As a new player, what should I be looking at when I purchase my first bass?

[Naetharu]

Hi folks,

I've just started playing bass. At the moment I am using an old (1990s I think) Squire Jazz Bass that a friend has lent me. I'm hoping to go and purchase my own bass and amp this weekend and I am looking for a few tips as to what I should be looking for. I'm not looking for advice on which bass brand/model as such, but rather what I should be looking at to make my mind up when it comes to the basses I try. As a newbie I'm not sure how to judge if a bass is good or not, and so I thought I would try and tap some wisdom here rather than making a mistake that I only come to realise later on. I have around £400 to spend on the bass, so does anyone have a few tips about what I should be looking out for when it comes to basses that are around that price range?

For example, I know with guitars that lighter weight Strats are preferred as they tend to sing better than their heavier counterparts, and that fixed bridges are nice for beginners since they are easier to tune etc. Are there any important tips about basses in general that I should be aware of when I go to get my one?

Many thanks for your help

James

[Skybone]

I assume that you'll be purchasing said new bass from a Musical Instrument Emporium?

Try quite a few out before buying don't feel pressurised into buying anything, it's your money at the end of the day, spend it wisely. Don't look at spending all your budget, there's loads of great gear out there around £100-200.

Look at Squire Jazz because you're used to them first, and work from there. Consider getting something like a Vox Stomplab, that you can use with headphones.

Good luck!

[barkin]

Not quite what you're asking, but...if I were in your shoes I'd be all over the Yamaha BB424x in the For Sale section.

[ras52]

[quote name='barkin' timestamp='1432138315' post='2778533']
Not quite what you're asking, but...if I were in your shoes I'd be all over the Yamaha BB424x in the For Sale section.
[/quote]

Is that still there? In which case, yes, absolutely. Yamaha is one of those "can't go wrong with a...." and "a lot of bass for £..." brands. And if you don't get on with it you'll easily get your money back selling it here.

[lojo]

Yep, cheap yammy should do it.

At the end of the day it will come down to dedication, plenty of us started on basses with all kinds of issues , you wont be limited by your instrument in the early days

[RandomBass]

Are there any things about the Jazz you like or don't like? How about the neck profile, for instance? A Jazz has one of the narrower and slimmer (front to back) profiles around. Ibanez SR are slimmer, the Yamaha BB mentioned is thicker and fractionally wider. Best thing is to try as many as you can in a shop.
Cheers
Geoff

[RandomBass]

Also, don't forget about trying some 5 stringers too, you might be surprised.

[Roger2611]

Spend as much as you can on a decent instrument, I dread to think how many aspiring guitarists / bass players have given up within weeks of starting because the instrument they are leaning on is a badly set up, painful to play cheap bit of tat....get something that feels good and plays well and you can enjoy progressing

[Norris]

First of all, don't try to find one this weekend. Go and try everything in the shop but take away the pressure of "this weekend" and take your time about it. If your budget for the bass is £400 you'll be able to get a cracking starter bass for that - probably a lot better than most of us started with. You have plenty of time to choose. If you do find YOUR bass this weekend then that's fantastic.

Find the one you fall in love with.

Edited May 20, 2015 by Norris

[Mornats]

To reiterate what Roger said, a good setup can make a huge difference to a bass. They cost £30-50 depending on where you go and turn an average cheap bass into something that feels as nice as a premium one.

I've got a Squier VM Jazz that cost me £246 from my local PMT. It played great and felt right and sounded good. Not quite as nice and refined as a USA jazz sound-wise. I upgraded the pickups and electronics and it sounds utterly amazing now. I tested the Squier against the American Jazz and both played well, and in fact I preferred the feel of the Squier. When I got it home I gave it a good setup, including filing the frets down so they were all even. It made a huge difference although it's not something people like jumping into! It will cost around £80-100 for a pro to do that for you. Luckily I went on a basschat-organised training course with Crimson Guitars in Dorset and was taught how to do it. I bought their fret levelling kit too. This is something you tend to not need to do on a more expensive bass (although there are quite too many expensive ones that do need it). However, if you get no fret buzz from a one you try and find it easy to play then you'll probably not need to do this.

Anyway, as most have said, try out a load of basses to find one that feels right to you. Buying second hand is good as you get much more bass for your money and can sell it on without much, if any, loss of cash if you decide to upgrade later - or just fancy something different.

Take a bass-playing friend with you too so they can give you their opinion. They can also play whilst you focus on listening to how it sounds too. That's very useful if you're starting out and don't feel like you can get the best sound out of it yourself yet.

Where are you based? Perhaps a fellow basschatter can come with you. There are plenty of people on here who would be happy to do that for you. Basschat is a fantastic place for that sort of spirit. There may also be some basschatters near you who may have a bass for sale and would be happy for you to try it out without and obligation to buy. Or they may even just let you play a few of theirs to get a feel for different neck profiles. Take along some cookies or biscuits and most of us will be kept happy by that

Some good cheap basses are: Squier, Yamaha, Ibanez and the new Sire Marcus Miller Jazz basses (the £300 or so ones from Thomann, not the Fender Marcus Miller signature ones - not that they're bad basses, they're just more expensive). Second hand SGC Nanyo Bass Collection basses go for £200 or so and are brilliant to play and sound great.

Edited May 20, 2015 by Mornats

[ahpook]

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1432146462' post='2778666']
To reiterate what Roger said, a good setup can make a huge difference to a bass. They cost £30-50 depending on where you go and turn an average cheap bass into something that feels as nice as a premium one.

I've got a Squier VM Jazz that cost me £246 from my local PMT. It played great and felt right and sounded good. Not quite as nice and refined as a USA jazz sound-wise. I upgraded the pickups and electronics and it sounds utterly amazing now. I tested the Squier against the American Jazz and both played well, and in fact I preferred the feel of the Squier. When I got it home I gave it a good setup, including filing the frets down so they were all even. It made a huge difference although it's not something people like jumping into! It will cost around £80-100 for a pro to do that for you. Luckily I went on a basschat-organised training course with Crimson Guitars in Dorset and was taught how to do it. I bought their fret levelling kit too. This is something you tend to not need to do on a more expensive bass (although there are quite too many expensive ones that do need it). However, if you get no fret buzz from a one you try and find it easy to play then you'll probably not need to do this.

Anyway, as most have said, try out a load of basses to find one that feels right to you. Buying second hand is good as you get much more bass for your money and can sell it on without much, if any, loss of cash if you decide to upgrade later - or just fancy something different.

Take a bass-playing friend with you too so they can give you their opinion. They can also play whilst you focus on listening to how it sounds too. That's very useful if you're starting out and don't feel like you can get the best sound out of it yourself yet.

Where are you based? Perhaps a fellow basschatter can come with you. There are plenty of people on here who would be happy to do that for you. Basschat is a fantastic place for that sort of spirit. There may also be some basschatters near you who may have a bass for sale and would be happy for you to try it out without and obligation to buy. Or they may even just let you play a few of theirs to get a feel for different neck profiles. Take along some cookies or biscuits and most of us will be kept happy by that

Some good cheap basses are: Squier, Yamaha, Ibanez and the new Sire Marcus Miller Jazz basses (the £300 or so ones from Thomann, not the Fender Marcus Miller signature ones - not that they're bad basses, they're just more expensive). Second hand SGC Nanyo Bass Collection basses go for £200 or so and are brilliant to play and sound great.
[/quote]

Excellent post !

[ubit]

Get yourself into a music shop and don't be afraid to just ask someone what you should go for. Obviously people are going to say get what feels right, but if you are a complete beginner, you might not know what feels "right"
Expensive doesn't always mean better. To be honest, you'd be hard pressed to get a better bang for your buck than the old Squire Jazz that you have already tried!

[darren]

[quote name='barkin' timestamp='1432138315' post='2778533']
Not quite what you're asking, but...if I were in your shoes I'd be all over the Yamaha BB424x in the For Sale section.
[/quote]

This.

[Truckstop]

I would be looking for quality control aspects of the instruments as you would do with a guitar.

Are the frets nice and smooth? Do the knobs feel solid? Is the bridge correctly aligned with the neck? Are there any rattles or crackles coming from the instrument?

Tone quality is subjective and is tweakable using amp and bass EQ controls. Sure, good tone in an instrument is important, but not the end of the world if it doesn't sound and sweet as a sweet thing! You should be looking to buy the best quality instrument at this stage in your development. The aforementioned BB424x is a good starting point, but there's loads out there you can look at.

[ras52]

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1432146462' post='2778666']
Where are you based? Perhaps a fellow basschatter can come with you. There are plenty of people on here who would be happy to do that for you.
[/quote]

Happy to go into a shop and try out a load of basses? With our reputation? What are you thinking?

[Mornats]

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1432149849' post='2778713']
Happy to go into a shop and try out a load of basses? With our reputation? What are you thinking?
[/quote]

I know, just don't send the bill to me!

[Cato]

Go into as many shops as you can. Try everything you can get your hands on.

Things to look out for (although in your price bracket it shouldn't too much of an issue).

Fretbuzz (irritating, usually fixable but sometimes not).
Dead spots.
Unacceptable levels of hum or noise on the pickups. (again this can often be fixed but depending on the the cause but can be an annoying expense if you eg. end up having to replace the pick ups).
Also check all the strings sound at the same volume when amplified, its not that common these days but I've played basses with weak Gs & on one occasion even a weak A.

Good luck & enjoy.

[Naetharu]

Hi!

Thank you to everyone that has posted here; its exactly what I was hoping for in order to give me the confidence when I go to look for a bass .

[quote name='barkin' timestamp='1432138315' post='2778533']
Not quite what you're asking, but...if I were in your shoes I'd be all over the Yamaha BB424x in the For Sale section.
[/quote]

I'll be sure to have a look at the Yammaha basses if I can. That one does look like a really good bargin! I'm just wary of getting something before I feel it as I know when it comes to guitars I've tried some that people think are amazing and yet I really dislike - not that they are bad guitars, but rather that something about their feel just does not sit right with me (I'm looking at you Gibson SG). I'm guessing the same will be true of basses, so I think I'd best get a few more into my hands before making a call on what to get.

As to where I'm based, I am down in Essex and I plan to visit PMT Southend as my first port of call, however there are a few others places within a reasonable distance I can also try. Alas I don't actually know any bass-playing friends that are local as I've only moved here in the past month or so, having previously lived up in North Yorkshire. The buddy that lent me the Jazz is back up there. If anyone is about down this way and fancies a gander in PMT with me that would be great, but just the advice in this post has been very very helpful.

One final question is regarding active/passive electronics. The Jazz I am practicing on has passive electronics. Is there an advantage of one over the other at my price-point? Should I avoid active on the grounds that they will be bad in cheap instruments or is it simply a case of listiening the tones and seeing what appeals the most?

Again, thank you for all of the advice!

Best wishes

James

[Dad3353]

[quote name='Naetharu' timestamp='1432156220' post='2778772']...
One final question is regarding active/passive electronics. The Jazz I am practicing on has passive electronics. Is there an advantage of one over the other at my price-point? Should I avoid active on the grounds that they will be bad in cheap instruments or is it simply a case of listiening the tones and seeing what appeals the most?...
[/quote]

The essential difference between passive and active is that the tone controls of the first can only, passively, subtract frequencies; an active can subtract or [i]add [/i]treble, mid and/or bass. Usually there is a centre-click on such tone controls to indicate the 'neutral' position. There are other advantages to active, concerning impedance, or 'hotness' (is that a word..?), but it's less radical than the tonal possibilities. Is there a downside..? Yes, of course, silly-billy; there always is..! Actives need a power supply, usually a 9v PP3 battery, which can go flat just when it's most inconvenient. One has to get used to unplugging the lead when not playing. The more 'gubbins' (technical term...) in general, the more there is to go wrong; passives are very old-school rustic, and pretty bomb-proof. There's more, much more, once everyone gets started on on-board pre-amps, but that's about the gist of it.
Disclaimer: I'm a drummer; what would [i]I [/i]know..?

Edited May 20, 2015 by Dad3353

[blue]

$400.00 will almost get you into something good used. Look at some of the basses that sell new in the $1,000.00 range as a bench mark.

Blue

[gadgie]

+++++1

[Norris]

I'd be tempted to go for a passive for your first bass - one less thing to get to grips with. Personally I prefer them.

The key thing is to find a neck profile you are comfortable with. They range from matchsticks to baseball bats and everything in between. As long as everything else checks out (straight neck, level frets, electrics all working, etc.) you'll be fine.

Oh, and the colour - very important choice!

Have fun and don't feel pressured

[tauzero]

[quote name='Naetharu' timestamp='1432156220' post='2778772']
As to where I'm based, I am down in Essex and I plan to visit PMT Southend as my first port of call, however there are a few others places within a reasonable distance I can also try. Alas I don't actually know any bass-playing friends that are local as I've only moved here in the past month or so, having previously lived up in North Yorkshire. The buddy that lent me the Jazz is back up there. If anyone is about down this way and fancies a gander in PMT with me that would be great, but just the advice in this post has been very very helpful.
[/quote]

If your PMT is similar to the Birmingham one, they'll have a reasonable selection of basses across price ranges. Try everything, regardless of price, to give you an idea of what feels best for you and what you can expect. The relationship between price and quality is only very very approximate, and the difference between a £50 bass and a £150 bass will be greater than the difference between a £500 bass and a £1500 bass.

[quote name='Naetharu' timestamp='1432156220' post='2778772']
One final question is regarding active/passive electronics. The Jazz I am practicing on has passive electronics. Is there an advantage of one over the other at my price-point? Should I avoid active on the grounds that they will be bad in cheap instruments or is it simply a case of listiening the tones and seeing what appeals the most?
[/quote]

Actives in cheap basses aren't bad. Use your ears as a guide. Personally, I like active basses. If you get one with an active/passive switch (reasonably common), you can satisfy your inner Luddite.

Playability is key. If there's something lacking in the sound, you can either use EQ to compensate or upgrade components (assuming there isn't something about the actual pickup placement that causes the sound issues).

[Nicko]

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1432146328' post='2778662']
Find the one you fall in love with.
[/quote]

^^^^^^^^^^^This

[stuckinthepod]

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1432201418' post='2779050'] I'd be tempted to go for a passive for your first bass - one less thing to get to grips with. Personally I prefer them. The key thing is to find a neck profile you are comfortable with. They range from matchsticks to baseball bats and everything in between. As long as everything else checks out (straight neck, level frets, electrics all working, etc.) you'll be fine. Oh, and the colour - very important choice! Have fun and don't feel pressured [/quote]

This. The neck choice is everything if you are starting out. If you are coming from guitar background then a Jazz neck or Ibanez neck may feel more natural/comfy than a bigger thicker Precision type profile- but give them all a go to find out. If you go Active- Be aware than some of the cheaper active basses have a 2 band Eq not the full 3 band Bass/Mid/Treble. I personally found something lacking as a result with my old Ibanex SRX.
If you are lucky one will just scream buy me buy me to you when you try it. PMT Manchester is good so hopefully you'll be well looked after in Southend. All the best and make sure you post an New Bass Day NBD update in the Bass forum on here.