musicbaby

looking to learn to play bass. .
anyone know the best kind of bass guitar out there?
thanks

Necromancer

Its how much $ you want to spend really. Ive owned a few different Fender Jazz bass's, 4-string & 5-string. First of all, I would buy a 5-string because most popular styles of today's music require a five if you want to mimic today's covers correctly. The Fender Music Man would be my choice if I went that route with a 4-string. But the guage spacing of the strings are just to close on the five's, etc. If you do go 5-string, make sure the brand you choose has the wider guage string spacing. What I recommend for a beginner or anyone is Ibenez, they use the wide guage spacing. I have a Ibenez 5-string GSR-205, Active pickups, Transparent Red. Beautiful bass guitar, And it play's with the action & sound better, or just as good as bass guitars that I have had well over $1000.oo in. I payed a total of $300.oo for the Ibenez, including a new hard shell guitar case. So by far, I recommend Ibenez for a good low end bass. Good Luck!

Mr.Monumental

If you dont have alot of money to play about with go for Ibenez. Have a good starting range. Look for the Ibanez Soundgear.

But really cant go wrong with a fender Jazz ((Providing you have the money, and happen to be certain you wont enjoy the trumpet or darts more after a few weeks of BassssI'n))

thebassistX

different brands have different feels
i would advise u to play around with different brands of basses to see which one u like the most

spook

Try every one in the shop - you might surprise yourself.

It doesn't always follow that spending more money will get you a better bass, although the high-end basses are generally better made, with more expensive materials, there are still some expensive "planks" out there.

If you're just starting out,and want a cheap, functional instrument, you'll not go far wrong looking at the Squier and Epiphone ranges.

Thing is, once you get round to high-end basses,(and you will if you're a serious player), you might want to consider going to a builder and having an instrument made to exactly your specifications.

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xtrabenbassist15

my personal favorite type of bass are Trabens. they have awesome tone and sustain, and they look awesome.

Lisnaholic

( http://www.musicbanter.com/games-lis...litz-game.html )

The other day I saw a couple of self-confessed bass guitarists chatting in the Intro section I think, so it's a coincidence that today there is another chance for any bassists to come out and confess their guilty guitar secrets....

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"Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953

Akai

What do you mean?

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''To be honest, in my opinion, of course without offending anyone who thinks differently from my point of view,
but also by looking into this matter from a different perspective and by considering each and every one's valid opinion,
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S p o t i f y

Neapolitan

I bought the "Hofner Ignition Ed Sullivan Show limited edition Bass" which is the cheaper version of the bass. I guess to understand how wide the price differences can be on Hofner basses: it's more than £2,000 for a brand new German made Hofner bass or less than £200 for a used Chinese made bass. I figured because of licensing reasons it was cheaper to have Ed Sullivan Show instead of "Paul McCartney" appearing on the bass. Notice in the video he also avoids saying "The Beatles." Everything he says about the German made edition I don't have on my bass. I guess my guilt is wanting Beatles Gear and falling for marketing ploys. If I had to recommend a first bass it would be a Fender Precision bass just because of its mighty tone, but if you have to lug around a bass nothing beats the light weight and compact size of a Hofner bass. Which is the reason Paul preferred them in the early touring days of The Beatles.

The no longer available German made Ed Sullivan Show bass

Hofner Ignition Ed Sullivan Show bass:

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Lisnaholic

I didn't know you had a guitar, Neapolitan! And just like Paul McCartney, I think you chose well. It's an instrument with a nice tone, and as the guy says, a lot of excellent practical characteristics, being small, light and semi-acoustic. Perfect for practicing anywhere or for blowing away an audience at Shea Stadium.

@ Atai: I didn't really mean anything by "guilty guitar secrets". I'm afraid that just because of the sound of the words I was tempted to joke about bass-guitar playing as being some shameful secret obsession, but quickly abandoned the idea. I should have edited my post but had to rush off to work. Sorry if I left behind any kind of negative impression - that was certainly not my intention.

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"Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953