Hello I'm planning to buy a bass guitar next month and been asking people about the kind bass i should get. The responses are quite varied...but i kinda agree with what the musician people i know told me...just to get a second hand, good quality bass..preferably by a good reputation made, such as Ibanez, yamaha, etc. I'm also planning to get a bass amp the same day. I was wondering if any of you guys could give me some advise about bass playing, any tricks or things that I should know (by the way I'm a complete beginner, though I play the guitar) I dont think it's going to be really hard for me to learn as i already have some knowledge in reading tabs and playing guitar...but I'd really like some advise, any exercises that i could do etc etc anyway thanks !!!
Playing with fingers is overrated, I think you get a better sound and punch out of playing a bass with a pic
really? i heard the best players dont use picks! perhaps i'm wrong but i think i'd be more comfortable playing with my fingers...never liked the pick with the guitar
Hello? bass players? WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU? I've been looking for a bass for four months and you're all either taken or not up to par! The day I find a bass player is the day I chain someone to the wall of my cellar so they'll never escape. Zepplina, you totally rock for becoming a bass player. Major kudos.
Yes And judging by the futility of my search, if you get good, you'll *never* be out of work my friend
/\ that's cool...my ultimate goal is to be able to join a band and play gigs around england... it's like one of my dreams!
If you're just starting out you don't have to go out and try and find the best bass out there. You can easily find something decent to learn on for around $200. The first bass I ever had was a Squier Jazz Bass. In my opinion, I say that you go ahead and get a 5 string now so that you won't be searching for one later. People that play with picks play mostly alternative/punk rock. Finger users are generally every other genre. Using your hands gives you a lot more options on the bass. You can use your basic two finger, your thumb and finger(s) for slappin & poppin, and you can do tapping with your fingers. Besides a pick doesn't give a real bassy tone. But try both out and go with what you like. A starter amp can be anything you find that allows you to make noise. If you're going for new I say try the SWR LA amps. They are decently priced and are better than some amps that are almost twice as much. Tell me what your budget is and then we can discuss some options.
My budget is around £200 (I dont know how much that is in dollars...perhaps $300, not sure) I've been doing some reasearch online and found a Fender squier affinity P-Bass (priced at £135) and an Ibanez IBZ10B Bass amp for £65....both descriptions mention that these items are ideal for beginners like myself... do you think they're any good?
An affinity P-bass is good for a beginner. It'll give you a decent "growl" sound and it'll get you used to playing on one the widest necks for a 4 string bass. I don't know too much about Ibanez amps, but their basses are pretty good, so you shouldn't go wrong with one of their practice amps. Grab 'em both if you think they are worthy.
I play with a pick myself. I find it gives the bass more of an up front sound that it needs. Some people don't like using regular picks, so they use rubber picks...which are generally thicker and made especially for the bass. I use regular picks (medium and heavy) though. I've had my rouge bass for about three years and I'm really satisfied with it. Now that it had brand new strings on it, it's just like new. Though I think Fender has a nie package that comes with a bass, a strap and a small bass amp for around $250. Not bad at all, considering Fender is a great brand. Feel free to email me with any other questions.
i just bought an "sx" bass. it's the first bass i've bought. it was only like $200(new) w/ shipping. i have friends that play bass, and they say that it was really good for how much i spent. so check em out if u haven't bought one already.
well, i'm still searching for a good bass to buy, and been doing research and looking around in music shops, reading reviews, etc and narrowed down my choices to two bass guitars which cost less than £200.. Ibanez GSR200 Yamaha RBX270 Both seem pretty good, have great features, ideal for beginners and are affordable but sadly i couldnt find them at any of the music shops i went to. I'm thinking of buying the bass and amp online...is that reliable? I already have a clear idea of what i want, i just need to find it and buy it!!! would you say buying the amp and bass online is safe? i'm, just afraid of getting conned again (long story)
Actually it depends on the style you're playing. Playing with your fingers is not overrated, it's a VERY good technique that's better if you're trying to get a more bassy sound. Playing with a plectrum is a technique more popular with punk styles. They both have their good and bad points, I'd seriously suggest learning both techniques for fexiblity. ZePpeLinA - Those are very good starter basses, I know someone with the Ibanez GSR200 and he was very impressed with it. I have a Yamaha RBX270 and I would recommend it as a nice starter.
i find you can't go wrong with a fender jazz or p-bass, squier will do for a beginner and regarding pics or fingers, pics make the sound alot sharper, whilst fingers make it alot warmer (how a bass should sound in my opinion) but really its up to you
Hey peacenik what kinda music are ya into? If you can't explain the genre in 5 words or less than you've found your man, man. As for a budget I say 200$ is what you should aim for. Any brand you've heard of can be trusted I guess as long its from a reputable source. I dunno about going for a 5 string right away. IMO it seems like a lot of bass players take the high strings for granted. But it depends what your playing and what sound your looking for. Higher string cant really be heard over guitar thrashing. If I were you I'd want to sit down with the bass before you buy it. see what kinda feel you really want. I'd pay attention to neck thickness and wideness especially if your hands arent mine and giant. Oh and how hard it is to press the strings to the frets. I guess body shape too although thats not something to get too particular about. as long as it's a right handed bass and your right handed i guess?... As for sound? A lot has to do with how creative you get. different pick weights and playing with your knobs can get rid of that twangy sound a bit. also it depends where your plucking on the body. I find the farther your pluck down the string (closer to the bridge) the more twangy higher pitch you get. and the higher up you go (towards the neck) the duller the sound gets. I actually enjoy playing on the neck with my index and middle finger, around the 17th-20th frets. Oh and if your wierd enough check out les claypool. I can't comprehend tabbing out a primus song.
