Beginner Equipment

[_GanondorF_]

Ok, so my friend is looking to take up bass. At first I recommended he get an Ibanez GSR200 bass (Which I hear are the best starter basses by far?) and a nice 2nd hand amp. But now It would seem that getting the cheapest possible bass makes more sense, As he can then upgrade once he knows he's gonna stick with it and he'l then have an idea of what he wants in a bass? And I also suggested that in any event he should get a good amp second hand, as it will do him justice in the long run. (bad bass + good amp = good... bad amp + good bass = bad)

So, he came across this http://www.musicstore.de/en/Bass/7_14_BBASSE_88_BAS0001645-001/0/0/0/detail/musicstore.html

Ok obviously not much to it, its just your standard P-bass copy. But should it be ok? Anything to watch out for etc? And any suggestions in general about what advice I should give him. Thanks alot guys :thumb:

[Hardinge]

77 euros for a bass he cant go wrong

[Thonk]

I've never heard of the company..But he could possibly pick up a Fender P for that used. Maybe not though as i'm not very good with exchange rates.

[Thonk]

77 euros for a bass he cant go wrong
Yeah he could.

If the bass is complete crap and would fall apart in a month or two, it wouldn't be worth it at all.

[Hardinge]

Yeah he could.

If the bass is complete crap and would fall apart in a month or two, it wouldn't be worth it at all.

suppose

[doodooking]

Get a quality instrument for their first one. On your first bass, you learn how to play. You also learn habits when you play, be it good or bad. On a crappy instrument, you're going to be learning some bad habits to compensate for the instrument. Get a quality instrument.

[Hardinge]

Get a quality instrument for their first one. On your first bass, you learn how to play. You also learn habits when you play, be it good or bad. On a crappy instrument, you're going to be learning some bad habits to compensate for the instrument. Get a quality instrument.

could be a waste if he dosent carry on with bass

[Thonk]

could be a waste if he dosent carry on with bass
Then that's when you sell the equipment.

I wish I could've learned on a better instrument. Sure, the cheapest seems like the best option at first, but I really regret getting what I got. When I got my Fender I felt so much more comfortable playing bass and I had a stronger drive to play.

[Hardinge]

what kind of bass would u say was good quailty but cheap enough for a beginner

[Gravaged]

Peavey makes no crappy instruments.. try any Milestone or a Grind

here ya go http://www.basscentre.com/product_info.php?products_id=758

the milestone III was my first bass and I still love it. doesn't sound special but man it plays. and I've knocked it off its stand, bashed into things, done some amateur truss rod adjustment and dragged it around to practices with no case or bag and it's still carrying on. Durability and reliability, I think, is most important for a beginner, because you're likely to do stupid stuff with it :D

[Thonk]

Ibanez GSR200, Yamaha RBX Series, and if he can stretch, used MIM Fenders. There may be others but those are the ones I can take off of the top of my head.

[Hardinge]

Peavey makes no crappy instruments.. try any Milestone or a Grind

i love my grind bass

[cAPS_lOCK]

The Yamaha RBX 170 is a very good beginner bass. They're a known brand, too, so it's really easy to get a buyer if you want to resell.

Of course, Ibanez would be equally good in theory, but for some reason I can't stand the cheap Ibanez basses *shrugs*.

[Polyamarous]

A good amp will make a bad bass sound much better, a bad amp with a good bass wont show the bass' full potential and mke it seem shoddy.
However I'd still go with the Ibanez, it's a quality bass, 2 years strong and I've had nothing that even come close to a problem.

[thelowsoundofbass]

the ibanez gsr200 is cheep as heck and so very good. a little lacking in tone but beginners know nothing about tone so it doesn't matter

lowsound

[Akira]

OLP. Best starter basses ever.

[doodooking]

could be a waste if he dosent carry on with bass

So you're saying killing someone's interest in an instrument by buying a crappy bass is better than getting them a quality instrument and trying to foster their interest? You're saying that buying a crappy bass is better than buying a quality bass?

I'm so sorry, I must have been wrong my whole life thinking that quality products are better than crap. Please, go buy a bass from Johnson instead of a Sadowsky, obviously it's better.

[Mr. Pickle]

Peavey makes no crappy instruments..

i LOL at that statement.



what is your friend planning on doing for an amp?

[bottlerocket]

OLP. Best starter basses ever.

Tr00f

They're very solid starter basses. They're the best, in my opinion. Spector + Musicman = can't go wrong.

-Gav

[Mr. Pickle]

So you're saying killing someone's interest in an instrument by buying a crappy bass is better than getting them a quality instrument and trying to foster their interest? You're saying that buying a crappy bass is better than buying a quality bass?

I'm so sorry, I must have been wrong my whole life thinking that quality products are better than crap. Please, go buy a bass from Johnson instead of a Sadowsky, obviously it's better.

dude, dont be difficult. if he is actually a beginner, he's not going to know jack about how good the feel/tone/construction is, i'm sure he just wants to learn how to play.

i'd say getting a good first bass is really idiotic. if you dont have a crappy bass to work on, how do you ever expect to learn how to replace/maintain the inside components and what not. if you really want to go and experiment on a ric or something, more power to you, but maybe you should get some experience before hand, no?

[Rasta Rocker]

He should not buy an amp, and have more money to buy a better bass. When I picked up guitar, I bought a cheap guitar and a cheap amp. I soon lost interest. When I picked up the bass I bought a pretty nice bass (Ibanez SRX-500, still have it and love it) I also got a decent amp. I think practice amps are useless. I never practiced with it, and then when I became good enough to play with a band there was no use for it. And if he spends more money on a bass, he might be driven more to learn because he spent good money on it...I was.

[doodooking]

dude, dont be difficult. if he is actually a beginner, he's not going to know jack about how good the feel/tone/construction is, i'm sure he just wants to learn how to play.

i'd say getting a good first bass is really idiotic. if you dont have a crappy bass to work on, how do you ever expect to learn how to replace/maintain the inside components and what not. if you really want to go and experiment on a ric or something, more power to you, but maybe you should get some experience before hand, no?


1. If you had a bass with sharp, unleveled frets when you started, with buzzing all over the neck, and a bridge that you couldn't intonate for the life of you, do you think it would be a good experience? What's the chances of you to continue playing bass with that pos instead of a decent beginner bass. I'm not talking about buying a ric as a first bass, I'm talking about buying an Ibanez/Squier/SX vs buying a Rouge.

2. Not everyone has a desire to mod their bass, I do, but not everyone wants to DIY. You should start with a cheaper bass, but that doesn't mean it has to be a crappy bass. I'd rather pour my money and time into an Ibanez rather than a Rouge.

[Munky_Jam]

spend a bit on either an OLP, Ibanez GSR200 (what i had) or a squire. All cheap, all excellent basses

[darrell]

1. If you had a bass with sharp, unleveled frets when you started, with buzzing all over the neck, and a bridge that you couldn't intonate for the life of you, do you think it would be a good experience? What's the chances of you to continue playing bass with that pos instead of a decent beginner bass. I'm not talking about buying a ric as a first bass, I'm talking about buying an Ibanez/Squier/SX vs buying a Rouge.

2. Not everyone has a desire to mod their bass, I do, but not everyone wants to DIY. You should start with a cheaper bass, but that doesn't mean it has to be a crappy bass. I'd rather pour my money and time into an Ibanez rather than a Rouge.

My Rogue didn't have all the problems that most people have on here. I still smashed it though. :smash: :smash:

I tried painting it and the paint was defective. I got pissed and... :smash:

[Akira]

I still say OLP. It is cheap enough that it doesn't have to be a huge commitment, but good enough that it will last. I am in no hurry to replace my MM-2.

Won't Guitar Center let you return a guitar in like 30 days for a refund?

[Mr. Pickle]

1. If you had a bass with sharp, unleveled frets when you started, with buzzing all over the neck, and a bridge that you couldn't intonate for the life of you, do you think it would be a good experience? What's the chances of you to continue playing bass with that pos instead of a decent beginner bass. I'm not talking about buying a ric as a first bass, I'm talking about buying an Ibanez/Squier/SX vs buying a Rouge.

2. Not everyone has a desire to mod their bass, I do, but not everyone wants to DIY. You should start with a cheaper bass, but that doesn't mean it has to be a crappy bass. I'd rather pour my money and time into an Ibanez rather than a Rouge.


a cheap bass and buzzing aren't really directly related. any bass can buzz... intontation doesn't mean jack to a beginner. i'm sure he probably couldn't tell the difference between one thats setup and one that isnt. unleveled frets is never a problem i have ever encountered, regardless of how cheap the bass was.

it doesnt have anything to do with modding, it's about basic maintenance, which i cant think of one good reason why someone should neglect to learn it. you keep throwing rogue into the picture, where did that come from? if you're talking about a gsr200, i think those are just as ****ty as any rogue, but when i was just starting out, i couldn't tell any difference except one looked different.

[doodooking]

a cheap bass and buzzing aren't really directly related. any bass can buzz... intontation doesn't mean jack to a beginner. i'm sure he probably couldn't tell the difference between one thats setup and one that isnt. unleveled frets is never a problem i have ever encountered, regardless of how cheap the bass was.

it doesnt have anything to do with modding, it's about basic maintenance, which i cant think of one good reason why someone should neglect to learn it. you keep throwing rogue into the picture, where did that come from? if you're talking about a gsr200, i think those are just as ****ty as any rogue, but when i was just starting out, i couldn't tell any difference except one looked different.

You know what, I'm not going to argue, go buy a crappy instrument as a first, you're going to learn bad habbits, but what the hey, I don't care. This will be the end of my interjection into this conversation.

[bass face]

i would buy a second hand bass...because unless the bass is falling appart it is going to last because it has already lasted through one owner....for a first bass you really dont need to worry about sound quality or anything bc chances are your not gonna be playing anywhere...you just need something that will stay in one piece while you're learning how to play...and as for amp i dont think it matters at all...you could even use a guitar amp if you really had to

[Mr. Pickle]

You know what, I'm not going to argue, go buy a crappy instrument as a first, you're going to learn bad habbits, but what the hey, I don't care. This will be the end of my interjection into this conversation.

thats another thing i'm curious about. you keep saying you'll learn bad habits on a sub-par bass. will you give examples, or will you just leave an open-ended statement like you did and not respond?