Thinking about buying a bass guitar

[name not needed]

Anything I should know beforehand?

[XNASA]

1. Not if you're just gonna do it and pony up for a Precision.

Get a standard Fender Precision and you'll never regret your choice.

[Idylle Moon Dancer]

4. I disagree

I thought the neck was too fat and didn't have enough frets.
Then again I was a Cliff Burton wannabe when I started out and
have small hands.

[LifeDuringWartime]

2. familiar with bass/guitar at all?

go to a few local stores and try out various basses.

as another poster noted, fender precision's can be nice, but as they are mass-produced in a factory in (usually) mexico, it can be a real gamble. some are great, some are shit.

i would recommend a musicman stingray, a conklin GT-4 or any of the spector models. might want to stay away from ibanez unless youre willing to shell out for the higher-priced models.

[bullimiami]

3. Best is to go play some

there are a lot of variations in the scale length, the width of the neck, the balance and hang of the bass, not to mention the electrical characteristics and the action (but that has a lot to do with the setup and strings)

you will probably find that some fit your hands and body better than others.

[jdots]

5. there are so many playable basses for cheap $$$

don't spend too much unless you know this is the love of your life
the economy sucks so what ever you buy unless its an over priced collector item will loose value. work your way up to the bass you want and think about what kind of music you want to play.Having small hands is fine,get ready for blood blisters and some fucked up hands for a while,you may find that some flat wound strings although they sound dull and boring are easier on your fingers till you build up some callus.

[name not needed]

7. Seeing as how I'm low on cash right now,

I've considered these two sets.

A Rouge Bass Starter Kit:

http://www.guitarvision.com/mf/mf_frameset.htm

And a Silvertone LB11 Kit:

http://www.americanmusical.com/item--i-SAK-SSLB11PAK-BK.html

Are either of these any good?

[LifeDuringWartime]

8. eh

youd be better off with a squier kit, but since it seems like youre just starting off, it doesnt really matter.

[bullimiami]

9. well those are pretty cheap.

for a beginner to learn on I suppose either is functional.

if it was me i would take myself down to the local big music store and see what they have, our locals often have lots of deals for xmas. check the big online music stores too.


you might do better on ebay if youre patient. either similar for cheaper or better quality for the same sort of money. I did a quick search and there are no lack of basses, amps and even bass+amp auctions.

[name not needed]

10. I'm not real anxious to use Ebay again.

I've had people try to screw me over before.

[Beware the Beast Man]

12. Try Musician's Friend or Music 123

http://www.musiciansfriend.com

http://www.music123.com

I've had success with both these places. Some folks here would say that buying an instrument is like buying a car; you should really test drive it first. But if you have a specific model in mind, you can't go wrong with one of these two.

edit- if you're worried about cost, keep your eyes peeled for a blem (blemished) bass. I bought my Epiphone G-310 for about $30 cheaper, just because there was a scuff in the paint on the back of the guitar. If looks don't matter that much, that may be the way to go.

[chaska]

18. Don't support corporations. Those places are effin' evil.

[Beware the Beast Man]

20. While I think your sentiment is in the right place,

not everyone can afford to buy from a privately-owned music dealer. I sure as hell can't.

[BlueEyedSon]

6. Fender Jazz, from eBay.

[0rganism]

11. You can rejuvinate your bass strings by boiling them

If you're hard up for money, you're going to find that buying new bass strings is an expensive proposition -- $25 or more for the good stuff. You can sometimes get a second wind out of your strings by boiling them, but be sure to dry them off completely, first with a cloth and then with a blow dryer.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. I Just Bought A New Bass Amp!

Bought a Fender Bassman 400. It has the sound i'm looking for, because it's 2 10's instead of a 15, and the horn is active, not a piezo. Also, has power to burn!

I play bass when my band goes 3 piece. I've got a 5 string Fender Jazz. My friend has a 4 string P-Bass, so i've got both ends of the specturm covered.

The J-Bass has a slightly slimmer neck than the Precision, and i do a lot of up the neck playing, since in a three piece i need to run more linear bass lines, rather than "thump, thump, thump". So, the 5th string is pretty darned handy.

My friend also has a Squire J-Bass and another buddy has a Squire P-Jazz. You should look into those. They're really cheap and sound pretty darned good.
The Professor

[DeepGreen]

17. A long time ago, I used a Fender Bassman with two 10" JBLs for lead

It had a great sound with a Fender Jaguar and the mellow screeming feedback was fantastic. !!!

[name not needed]

14. I got a Squier P-Bass value pack

I went to Guitar Center last night and looked at a few of their basses. I got it for 280 cause the asst. manager knocked 20 bucks off the sale price.

[bullimiami]

15. good for you.

enjoy yourself.

peace.

[johnnie]

16. Cool for you

Squire can make some pretty decent guitars for the price and it will be a great bass to learn on. Just keep it up.

[asthmaticeog]

19. Good call.

A friend of mine got a Squier P-Bass as a starter instrument 10 years ago, and it's still holding up great.