Leec Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 As the title says, just a quick hello from a newbie. I have thought for a long time about learning to play the bass...must be the only person I know that plays air bass instead of air guitar. Just doing a bit of research at the moment to find out which is the best bass to start learning with, any suggestions appreciated....squier j or p seem like good options. Going to trawl local music shops and see how they feel. Regards, Lee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Yep, Squier are good. As is trying out basses until you find one you like. Welcome to the mad house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leec Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 Thanks for the welcome, From everything that I've read squier do sound like a good beginners base, but a lot of people also say its best to pick a few up and see how they feel...which makes sense really. thanks again. Lee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Welcome Lee! Squier is not the only option. Do visit a shop and try out a few basses - you may find something in the same budget that you like better. (I for one am not a fan of Squier or Fender basses myself, soundwise and looks-wise.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Undead Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I'm a Fender Precision fan, so I'm by default also a Squier Precision fan the Classic Vibe series is excellent as is the Matt Freeman signature, and awesome value for money. But, if Squier or Fender aren't your bag, there are loads of options out there - my advice would be to go to a store and play as many as you can in your price range, unplugged first so you see which ones feel best and narrow it down, and then plug those in and see which one sounds best to your ears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leec Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 Thanks for all the replies, The plan is to visit a couple of shops and have a good look...i may look a bit daft at first, but that nothing unusual for me. Is there anybody on the forums that lives around the wirral/chester/Liverpool areas that can recommend a good shop or two ? Thanks, Lee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 (edited) Hi Lee, Welcome to BC. Depends on your budget, as the Affinity series seems to be not quite as good as the cheap Yamahas. At least I dropped it after a play and looking at the construction, but others can chime in. The Vintage Modified and Classic Vibe series though seem bloody fantastic, and are highly regarded here. I'm almost 100% sure my next bass will be a Classic Vibe. Mind ya, in that price range there are loads of good basses. From Liverpool, I'd drive down to Leamington to visit Bass Direct, but then again, I'm used to Norwegian distances, and could be found driving for three hours just to get me a hot dog and a coke. Enjoy! Edit: Just found out Bass Direct may be a trifle too Upper Shelves for your needs. Phone them first. Edited June 11, 2012 by BassTractor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiamPodmore Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 (edited) Head over to Dawsons in Manchester. I frequently go in there to test gear and if it's not too busy they're more than happy to let you try things out. Really easy to get to even if you don't drive too, only about 10 minutes walk from Manchester Picadilly station. I'd also possibly take a look at the Ibanez GSR200 too, it's the bass i started on and it's brilliant for beginners. Nice neck, P/J pickups, and not too heavy. Good luck with your bass hunting. Liam Edited June 11, 2012 by LiamPodmore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass-Thing Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Hi Sound advice from everybody. My first decent bass was a Squier P bass special which was great... until I found a 2nd hand Ibanez SRX300 which I bought for £100. Basically though you should buy what you like playing the most. You'll need an amp too. A small practice combo is probably ok to start with (unless you already have gigs lined up). Another thing I'd recommend is finding a good teacher (if you don't have one already). If you are anywhere near a music college, call them and ask if any of their faculty teach privately. My teacher is the head of bass at BIMM (Brighton) and he's brilliant. I don't know what your budget is but I honestly recommend buying the best kit you can currently afford. It's a great incentive to give it your best shot. After the Ibanez I got a Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass from the USA on Ebay (£250 for a used second + £45 postage and NO TAX! This was 4 years ago) and it's still the best bass I've ever played and I haven't looked back since. I sold the Ibanez but I still have the Squier (only it's seriously upgraded). I don't recommend buying your first bass on Ebay however. Try one in a shop with a good range in stock. Always ask a shop if they have any second hand basses. Hope it all goes well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leec Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 Thanks again for all the responses. Basstractor, Have been looking at a lot of customer reviews on many sites, and the vintage modified does look a good option...all the reviews look positive. Managed to find one not too far away from me that I will try and have a look at in the next few days. Liam, Have a Dawsons in Liverpool, going to try and get over there on Friday afternoon, will look into the Ibanez, sounds exactly the thing I'm looking for. Bass-Thing, Never thought about asking the shops about second hand ones....nice idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobodhi Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Definitely try out as many as you can, they're all very different, even ones from the same brand can come from different factories and be quite different, it's also well worth thinking about what sound you're looking for, passive or active, etc, but don't be put off by ebay, my first bass was an excellent ibanez from ebay at a lot cheaper than retail, then when I knew I was in love I went into the shops and tried everything I could get my hands on till I knew the one I had was just right for me. PS, I may be a bass newbie, but I've played guitar for nearly 40 years and that's the essence of my advice right there. Good luck, Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leec Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 Thanks Kevin, Have done a fair amount of reading up and have noticed a couple of people advising against learning on an active bass, what's the general opinion round these parts ? Thanks again. Lee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass-Thing Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 [quote name='Leec' timestamp='1339433020' post='1688404'] Thanks again for all the responses. Basstractor, Have been looking at a lot of customer reviews on many sites, and the vintage modified does look a good option...all the reviews look positive. Managed to find one not too far away from me that I will try and have a look at in the next few days. Liam, Have a Dawsons in Liverpool, going to try and get over there on Friday afternoon, will look into the Ibanez, sounds exactly the thing I'm looking for. Bass-Thing, Never thought about asking the shops about second hand ones....nice idea! [/quote] If you find a nice second hand bass in a shop, don't forget to haggle. If they own it they will have bought it for a lot cheaper than they are selling it and if they are selling for commission they will have a margin to drop the price a little. You can sometimes get a gigbag or strap or lead thrown in too. Once you have found a bass you like, it is worth checking both ebay and gumtree, though if it's in your hands and you can afford it, just buy it. Let us know how you get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leec Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 Thanks Bass-Thing, Don't mind a little haggling, could you get a free set up or would they do that anyway ? Lee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass-Thing Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 [quote name='Leec' timestamp='1339435176' post='1688437'] Thanks Bass-Thing, Don't mind a little haggling, could you get a free set up or would they do that anyway ? Lee. [/quote] Any bass you buy from a shop should be set up properly first. That's one of the advantages of buying from a shop as opposed to online. Make sure it's tuned properly when you try it (buy a snark and do it yourself - they are amazing tuners) and if there is anything you don't like (fretbuzz etc) tell them you need it sorted before buying it. Try it both through an amp and acoustically. You won't always be able to plug in and if it feels right acoustically, it probably is. I prefer passive as they are less complicated, but as long as you have a spare 9v battery about an active is ok if you like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 [quote name='Leec' timestamp='1339371420' post='1687697'] I have thought for a long time about learning to play the bass...must be the only person I know that plays air bass instead of air guitar. [/quote] Hi Lee The music shop in Hemel Hempstead will throw in either with your first purchase... Welcome.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leec Posted June 14, 2012 Author Share Posted June 14, 2012 The Greek, I play a mean air triangle too! ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rommi Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 [quote name='Leec' timestamp='1339433020' post='1688404'] Thanks again for all the responses. Basstractor, Have been looking at a lot of customer reviews on many sites, and the vintage modified does look a good option...all the reviews look positive. Managed to find one not too far away from me that I will try and have a look at in the next few days. Liam, Have a Dawsons in Liverpool, going to try and get over there on Friday afternoon, will look into the Ibanez, sounds exactly the thing I'm looking for. Bass-Thing, Never thought about asking the shops about second hand ones....nice idea! [/quote] Hi Lee Dawsons in Liverpool is great if you're near.. I can almost 100% say that you'll find a bass in there that you'll be walking out with! I bought a Road worn Fender Jazz from there when I was in Liverpool.. They let me try anything I wanted and were pretty helpful Good Luck Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leec Posted June 14, 2012 Author Share Posted June 14, 2012 Hello Matt, I'm not too far away from Liverpool, going over to Dawsons on Monday to have a look. I've been told that there's another music shop in the city centre as well, not sure of the name, I will have a look in there and let people know if it's any good. Lee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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