Beginner Bass Suggestions

[tabeck5]

Played guitar forever and now my kids are taking up guitar so to play along with them I decided to pick up the Bass. I want something nice and playable but not incredibly expensive (<$550). I am considering the following new bass guitars:

Ibanez SR400EQM
Yamaha BB434M

It seems the market changes constantly for these so many items that I have seen positive reviews for are no longer available. Any suggestions are appreciated. Also I am really looking for a 4 string, don't need active electronics and would like models that are available in burst or natural finish. Thanks for your expertise!

 

[Arwin]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

My first ever bass guitar was a sub-$200 Yamaha and I still own it and play it all the time. I also think that in the last five years the quality of budget minded instruments has increased drastically. These days there are some awesome models from brands such as Squier, Yamaha, Ibanez, Michael Kelly, KSD, LTD, etc. you can get these days that have much better build quality compared to similarly priced instruments form 10 or 20 years ago.

Still, I would recommend setting aside enough in your budget for a preliminary visit to a reputable technician for general setup and minor fretwork if needed. Usually that's all a lot of budget instruments need these days to be pro level. And I personally think I would have a lot more fun playing a $200 bass with $100 worth of setup rather than a $300 bass pulled straight from the shelf. Bonus if you can do most or all of the work yourself!

When I saw Steely Dan play the SB Bowl this year for example, Freddie Washington played the whole gig on a KSD Proto J model bass that cost less than a $1000 brand spankin' new and sounded great! Generally sticking to something with the tried and true PJ or JJ pickup combination gives you a lot of room for modifications and pickup upgrades down the line, which never hurts!

 

[some_dude]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

The best $500 bass is a used $1000 bass.

I don't have a lot of experience with either bass, but when I was looking at SRs it was recommended to look at the 500 series and up (better electronics). I don't know what your area is like, but around here I see used 500 series SRs fairly regularly.

 

[dg27]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

Don't ignore the MIM Fenders. My 2012 Mexican Fender Jazz is great and these can be had for relatively low prices.

 

[tabeck5]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

Any thoughts on the Ibanez TR500

 

[tone4days]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

bought my wife a new SX (agile) J-style bass for a little more than $100 from rondomusic for her to learn on ... after i set it up (truss rod / bridge / etc), it plays like a dream

if you don't want to get into something like that, i highly recommend you just go play some at a reputable shop - especially one that will throw in a full setup on a quality pre-owned bass.

i think the ibanez basses are fun to play, very narrow fingerboard/neck widths make them a breeze

 

[Arwin]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

Any thoughts on the Ibanez TR500

No personal playing experience on those basses, but at a glance my only reservation would be that the unique pickup size greatly limits your options for drop in replacements should you choose to upgrade down the line, and often times the pickups and electronics on lower end basses are really the Achilles heel

 

[zionstrat]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

++ Yamahas are amazing.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

 

[tabeck5]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

These are great suggestions! Thanks so much. Arwin, I am fortunate enough to be able to do my own setups, but that is great advice, better a good guitar setup well than an expensive one set up poorly. I have always liked the quality of both Yamaha and Ibanez guitars, especially Yamaha, some of the best guitars I own at any price are Yamaha's. I took a flyer on a $200 Ibanez TR500, have not received it yet but Ill keep you posted.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

I played a used Sterling by Music Man that was exquisite at $500. My main bass now is a wonderful Squier Jazz with a pickup upgrade that cost me closer to $250, and I love the sound. So you have to get out there and play some. Basses are as varied as guitars when it comes to sound and feel, and each brand has their own thing going on.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

No personal playing experience on those basses, but at a glance my only reservation would be that the unique pickup size greatly limits your options for drop in replacements should you choose to upgrade down the line, and often times the pickups and electronics on lower end basses are really the Achilles heel

I don't have one in front of me, but from checking a few pics it appears that Nordstrands would fit. They're kind of expensive, but they're great pickups and they offer several models in that size / form factor.

 

[dg27]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

My main bass now is a wonderful Squier Jazz with a pickup upgrade that cost me closer to $250, and I love the sound. So you have to get out there and play some. Basses are as varied as guitars when it comes to sound and feel, and each brand has their own thing going on.

Thumbs up for Squier Jazz. My '87 MIJ is great; upgraded pickups and bridge.

 

[PipeRain]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

Squier P-Bass Special - $75 (Used)
Lightnin' Rods pup set - $175 (New)
Bridge, Tuners, Knobs & screws - $50 (Picked up off of FleaBay strictly for aesthetic purposes)

$300 for a "Do dang near everything bass" and you still have money left over for a practice amp. strings etc. The only downside might be that it is butt-heavy. It is significantly heavier than even my Jackson JS-3V five string.

 

[d1k]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

Played guitar forever and now my kids are taking up guitar so to play along with them I decided to pick up the Bass. I want something nice and playable but not incredibly expensive (<$550). I am considering the following new bass guitars:

Ibanez SR400EQM
Yamaha BB434M

It seems the market changes constantly for these so many items that I have seen positive reviews for are no longer available. Any suggestions are appreciated. Also I am really looking for a 4 string, don't need active electronics and would like models that are available in burst or natural finish. Thanks for your expertise!

Ibz sr300 or sr370. Great value under 400 bucks. My main bass is the ATK 750qm, the stingray copy by Ibz. Or, Sterling S.u.b. ray 4. Sweet bass, punchy and bigger neck profile. If old school is your thing, the trusty Pbass can't fail.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[d1k]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

No personal playing experience on those basses, but at a glance my only reservation would be that the unique pickup size greatly limits your options for drop in replacements should you choose to upgrade down the line, and often times the pickups and electronics on lower end basses are really the Achilles heel

Skip those, a use sgr400 or sgr800 is a better proven choice.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

Great thread. I'm getting into bass now too and looking for 5 String in the $300 to $600 range.

I'm thinking about either a Toby or an Ibanez. I might consider Squire or Fender too.

I also saw Dean and Washburn 5 string models on the local classified site.

I've decided to sit on it for a month, save some money and watch for sales. The local shop usually has a big sale in October so that might be the best time to look.

 

[tabeck5]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

I picked up a Fender Deluxe Dimension Bass IV. So far very impressive, comfortable to play great tone, needs a minor truss rod adjustment, change in pickup height, new strings and some minor intonation adjustments but it sounds great already. I'll post some picks later, but thanks for all of the input!

 

[blueman335]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

Thumbs up for Squier Jazz. My '87 MIJ is great; upgraded pickups and bridge.

+1. Squire Vintage Modified Jazz Basses are nice, especially for the price. Same goes for MIM Fender Jazzes, of which there's models with twin single coils, twin split coils, and twin full-size humbuckers.

If you want to upgrade PU's, you can find nice used ones online for a good price.


My other favorite bass is Firebirds (Gibson's best bass design, which borrowed heavily from Fender), Epiphone has both bolt-on & neck-thru.

 

[BRHGM]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

How about an Epiphone Viola. They are very light and sound nice. A used Peavey Foundation is also a really cool bass. I like my Thunderbird, but it's hard for a beginner to play. Ibanez makes quite a lot of beginner models.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Beginner Bass Suggestions

How about an Epiphone Viola. They are very light and sound nice... I like my Thunderbird.

+1. I have an Epi Viola bass, and like it a lot. Short scale, easy transition for a guitarist, and the hollow body gives it a nice tone.