jd56hawk

I should've bought one of these when I had the chance, but I'm not a short-scale guy.

Buying a beginner bass...the least expensive you can find, middle of the pack, or $1,500 and up...Fender, MusicMan, Rickenbacker, Ibanez, Warwick or whatever? Sure, playability, tone and build quality are important, but do you base your purchase on looks? (I'm guessing most do.) Definitely more quality "cheap" basses available now than ever before, but some people might like to buy a topnotch bass, especially if they're serious, instead of upgrading later. I think the most important thing is to buy something you can really bond with. (Nothing worse for a beginner than to buy the wrong bass and give up in frustration a few months down the line.)

I was aware of the company for years, but you simply don't see them hanging up here in the USA at Guitar Center or Sam Ash, so they were simply not on my radar. Then, three years ago I went to Russo Music, a local shop, to pick up a Thunderbird I had on layaway. Shop was very busy, so I took a look around, saw a Thundergun and thought to myself, "Wow, this thing looks too cool!" Grabbed it and plugged it in and knew within five minutes that it was coming home with me...the Thunderbird didn’t.

Every time you see a Reverend bass hanging up at this or that music store, you can bet it's one of the best basses there.

You answered your own question...get a new bass. Seriously, we're not talking about anything special here, doesn't matter if the Weston sounds good, it's not worth the price...sorry, but I wouldn't pay $50 for it if I saw it at a yard sale, especially since so many better basses are available and there are more holiday sales than I've ever seen before.

Sure, clean it up a bit, but I'd definitely play it as it is!

Well, it's a Fender that costs less than a good gig bag, so some people will jump on them, despite their shortcomings. Other than that, the soundhole is absolutely useless and it looks preposterous and the bridge looks almost as big as the neck! I wouldn't buy one if it cost the same as a pack of strings, but it actually sounds pretty good.

By the way, still better than headless.

This begs a few questions. You won't buy a bass if someone played it with a pick? How do you tell if a pick 𝘸𝘢𝘴 used?

Sure, that's a given. No need to argue over should or will, I guess.

Exactly! Nothing more needs to be said.

You might want to consider GHS black tapewounds. I was big on flatwounds until I discovered these strings...even better than TI flats and they look great on a maple fretboard.

I've seen worse color combinations.

Nothing silly about it, I won't buy a bass with an unfinished headstock, unless it has a maple neck, and no one's ever given me a reason why I should.

Plenty of good choices available but why settle for good when you can buy great?

Third time this week I've heard it's better in every way than the typical Guitar Center black Aerodyne. (Looks like the GC Aerodyne has been discontinued, too...not showing up on the Fender site.)

I'm thinking about trying it out at a store near me, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea...if I try it, I might not be able to keep myself from buying it!

In that case, go to a few stores and try out as many basses as possible. Some will look good, some will feel good and some will sound good. Try enough basses and you'll find one that does all three. Here are two typical package deals compared to $379.99 for a 40th-Anniversary Vintage Precision or Jazz. Really no comparison, actually. As mentioned above, Harley Benton is a good choice, too.

Might be a better idea to buy a good bass and then pick up a little practice amp. Those package deals aren't really good deals. We're talking bottom-line basses and you'll eventually have to buy something better if your serious. I'm not saying they're bad basses, but why buy a decent bass when you can buy a great bass for a good price? I've seen too many people quit because they bought the wrong bass. Don't be one of them.

$799.99 on this side of the Atlantic...over $500 off! This one's definitely a no-brainer, especially compared to rhe Player series Jazz bass for the same price.

They never forgave me for selling my Thunderbirds and switching to the Thundergun. I'm guessing they didn't really care what I played, but they definitely didn't like me saying it was the better bass on Geddy Lee's new TV docuseries.🤔

It was being facetious...I can't begin to imagine why they'd change it. Seems unnecessary and definitely doesn't look good. If someone from Gibson knows, I'd like their take on it, though.

Sure, it'd be aesthetically pleasing that way, but there's a very good reason Gibson set up the control knobs and output jack like that.

Well, I put new strings on every bass I buy the first chance I get, but that's because I'm very particular when it comes to tone. If you're not satisfied with your strings, all four of them, why not put on your favorite set?