Click to expand...

Also good advice regarding the Vox Amplug2.

Another (slightly more expensive than the Amplug2 but still affordable) option would be an emulator like Bass V-Amp. It would allow you to explore emulations of many different amp/cabinets, as well as several effects, with just a set of headphones. Also has built-in tuner, etc.
 
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#13
You might also look at a Zoom B3(second hand) or a new B3n instead of the V-Amp. Similar devices and similar prices. Some of the Harley Bentons come with Daddario strings. The JB75 is very well thought of (I love mine but there are many positive reviews from others) and in the UK you can get it new delivered for about 150 UK pounds. It also comes with a no quibble free return policy if you don't like it. you could order a bunch of basses from Thomann and send back the ones you don't like, free of charge. Cheaper Ibanez and Yamaha basses are worth considering second hand and there are lots of them about. Good luck.
 
#14
Are you planning or learn on your won or are do plan to get a teacher? If you go to learn with someone, that person should be able to help you with the set-up of the bass and teach you how to do it (which I think is very important as it is super easy)

A good set-up is important so, if you buy new, most music stores will give you a free set-up (but don't forget to ask) if you go used you will save some money, but you will have to add the extra of taking the bass to a tech.

Regarding models I would say a Jazz as many other recommended. There are soooooooo many cool options out there but in order to save some money and, most important, avoid issues I think you should get a passive Bass (a bass that doesn't require power from a battery).
And a P bass is always cool (I loved them) but as a beginner you may feel limited because it only has one pick-up while the Jazz has 2 giving you 3 basic settings (is not exactly like that, I'm over simplifying so we don't overload you).

The brand I think Harley Benton is hard to beat on that price range, but check on used Squiers.

Amplifiers wise I think the Fender Rumble 25 it is your range.

Finally, don't forget to get a spare cable, a strap and a tuner
 
#15
Don't get one of the beginner packs. From what I read, the Harley Bentons are good instruments for the money. Squier is another good option. Best to play some in stores and see what appeals to you.

As to amp, that depends upon what your future intentions are. I've always felt if you intend to join a band, just start with something as cheap as possible, and start saving up for an amp loud enough to work in a band setting.
 
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#16
Try everything in your price range thats nearby. Once find ones that feels good can do extra research to see which are considered the best (or at least not horrible). Never got comfy on my old bass so never played it. :( almost a year since traded and and new one im always playing :) . I like thin skinny shortscale necks. Length, nut width, shape, thickness...so many choices but i am super picky i guess as i only like the feel of a few basses.

Also buy from store with good return policy. Play new bass a lot. After a few days of playing go back to store and try out other basses. Repeat a few times beforw return window ends to make sure you still like the one you picked.
 
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