So, I'm buying a bass.

[Tempest]

Okay, so I'm coming into a lump of money on the 12th, and I've made up my mind that I'm finally going to be buying a bass. I've wanted one for a while, but haven't had the money, so I've basically been playing a shitty old acoustic guitar with nylon strings as though it were a bass to try and get a feel for things. However, the problem is, I don't know a LOT about the specifications of a bass, just a bit.

The bass I am currently looking at is the Ibanez GSR200FM 4 String (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ibanez-GSR200FM-4String-Bass-Guitar?sku=515059). I'm not looking to become Metallica's next bassist with my first bass, I'm just looking to learn the ropes and maybe do some casual playing on top of that, so I'm not really looking to drop $500+, considering if I get good and like it enough I'll be buying a new one anyway. Everything I've heard from people says that this bass is a really good one, especially for the price. I've heard that the combo of single-coil and split-coil pickups is really helpful to cover a nice range of sound, but I've also heard that Ibanez are not really the best in terms of quality and such. Any advice would be nice.

[MFSherlock]

Hello friend,


That bass is basically the sister model to my bass at the moment. It was my second bass, and all though im replacing it with a music man stingray soon...it has served me well.


I have been able to take that bass from learning the ropes all the way to the band that i now play in. It's worth the money.


Im not quite sure how the model works..that is a GSR200FM....mine is just a GSR200. yet it is more expensive than that one...go figure lol.

So yup go buy, and amp wise i would go Laney probably.


Or for a real taste tester at a low price...get a starter pack that consists of a cheap bass and amp.

(sorry if this had any typos ive just woken up)

[Dodger]

My friend, who plays in a local band that's pretty big around here, has this sweet bass.
I don't know all the details and shit on it, but people always compliment him on it, as in people that actually know about this shit, so it's pretty big deal.
He also spent a shitload of money on it, so I assume it's not some shitty bass.

I found one someone's selling one ebay that looks exactly like the one he has, pretty cheap too, so far.
link (http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-SINGING-BILLY-BASS-LAKE-CABIN-RUSTIC-WALL-DECOR_W0QQitemZ170259223465QQihZ007QQcategoryZ3898 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

[Pelican Man]

Ibanez are pretty good, I'm not a huge fan of theirs, but as far as entry level basses go, you can't really go wrong with them.

However, with my personal tastes, I'd be more inclined to recommend this (http://www.guitar.com.au/guitars/bass/yamaha/RBX170.htm). (Note: Aussie website, so Aussie prices)
I personally love Yamaha, and this model is the passive (pickup thing, not really anything you needa worry about yet) version of my favourite of my basses that I own. I think it ends up being a little more expensive than the one you were looking at, but in my opinion, even if you do think of upgrading at a later point, this bass is decent enough that you'll wanna keep it as well.

Pros:
Lightweight
24 frets
Easily accessible higher frets
Decent tone
Relatively fast neck
Bridge is way easier to use than the active version (mine)

Cons:
Smaller, so doesn't give you the feel of being a big badass bassist
Passive pickups (small detail, all entry level basses will be passive)
Bottom wing sometimes slides when playing sitting down, due to being small
Any other cons you'll experience with any entry level bass

So, overall, it'd be my choice, but I'm a bitch for Yamaha basses, so eh.

[Android]

I own an Ibanze 5-string. They are ok, but I wouldn't buy another Ibanez.

I'd go with an Epiphone Thunderbird. They are cheap basses and have lots of balls. Plus, they look pretty awesome.

[TheHighwaySong]

I started out with an Ibanez as well, and own two different Ibanez bass guitars. If you want to play different genres of music all around, I'd say the Ibanez is good for that. An Ibanez packaged in a starter pack is a great bass to begin with as well. I have some friends who started out with starter pack basses as well, and we all think the price was fair, and the bass was more than decent. The one you've picked is a good choice if you're willing to pay that much.

Are there specific amps you're looking at as well?

[Fluzz]

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z87/p90_04/Bass%20guitar/strange_guitar_111.jpg

Badass.

[Commodity]

I'd go with an Epiphone Thunderbird. They are cheap basses and have lots of balls. Plus, they look pretty awesome.

They're cheap, they look awesome, but they sound pretty muddy and the placement of the strap button combined with the heavy neck gives it a huge tendency to droop headstock-first to the ground.

Tempest, I'd say give this (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Rogue-LX400-Pro-4String-Electric-Bass?sku=519276) a look. A pretty solid bass for the price. However, it has a humbucker, which would affect your tone. What kind of music would you be playing?

[Tempest]

Right now, I'm more looking to learn rather than actually play music, but chances are I'd be trying to emulate things like Megadeth or Metallica. Metal, I guess, but not gothic emo death metal shit. Probably some punk too, like Offspring and such.

Thanks for all the insight so far, there's a very good chance I'm gonna end up talking to the guys at Music Mart anyway, but now I have a better idea of what to look for, a clear picture in my mind of what I might want, and a little bit of knowledge in case they try to fuck me.

[Ziggy St. Valentine]

Right now, I'm more looking to learn rather than actually play music, but chances are I'd be trying to emulate things like Megadeth or Metallica. Metal, I guess, but not gothic emo death metal shit. Probably some punk too, like Offspring and such.

Thanks for all the insight so far, there's a very good chance I'm gonna end up talking to the guys at Music Mart anyway, but now I have a better idea of what to look for, a clear picture in my mind of what I might want, and a little bit of knowledge in case they try to fuck me.

The best thing you can do is go to Music Mart and ask questions, just ask them anything that comes to mind because they're there to help people like you who are looking to start up. And if you have a clear picture in your mind of what you want they can help set you up with something good and reasonably priced.

[Commodity]

The best thing you can do is go to Music Mart and ask questions, just ask them anything that comes to mind because they're there to help people like you who are looking to start up. And if you have a clear picture in your mind of what you want they can help set you up with something good and reasonably priced.

Speaking from experience, people at stores generally just tend to make the biggest sale.
If possible, bring a friend with at least some experience in the area. It'll help you avoid being ripped off. It's also good to have a general idea of what you're looking for before you go, which, I guess, you're getting from this thread. But yeah, they'll probably try to fuck you over into buying a terrible bass, but just stay strong (:patriot:) and don't let their opinions influence yours.

[Pelican Man]

Tell them your price range is about 50 bucks below your actual price range. They'll tend to try and milk a little more money out of you by offering basses just a little out of your price range. Ah, salesmanship.

[BassBastard]

Ibanez is the Honda of Basses. Get it set up right, and keep new strings on it and you will like it. I would recommend an Ernie Ball Music Man, but that is way over your range. A Lakland would be too.

So Ibanez will do. .Make sure it has the Bartolini pick ups, I know from experience those sound good. The SR500 is good, I play an SR506... but again a bit over your range SO...


This Sound Gear should be good (http://www.samash.com/catalog/showitem.asp?ItemPos=5&TempID=6&DepartmentID=2&STRID=202433&CategorySubID=180&CategoryID=180&BrandID=1380&CategorySubPriceRangeID=0&pagesize=10&SortMethod=2&Method=3&PriceRangeID=0&SearchPhrase=&Contains=&Search_Type=Department&GroupCode=&categorysubsearch=true)

[BassBastard]

The Bass you picked in your first post is good as well. I like the finish better. (But play it first!)

[meTalmessiah]

Keep in mind that the bass amp is going to play a huge role in your bass' sound, too. Even if you have an excellent bass, if you have a beginner amp it could totally cancel out the kick-assness of your bass.

[BassBastard]

To combat that, try to find an old Peavey TKO 110 or something similar .At home I use an old TKO65 I rebuilt. It has decent low volume tone and works well with Active or Passive pick ups. Carvin has some decent options. Just do not go Crate, Gorilla or something little like that. Get a good 2X10 combo at least. The TKO line is a single 15" in a sealed cabinet.

[MFSherlock]

Today i tried out the Ibanez ATK300-NT

Absolutely blissful bass. I tried the £755 Music Man SUB and personally like this Ibanez a lot more. I was going to steer towards music man or peavey with my next bass but this one really took me. and its only £359 which is a bargain.


Should be getting it next week...im pretty stoked.

[Tempest]

Well, just thought I'd update everyone. I bought a used ESP B-305 FM 5-string bass. Originally $800, it was $450, in VERY good condition. I also got a used Fender Bassman 25 amp for $175 (holy score), it only has a few dings and some paint on the back, otherwise it's perfect. Just finished tuning it, I'm enjoying it very much so far. Can't find a picture or anything online, will take one later today though.

[Tempest]

Alright, uploaded some pictures (http://s45.photobucket.com/albums/f73/tempestangel/) of it, as well as the amp. The bass runs retail $800, the amp about $450, and I got everything for $730.

[Commodity]

That's a really good looking bass. Does it sound good?

[Kenneh]

5 string ESP, nice choice man.

[TheHighwaySong]

That's a very sexy looking bass. Tom Araya uses ESP basses.

[Ziggy St. Valentine]

Hope it sounds good man, it looks fuckin' sweet!

[Tempest]

So far, I think the amp might have been on sale because it's a piece of shit. I think the coil might be fucked inside the woofer, it crackles pretty bad if I go too high or low on the spectrum, and the only way to fix it is to turn it down, which is lame. I now know how to play The Pink Panther Theme, the National Anthem, and the Mario Bros. Theme.

[Android]

Learn how to play Money by Pink Floyd. It's a fun bassline to play and I always run through the opening lick to see if my bass is in tune.

[BassBastard]

Good choice Android. One of the first bass lines I learned!

I am not a big fan of Fender Bass amps. Hartke, Kustom, Ampeg and Gallien Kruger are top on my list. (I roll an Ampeg SVT Classic 8X10 cab and Kustom Groove 600HD amp)

Eden and Ashdown too but who has $5000 to spend right off the bat?

I still say Peavey foe affordable but nice sound.

[Britney Spears]

When I started playing bass, my first amp was a Bassman 25. That thing is a brick and always has terrific sound. It is only a 25 watt transistor amp, so it could be crackling and all because you're just plain too loud for a small amp. However, I got that amp about 12 years ago, so I think they're completely different (made cheaper).