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Adonro posted:I've been looking into purchasing a bass for a few months now. although I am knowledgeable in some instruments, stringed is new to me. Like Jan, I'm more into the progressive metal/rock music and sort of want to recreate that sound, and I'm not sure where to start off with a beginning bass. The ones that I'm looking at (and like) right now are 6-stringed, but is 4-string basically the "starter"? Or does it not matter? I don't have any of the equipment, so I'm looking to spend $350-$400ish at most on everything I need to start off. with more strings you have narrower string spacing, so it will be harder to fret cleanly and harder to slap (if you are interested in that) but there's no reason you can't start out on a sixer. what sixers are you looking at that fit into that price range and still leave money for an amp, though?
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Apr 13, 2008 03:39
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Using the site mentioned earlier, this. e: Also the two brands at rondo. I'm still looking around, but I don't want to buy a 6 string just because it's a 6 string if you know what I mean. I'd rather get a good quality 4/5 than a lovely (if the one mentioned above is) 6 string for starting out. e2:If the 6 string is indeed a no-go for my price range, what brands would be best for my style in 4 or 5? spooky wizard fucked around with this message at 05:28 on Apr 13, 2008 |
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Apr 13, 2008 04:05
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I've never heard a good word about Rogue anything. The Brice brand they sell on Rondo is supposed to be okay, though I don't know if I'd trust something that cheap made of bubinga - that says to me that they seriously skimped on hardware and electronics. I've heard good things about the Squier Vintage Modified series. I always thought the VM 70s Jazz Bass had some serious mojo. I think 3toes bought one and gave it a generally positive review. There's always Ibanez' SR series. Straightforward, good quality instruments. And always be on the lookout for used stuff. I got an Ibanez bass that normally goes for $700 at about $300, and the only thing wrong with it was that it had the truss rod cover and some knobs missing. Within your budget I don't think there's any way you're going to get a bass and an amp and have enough power to practice with a band... so if you have a decent pair of headphones, you might even want to pick up something like this and get a nicer bass, then save up to get a nice half-stack in the future. For $300-400 you could get something very nice used.
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Apr 13, 2008 05:03
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Thanks for the info. I'll probably get a decent headset with that and start off from there.
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Apr 13, 2008 05:28
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I'd just like to chip in on the Rondo sixers; when I took lessons, my teacher was using a fretless six stringer from Rondo, and it was a pretty decent bass.
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Apr 13, 2008 23:28
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Adonro posted:e2:If the 6 string is indeed a no-go for my price range, what brands would be best for my style in 4 or 5? For what it's worth, I had a 5 string, and found that it wasn't as easy as I thought to adjust. If you want to play a 6, I'd suggest saving up money to get a 6, so you don't have to adjust. It's just easy and will save you money and effort in the long run.
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Apr 14, 2008 00:29
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Just wanted to pipe in that I just bought one of the Rondo SX J-"style" (what does that even mean?? Is it not a legit J pickup?) pickup basses (the amp combo one) and by far the most useful site for learning I've found has been StudyBass.com Something about the guy's writing is really clear to me, and he does a great job explaining basic music theory (I played jazz baritone sax for about 4 years a long time ago so it's nice to brush up again) and how to incorporate it into patterns using roots, fifths, octaves, etc. One of my friends has a 4 channel amp so I'm going to go over and play a bit with a keyboard, guitar, and a FruityLoops drum track. My only concern is going to be recognizing chords as they transition. Does anyone have any advice on how to pick up on a chord progression besides just agreeing to an outlined bar set beforehand? Also, how difficult would it be to put in an aftermarket pickup on a J-bass? It sounds like it's harder than working on P-bass circuitry...The only thing I've ever soldered in my entire life were the LPC ports on an Xbox ~3 years ago Real Dad fucked around with this message at 07:35 on Apr 14, 2008 |
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Apr 14, 2008 05:49
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ECTO-1 posted:Bump because Im still considering something for first bass. Sorry I'm a bit late to this question, but my wife's SX fretless shortscale J is amazingly well-made. We swapped the pickups out for GFS J pickups, big improvement over the stock stinkers, and the electronics we put in helped the crappy bleedy noisy problem from the original electronics. But the fretboard is buttery and smooth, very level, and it's a blast to play. I love jamming on it, and she's gaining proficiency quickly after I got her a big jazz Realbook. She comes from an upright bass, orchestral background, so it's very different for her, but she's quick on the uptake. I also bought the SX Pirate P/J bass when it came out for her younger sister, and it was really well made too. The stock pups in it sounded better than the ones from the Fretless SS Jazz, but that's also more than a year and a half of time to work on them - in the same time span, Agile's house pickups went from "regrettable poo poo" to fairly workable pickups. I actually saved a set of AL-HOTs because they remind me of a darker Jazz/JB combo. But that's going off on a tangent.
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Apr 14, 2008 06:47
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Real Dad posted:Also, how difficult would it be to put in an aftermarket pickup on a J-bass? It sounds like it's harder than working on P-bass circuitry...The only thing I've ever soldered in my entire life were the LPC ports on an Xbox ~3 years ago Not at all. Any pickup you buy should come with a wiring diagram and it's all pretty simple. I did it just fine and I'd never soldered a thing in my life.
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Apr 14, 2008 16:34
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Is this bass any good for starting out? http://www.rondomusic.com/product1081.html I'll mainly be playing rock/metal.
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Apr 15, 2008 01:46
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Stop Motion Dong posted:Is this bass any good for starting out? For rock/metal you'll definitely want something with a longer scale length. 34' is the industry standard.
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Apr 15, 2008 04:31
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Mighty Scoop posted:For rock/metal you'll definitely want something with a longer scale length. 34' is the industry standard. God drat I'd love to see me a 34 foot scale length bass.
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Apr 15, 2008 04:53
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PoorPeteBest posted:God drat I'd love to see me a 34 foot scale length bass. Haha, I take it inches are indicated with a quotation mark then?
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Apr 16, 2008 01:38
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Mighty Scoop posted:Haha, I take it inches are indicated with a quotation mark then? Forget about all that. You've given us something much more important . . . a dream. You'd probably need some kind of crane to hold it up and a robotic arm to fret the notes, but holy god would it rumble the fillings out of your teeth.
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Apr 16, 2008 03:26
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Since it was already discussed in this thread, I thought I'd mention that I just picked up a Squire Vintage Modified Jazz and it's really, really nice. I was looking at some Jackson something or other for about a c-note less, but the J was too pretty to pass up. Turns out it plays really nice as well. $279.99 before tax at guitar center. On a bit of a tangent, I tried to haggle down the price a little or get them to throw in a gig bag but they didn't budge. GC doesn't deal anymore. Turns out the company that recently bought them abolished that particular practice. The girl that sold it to me was fun to look at though.
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Apr 16, 2008 04:36
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Mighty Scoop posted:Haha, I take it inches are indicated with a quotation mark then? 
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Apr 16, 2008 05:27
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Slurpee_E posted:ou'd probably need some kind of crane to hold it up and a robotic arm to fret the notes, but holy god would it rumble the fillings out of your teeth. ...but? You say that like a bass held by a giant robot arm would be a bad thing, when it is obviously the beginning of the end for every spotlight stealing guitarist ever. I think you meant "and holy god it would rumble the fillings out of your teeth" On a serious note, I have a couple of questions. I've been considering getting a new bass, something fretless maybe. But if I go fretless, I want something with a nice hard ebony neck, cause after I took a look at the grooves my friend's strings ate into his rosewood fretboard, it turned me off to fretless for a long time. So, because I need to do everything the hard way, here's my deal. I want to buy a Vintage Modified 70's Jazz bass, and slowly swap out the parts. In particular, putting in a warmoth neck. Anyone around here have any experience swapping out the necks of basses? Does it have any kind of effect on the instrument outside of having a new neck? Like, would say, the tone of the instrument be negatively effected?
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Apr 16, 2008 06:22
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Kynetx posted:Since it was already discussed in this thread, I thought I'd mention that I just picked up a Squire Vintage Modified Jazz and it's really, really nice. I was looking at some Jackson something or other for about a c-note less, but the J was too pretty to pass up. Turns out it plays really nice as well. $279.99 before tax at guitar center. congrats on the new bass, i love that VM jazz. Guitar Center can pretty much only deal on Used stuff these days, and that's If you luck into working with a store manager on the purchase. When I went in to get a VM Jazz the manager had just sold it the day before, and he remembered me coming in to look at it a few days prior to that... and so he found a MIM Fender Jazz and cleaned it up, re strung it, found a hardshell case, made sure it sounded good, and sold the whole kit and kaboodle to me for $279 (including tax). But the regular employees can't do anything about the prices it basically has to be on the whim of a manager who is feeling nice that day.
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Apr 16, 2008 12:59
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Archr5 posted:congrats on the new bass, i love that VM jazz. Guitar Center can pretty much only deal on Used stuff these days, and that's If you luck into working with a store manager on the purchase. When I went in to get a VM Jazz the manager had just sold it the day before, and he remembered me coming in to look at it a few days prior to that... and so he found a MIM Fender Jazz and cleaned it up, re strung it, found a hardshell case, made sure it sounded good, and sold the whole kit and kaboodle to me for $279 (including tax). Hah, Even better. Awesome.
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Apr 16, 2008 13:29
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Azver posted:On a serious note, I have a couple of questions. I've been considering getting a new bass, something fretless maybe. But if I go fretless, I want something with a nice hard ebony neck, cause after I took a look at the grooves my friend's strings ate into his rosewood fretboard, it turned me off to fretless for a long time. So, because I need to do everything the hard way, here's my deal. As long as you play flatwounds, and not roundwounds, I don't see any reason why it would chew up your fretboard. I don't think I'd personally buy a bass then spend more money on a new neck for it than I paid for the bass, but that's just me.
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Apr 16, 2008 13:41
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Azver posted:I want to buy a Vintage Modified 70's Jazz bass, and slowly swap out the parts. In particular, putting in a warmoth neck. Anyone around here have any experience swapping out the necks of basses? Does it have any kind of effect on the instrument outside of having a new neck? Like, would say, the tone of the instrument be negatively effected? Honestly after putting a VM-J through the paces, the neck is one piece I'd leave alone (except for removing the decal from the headstock...). Plus I'm not sure if the Squier neck pocket is cut to the Fender specs that Warmoth necks are. I'd definitely contact Warmoth beforehand and ask.
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Apr 16, 2008 13:54
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You really ought to buy it and live with it a while before you consider doing anything that drastic. In fact, you'd probably be better off just buying a body and neck and putting together your dream instrument than hacking a VM-J.
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Apr 16, 2008 15:23
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I was thinking about doing that, but I'm just kind of afraid of putting together a bass from the basic parts. I feel like I'd screw something up. How hard is it to wire everything together? And would I need anything aside from a sodering iron and a screwdriver, since the Warmoth stuff all comes pre-drilled?
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Apr 16, 2008 16:36
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Azver posted:I was thinking about doing that, but I'm just kind of afraid of putting together a bass from the basic parts. I feel like I'd screw something up. How hard is it to wire everything together? And would I need anything aside from a sodering iron and a screwdriver, since the Warmoth stuff all comes pre-drilled? Warmoth necks are not pre-drilled.
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Apr 16, 2008 17:25
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3toes posted:Warmoth necks are not pre-drilled. Haha, guess I'm hosed then. I'll probably just look around for something else. Thanks for the heads up, guys.
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Apr 16, 2008 17:52
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Azver posted:Haha, guess I'm hosed then. I'll probably just look around for something else. Thanks for the heads up, guys. Well its a good thing... that way you drill it to the holes in the neck pocket to make sure it's a tight fit.
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Apr 16, 2008 18:15
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I want to buy an acoustic 6 string and tune it up as high as i can (something like all fifths), whats the highest i can go without breaking? I know bass strings are a lot stronger than guitar strings, but neck issues could be a problem. I like the sound of bass strings (bass harmonics =  ) but i like the range of a guitar. Was thinking about a baritone guitar, but they seem more suited towards picking rather than fingering.
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Apr 16, 2008 18:30
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Is this a good bass to purchase? It'll be my first bass, so I'm just starting out. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Traben-Array-5String-Bass?sku=512040 Also, is this amp any good? http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/GallienKrueger-Brat-Pack-HalfStack-Bass-Amp-Package?sku=482546 Thanks for all the (soon-to-be) help! 
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Apr 17, 2008 05:36
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Stop Motion Dong posted:Is this a good bass to purchase? It'll be my first bass, so I'm just starting out. Traben is alright, I'm just not a fan of basswood or their gigantic bridge-plates. What kind of music are you into and want to play? GK is pretty solid for amps, should make for a good starter rig.
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Apr 17, 2008 13:39
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Metal/rock mostly. Are there any good alternatives to Traben in that price range (5-string)? I was also looking at this, would you prefer this over the Traben? http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ibanez-SR405QM-Soundgear-5String-Bass?sku=511826 Stop Motion Dong fucked around with this message at 16:08 on Apr 17, 2008 |
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Apr 17, 2008 16:01
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Stop Motion Dong posted:Metal/rock mostly. Are there any good alternatives to Traben in that price range (5-string)? I would DEFINITELY recommend an Ibanez over a Traben. They're among the best bang-for-buck companies out there.
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Apr 17, 2008 16:15
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I need a cheapish 5 string bass for recording with as I just got a 7 string guitar and I'd rather leave my 4 string in standard. Is there anything half decent I can get for around £200-£250. Going for a kind of meshuggah type sound if possible, bright.
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Apr 18, 2008 23:45
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3toes posted:I would DEFINITELY recommend an Ibanez over a Traben. They're among the best bang-for-buck companies out there. Yeah you can get a shitload of quality in a $350 guitar
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Apr 22, 2008 01:33
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There's a small privately owned music place not far from me that does consignments. The great part about that is that the prices aren't necessarily set and you can negotiate a little bit. I recently grabbed a like-new Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass for $300. The larger stores near me who do used sales don't seem to knock much off the price for used, so the consignment option seems nice to have, especially for some cheaper models. Is a Crate B40XL Bass Amp worth $70 for a practice rig? I'm having a little trouble finding information or reviews on that model. Jokerfish fucked around with this message at 09:32 on Apr 27, 2008 |
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Apr 27, 2008 09:29
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What is the best way to find a good bass teacher? I'm being taught right now by a young man at a local music store. He's a great musician, nice guy... but not a great teacher. I feel like I spend most of my lesson watching him twiddle around with his bass instead of playing myself, and it's frustrating. I'm terrified to go into craigslist and look, because I might be eaten by grues, but the local music stores don't seem to have any bass teachers listed. Lots of guitar teachers though.
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Apr 29, 2008 18:26
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I've been thinking about learning how to play bass for a while now, and I'm getting ready to throw down some money and time to learn to play. I figured I'd get the beginners book listed on the first page: And take some local lessons to get started. The local shops quoted me at $15 for half hour one on one sessions; I think maybe about ten of those when I'm beginning and hopefully I'll be motivated enough to just keep practicing and learning after that. As far as setups go, money's an issue so I'm trying to be cheap, but still have something that I can continue to practice on for a few years. I gathered that used would be the way to go, and found some options. A sorta-dingy Ibanez G10 (i think this is the model number) caught my eye, but that might have been the $110 price tag  I also saw a GSR200 for about $200, but it was used and not in fantastic shape. Another potential that I liked the feel of was a Yamaha RBX270 that was on sale for $180, but I've never heard anything good or bad about Yamaha bass, so again, I'm not sure.I was thinking that my best bet would be a Peavey starter kit, seen here. The owner quoted me $220 with a free lesson, and it seemed reasonable, but I'm not sure how good the bass is. I've heard of Peavey before, but I imagine this is their bargain basement model, and I'm a little wary. This is new, by the way.
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May 2, 2008 22:48
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Those beginner kits usually have poor quality everything. I recommend finding a used Ibanez Gsr 200 and a decent practice amp. If you can try to find a gsr with active pick-ups.
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May 8, 2008 06:01
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Duke of Phillips posted:I was thinking that my best bet would be a Peavey starter kit, seen here. The owner quoted me $220 with a free lesson, and it seemed reasonable, but I'm not sure how good the bass is. I've heard of Peavey before, but I imagine this is their bargain basement model, and I'm a little wary. This is new, by the way. That's the amp I have, because it was cheap. I'm a complete newbie, but it seems fine to me for practicing. I figure by the time I know that it stinks, I'll be good enough to warrant a decent one. I don't play very loud anyway, because that would scare my cats (and bother my neighbors). So I can't tell you if you can really crank the volume and get a good sound.
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May 9, 2008 20:14
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I didn't read too many other replies so this probably has been said already, but there's a ton of overlap between the skills required to play bass and guitar (left hands are virtually identical, co-ordination between picking/plucking and fretting etc.) so you can easily learn both at once. I'd recommend getting a regular guitar teacher and starting out with a bass teacher to get your right hand technique sorted, after that you can likely drop the bass teacher or just take occasional lessons as many of the left hand and two hand techniques are virtually identical between the two instruments. Re the instrument to buy, as with any new player I'd recommend a used instrument to start as you'll find a lot higher quality/price ratio. Tons of options here which I'm sure have been covered in the thread.
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May 11, 2008 21:03
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oval office Puncher posted:I didn't read too many other replies so this probably has been said already, but there's a ton of overlap between the skills required to play bass and guitar (left hands are virtually identical, co-ordination between picking/plucking and fretting etc.) so you can easily learn both at once. Playing the bass is a completely different playing style entirely to guitar.
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May 11, 2008 22:09
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