Bass Guitar Recommendations???

WES

I'm looking to purchase a bass and was hoping for some advice on what to look for....I hope to stay around the $500 range, but would be willing to exceed that a little if in the name of much better quality....

I am also looking for amp recommendations to accompany the bass of course...I own a decent guitar amp and its a shame I can't use it.. oh well...

thanks in advance

mrwalkerb

I don't know much about amps but I own a 73 Fender P-bass and it's the best thing I've ever played, it's really conventinal in the sense only four strings et all but so smooth. My dad says he likes the Jazz bass better but for me I'm all about the prescison. I don't know how much a new one would set you back but I know I'm never going to need another bass in my life. I'm sure you can get a japenese or Mexican P-bass for 500$ but you'll have to ask if they measure up becasue some people are crazy elitists and others say it's not that much different from teh american ones.
my take

thumbingmyway

the Schecter Elite 5 is the best bass i've ever played and at a great price. it plays like a bass atleast twice the price, in my opinion. they make a 4 string too. read the reviews on the link to see if its the sound your looking for.

http://www.music123.com/Schecter-Elite-5-i116346.music

jeff's_the_man

i looove the fender shapes so i have both a J-bass and a P-bass (tho the p-bass is a monterey copy, still extremly good tho!)... fender is the easy one to go with cause u always know ur going get a quality bass. and the mexican models are perfectly good (thats what i got). watch out for the copies tho, they can be great if u find a good one, but there are some dodgy ones around. always try b4 u buy and dont b afraid to try the expensive basses as well, just so u get a feel of how they compare. oh and make sure u try basses with both active and passive pickups so u can decide what u like better (personally i love my passive pickups, but i honestly havnt had enough expierence with active's to make a good comparison)

as for an amp, if ur just starting there is a high possibility that u will probably want to start playing in a band (bass can kinda get lonley by urself) so try to get something that u wont have to chuck out in 6 months... look to the 100 watt + range if u want to compete with a band cause those drums will start to drown u out with anything less! avoid the ones with lots of fancy effects and shit on them, cause 90% of the time u wont need em AND they usually bump the price up a tad....

anyway thats what ive learnt from my expierence, hope it helps, i went thru these choices about 2 years ago and im pretty happy with what i ended up with... good luck! and remember TRY AS MANY BASSES AS U NEED 2!!!

Pacomc79

It kind of depends on what you like and the feel you want.

My favorite basses are usually Fenders, but I love Rickenbackers that you could probably picked up used because of thier excellent balance. You need to decide whether you prefer active or passive, humbucker or single coil or both and how many controls you want. I also think you should look at Carvin, lots of bang for the buck. There are a lot of companies that make excellent basses in that price range, If you can find one a used Ernie Ball Stingray is one of the best all around basses as well and G&L make some solid ones you could find around that too. You need to find a look, feel and tone that suits you, don't buy until you do.

As far as the Amp goes. Ampeg BA115 or BA112 will do you right but there are tons of good options there too they just seem to be my favorite, or hell I'll sell you this Peavy Basic 112 I have for 50 bucks I'm moving and have no room for it anymore anyhow.

mccreadyisgod

Your best bet as a beginner is a made in Mexico Fender P-Bass... it's easy to play, comfortable, and pretty typical. The best part is that you'll be able to get your value back out of it if you decide the bass isn't for you, or if you stick with it and decide to upgrade once you've figured out your "style". There are a few other bass options in that price range that aren't too bad... Epiphone Thunderbird basses are cool, if a tad awkward, and have a cool sound. OLP makes copies of the Ernie Ball Stingray bass that is really good for the money, like $250. A friend owns one, and it's no Stingray, but it's still a damn nice bass to play and sounds great.

I played thru a little 1x10" Ashdown practice amp a little while ago, and was blown away at how great it sounded. You probably wouldn't play any gigs with it, but for at home in the bedroom, it would be great. If you want something you could gig with, look at the cheap but sturdy models... Peavey, Crate, and Carvin. A 1x15" combo with at least 100 watts would be big enough to gig with or jam with. I used a Crate with those specs for a few years when I was playing bass primarily (although I'm more of a guitar player) and it was good enough. There are better options, but bang-for-the-buck, go with Peavey, Crate, or Carvin. But if you can find a little Ashdown... hot damn...

tboneo

you have to consider alot of shit.
How big are you - cause if your small you don't want a big heavy bass like a rickenbacker of a fender, your shoulder will be killing you in about 15 minutes.
Ibenez makes some great starter basses that have a good sound.
go with a bass with active pickups.
as far as bass amps go, and this depends on the style of music your playing
if it's rock - you can't beat a classic peavey black widow (1 or 2x 15 inch)
gallen kruger also makes great bass amps.
if it's more of a jazzy or funky sound go with a trace elliot amp.
the sound you get will depend on the type of wood, the amp, but most importantly the pick ups in your bass. ( EMG has fantastic pickups)
the set up I have is a spector ns-2 with EMG pj (lol, i never noticed that untill right now.. PJ) pickups.

WES

tboneo wrote:

you have to consider alot of shit.
How big are you - cause if your small you don't want a big heavy bass like a rickenbacker of a fender, your shoulder will be killing you in about 15 minutes.
Ibenez makes some great starter basses that have a good sound.
go with a bass with active pickups.
as far as bass amps go, and this depends on the style of music your playing
if it's rock - you can't beat a classic peavey black widow (1 or 2x 15 inch)
gallen kruger also makes great bass amps.
if it's more of a jazzy or funky sound go with a trace elliot amp.
the sound you get will depend on the type of wood, the amp, but most importantly the pick ups in your bass. ( EMG has fantastic pickups)
the set up I have is a spector ns-2 with EMG pj (lol, i never noticed that untill right now.. PJ) pickups.

I am average size...I just want something that will be a good starting point. Versitilty is the key...

tboneo

what style are you looking to play mostly.
who's your influences.

WES

i play pretty much anything except metal and hard rock...

Pearl Jam is obviously a huge influence, radiohead another, Neil, Beatles...too many influences to name them all but including a lot of indie bands....

Spook Fish

I'm with Pac, def check out Earnie ball / Music man basses, they are way cool.

tboneo

IMO, i'd go with what mccreadyis god said, great advice to go with the mex p bass. it's great for a starter (cost and sound wise). where do you reherse, someones basement?- then you just need a small amp. a nice 2x10 or even a 1x15 will do. warehouse?- then get the 4x10 with 1 or 2x15. better yet if you guys have a PA system. just get a direct input box and go directly through the board (you can control the volume bass and treble through your bass).

WES

just basically jam with in a basement....nothing to intense....a little recording as well...