Silverwolf Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 (edited) Hi, looking to get my first bass guitar and wondering whether the following would be suitable for a complete beginner. I've no experience of playing guitars, but did learn to play keyboards for a couple of years when I was a youngster! I think I would be better off getting a second hand guitar, and after looking at a few online sites, am tempted by either a Yamaha (RBX374 or RB270), Ibanez SR300, or Cort Action. Is it a bad idea to get an active as your first guitar, and would you avoid any of the guitars I've shortlisted - cheers ? PS - did pop into two local Guitar stores but they only had one used bass each below £200 Edited September 27, 2009 by Silverwolf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 (edited) Hi, the standard meat-and-potatoes bass is a Precision or Jazz and Squier do some fantastic, good value versions (eg Vintage Modified line). The For Sale section of BassChat usually has a selection of these at around £150-ish. Active or passive is personal choice - there are more tonal options with active but you also have to have batteries to hand etc and many (if not the majority) are perfectly happy with passive tones. In fact most of the world's best bass lines over the last ~50 years were recorded on passive basses. Would also suggest you get to a music store and try a few out. Good luck! Edited September 27, 2009 by Clarky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pissman Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 I've got one of the Yamaha RBX 270 and it's works great for me, fine for occasional gigs. Don't know about the rest but like Clarky said the Vintoage Modified Squires are apparntly realy good for the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tait Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 have you tried searching the forum? there are a lot of threads from beginners comparing the yamaha and the ibanez! personally i'd go for the ibanez, they're solid basses and are well built. they sound excellent, too! theyre light and have really fast necks, and you can get a huge range of sounds from them. although to be honest, you want to get out there and go to every music shop you can get to, play everything within your price range - and definatly set a price range, otherwise you'll end up spending waaay more than you planned. maybe take a friend who knows about basses if you have one? stick to something with a brand on the headstock, and if theres anything at all youre not sure about ask here! then buy your favourite bass of the lot. if you're lucky, you'll know as soon as you pick up the bass which one is the right on for you, and that bass will be a keeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheButler Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I had an RBX270, when i started 8 years ago. It was a seriously nice bass and in some respect i regret selling it. I can't honestly see how i could've got off to a better start than on that Yammy. I'd give it a go, but also be tempted to try the Squier VM's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimBass Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 My First bass was an SR200 (loved it...Absolute great first bass....highly recommended) however my second bass was a Yammy RBX (775 so more similar to the RBX374 but with a couple of nicer finishes) I loved this Bass too!! Great basses but personally I think I would edge towards the Ibanez...I feel you'll get a bit more bass for your buck. Cort....only played a couple...not very impressed...deffinitly stick with one of the bigger commercial names for a beginner bass. But as the others say...get out there...see them in the flesh...get a friend to play them infront of you if you dont feel comfortable so that you can hear any tonal differences. I don't think you'll be disappointed with either the Ibanez of the Yamaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bh2 Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Have a look at the Squier Classic Vibes also... the Jazz is ver nice. Maybe a MiM (mexi) Fender P or J off the Bay. I got a Precision there for £250 and it's a real peach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niceguyhomer Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I know this won't sound helpful but I don't think it matters what you buy for your first bass cos whatever you buy, it'll help you make a more informed choice for your second. That said, you can't go far wrong with any Yammy or Fender or Ibanez or Peavey to start with. I've found that most issues or dislikes I've had with basses don't rear their heads until you've been playing them for a while but if you do find you've made an error of judgement, it's pretty easy and painless to buy and sell stuff on here so the world's your lobster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samkeen Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I still have the Squire P bass that was my first bass 11 years ago (I lend it to students, can't bear to get rid of it). They're cheap and nice to play. No problem getting an active bass that I can see, other than you'll be paying more. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Yamaha BB414, simple as. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywalker83 Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 (edited) I would say as a complete beginner go for Used or the cheapest new bass you can find. But the main thing is to try before you buy, and get something that feels nice to play. My first bass when i was 15 or 16 was a Washburn XB-100, nice slim neck, quite light and a funky mettalic purple colour. I would say that for an absolute beginner that basses like Squier are not absolutley necessary, don't buy a bass because of the name on the headstock, buy it because it feels good, sounds good to your ears and is in your price range. I've been semi pro for almost 8 years now and i play a budget bass, my 5 string Westfield. I love it. True, i have made a couple of mods to it (pickups and tuners), but i bought a bass that when i tried it it felt and sounded good to me. Just my 2c Edited September 28, 2009 by Skywalker83 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bh2 Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Get the best you can afford... obviously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brave Sir Robin Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 (edited) Any of these wouldn't be a bad choice tbh. Then it's up to you which one feels more at home. Active electronics are ok, even on cheap models nowadays. It's up to you in the end IIRC, the Ibanez can switch to passive if the battery dies or something. Basically, Yamaha, Ibanez, Corts, Squiers, Peavey, but no no-name piece of crap (Stagg, Embassy, that sort of thing). You should probably go second hand to save money, and you can get a very decent bass for under £200 (got a K5 for £220). Edited September 28, 2009 by Brave Sir Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcus bell Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 hey there mate a good choice could be a squier p bass special has brilliant quality build, both p bass and j bass tones, and a lovely neck id love another one if i could get one.... or a peavey cirrus. There great basses thru neck active 3 band eq thru body stringing and fancy looks.... Second hand there dirt cheap. Yeah but its up to you at the end of the day... Hope this helps sir. Xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 As said in prev posts, you can't really go wrong with Squire, Yamaha, Ibanez or Cort. Personally I have an Ibanez SR300 as I wanted the slimmer neck because I have got what have been described as ' shovels for hands' i.e. not small, but large palms ( not very long fingers). My hands aren't really designed for playing stringed instruments so I went for something that made life easier. I am more than happy with it, my only gripe is the colour, it's red and I wanted the blue with maple neck, but I couldn't find one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverwolf Posted September 29, 2009 Author Share Posted September 29, 2009 (edited) Thanks for all the replies - wasn't expecting so many!! I'll keep watching the for sale section here, and other sites like Ebay, and see what I find. Will let you know when I purchase one Edited September 29, 2009 by Silverwolf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcrow Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 (edited) [quote name='Silverwolf' post='610074' date='Sep 27 2009, 03:47 PM']Hi, looking to get my first bass guitar and wondering whether the following would be suitable for a complete beginner. I've no experience of playing guitars, but did learn to play keyboards for a couple of years when I was a youngster! I think I would be better off getting a second hand guitar, and after looking at a few online sites, am tempted by either a Yamaha (RBX374 or RB270), Ibanez SR300, or Cort Action. Is it a bad idea to get an active as your first guitar, and would you avoid any of the guitars I've shortlisted - cheers ? PS - did pop into two local Guitar stores but they only had one used bass each below £200[/quote] i am in that position as a newbie to lower priced models... i have been looking at new and found the vintage and ibanez models quite nicely put together yamaha have silly pickups on some models and i believe use their own hardware also in fact do ibanez a fender wannabe is the answer...so for my call its vintage Edited September 29, 2009 by mrcrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverwolf Posted October 17, 2009 Author Share Posted October 17, 2009 Again, thanks for the earlier advice. Ended up buying a used Yamaha BB604 in natural finish for a fair price, which I'm happy with, and fairly certain will last me for quite a few years. Had to give it a dust and also cleaned the frets and rosewod neck following the cleaning tips on here - used masking tape to protect the neck while cleaning the frets with a cloth dippsed in Brasso, and they're now nice and shiny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBlueFalcon Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 I briefly owned an SR300 (which my brother now has) and it is a superb bass for £230. If you are after a bargain I would suggest this.... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=60856"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=60856[/url] He has now listed it on eBay, but maybe he would end the auction (as there are no bids yet) and sell to you direct, to save ebay and Paypal fees. The hard case is £70+ new, so this really is a bargain for a bass that would cost you £470 brand new (£540 with the case). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBlueFalcon Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Oh, too late, I should have read the rest of the thread!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 [quote name='Silverwolf' post='629080' date='Oct 17 2009, 09:50 PM']Again, thanks for the earlier advice. Ended up buying a used Yamaha BB604 in natural finish for a fair price, which I'm happy with, and fairly certain will last me for quite a few years. Had to give it a dust and also cleaned the frets and rosewod neck following the cleaning tips on here - used masking tape to protect the neck while cleaning the frets with a cloth dippsed in Brasso, and they're now nice and shiny.[/quote] Good choice, and a bass that you ought to be able to conect with. It will also be easy enough to set up to play well, so if you need to adjust stuff dont be afraid to ask! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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