New player (Hopefully!) looking for a bit of advice

[Platbass]

Hello! As the title says I'm looking to buy my first bass but I've ran into a wall.

I'm left handed, and after trying a friend's guitar (which was right handed) it just solidified the fact that I really don't wanna learn bass right handed, it was super uncomfortable and honestly just no fun.
 

So, after checking my local shops there doesn't seem to be many left handed basses nearby which I could feasibly go and try out in person that aren't significantly over my budget (as in £1000+)

My budget is around £250-300 for the whole setup, bass, amp and all and I've been watching a lot of reviews on youtube and I'm thinking about getting a Harley Benton from Thomann (Specifically either the B-550LH or B-450LH), they seem well reviewed overall and they're within my budget. So my questions to you wonderful people are:

 

Given the fact I cant realistically try many (if any) in person before I buy is there anything I should keep in mind? I hear a lot about how important 'proper setup' is for a bass bought online but I'm not exactly sure what that consists of (is it something i could do myself using youtube?)

 

Have you got any other suggestions when it comes to basses in this kind of price range? From the reviews I've watched and the music I want to play (mostly metal) I think humbucker pickups sound the best so I've mainly been looking for those, as I'm not quite sure what else to look for. Also, I'm not sure whether to start on a 4 or 5 string, as a lot of the music I listen to (but nowhere near all) uses a 5 string however I see very mixed things with regards to starting on one. I also have fairly small hands and short fingers if that makes any difference.

 

Whats a good (relatively) cheap amp? From what I've seen the HB amps aren't generally considered as good as the guitars, What would be a better alternative without breaking the bank?

 

And finally, are there any resources you guys would recommend for learning? Obviously it'd be ideal to get actual lessons but are any online courses actually worth the cost? Any youtubers with a cohesive playlist of videos to start with as a total novice?

 

 

[lownote]

Your budget is very very tight for both bass and amp. Assuming you spend around £160 ish on the bass (HB) I really don't see how you're going to get any amp that will do more than bedroom practice.  Anything's possible but you're setting yourself quite a challenge. 

 

I have the fretless Harley Benton B550, which represents astonishing value for money but can't speak for the fretted versions.  The reason this makes a difference is because fretting is a fiddly process and it's easy for the finishing to be scimped (skimped?) on ultra low price instruments.

 

The general consensus is that starting off on 5 string is perfectly doable but 4s are just that bit easier to get your head round at first and most teaching material is 4 focused.

 

My personal experience and IMHO face to face teaching (proper lessons) is an expensive waste of time.  We live in a  golden age of online learning with loads of high quality free videos.  Yes, there's some awful rubbish out there too but you'll soon get a feel for what's good and what's not. The go-to source of quality teaching is SBL (Scotts Bass Lessons).  This costs money but you can take a 14 day free trial to see if you like the content and if you google there;'s a fair bit of quality free archive material from Scott too.

 

Hope that helps.  

 

 

[tauzero]

For the amp, what are your intentions? Home playing, gigging? How much room do you have and how loud do you want to go? Would just a headphone amp do?

 

I'm a 5-string player who started on 4-strings (there weren't many 5-strings around in the 70s). I can't see any problem with starting on a 5, and short fingers shouldn't be an issue - mine aren't exactly long. Look for second-hand instruments as well as new ones - BC marketplace, Facebook, Ebay, Gumtree, Preloved.

 

There's a lefties sub-forum which it might be worth asking in in case any lefties have skipped over this thread.

[Platbass]

18 minutes ago, lownote said:

Your budget is very very tight for both bass and amp. Assuming you spend around £160 ish on the bass (HB) I really don't see how you're going to get any amp that will do more than bedroom practice.  Anything's possible but you're setting yourself quite a challenge. 

 

I have the fretless Harley Benton B550, which represents astonishing value for money but can't speak for the fretted versions.  The reason this makes a difference is because fretting is a fiddly process and it's easy for the finishing to be scimped (skimped?) on ultra low price instruments.

 

The general consensus is that starting off on 5 string is perfectly doable but 4s are just that bit easier to get your head round at first and most teaching material is 4 focused.

 

My personal experience and IMHO face to face teaching (proper lessons) is an expensive waste of time.  We live in a  golden age of online learning with loads of high quality free videos.  Yes, there's some awful rubbish out there too but you'll soon get a feel for what's good and what's not. The go-to source of quality teaching is SBL (Scotts Bass Lessons).  This costs money but you can take a 14 day free trial to see if you like the content and if you google there;'s a fair bit of quality free archive material from Scott too.

 

Hope that helps.  

 

 

Honestly the budget is a little bit flexible, i'm a uni student so over summer i'll likely be working and as such can stretch a little further, 250-300 is just where id roughly like to keep it around. I only intend to use the amp practice at home anyway combined with an audio interface to record straight to my pc (getting one for an XLR microphone anyway so might as well use it for bass)

 

14 minutes ago, tauzero said:

For the amp, what are your intentions? Home playing, gigging? How much room do you have and how loud do you want to go? Would just a headphone amp do?

 

I'm a 5-string player who started on 4-strings (there weren't many 5-strings around in the 70s). I can't see any problem with starting on a 5, and short fingers shouldn't be an issue - mine aren't exactly long. Look for second-hand instruments as well as new ones - BC marketplace, Facebook, Ebay, Gumtree, Preloved.

 

There's a lefties sub-forum which it might be worth asking in in case any lefties have skipped over this thread.

I'm only looking for something for bedroom practice, no intentions of gigging anywhere any time soon. I can't really be too loud either as I'm between living in Student accommodation and home for summer.
I was going to post it in the lefties subforum but the main one looked more active haha.

 

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by Platbass

[tauzero]

17 minutes ago, Platbass said:

I'm only looking for something for bedroom practice, no intentions of gigging anywhere any time soon. I can't really be too loud either as I'm between living in Student accommodation and home for summer.

 

You could try a headphone amp: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001118099692.html - they have input jacks so you can play along with MP3s/CDs.

[DGBass]

As a lifetime lefty, I feel your pain regarding being able to try out different instruments to find one you really like. There are way more choices these days than there ever has been in the past, but mostly its an online lottery if thats how you intend to buy. Local classifieds where you can go in person to check a used bass are ideal places to find lefties. If I was starting out again knowing what I have learned over the years, I'd spend the majority of my budget on as good a bass as possible that I could find. Many basses will work well with metal, you don't need to narrow your choice searching for a bass with humbuckers to do that and I'd personally stay well clear of five string basses if i was going back to the start. There aren't many musical genres a half decent prescision style bass or a Jazz for that mattter can't cope with. My first real bass was a well used Antoria lefty jazz and that style of bass has stuck with me. I've owned at least eight over the years playing pop, indie, rock, doom and even trip hop with a Jazz.

Bass amps are ten a penny these days, expecially in the online classifieds and various market places. A small second hand 10-50w combo for forty or fifty quid would get you going and when budget constraints improve, you can get a larger setup for gigging or go IEM's if you become very flush in the future and don't like the idea of carting around a big rig🙂

Edited May 13, 2023 by DGBass

[Paolo85]

For bedroom practice consider the option of zoom B1 four pedal and headphones. For low volume playing I have a Hartke HD25 and I am quite happy with it. Fender does cheaper amps with good reputation. Some people say you need at least 40 watt but I guess it depends on the definition of "need". As for the bass, theeere is no guarantee that you get a good one within your budget but the HB is an extremely sensible bet. I would make sure you squeeze in your budget money for a professional setup as it can make a world of difference. Also the tech can tell you if the fretwork happens to be proper awful and with Thomann you can send it back. Most likely with a good setup it would be playable.

My opinion is that it is better to start on 4 strings unless there are very specific reason for 5 - eg you plan to play play lots of metal songs that downtune or go to the low B.

It's less things to think about (muting is simpler on 4), more likely to get a better balance with the bass (5 string basses are more likely to be neck heavy and neck dive, although the HB B550 has a sensible design and the risk is lower than in say a 5 string jazz bass). But also, when I had 5 string basses I used to find it annoying because I was only playing song clearly written for four strings and I had that string there doing nothing. Very much a first world problem but it annoyed me!

[Paolo85]

Sorry I missed the metal bit. Yes if you want to play lot's of stuff that uses the low B don't worry there is no problem starting out with a 5 string. I mean, there are the issues mentioned above but they are not massive issues. Cheap basses often neck dive, even 4 string basses. (Also, non cheap basses can neck dive). A leather strap helps. By the time you get into a metal band at a level that the bass player's muting technique is an important issue, you most likely have already learnt how to mute a 5 string.

[Platbass]

7 minutes ago, DGBass said:

As a lifetime lefty, I feel your pain regarding being able to try out different instruments to find one you really like. There are way more choices these days than there ever has been in the past, but mostly its an online lottery if thats how you intend to buy. Local classifieds where you can go in person to check a used bass are ideal places to find lefties. If I was starting out again knowing what I have learned over the years, I'd spend the majority of my budget on as good a bass as possible that I could find. Many basses will work well with metal, you don't need to narrow your choice searching for a bass with humbuckers to do that and I'd personally stay well clear of five string basses if i was going back to the start. There aren't many musical genres a half decent prescision style bass or a Jazz for that mattter can't cope with. My first real bass was a well used Antoria lefty jazz and that style of bass has stuck with me. I've owned at least eight over the years playing pop, indie, rock, doom and even trip hop with a Jazz.

Bass amps are ten a penny these days, expecially in the online classifieds and various market places. A small second hand 10-50w combo for forty or fifty quid would get you going and when budget constraints improve, you can get a larger setup for gigging or go IEM's if you become very flush in the future and don't like the idea of carting around a big rig🙂

I actually already own a pair of IEM's, nothing too premium though (Kz zs10). I'll have a look on FB marketplace/Gumtree etc for any local amps going at a good price. Are there any sites I should check other than the usual suspects? 

 

17 minutes ago, Paolo85 said:

For bedroom practice consider the option of zoom B1 four pedal and headphones. For low volume playing I have a Hartke HD25 and I am quite happy with it. Fender does cheaper amps with good reputation. Some people say you need at least 40 watt but I guess it depends on the definition of "need". As for the bass, theeere is no guarantee that you get a good one within your budget but the HB is an extremely sensible bet. I would make sure you squeeze in your budget money for a professional setup as it can make a world of difference. Also the tech can tell you if the fretwork happens to be proper awful and with Thomann you can send it back. Most likely with a good setup it would be playable.

My opinion is that it is better to start on 4 strings unless there are very specific reason for 5 - eg you plan to play play lots of metal songs that downtune or go to the low B.

It's less things to think about (muting is simpler on 4), more likely to get a better balance with the bass (5 string basses are more likely to be neck heavy and neck dive, although the HB B550 has a sensible design and the risk is lower than in say a 5 string jazz bass). But also, when I had 5 string basses I used to find it annoying because I was only playing song clearly written for four strings and I had that string there doing nothing. Very much a first world problem but it annoyed me!

Sorry for the silly question but how would using the Zoom pedal work (as in how would i plug it in etc.)? When you say a professional setup where could I get that? Could I just take the guitar I bought online to a store such as PMT or should I look elsewhere, and how much should I budget in for that?
When it comes to the tuning I've honestly got no idea whats played, a bit of googling what I listen to just now and looking at tabs online brought up a lot of Drop D and whatever tuning (A#,D#,G#,C#,F#) is.

Really sorry for the lack of knowledge here folks and I really appreciate you all taking the time to answer 😁

[DGBass]

3 minutes ago, Platbass said:

Are there any sites I should check other than the usual suspects? 

None specific really. I think buying as local as possible where its feasible to go along and try something out rather than doing a meet up deal in an ASDA or motorway services car park miles from home is prefferable. If you aren't sure what you are intending to buy but it looks good, take along a musical buddy who can offer some advice or a second opinion before you part with any money. Keep to your budget and haggle! 🙂

[Paolo85]

1 hour ago, Platbass said:

I actually already own a pair of IEM's, nothing too premium though (Kz zs10). I'll have a look on FB marketplace/Gumtree etc for any local amps going at a good price. Are there any sites I should check other than the usual suspects? 

 

Sorry for the silly question but how would using the Zoom pedal work (as in how would i plug it in etc.)? When you say a professional setup where could I get that? Could I just take the guitar I bought online to a store such as PMT or should I look elsewhere, and how much should I budget in for that?
When it comes to the tuning I've honestly got no idea whats played, a bit of googling what I listen to just now and looking at tabs online brought up a lot of Drop D and whatever tuning (A#,D#,G#,C#,F#) is.

Really sorry for the lack of knowledge here folks and I really appreciate you all taking the time to answer 😁

 

You connect the bass to the pedal with the jack, and then you connect hopefully good headphones to the pedal with the [EDIT] jack exit. You may need a jack adapter. And then you are done. The pedal works with power plug or batteries although the latter don't last long. With the pedal you can hear the dry signal (that is the clean sound of your bass, in no way altered) which is very nice. It also has amps and cabs simulators - they emulate the sound of famous amps. I am not 100% sure about those, some seem to do well to my Jazz bass and my Stingray-inspired Cort, but with Precision basses I haven't found a satisfying option. Still, with the budget you are on chances are that with an actual amp you'd be worse off.

With the Zoom you have an aux in to play along with songs, a tuner (although I have my reservations on that), a metronome and drum loops to play along.

As for the setup, I'd go to a tech/luthier with decent reputation (you can google names around you and ask here about them). Shops also can do setups normally. I personally would avoid unless you have it included with the purchase of the bass as I had a bad experience with a famous shop in Denmark Street, but I guess I am not a significant sample statistically.

Now, a setup is 40 pounds I believe. So that's a lot in your budget. But when I started I played for years with a bass with bad setup. Combine that with a number of other mistakes and few years down the line I had to quit for tendinitis.

There is also the option to learn how to do a setup yourself. You'll find plenty of topics here where we discussed that. The first time around I'd prefer a tech to do it personally though

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by Paolo85
No aux out in the zoom!

[Geek99]

3 hours ago, Platbass said:

Hello! As the title says I'm looking to buy my first bass but I've ran into a wall.

I'm left handed, and after trying a friend's guitar (which was right handed) it just solidified the fact that I really don't wanna learn bass right handed, it was super uncomfortable and honestly just no fun.
 

So, after checking my local shops there doesn't seem to be many left handed basses nearby which I could feasibly go and try out in person that aren't significantly over my budget (as in £1000+)

My budget is around £250-300 for the whole setup, bass, amp and all and I've been watching a lot of reviews on youtube and I'm thinking about getting a Harley Benton from Thomann (Specifically either the B-550LH or B-450LH), they seem well reviewed overall and they're within my budget. So my questions to you wonderful people are:

 

Given the fact I cant realistically try many (if any) in person before I buy is there anything I should keep in mind? I hear a lot about how important 'proper setup' is for a bass bought online but I'm not exactly sure what that consists of (is it something i could do myself using youtube?)

 

Have you got any other suggestions when it comes to basses in this kind of price range? From the reviews I've watched and the music I want to play (mostly metal) I think humbucker pickups sound the best so I've mainly been looking for those, as I'm not quite sure what else to look for. Also, I'm not sure whether to start on a 4 or 5 string, as a lot of the music I listen to (but nowhere near all) uses a 5 string however I see very mixed things with regards to starting on one. I also have fairly small hands and short fingers if that makes any difference.

 

Whats a good (relatively) cheap amp? From what I've seen the HB amps aren't generally considered as good as the guitars, What would be a better alternative without breaking the bank?

 

And finally, are there any resources you guys would recommend for learning? Obviously it'd be ideal to get actual lessons but are any online courses actually worth the cost? Any youtubers with a cohesive playlist of videos to start with as a total novice?

 

 

Ampeg ba series gets my vote 

[Reggaebass]

Hi and welcome

There’s an Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-110 , in mint condition for sale in the classifieds here for £150, it’s a quality amp and would be ideal for what you’re looking for 

Edited May 13, 2023 by Reggaebass

[Platbass]

1 hour ago, Paolo85 said:

 

You connect the bass to the pedal with the jack, and then you connect hopefully good headphones to the pedal with the [EDIT] jack exit. You may need a jack adapter. And then you are done. The pedal works with power plug or batteries although the latter don't last long. With the pedal you can hear the dry signal (that is the clean sound of your bass, in no way altered) which is very nice. It also has amps and cabs simulators - they emulate the sound of famous amps. I am not 100% sure about those, some seem to do well to my Jazz bass and my Stingray-inspired Cort, but with Precision basses I haven't found a satisfying option. Still, with the budget you are on chances are that with an actual amp you'd be worse off.

With the Zoom you have an aux in to play along with songs, a tuner (although I have my reservations on that), a metronome and drum loops to play along.

As for the setup, I'd go to a tech/luthier with decent reputation (you can google names around you and ask here about them). Shops also can do setups normally. I personally would avoid unless you have it included with the purchase of the bass as I had a bad experience with a famous shop in Denmark Street, but I guess I am not a significant sample statistically.

Now, a setup is 40 pounds I believe. So that's a lot in your budget. But when I started I played for years with a bass with bad setup. Combine that with a number of other mistakes and few years down the line I had to quit for tendinitis.

There is also the option to learn how to do a setup yourself. You'll find plenty of topics here where we discussed that. The first time around I'd prefer a tech to do it personally though

 

I've looked into the pedal and it looks pretty complicated (to someone who has absolutely 0 experience) so it's a little bit daunting, I think what I'm gonna do is wait it out and look for a good deal around the 100 quid range in local listings and on here etc. Really appreciate the suggestion and its something ill look into more when I'm more familiar with the instrument.

When it comes to setup i'll ask here after I actually get the bass (not sure where I'll be location wise).

Do you think one of the HB's (either the B-450 or 550) with a proper setup from a professional, combined with whichever amp I end up with after deal hunting, would be a good starting setup?

 

Thank you everyone for the advice so far! You're all really welcoming and patient with my questions 👍

[Paolo85]

Bookmark this conversation for the setup

 

 

I had two HB but I never tried the B450. Regardless, yes, with that bass combined with whatever amp you try and soubds good to you plus a good setup no doubt you are good to go! Unless you are unlucky and get a bad one which is always possible with mass produced instruments. But you have, I believe, a multy-year guarantee with Thomann for actual faults, and for other stuff (eg bad fretwork) there are ways to cope and ways to solve it.

Edited May 13, 2023 by Paolo85

[Geek99]

2 hours ago, Platbass said:

I've looked into the pedal and it looks pretty complicated (to someone who has absolutely 0 experience) so it's a little bit daunting, I think what I'm gonna do is wait it out and look for a good deal around the 100 quid range in local listings and on here etc. Really appreciate the suggestion and its something ill look into more when I'm more familiar with the instrument.

When it comes to setup i'll ask here after I actually get the bass (not sure where I'll be location wise).

Do you think one of the HB's (either the B-450 or 550) with a proper setup from a professional, combined with whichever amp I end up with after deal hunting, would be a good starting setup?

 

Thank you everyone for the advice so far! You're all really welcoming and patient with my questions 👍

Look for

a Zoom b2.1u 

cheap as chips, has a few built in drum patterns and really quite good amp simulations and effects 

and a headphone socket 

[Rayman]

Second hand… probably EBay….

 

Yamaha RBX170 bass and a Peavey Micro Bass amp.

 

Job done

[Maude]

If volume is going to be an issues then I'd personally go for an NUX Mighty Plug, just the cheaper first version rather than the newer, more expensive one. That should leave nearly £250 for a bass. 

Very briefly the NUX plugs into your bass with headphones then plugged into the NUX, leaving you free to roam if you feel so INCLINED. The NUX is recharged through USB and you download a phone app which let's you set up seven presets with amp models, effects etc on each preset. You can bluetooth your phone to it to play along with wherever you get your music from.

Sounds technical to a noob but it's really intuitive and will let you try out all sorts of effects. It sounds very good too where most of the cheaper 'amp plugs' dont. 

[PaulThePlug]

See whats local Gumtree, Face Ache etc... for Bass and Amps...

[Bolo]

As you're going to be using your audio interface I'd not worry about an amp for now. Decent headphones or the in-ears you already own are fine. 

Instead you could get a preamp like the behringer v-tone bass bddi21 to give your bass tone some flavour.

Budget for a comfortable strap and the correct cables, maybe a gig bag if you plan on taking the bass to different places (Thomann offers a package deal, not bad!)

Put the rest of your budget towards lessons, a quality audio interface if needed, or a DAW and plugins or a spare set of strings.

 

Most of all, enjoy and keep at it!

[Fishfacefour]

This is a total bargain and should get you up and running (no affiliation with the seller) 

 

[Steve Browning]

If you are just talking about practising, at this stage, I might question the need for an amp at all. I pretty much always practice acoustically without issue. 

 

Use the saved cash to get a 'better' bass. 

 

If you were local to me I would certainly help with a set up, and maybe someone here (who is in your vicinity) will offer. 

[ead]

On 13/05/2023 at 16:20, Platbass said:

I'm only looking for something for bedroom practice, no intentions of gigging anywhere any time soon. I can't really be too loud either as I'm between living in Student accommodation and home for summer.

Definitely look for a headphone amp, or a pedal with a headhone socket.  Maybe check this thread out:

 

 

[Rayman]

Totally unaffiliated with the seller, but that’s a decent lefty bass….. there’s also a few Peavey Micro Bass amps, around 40-50 quid on the bay.

 

Start on a 4 string in my opinion.

[Rexel Matador]

It's already been said here but I would agree that humbuckers are not necessary for a good metal bass tone, despite most (modern) metal players using them - even at the more extreme end, though, Glen Benton of Deicide is now using a passive fender with P/J pickups - so maybe the tide is changing and you'd actually be putting yourself ahead of the curve!

Regarding 4 or 5 strings, I personally prefer to play the low tuned stuff on a four-string, with thicker strings to accommodate the B E A D tuning. Tuning regular strings down that low will make them too loose, but Ernie Ball actually makes a 4-string set (Beefy Slinky) that are perfect for this purpose.

Regarding how to learn, I would usually say go ahead with youtube and the huge amount of tabs available online - just start slow and it will come. I have found though, that metal bass tabs (and indeed youtube covers) can be inaccurate in a way that is specifically quite off-putting for the novice bassist: Because they can't hear any different, the tab author assumes the bass doubles the guitar part exactly.

Take a song like Raining Blood by Slayer for example: hard enough to play on guitar - and I have seen tabs online that claim the bass part is basically exactly the same but an octave lower. Bearing in mind that Tom Araya also had to sing while playing this was enough to make me want to give up for ever. BUT, you can find the isolated bass track on youtube and find that he is actually doing something a lot simpler, holding down the low end while the guitars do the fancy stuff. My point being, don't get disheartened thinking you have to be a superfast shredder, playing everything the guitarist plays with the added encumbrance of larger strings, string spacing, neck length. Metal bass is about playing in time, solidly and gluing the frenetic drums and guitars together. Just my thoughts - all totally subjective of course.