I’ve been taking the course for 5 weeks now and really enjoying it. At the moment I’m using a cheap Gear4music bass (mainly because I had some vouchers through work), and am playing it through a Roland Go Mixer (something I already owned). This has given me a really inexpensive setup, something to get me started.
It’s a bedroom hobby for me, and my end goal is just to be-able to play along to my favourite songs, and learn a new skill. I’ll be using headphones almost exclusively, as the only time I get to practise is when my children are asleep.
My question is, will it be worth me buying a more expensive amp and bass guitar at some point? As I’m only a bedroomist using headphones, will it make any difference etc.?
Obviously, I’ve already started looking around and got my eye on some pieces of kit
I’d invest in a nicer instrument first… I’m like you, a bedroom bassist, and I hardly ever use my (tiny) amp at all. If you want to experiment with different tones, you can always start buying effect pedals… That’s a whole different rabbit hole for you right there.
Yeah I would say the amp is the least important upgrade. You don’t even need an amp, really; there’s lots of other gear that makes a suitable stand-in (or sometimes simply works a lot better than an amp, depending on your goals.)
I haven’t owned an amp for almost three years. I found that I was never really using it for what I want to do most (recording) and so it was a no-brainer to just axe it.
I started the same as you, with a Cort Action PJ and a NUX Mighty Plug just over a year ago.
It is only in the last couple of months that I bought an amp and that was more out of GAS than necessiity.
The guitar upgrade that I made much of a difference than buying the amp
The only thing I would say is that with the amp I hear more things that require attention than I did with the headphones but that may just be me.
I have my own “studio” area, but I’m basically a bedroom bass player. My area is in the attic, sharing space with my office, but it IS above our bedroom and the living room, so I have to keep the noise down as well. Mainly, the only time I use my amps (Rumble 15 and Rumble 40) is when I have to work Saturdays, otherwise I use my monitors or my Waza Air Bass. LIke the others said, first invest in a better bass. You can get several around the $200 price point, or go a little higher. None of my basses (and I have 17) cost me more than $500, except the Moolah Bass, which I built from scratch using some expensive parts. The only other thing I might suggest since you do use headphones is maybe get a Waza Air Bass, but they’re not cheap (around $400). They are fun though, and they work great, better than some of the well known plug ins.
Not if you live in Canada. I set my sights on the Yamaha TRBX304 at first, for 2 weeks and then moved up to my forever bass the Yamaha TRBX504 which, by the time the dust settled cost me approx $1,000 with a hard shell case. That is the bass I wanted and no compromise was worth getting because in the end I would have purchased the 504 anyways.
Selecting a bass is such a personal thing IMHO. Finances aside, my advice is to buy what appeals to you and just forget the rest. I cannot imagine having 17 basses
At an average of $350 that would be a total cost of around $6,000.
@athosmr2003 How did you you end up with that many basses.
Just wondering and not trolling
4 I built. The Epiphone Thunderbird was the most expensive (and heaviest) at $500 with the Ibanez SR370E next at $400. I got the Peavey dirt cheap used on eBay for around $100. The Steinberger was $300 but the only reason I got it was because i was in The Outfield phase. The rest were all under $200. I’ve just been collecting what i like if it’s reasonable.
I’ve actually ranked them at one point, but added a few more since. My favorite right now is the Taxibacker, the Rick knockoff that I built. I play it more than the others because the tone is really good. I’ll post a picture of it.
Like others have said, I’d go bass shopping. I’d go without a price in mind first and try to sit down and play as many as you can. Just see what neck and body shape fits you best for ergonomics.
The comfort difference can stand out pretty boldly when you sit down with a variety of them.
Oddly enough, I had bought that strap about a year earlier for my Steinberger, so when I made the Taxibacker, the strap was perfect for it. The problem with it is that it’s not comfortable.
