Looking to buy first bass guitar £200-300

[Hendrikse]

Jus looking to buy my first bass soon cus i find them really interesting and i jus really wanna play one ,want it to look the part for death/black metal and will hopefully play some heavy metal if i get good at it , ive seen some B.C. rich basses which look pretty awesome, especially the NJ deluxe warlock bass but no idea wat the prices are, dont mind if there 2nd hand of ebay ect so hopefully if i come accross when i have enough money i can get one and a quite cheap lead/amp.

Used to play guitar for a couple of months but cba'd with it really because i find basses so much cooler and make my mouth water, especially after seein the music video for The Philosopher by Death (sik vid) so ty for any helpfull replies

[greyparrot]

squire retro jazz about 250 well worth it.

[essexbasscat]

Chinese (Crafted in China, CIC) Jazz bass. Perhaps the best value for money in this price range, although I'm sure someone will disagree

T

Edited August 31, 2010 by essexbasscat

[waynepunkdude]

Nice quick edit

[essexbasscat]

I was sure someone would pounce on it !

[Rayman]

Epiphone Thunderbird Gothic or a Black Ibanez SR300 or similar.

Yamaha BB414 is a great bass too, and also available in black I think.

[zero9]

Buying a bass is a very personal thing. Try as many as you can before you buy.

As already stated by others, for a new bass in that range, Yamaha are probably good value for money. If you want something you can sell on easily later without losing money, try and get hold of a SH Mexican Fender or you could go for a new Squire.

Good luck.

[lojo]

what you can buy for 200-300 these days new is amazing, many squires are well rated, I owned a VMJazz which for the money was great

So new you can get something great for that money, 2nd hand perhaps a MIM fender, it may be no better than some squires, but you may like a fender logo

What style do you think you would like?

And yes top comment, bass is a good choice, great instrument, midfield of the band, you'll get no credit though, unlike the guy who does'nt know his chords but plays a few random notes and calls it a lead solo

[Musky]

There's a Traben in the 'for sale' forum, currently being offered for the bottom end of your budget. I've no experience of the brand myself but they're definitely aimed at metal players. Might not be pointy enough for you though!

Edited September 1, 2010 by Musky

[Lozz196]

+1 on the Epiphone Thunderbird Gothic for metal. Or, if u can find one, the Nikki Sixx Epiphone Thunderbird is worth a try.

T-birds are a bit awkward, cos of the size, but they play quite fast, and the necks are easy to work around. And for rock/metal, they sound great.

Ordinarily I`d suggest Fender MIM, either Precision or Jazz depending on yr preference, as they are, imo, better instruments, but u said it has to look the part for metal, and T-birds certainly do that.

Edited September 1, 2010 by Lozz196

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='Musky' post='941671' date='Sep 1 2010, 07:24 AM']There's a Traben in the 'for sale' forum, currently being offered for the bottom end of your budget. I've no experience of the brand myself but they're definitely aimed at metal players. Might not be pointy enough for you though! [/quote]
+1 for this. They have a very deep dark sound. Ideal for black, doom etc..

edit : found a [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=74014&hl=traben"]link[/url] for you.

Edited September 1, 2010 by Ou7shined

[Bassassin]

[quote name='Lozz196' post='941678' date='Sep 1 2010, 07:43 AM']Ordinarily I`d suggest Fender MIM, either Precision or Jazz depending on yr preference, as they are, imo, better instruments, but u said it has to look the part for metal, and T-birds certainly do that.[/quote]

Nowt wrong with playing a Jazz in a metal band - ask Mendez from Opeth:



And that's not just any old Jazz either.

Jon.

[iconic]

[quote name='Rayman' post='941472' date='Aug 31 2010, 09:57 PM']Epiphone Thunderbird Gothic or a Black Ibanez SR300 or similar.

Yamaha BB414 is a great bass too, and also available in black I think.[/quote]


+1 on the BB414

[Meenie]

Epi T-Birds are great for the rock/metal sound.

Bit cumbersome for a first bass though as they are very headstock heavy.

They do play super quick though so you could do a lot worse.


Best thing to do is go to a shop with a big range of basses and try out everything you like....and some that you dont...you never know what might float yer boat!

[essexbasscat]

two classic vibe precisions on here at the mo for £200 - very nice for the price

would have one myself if I had the money

T

[Russ]

The problem with most pointy-shaped "metal" instruments is that they might look great, but almost always play, balance and sound like s**t. As a new player, you want an instrument that plays easily and sounds good, as it'll inspire you to keep playing and get better.

The only inexpensive metal-ish bass I've played anytime recently that's actually any good is the ESP LTD F-104, the basic model comes in at £269 on GAK. Check it out - [url="http://www.gak.co.uk/en/esp-ltd-f-104/2034"]http://www.gak.co.uk/en/esp-ltd-f-104/2034[/url] . And, since you like Steve DiGiorgio in the Death video, these are the basses he's playing now (albeit fretless ESP Custom Shop versions).

[the_skezz]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='942200' date='Sep 1 2010, 03:01 PM']Nowt wrong with playing a Jazz in a metal band - ask Mendez from Opeth:



And that's not just any old Jazz either.

Jon.[/quote]

+ 1

I switched from Fender Precision to Squier Vintage Modified Jazz (which I'd recommend to the OP) in my punk band, and nobody seems to mind that it looked out of place...though admittedly I stuck the label from a bottle of Desperados on the scratchplate, which might have helped

Edited September 2, 2010 by the_skezz