Bass Advice

[CluelessSi]

hey anyone got advice on how to pick out a good bass guitar? also what is the price range for them? I just started learning bass for a few months and I am going to get one so want to do some reaserach beforehand =)

[topane]

Go to your local music store and try as many different brands as you can. What kind of music are you playing/want to play? Makes a difference in what you're looking for. Some basses (like Ernie Ball, Fender P) are more versatile than others.

[ufcrusher]

Damn, and I thought you were going to ask the best way to catch some Bass! Fish on!

[CluelessSi]

Originally posted by ufcrusher
Damn, and I thought you were going to ask the best way to catch some Bass! Fish on!

:P haha i wound't mind that too hehehe
never can catch fish =/


anyway i am playing all types, trying it all... i like how the bass sounds, nice deep sound =)

[attgig]

so, electric bass?
or one of them acoustic/electric jammy's?

and how much are you willing to spend?

do you also need a bass amp or cabinet or cabinet/amp combo?

[topane]

I've wanted one of these (http://www.ernieball.com/mmonline/specs/instruments_stingray.html) for awhile. Maybe after I hit the lottery. Make sure whatever you pick feels good in your hands.

[CluelessSi]

Originally posted by attgig
so, electric bass?
or one of them acoustic/electric jammy's?

and how much are you willing to spend?

do you also need a bass amp or cabinet or cabinet/amp combo?
there is a acoustic/electric for Bass? thought it is was hard to have acustics except for double bass :shrug: haha don't know too much about the different types of basses out there....

[topane]

I have an Ovation acoustic/electric. It's not the best sounding, but it's nice for those unplugged sessions.

[CornMonkey]

the only advice i can give is that you should get one w/ an active pick-up. some low-end basses don't have it and you can tell... :( for a person who just started playing, i say around $400-600 is a good price range for a beginner's bass.

[mojo]

you'll need active pickups if you wanna do a lot of slappin an' poppin, but if not you don't really need them. can't go wrong with a fender p bass. personally i like some of the yamamma basses out there...the 5 string ones with active pickups.

so...what kind of music you plan on playing? everything depends on it...

of course you'll want the best woods, make sure it's solid (as opposed to pressed), a decent weight (the heavier the better), etc. and do you want a bass, or a bass guitar? there will be amp considerations, too...

[CluelessSi]

Bass Guitar, something I can carry around comfortably... err... a bass is like the double bass right (oversized cello) or maybe I am not thinking of the same thing... anyway how do i know if it is an active pickup? should I just ask teh stores? I am thinking or either going to Mars or Sam Ash...

[attgig]

Originally posted by CluelessSi
Bass Guitar, something I can carry around comfortably... err... a bass is like the double bass right (oversized cello) or maybe I am not thinking of the same thing... anyway how do i know if it is an active pickup? should I just ask teh stores? I am thinking or either going to Mars or Sam Ash...

what parts are you from? that you got mars and sam ash around you?


you know what though...you sound like you're just starting out..
just get a sub 200 dollah fender, ibanez, or yamaha.

as you start getting good, you'll get into the gear...
no sense in dropping 500+ now, only to realize that 1) you got ripped off, or 2) the one you got doesn't fit you perfectly so you need a new one.

[mojo]

never, never, never get a cheap instrument! if you can find a good deal on a bass and just happen to get it for less than $300, then ya, go for it. but unless it's used, you won't get anything that's worth playing for less.

here's what happens: you get a cheap guitar/bass, you sound like crap, it won't play, and you get frustrated. you think it's you, when it's the instrument. i can't stress enough that you don't want to get a cheap guitar or bass! they're just frustrating. some people stick with it, but that's kinda iffy if you think you'll be getting into it.

if you get a decent instrument and don't stick with it, at least it will retain its resale value, as well. i wouldn't go out and get a $1500 axe if you're beginning...maybe $300 to $500 would be more your speed.

the important thing is that you need someone to show you the ropes n such. maybe let you borrow their guitar/bass for a few hours and show you some positions. find something that's comfortable and sounds ok. if it doesn't sound good and you're thinking "oh, it will pass," it won't. you won't wanna hear yourself play anymore after the initial excitement is over, and that will make you not want to practice.

anyhow, i know this has been discussed a few times. i don't wanna be lecturing, esp on something that's been said a few times. you can do a search on the other threads if you need more reasons.

point is: don't get a cheapie guitar/bass!

[CluelessSi]

what is considered cheap though?
My friend has a guitar that is 200 (on sale) and it sounds nice, I am not sure if guitars are cheaper then Basses though... and not sure what price range i should aim for, i am hoping for sub 400

[mojo]

Originally posted by CluelessSi
what is considered cheap though?
My friend has a guitar that is 200 (on sale) and it sounds nice, I am not sure if guitars are cheaper then Basses though... and not sure what price range i should aim for, i am hoping for sub 400 see if he/she will let you play it for a few. if you like it, then it's fine. when i say "don't go cheap" i'm just saying a general thing...but what's cheap to you may be different than to me. but if you pick it up and don't like to play it, and this and that, and it's inexpensive, then it pretty much can be chalked up to "you get what you pay for."

sure, you can pick up a $3k alembic and still not like the sound or how it plays or whatever, but it's not likely. but that gets down to personal preference. if you're just starting out, then you might not have heavy biases yet. i've been playing guitar/bass/bass guitar for a while, so i already know what i'm looking for.

thing is, you will end up getting new equipment sooner or later after your initial break-in period (of yourself as a musician :P ). you can prolong the when and stuff by choosing the right setup now. like i said, i can buy something that will pass snuff and will be able to play in front of people for $300. i might not like it, but i'm also not just starting out.

play your friend's bass. play it for like...3 hours. have him/her show you some positions and stuff. if you're comfortable with it and think you can stomach the sound, then ya, you're fine. remember tho that you'll be able to find some others that sound a lot better for $100 more, and some that sound pretty good for $200 more, and so on. you'll be drooling over those pretty soon and end up kicking down more money. but that's beside the point...the point is that you wanna encourage yourself to play. if you can play the $200 one and like the sound, i have no problems with that at all :hihi:

on a side note, you'll know active pickups just because they're louder and sound better. you won't find those in anything under $400. you also won't need them till you start snappin and poppin...and you shouldn't worry about how loud they are anyhow cuz we have this new device called an "amp" that actually can take a passive signal and make it louder :hihi:.

also, active pickups tend to pick up stuff like fret buzz and make that louder, too...so just consider yourself warned.

i can't really tell you what to like and stuff. it's all very personal. just be sure you like how it plays and sounds, and then you'll learn more as time goes by.

[CluelessSi]

cool thanks, i might go snaping and popping later on but first the basics =) been taking lessons with friend's bass but action is too high for me, hard to press and stuff =P thiking also if i should get 4 or 5 string...


what is different b/t bass, double bass and bass guitar?

[mojo]

duane eddy played a guitar that was strung with bass strings. if you go that route, you'll sound...like him :P

but you won't. bass guitar is prolly what you're talking about now. bass and double bass are the orchestra ones that are often played with a bow. there are positions to learn for that...in that there aren't frets to help you out. i could go on all day about it, but i'm pretty sure you're talking about a bass guitar (although people often say "bass" when they mean "bass guitar"). that's the one you hold like it's a guitar.

[CluelessSi]

Originally posted by mojo
duane eddy played a guitar that was strung with bass strings. if you go that route, you'll sound...like him :P

but you won't. bass guitar is prolly what you're talking about now. bass and double bass are the orchestra ones that are often played with a bow. there are positions to learn for that...in that there aren't frets to help you out. i could go on all day about it, but i'm pretty sure you're talking about a bass guitar (although people often say "bass" when they mean "bass guitar"). that's the one you hold like it's a guitar.
hehe yea i figured, used to play violin so I know of cellos, basses and double basses and how ppl mess them up

so is bass guitar equivilant to the double or regular bass in terms of octave...

[mojo]

the bass guitar will be strung e-a-d-g. the range is about 3 octaves below middle c, or one octave below guitar.

personally, as a musician, i think that the real bass is cooler...but that's up to you :P. but if you used to play violin or violoncello then you're in good shape ;)

[CluelessSi]

haha real bass is also hard to carry around =)

should I go for a 5 or 6 string bass rather then the normal 4 string? not sure if ppl use the lower tones often

[hoey222]

the 5 string will have either a high c string or a low b string
the six can have both low b and high c - some are even strung like a regular guitar only an octave lower.

it depends on what your gonna play - most stuff - you'll only need 4 strings - some of the newer metal uses much lower notes for a darker sound - the low b would be more useful for that - i have even taken a 4 string bass and strung it with the low b - e - a - d and played with it like that - all kind up to you.

i - personally - don't like 5 strings - not enough space on finger board - but that's me

i gots a warwick and a fender p, btw :)

[mojo]

starting with 4 strings wouldnt hurt nobody...especially on a budget. if money is no object, then personally i'd get the 5 string with active pickups and a wider neck. i can think of a couple of yamammas and alembics i'd like. i'd favor the yamamma tho because of the reality of...money. i'm more used to playing the 4 strings tho, so the fifth would take some getting used to.

what's your warwick look like, hoey?

[hoey222]

it's a jack bruce signature model. an ORIGINAL from 92 i think #16 out of 100. its all tone baby - :D

go here to see what it looks like

http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/WJBS-FL.htm

[mojo]

Originally posted by hoey222
it's a jack bruce signature model. an ORIGINAL from 92 i think #16 out of 100. its all tone baby - :D

go here to see what it looks like

http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/WJBS-FL.htm holy schmokes! you got a fretless?!? you da mang! i'm kickin you in da james right now! http://www.emotipad.com/emoticons/kick.gif

[CluelessSi]

how is the fender P? also what price is it, my bass teacher suggested as a beginner bass (though he forgot most of them since he plays upright costing $8000 :P) a fender Squire (sp?) or a Peavy i think.

also a poll, do you use the fourth finger as your third meaning first finger, second then put down all four for third finger? some ppl do and some don't I am wonder which is more comforatble to you I am still finding out which I like more or if I will use my fourth finger a lot for the fourth fret.... your thoughts?

[mojo]

Originally posted by CluelessSi
how is the fender P? also what price is it, my bass teacher suggested as a beginner bass (though he forgot most of them since he plays upright costing $8000 :P) a fender Squire (sp?) or a Peavy i think. fender p (precision) is a pretty standard bass. a lot of clones are modeled after it...it has a strat-type body. it's great for jazz and general playing.

the squier line is a made overseas. most major makers have stuff made overseas. i have a sneaking suspicion that kaman makes a lot of them, and they're branded different.

back in the 80s, there were a number of manufacturers that did some pretty good clones. a cheap trick (not the band, but a way people did stuff) back then was to take a really good copy of a strat, sg, les paul, or other popular guitar, and slap some good quality pickups in them...and voila! good guitar. the attention to detail at that time was such that they'd actually use the same woods and stamp out a guitar that was very close to the real deal.

these days, a cheap guitar can be literally a cheap guitar. we're talking...don't try any neck bends with them. cheap woods, slave labors, etc, are used and they don't sound none too good. i wouldnt advise it, because of the reasons i've said a billion times already.

anyhow, i dunno how old your teacher is...but a lot of people never got out of the thinking from the 80s. i mean, whatever your teacher says is fine by me...i wouldn't presume to know more than they do. at the same time...i'm trusting that they know that they're dealing with impressionable people (hey, students should listen to their teachers) and should keep up with the times.

so, going by what your teacher says...i'll agree with fender and peavey for the most part. i'll agree with squier if you can find a higher quality one (if there is such a thing).

[CluelessSi]

=)
what is the price difference b/t the P and the squier? He is pretty young, soon to graduate from music university, he didn't really know what to suggest for a beginner bass since he hasn't looked into one for a long time so suggested something that he kinda recalled. I just want to make sure I don't get a cheap bass... inexpensive is good, cheap is bad =) So I should go for the P's? or other brand? I think I will go shopping around for them this weekend, any suggestions as to a price that would be ok (quailty vs price) and not feel ripped off?


haha o yea also the fingering technique, do u use all four fingers on different frets or 4th on third? I want to learn some slap and pop and other methods, got any good websites with sample files to listen to and learn off of?

[hoey222]

Originally posted by CluelessSi

also a poll, do you use the fourth finger as your third meaning first finger, second then put down all four for third finger? some ppl do and some don't I am wonder which is more comforatble to you I am still finding out which I like more or if I will use my fourth finger a lot for the fourth fret.... your thoughts?

i use all 4 fingers - i try to keep my fingers separate
your 3rd and 4th fingers are weak to begin with - placing them all down adds strength but - i feel becomes a bad habit that is hard to break. if you can build strength to place the fingers down individually you'd be better off. especially if you are going to play faster more intricat parts.

upright players use 1 - 23 - 4 where 2and3 are placed together and 4 is still independent. the scale of the upright is MUCH bigger (longer neck) and the action is MUCH higher. they need the added strength to play.

try here - www.talkbass.com

there are plenty of experienced people to ask. - i sometimes goto the ask mikewatt forum but there are other players that stop in to offer advice.

hope this helps

[CluelessSi]

cool thanx yea my teacher is an upright player so he uses 1-23-4 so I was just wondering if I should do that in case i play upright later on, since he seems to play well on the electric using that style also, hmm i should experiment... i always have a hard time stretching for the 4th finger cause my fourth finger is weak =P