Mitchell MB300 as a starter bass?

#2
Zhee said:
Hello all, I've been looking into learning to play bass (I have some experience playing guitar) and I found this bass on sale for $130:

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/mitchell-mb300-modern-rock-bass-with-active-eq

I haven't been able to find much information about it. So i was wondering if anyone here had played one or knew if it would make a decent starter bass.
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the general consensus is you can do far better than a Mitchell, even for $130, but if it's actually decent and you REALLY feel it's good no matter what the price then it may be an exception to the rule. I would suggest taking more time for research and hands-on experience, plus hear what others have to say, but a no-brainer safe bet for little cash is always a nice USA Peavey. good luck, and enjoy the ride!
 
#3
If I could go back and talk to my learning self, I'd have picked up a nice Mexican P Bass and gone to work. Less controls and great tone will serve you well while you learn. Stick to the basics. Learn what you like and don't and only then perhaps add another bass, with one you know you can resell if you wanted!
 
#5
It's an impressive looking bass for that price, no doubt.
In all likelihood, it will be fine for you.

These days, as we mention often here, the quality of most low end instruments is way up, so probability of lasting success is good.

But ... you Will find some negative commentary about those basses. And some positive. More important, can you tell us anymore about what you are specifically looking for? That's a full scale bass. Do you definitely want that or a short scale? Do you know that has Active electronics? Do you definitely want that?

Personally, these days, when buying something low end, I think the safe bet is - Ibanez and Squier VM. Fantastic quality basses for low dollars. Pound for pound, if someone told me to recommend One manufacturer for a quality, safe to buy low end bass, I'd say - buy an Ibanez. You pretty much can't go wrong. Everything they build, from low end to high, is very good to outstanding.
 
#6
SBassman said:
It's an impressive looking bass for that price, no doubt.
In all likelihood, it will be fine for you.

These days, as we mention often here, the quality of most low end instruments is way up, so probability of lasting success is good.

But ... you Will find some negative commentary about those basses. And some positive. More important, can you tell us anymore about what you are specifically looking for? That's a full scale bass. Do you definitely want that or a short scale? Do you know that has Active electronics? Do you definitely want that?

Personally, these days, when buying something low end, I think the safe bet is - Ibanez and Squier VM. Fantastic quality basses for low dollars. Pound for pound, if someone told me to recommend One manufacturer for a quality, safe to buy low end bass, I'd say - buy an Ibanez. You pretty much can't go wrong. Everything they build, from low end to high, is very good to outstanding.
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I'm not entirely sure what specifics i want yet. I think i want a full scale bass but i haven't even played a short scale bass. I wasn't specifically looking for active electronics but i don't think I'd mind it. Honestly the price and the look are why i was drawn to it.

Before this i was looking at an unbranded bass on ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Black-4-Strings-Electric-IB-Bass-Guitar
I'm fairly decent at fixing things. I've done some minor setup and repair on my guitars and thought i could make something playable to practice on out of it. But I was worried it might be completely unfix-able.
So when i saw the Mitchell MB300 on sale i thought it was less likely to have problems i couldn't deal with and was still a good price at $130.
 
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