Bass guitar help

These are a few thing that you should look for when buying a used base or lead guitar:
1) Check to see if the neck is straight from the body to the tuning pegs.
2) Make sure that you plug it in and try the volume and tone controls to make sure there is no static present.
3) Make sure the pickups are wired good and solid, most of the time you can unscrew the back and look at all of the connections.
4) Check all of the frets to make sure they are in the neck good and solid.
5) Check for buzzing on the frets.
6) Check that the screws that connect the neck to the body are tight and none of them are striped.
7) Check the pegs that hold the strap, make sure they are good and tight and not striped.

Other than that just have him plug it in and give it a try and see how it feels to him, good luck!

Forgot about the amp, just plug it in and make sure the speaker isn't torn anywhere. Listen for buzzing in the speaker, check all of the connections, other than that it should be ok.

 

I really think the quality of Squier basses have gotten a ton better. I own a Fender 5 string and a Squier 4 string fretless as my two main basses. (even though I do play mostly upright) I would say Squier.

Best of luck!
Dan

 

Don't know what the standards are today, but I owned and played the Fender Precision Bass along with the Fender Bassman amp. It was a great setup.

 

This is a good resource - note there are many how-tos
http://www.harmony-central.com/Bass/

Which Squier? There's @ 50 Squier Basses shown.
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Electric+Bass/brand/Fender

 

Nothing wrong at all with pre owned. Quality is most important. If you buy a K-Mart guitar, it's going to sound like one. Don't buy something because it's cheap though, but a Dean for starters should be fine. Don't buy a $199 "kit" that comes with an amp from places like Guitar Center. They are junk. I good used guitar and good used amp will be much better.

Any name brand should b fine. Fender, Dean, B.C. Rich, Gibson, Ibanez, Squire, Yamaha


A half decent NEW bass will cost around $300 or so, and go up from there.

I'm guessing this is the Squire bass you're looking at for $150?

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Squier-by-Fender-Affinity-Series-Bronco-Bass-Guitar-510426-i1146354.gc

If so, I would probably not get it. It's a 30" shortscale bass. Meaning it's not full size. A full size bass will be 34". It's like a bass with training wheels for noobs who have never played an instrument.


If you just want to see if he enjoys playing bass for a quick $150, it's fine. But it's not a long term instrument. If he takes a liking to the bass, I would get something else for the longer term.

 

This is a pretty godd write up about buying the equitment that you are looking for:

http://www.yourbassguitar.com/bass-guitar-amps-15/

 

My bass guitar is a Fender Precision Bass Lite I believe. Haven't played it in forever, from what I remember I heard that for some reason, as far as a bass is concerned, the Fenders that are made in Japan seem to be a bit better quality than the others.

 

My son has been playing bass for about 4 years. Started with a First Act, about 2 months later we gave that away and went to a Peavy. Good tone, good quality at a reasonable price. Now he plays a Fender Jazz bass (US Made) Be careful with the Fenders, some are Mexican made and there is a noticable difference in quality. Also has an accoustic but that is a different story.

I suggest your son start with a reasonably priced instrument to see if he even likes it, then move up to a high end instrument if he wants to continue with it.

 

I've been playing double bass and bass guitar for the past 18 years. I started off college as a music major with a scholarship much like your son. I think it's a good suggestion for him to learn bass guitar, it will go along well with his tuba performance. There are a lot of good brand name bass guitars out there that will work for him. It's best if he can try out a few basses and get one that feels good to him. Neck width, string spacing, overall feel, etc. are different on every bass (it might be hard for him to tell the difference now, but as he gets more proficient he will). I also suggest you only get a 4-string bass for now and one with a full 24 frets. Fender Precision and Jazz basses are good, the Squire series are the entry level models. I have really loved my Yamaha RBX800a bass, I can get great tone out of it and the playability is excellent. I think Yamaha basses are underrated and a used RBX series Yamaha would be a good choice. They originally cost $900 new and can be found for a fraction of that price. I had an Ibanez 6-string fretless for a long time, Ibanez is another decent brand that a lot of bass players start out on. Once purchased, I'd suggest getting the bass 'setup' by having an expert adjust the bridge, truss rod, etc. especially if you buy used. Also, string selection can make a big difference, an expensive bass with old or cheap strings can sound terrible and a cheap bass can sound better with some good quality strings.

As for an amp, it doesn't sound like he needs anything too much. A decent quality bass practice amp should be fine for now. If he gains more interest in bass playing he can always upgrade equipment and instruments, and it's usually pretty easy to sell your old stuff. As for another suggestion, he may want to eventually look into double bass seeing that he has a background in violin. There are some good paying gigs out there for weddings, jazz clubs, etc. on the double bass.

 

Not to mention Hoe Downs,,,,,
(I got the blisters to prove it.)



Bass is fun....damentle...!

Edwardo
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Fender, Gibson or Carvin, you should be able to find decent quality without spending to much.

Stay away from the cheaper lines they tend to go out of tune and have bad action, and take away from the fun of playing.

Any small brand name bass amp should be good. Again the cheaper ones just are not worth it.

 

Double Bass is the sh*t, thats all I gotta say. I've been playing for almost 12 years now and I love it. My true passion since I was 3. Darolls I had no idea you played bass!

 

Squiers are great I'm telling you, perfect for your son. Durable too. It's a great sounding bass with a great feel and a great price. As for an amp, this is a good starter amp:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-Rumble-15-Bass-Combo-Amp-102496759-i1145410.gc?source=4WFRWXX&CAWELAID=92175313

Good volume, nice EQ and not too heavy.

 

...Since no one else will start, I will. (Q)"What do you call a bass player that breaks up w/ his girlfriend"? (A) "Homeless" (Q) "how do you get a bass player to turn down his amp"? (A) Put sheet music in front of him. (Q) What do you do when there is a bass player at your door? (A) Pay him for the pizza. Next...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jvl8rs95pU

 

(Q) What did the bass player get on his SAT? (A) Drool

 

Offensive much?

 

A bass player's fingers are like lightning, they never strike in the same place twice.