I'm getting a bass guitar for my birthday, most probably a standard fender jazz bass. But there a few guiter-related terms I don't understand, I'd appreciate it if you could help me out: What is a fast-action neck? Do Fender basses really have crappy bridges? And does the crappiness of the bridge only make itself felt for particular styles of playing? Roughly how much do BadAss II bridges cost? Thanks!
You should get a cheap Fender/Squire P-Bass. You Don't want to spend a whole lot of money on the bass,cause you might give it up.Some people get fustrated cause they don't become a rock star overnight or they just don't have the time to learn(job,kids etc..)Thats why it's best to learn when your young(free time!).It takes alot of practice & dedication to get good. Example....One of my friends bought an expensive bass and ended up being a natural drummer...And a really good one!So you might want to mess around with different instruments to see which one sparks something in you!..LOL! Fast action neck?...Play alot of different kinds to see which one feels best.Don't worry about the bridge.Just focus on playing and getting comfortable(sp?) with the bass.Learning how to put on strings wouldn't hurt either(it's pretty easy). And don't pick out a bass just cause it "Looks cool"...Sometimes the ugly ones play like a dream...lol!
Good advice on the bass from Maniac. Its an instrument to instrument thing, some are better than others, and you only know from playing it. My fender bass bridge has never given me any probs. I always take notice when a guy opens his case and pulls out an ugly bass - they are usually built more for sound than beauty. Guys who play ugly basses know they sound good!
i completely agree. i bought an expensive guitar once for the look of it without having really played it. it was a big mistake and i just ended up selling it. if you don't know how to play yet focus on learning not the guitar. a good player can make a crappy instrument sound good and likewise a really nice instrument is useless if you don't know how. people can play on washtubs and homemade instruments after all. as the others recommended, get something that feels good in your hands(and is cheap) and don't worry about the specifics.
not neccesarily, unless the few bassist that know what sounds good make thier bass look good, ie new woodwork, necks, paint etc.
Thanks for the advice. I already know how to play bass pretty well, but I don't know enough about the instruments themselves. Guess I'll head back to the music store and play the rest of them..
the other guys offered good advice, if your considering the bass buy a cheapo and see how you like it, if your more serious about playing go to the music store (like you mentioned) and get an idea on which brand, style etc. suits you best
A bit of reiteration: Go real cheap on your first gear purchases. You're just learning and there'll be no need for bells and whistles, or even a great instrument. Looking back, on several different kinds of instruments, I was happy I spent my learning years on a piece of shit: When I decided it was time to go further with the instrument, the purchase of a new and better model helped give me even more drive to improve my playing.
