If weight is an issue, check out Ibanez’s EHB line. All the goodness of Ibanez, and a chambered body to bring down the weight.
3 Likes
It was just another shopper and I really didn’t give him too much attention. It was my first time looking at basses. I think he was actually trying to sell it for his wife and figured I might be interested. It struck me as interesting that he made a point of stating where it was made.
2 Likes
2 Likes
Yep, that’s a collection alright, lol! I wanted to stay with a 4-string to start since it seems to me that 4 strings would be easier to learn than 5, which eliminates the EHB & BHB lines. And it’s not that weight is such a huge deal. Basses are just heavier than I thought having picked one up for the first time only a few weeks ago. I’m in my late 40s, so not in a walker just yet, lol. Gives me more appreciation for those onstage for hours at a time. @eric.kiser & @howard make great points though. While I do put quality at the top of my list, it doesn’t really sound like I would notice any substantial difference between the quality of these models, nor do I know entirely what I want from a bass at this point. At least not for the difference in cost.
3 Likes
To be clear - you could easily gig with an Ibanez SR500e or Yamaha TRBX504. One forum member has gigged with a TRBX304. They are great basses with nothing wrong with their sound at all, it’s mostly just features and bling.
The Made in Japan instruments do have some qualitative advantages over the Indonesia models but it is minor, esoteric fit and finish stuff that you will not notice as a beginner. They are all great instruments.
I have owned multiple MIJ and Made in Indonesia instruments and honestly you get great instruments from both. My current two basses are both Yamaha, one made in Indonesia that is as good or better than any of the MIJ’s I had, and another high end one made in Taiwan that is fantastic. I have previously owned an Indonesian Yamaha that was as high or higher quality than any production model you’ll find made in Japan or America.
2 Likes
I have not gone through the replies, but I’ll throw my 2 cents in. First off, Ibanez makes excellent basses. They’re probably one of the best bang for you buck, very consistently well made instruments. They trend on being well weighted, and having really nice necks. I’ve owned several Ibanez guitars and bass guitars over the years, and I’ve never owned one that I didnt love.
I’ve not familiarized myself with the current specific model numbers. But they’ve generally been the SR200, SR300, and SR500; among many others. The last digit should be indicative on string count. The 0’s will have 4 strings, and the 5’s and 6’s will have 5 and 6 strings respectively. The middle digit will be indicative of fretted (0) vs fretless (7). Since you’re new, a fretted model is going to be the only way to go.
I would point you towards an SR3 or SR5, as they’ll have substantially better hardware than the SR2’s. But you have a curiosity on pickups. To me, this is probably not an area I would even think about at this juncture. Pickups will obviously play in to the final sound of your instrument. But that is just small part of a much larger picture. That larger picture will include the wood the instrument is made of, construction quality, bridge, tuners, nut, strings, amp, and everything in between (effects pedals, etc). The absolutely largest sound modifier will be the amp. So that is where you really should spend some time trying various models.
No matter what, if you spend a few hundred dollars on an Ibanez, its going to have good or better pickups. If you decided that you like the sound of a different pickup down the road, you can always swap them. But I’d be willing to bet that you wont even care about this for several years. Because, again, the pickups are just not that big of a factor at this stage.
The real factor you have to decide at this juncture is if you want a 4 string, 5 string, or 6 string. I’d highly recommend the 4 string, because of its simplicity in learning. It’ll also be lighter. Lighter on your back, as well as lighter on your wallet. The easier your initial training goes, the more likely you’ll keep playing. You keep playing, and then moving to a 5 string, or 6 string becomes far less daunting. I know that there are lots of songs that only work on 5 strings, and some that only work on a 6 string. Dont get hung up on that. There are millions and millions of songs that you can play on a 4 string. Plenty to keep you busy for a long long time.
Hope that helps.
5 Likes
EHB has 4 strings too
2 Likes
I get it. Having to trawl through 26 replies is way to much work.
2 Likes
Yeah. It’s not about one being more useful than another, either. Having owned a 5-string and many 4-strings, I greatly prefer 4-string and actually find five-strings to be of relatively limited additional utility. You only get five more notes, at the cost of the bass being much heavier and more expensive. Additionally, in my experience, few (if any!) B strings really sound all that great above the fifth to seventh fret anyway; after that the timbre is dulled on most if not all. So the additional fretting opportunities are relatively limited in practice as well.
I prefer alternate tunings on 4-strings over the low B on a 5. Or even BEAD 4-strings.
2 Likes
Dont buy an amp, without checking Craigs List first. Amps tend to be resold for far less than their new price. You can even check reverb. I got a brand new Orange Crush 50 (Special Purple Edition) for about 30% less than retail, because it was a return. The box was literally unopened, and it was no different than if I paid full price.
Fender makes good amps. But it wouldnt be my first choice (or any choice for that matter for Bass guitar). But there is so so SO many more options than that. Don’t sell yourself short here. Its worth it to spend some time on trying a few different manufacturers.
3 Likes
I’ll give those a look. Thanks.
2 Likes
This man speaks the truth.
2 Likes
Get the coolest looking least expensive one. People say looks don’t matter blah blah blah, but if your instrument looks cool you will be more likely to play it.
Then spend your change on a really good quality strap and some decent strap locks. A quality strap makes a world of difference.
2 Likes
You mentioned probably getting lessons.
Question: Have you signed up for the Beginner to Badass (B2B) course? If not, that should be your very first bass investment. There is no better beginner way to learn.
From what you’ve said above, you are a total newbie. If so, forget about getting in the weeds about high-end basses, which pickups are better for metal, etc., etc., etc.
What you really need to spend money on is B2B, a decent bass (expensive basses need not apply), a good setup for said bass, a Rumble 40 (or a combo amp equivalent), a strap, a cord, and a tuner. Anything else is unnecessary as a beginner.
Then spend nothing more than time, learning and practicing, practicing, and more practicing. Doing this will be the wisest and most valuable return on bass investment you’ll ever receive.
5 Likes
I’m the last person to recommend affordable bass to beginners because if you have the mean you can get whatever you want and I love nice things. But in your case I highly recommend going with the cheaper option.
My heart skipped a beat when it accidentally hit and nick my premium basses. 
6 Likes
Lessons are definitely at the top of the list for me & B2B sounds like a great way to go. I plan on signing up as soon as I get my bass setup. I also travel for work, so it’ll hopefully be something I can review while on the road.
4 Likes
I suggest you get something inexpensive, play the crap out of it for about a year until you find out what you really like and then spend more money on that.
I recommend a pbass, because you’re going to get one eventually anyway
2 Likes
This^^^ 
OR…
A decently less heavy P/J with a thinner neck profile. There are tons of ‘em available.
2 Likes
My first bass was a Yamaha TRBX174 that was an Amazon return in VG condition, i paid $160 cdn for it. Still have it, it’s got D’Addario chromes on it right now 
I’d been playing guitar for a few years but just wasn’t loving it so one day I saw the bass on amazon and bought it! It took me about 5 mins of playing it to figure out that bass is my thing. The only thing I couldn’t get it to do well was slap… so then i bought a squier jazz bass. I like it too, the body is a bit light and i don’t like thin necks so much but it’s fun to play for a bit of a change.
4 Likes
My CT has become “well loved”. But I bought it for a reason; so there you go.
1 Like