Bass Guitar!

Hey...i'm interested in buying a Bass Guitar after my exams and something to do with my time in the summer.

So i was thinking...for someone with NO musical experience what so ever here's a few questions.

-Looking for a decent one in the £200-170 range
-Good books to learn from
-Tips

In fact just inform me about it! I am very keen though.I've gotta go work!

Cheers,Ben

http://www.nevbornguitars.com/cgi-bin/guitars/instread.php?instrument=Vaftrudner&TypeOf=2

corbo 2 said:

Hey...i'm interested in buying a Bass Guitar after my exams and something to do with my time in the summer.

So i was thinking...for someone with NO musical experience what so ever here's a few questions.

-Looking for a decent one in the £200-170 range
-Good books to learn from
-Tips

In fact just inform me about it! I am very keen though.I've gotta go work!

Cheers,Ben

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I was in the same situation 4 years ago. I recommend you to buy a decent bass guitar, and to get a good teacher. If you have some friends who play the guitar, playing together with them will also be a great help for you, apart from immensely FUN!

About the bass guitar: I started with an Ibanez SR 300 DX, then I bought a brand spanking new Rickenbacker 4003 (I just love Motörhead), and I ended up switching back to the good ol' Ibanez. There are many elitist bassists who are constantly complaining about the supposedly bad quality of Ibanez basses, but I will tell you this: Ibanez gives you a very good "bang for your buck" ratio. Just avoid the lower series like the plague, and go for one of their SR basses, just like I did. I totally recommend them.

Rickenbackers are great if you've got strong wrists and fingers, and lots of control. They've got an awsome sound, but you have to be able to physically wrench it out of your instrument. A lot of beginners just aren't capable of it, so a Ricky isn't a good first choice.

Mid and high end Ibanez stuff is fantastic, and even their low end stuff is better than low end Fender or Yamaha. My friend had an Ibanez Roadstar and it was like playing with cream on a stick. It was smooth, sexy, yet powerful. Ernie Ball Music Man is also a fine fine bass. Again, both of these might be a bit too much firepower for the average beginner, though.

It's probably best to buy low end at first. The sound quality doesn't really matter because you're going to suck for the first six months anyway. If you're capable of keeping up the a) discipline for playing a half hour or more every day, and b) the motivation even though you play like crap, for eight months or so, then you can start to think about investing in something more expensive.

ESP LTD basses are pretty good, and most come with EMG-hzs so it will sound good enough for your beginning stages. Ibanez has some good lowend basses too. Really though, the only thing you should be worried about is how it feels in your hands. Head down to pawn shops and music stores and tell them that you're starting out and you want something comfortable to learn on. They'll be more than happy to help you out.

tsukaesugi said:

Rickenbackers are great if you've got strong wrists and fingers, and lots of control. They've got an awsome sound, but you have to be able to physically wrench it out of your instrument. A lot of beginners just aren't capable of it, so a Ricky isn't a good first choice.

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I don't totally agree with that: my Rickenbacker felt fantastic and I could actually play it without almost any effort. Their necks are just so smooth, and the smaller scale also makes them easier for begginers. The only grip I had with it was precisely its sound: the lows are too weak, and with drop d tuning it almost doesn't sound at all. Quite bad for the kind of death metal stuff I like to play. But I'll buy one again sometime, they're just too gorgeous to resist the temptation lol.

rickenbacker

i wouldnt go spending $1000 on your first bass though

i have an ibanez gsr-200 and from what i can tell, its pretty good. i dont really play bass though. but i do know its insanely better than my friends squire

Did someone say

Fender P

bump

BryLmoo said:

Fender P

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A Bass ?

The only ( HOLY ) one :

i love my p bass

to death