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Question for Bass Players

R

ra990

Senior member
Currently, I'm proficient with keyboards, but I really want to learn how to play bass as well.

I was looking for a decent bass, not completely entry level, but something I could grow with without wishing I had purchased something better. I had my sights on a couple of auctions on ebay which included the bass and an amp. It came down to the following two:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180480863212

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200453224704

I ended up purchasing the second one, the Fender bass, since I was more familiar with the brand and the amp that was included was slightly better. That Ibanez bass sure does look cool though.

So, those who are in the know...did I make the right decision and was it a good price?
 
The bass you selected is definitely the better deal and is a good bass to get started with. Fender Jazz Bass' like the one you linked typically run around $500-$600 new, so considering how good the guitar looks in the picture, I think that's a pretty fair price for both the guitar/amp. As for the Ibanez, even with the "Sexy" tag on it, a quick google search showed that a new one is $350 (granted doesnt include the amp and what not, but that's pretty high for a used instrument).

Its funny. I've actually been browsing for some keyboards as I used to play piano quite a bit growing up (and still can) but have no way of playing right now. Would also like to record on the computer with a USB. If you know any deals let me know!

Also, if it helps, I have a Fender American Deluxe J-Bass and have been satisfied with it for about 3 years now. It replaced my starter DanElectro Bass. With the help of a pedal and Audacity, I have been able to record a lot of bass guitar instrumental covers on youtube. Feel free to check them out if you want. Hope I was a little helpful! Stick with it, it's a good stress reliever and is a lot of fun as well.
 
smallmouth_bass.jpg
 
Page still looks so cool...white hair and all. Recently saw him in It Might Get Loud - great movie.
 
Fender Jazz or P-Bass would be good, I really like the feel of the neck on the Jazz Bass. I was never partial to Ibanez stuff but its just personal taste. I have played many basses and I continue to go back to my american made Fender P-Bass.

What kind of music do you typically play?
 
I'm on the opposite side of the fence. I rarely find a jazz bass that I like playing. I like the Ibanez sound gear line, at least when they are setup properly.

The best bass you can buy for the money, hands down, is a Carvin. However, you're talking $700 to start minimum, but what you get will blow just about anything you find in a music shop out of the water.
 
TechBoyJK said:
I'm on the opposite side of the fence. I rarely find a jazz bass that I like playing. I like the Ibanez sound gear line, at least when they are setup properly.

The best bass you can buy for the money, hands down, is a Carvin. However, you're talking $700 to start minimum, but what you get will blow just about anything you find in a music shop out of the water.
Click to expand...

QFT, I had a nice Carvin Bass but it got stolen 🙁 Since I mostly play rock my old P-Bass works out fine. Another good series is the musicman stingray.

I was at a Guitar Center one time playing some guitars and I came across a fretless bass that I really liked and it was only $400.00. I was so stoked that I went home to get some cash, then came back and it was gone. I really wish I would have figured out what kind of bass it was....
 
MetalMat said:
QFT, I had a nice Carvin Bass but it got stolen 🙁 Since I mostly play rock my old P-Bass works out fine. Another good series is the musicman stingray.

I was at a Guitar Center one time playing some guitars and I came across a fretless bass that I really liked and it was only $400.00. I was so stoked that I went home to get some cash, then came back and it was gone. I really wish I would have figured out what kind of bass it was....
Click to expand...

This is no lie.

I was at guitar center one time, and I found this fretless bass that I really liked. It was about $400. I bought it, on the spot. 🙂 Still have it, actually.

I'm not saying that Jazz basses are bad, just that I think that there are better designs out there, if you look. I specifically like carvin. Their manufacturing process is amazing. Each guitar is cut out like a diamond.
 
Man buys his son a bass for his 14th birthday along with bass lessons.

After the first lesson the son comes home and the dad asks how it went. Son replies, "I learned the first four notes on the first string."

Second week the son comes home from lessons and the dad asks how it went. "I learned the first four notes on the second string".

The third week the son comes home smelling like beer and cigarettes and the dad asked WTF happened at the lesson. Son replies, "I skipped lessons today dad, I had a gig."
 
Well, the guy cancelled the transaction because it was going to cost him more than he expected to ship it out. So, I'm back to searching.
 
dwell said:
man buys his son a bass for his 14th birthday along with bass lessons.

After the first lesson the son comes home and the dad asks how it went. Son replies, "i learned the first four notes on the first string."

second week the son comes home from lessons and the dad asks how it went. "i learned the first four notes on the second string".

The third week the son comes home smelling like beer and cigarettes and the dad asked wtf happened at the lesson. Son replies, "i skipped lessons today dad, i had a gig."
Click to expand...

lol
 
Those were good choices. I agree with Mat, start off with a nice p-bass or a jazz and your good. If you can scan some music stores in your town and find a decent Made in Mexico Jazz. A friend of mine has one and it sounded decent. The other issue is if you find one you like and sounds good, buy it. The tolerences for Fender are pretty wide to say the least.

Hey Marty, is there a way to play your bass on the computer? Thnx(no threadjack intended)
 
dwell said:
Man buys his son a bass for his 14th birthday along with bass lessons.

After the first lesson the son comes home and the dad asks how it went. Son replies, "I learned the first four notes on the first string."

Second week the son comes home from lessons and the dad asks how it went. "I learned the first four notes on the second string".

The third week the son comes home smelling like beer and cigarettes and the dad asked WTF happened at the lesson. Son replies, "I skipped lessons today dad, I had a gig."
Click to expand...

Awesome.
 
The one I have looks very similar to the first one you linked. Works well for a noobfingers like me.

KT
 
Ended up getting an American made Fender Jazz (2006 Highway One Model??) for $450...thought it was a pretty good price since most Mexican models were selling for just slightly less.

No amp with it though, but found a decent one on Craig's List that'll do for now.
 
MartyMcFly3 said:
Its funny. I've actually been browsing for some keyboards as I used to play piano quite a bit growing up (and still can) but have no way of playing right now. Would also like to record on the computer with a USB. If you know any deals let me know!
Click to expand...
How well do you know Linux?
 
JohnnyGage said:
Those were good choices. I agree with Mat, start off with a nice p-bass or a jazz and your good. If you can scan some music stores in your town and find a decent Made in Mexico Jazz. A friend of mine has one and it sounded decent. The other issue is if you find one you like and sounds good, buy it. The tolerences for Fender are pretty wide to say the least.

Hey Marty, is there a way to play your bass on the computer? Thnx(no threadjack intended)
Click to expand...

What I've been doing is using this pedal with the USB output and recording it through Audacity. It gives pretty good results in my opinion.

Cerpin, don't know Linux very well. Besides, I've already done my fair share of transcribing/synthesizing songs using MIDI. Just looking for a physical black-and-white key keyboard in front of me to play, and looking to record it as well hence the USB part. I know Target has a few but I feel I can find a better one without paying an arm and a leg. That way I can add some keyboard to my bass lines and almost be like a 1-man band.
 
In the future when you might want to upgrade and stuff, a nice leap would be Ernie Ball Music Man Stingrays. Very popular and exceptional quality/craftsmanship. I think you can get a new one for just under $1,000, probably less if you shop around/haggle some.

I've had one for many years now and I love the look and feel of it. I don't really play much now, but few years back it had a lot of play time and always sounded great.
 
MartyMcFly3 said:
Cerpin, don't know Linux very well. Besides, I've already done my fair share of transcribing/synthesizing songs using MIDI. Just looking for a physical black-and-white key keyboard in front of me to play, and looking to record it as well hence the USB part. I know Target has a few but I feel I can find a better one without paying an arm and a leg. That way I can add some keyboard to my bass lines and almost be like a 1-man band.
Click to expand...
The reason I asked is that you can get one of these used at a reasonable price. It connects via USB MIDI. Once it's connected you can use it to drive a whole galaxy of open source synthesizers, which in turn can output to a number of audio recording applications. I can't vouch for the availability of those same open source soft synths on Windows platforms, but I'm sure there are some.

I only have the 25-key model of that keyboard, and I find myself wishing I had at least gotten the 49-key version, if not the 61. I'm not a keys player, really, but I know enough about scales and chord construction to grind through different parts. I'd originally only gotten it for laying down basslines and simple organ synth parts, but once I learned what I could do with it, I realized it would be nice to have a greater range available to me at any one time instead of constantly skipping up and down the register with the transpose buttons.
 
dwell said:
Man buys his son a bass for his 14th birthday along with bass lessons.

After the first lesson the son comes home and the dad asks how it went. Son replies, "I learned the first four notes on the first string."

Second week the son comes home from lessons and the dad asks how it went. "I learned the first four notes on the second string".

The third week the son comes home smelling like beer and cigarettes and the dad asked WTF happened at the lesson. Son replies, "I skipped lessons today dad, I had a gig."
Click to expand...

this is not true. awesome riffs can be played on the 3rd and 4th strings.
kid's not going to be a complete bassist.
 
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