Electric Basses?

D

Dr. Thor

Joined
Mar 30, 2004
Messages
1,151
Hi guys.

I hope to buy my first bass soon, and was wondering if anyone had any advice/suggestions.

I havent made it to any stores yet, but I will. On the Net, I have looked at Ibanez, Fender, Epiphone and Peavey. So far I like the Peavey Millenium 4 BXP the best. The reviews I have seen are favourible. I'm looking for something I can get for under $300 CND, for just the bass.

http://www.peavey.com/products/brow.../00464060/cat/247/Millennium+4-String+BXP.cfm

Thanks in advance!
 
I feel that the fender p-bass is the consummate bass sound, I'd look at the mexican made ones, unless you find some fantastic used deal. I have a mexi strat, and it sounds great.
 
Whoa. For a minute there I wasn't sure how give advice on the purchase of a gamefish.

Sorry 'bout that.......
 
One important consideration when buying your bass is the action. This basically means how far the strings sit above the frets. On cheaper models you may find the action to be too high. This will make it harder to fret the notes. Too low and you get fret buzz. This could be fixed by getting a your bass "set up" after you buy it. But that's extra money you could use for your amp or something else. I would recommend you take someone along who has some experience and could help you find what works for you.
 
Another thing is how far up the neck you can go. I have a cheap Yamaha, and can get 2 octaves above the open note. Some of the cheaper Fenders can't go that high.

I second the notion of asking/taking someone experienced. There are a lot of harmonics and pickup checking that an experienced player can perform.
 
I was going to recommend this one...


image001.png


But then came to my senses. :D
 
sodak said:
Another thing is how far up the neck you can go. I have a cheap Yamaha, and can get 2 octaves above the open note. Some of the cheaper Fenders can't go that high.

I second the notion of asking/taking someone experienced. There are a lot of harmonics and pickup checking that an experienced player can perform.
Click to expand...

I wish you bass players would stay in your own clef. :D there is no need for you to play a g 2 octaves above open g on your bass. get a guitar.

The only thing I hesitate about bringing someone greatly experienced is that 1). Experienced players can make anything sound halfway decent
2). All players set up their equipment differently; I play with 12s, and pretty high action, but I like the tone, and I'm fairly rough on strings, and have gorilla grip strength. I've never met anybody else who like the way my guitar is set up.
3). Everybody wants something different in an instrument. Your friend may be some crazy annoying les claypool player, and you want to play in a different fashion. This may involve 2 totally different basses.

I once bought a great drumset off of a kid for 200 bucks. He hated it, because he wanted to sound like he was in pantera, but it was great for me, as a lo-fi and sometimes jazz drummer.

Play a lot of instruments-listen to who you like, and find out what their equipment is. At least it's a place to start narrowing your search.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. Now I just have to find someone who plays bass. I have a friend who plays guitar, but no one who plays bass. But thats okay, becuase I wont have enough money for a couple months yet.
 
I'll second the Fender p-bass, but I'd only buy American. I've got an old American Standard strat (early 80s) and it sounds much much better than the outsourced versions.

THe p-bass is easy to play and sounds great. If you get the sunburst finish, do yourself a favor and get rid of the white pickguard in favor of black or tourtise shell... the white makes it look like a toy.
 
Yeah, definitely bring someone who knows how to play. If you can't find a bass player, just bring the guitarist. This person shouldn't be checking to see that the bass plays like they would want it, just that it is playable. I could teach you in 10 minutes what to look for when buying a bass, but it helps to have someone who plays there just because they would know better what is acceptable and what is bad.

I'm not so sure about the only buy american reccomendation. Yeah, they are going to be better, but a new american standard costs $1000, and fender's quality has gone downhill lately (for strats at least), so if you are going to spend $1000 on a new instrument, you might be better off with something else. Of course used is another story....thats how to get a sweet deal.
 
Psychopomp said:
I'll second the Fender p-bass, but I'd only buy American. I've got an old American Standard strat (early 80s) and it sounds much much better than the outsourced versions.

THe p-bass is easy to play and sounds great. If you get the sunburst finish, do yourself a favor and get rid of the white pickguard in favor of black or tourtise shell... the white makes it look like a toy.
Click to expand...

Definitely try to find an American made Fender. I have a '69 reissued fender p with tobacco sunburst finish and a face of the sun pickguard. Sounds great, feels great, plays smooth, great range of sounds. The only bass that I like better is a Rickenbacker. Love the sound and the action of those but the body is wide and sharp and cuts into my forearm when playing for more than about 20 minutes.

Have fun!
 
Unfortunately, my advice is similar to someone asking for a good knife for under $50 and people recommending a sebenza. There is not a lot of hope for getting an American made fender and an amp for your price range.

I have not handled any of the most recent Peavy products, but my experience with Peavy has not been very good at all. They have consistently been impressive looking but very poor quality. I definitely would not recommend any of their products.
 
The best thing you can do is spend some time at a music store playing different brands to see which one YOU like best.

I have an Ovation Magnum that most people have never even heard of. I also still have a Jazz Bass copy I got when I was 15. I'm 41.

Recently I bought my son an Ibanez 6 string. I liked it so much I went back, bought one for myself and am getting back into music.

Just my opinion, but I think Ibanez is a pretty good instrument for the money. If I were looking for a new bass, I would consider Ibanez. Good action, good tone, decent quality, and a price that won't break you.

musiciansfriend.com has a good selection for comparison, and reviews by people who bought the product. Request their free catalogue to look at all the cool stuff.

Make sure you let us know what you end up getting.

Alex
 
Thunderfingers... interesting how your bladeforums id is similar to the nickname of the bassist for the Who.

Anyway, I was waiting for someone else to provide this important piece of information but nobody has mentioned it yet.

The amp you choose is equally important. I like Ampeg and Marshal (with the right speakers in the Marshall, there is a big difference) and one of my favorites was a huge Yamaha cabinet that could move mountains. Now it's just a single speaker in a tight box that I can sit on with a very good head. The amp's head is what is amplified by the the speaker systems used in clubs and concerts.

Try to find an amp that sounds and feels deep and full but also balances that with the middle range (vocal range) and higher percussive sounds. You do not need to spend high dollars on it, but be careful to avoid ones that can easily blow their speakers. Rattles are bad.

Buy some good earplugs, too!
 
So I should take my buddy and go to the music store. I hope I dont embarrass myself, I have never played a bass before.

As for an amp, I dont need one that is very loud, because my mom would smash it if I was too loud! :D
 
You really can't embarass yourself at a music store if you've never played before. People go there all the time to buy things they don't know how to play, they are used to it. The only people that embarass themselves are the ones who think they are the greatest without realizing how much they still have to learn.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top