Choosing the First Bass Guitar – Looking for Some Beginner's Tips for?

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Hey there,

I am new here and just starting my journey into the world of bass. I have been browsing the forum and soaking up tons of helpful advice but I would love your input on something specific.

I am looking to buy my first bass guitar and want something beginner friendly but still decent enough to last as I improve. I have heard a lot of names tossed around Squier, Ibanez, Yamaha, etc. but how do I choose: ?? Should I prioritize features like weight, neck size or pickup types: ??

Also;, what about amp recommendations for practice; ?? I am in a small apartment so I need something compact but with good sound quality.

Would love to hear your thoughts, especially if you have been in my shoes recently. What worked for you: ?? Any hidden gems or common pitfalls I should watch out for: ??

Thanks in advance !!

Looking forward to jamming with you all.

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Worth checking this out:

Josh goes through some options.

The old adage is go to a store and try some basses out, however this could feel pretty intimidating!

I initially bought a cheap, second hand bass and practice amp on eBay (an Epiphone Tobias Toby). It was good enough to get started, and I sold the bass on after 6 months, once I had an idea of what I was looking for. I actually still have the amp.

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Check what @sunDOG tagged.

The feature “does it feel and sound right for me”?

Ideally… travel to a shop… see a few… even if you only strum and fret a note or two.

Living in a small apartment, I’d probably go silent and connect through a Digital Audio interface to a PC/laptop. (Only if you eventually plan on recording to PC)

You can always get a Fender Rumble 15 Amp and use headphones plugged to them.

Pitfalls… avoid chasing all the latest trends… there are many and most likely they won’t be long lasting.
Despite what people might say… get a strap… and a pick. Not all of us like the same sounds and the same styles.

A must, is to buy Beginner to Badass course… it does get you off the ground and gives you tools and confidence to progress. There will be hurdles and challenges, there’s no shame in skipping and returning.

Brands to try:

  • Squier
  • Sterling
  • Yamaha
  • Ibanez
  • Sire Marcus Miller
  • Harley Benton

I really suggest you try them first… especially for your first bass… weight, balance and tone… see how they jingle with you.

I bought the Sterling Stingray and love it. Still play it every now and then, although my daily bass not being that one. But I have always kept the Sire Marcus Miller in my considerations and I also regret not buying it, as I love their tone.

Everyone has different tastes and comforts… Try a couple at a shop… ask questions… come back here… ask more questions… and then find the best deal you can for your money. :slight_smile:

EDIT: Added Harley Benton. Some people have had good experiences with them… rather inexpensive brand.

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Jackson Spectra basses are of very good quality as well, at an affordable price point. And they can be obtained just about everywhere :slight_smile: Got my J2SP Spectra for 399 CDN :slight_smile: ( only thing about the spectra… it is an active bass… so remember to save that batt … LOL )

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it is one of the most frequently asked things, and for good reason. but it is also almost impossible to answer without knowing your budget, your tastes, blah blah. i have always been a big believer in getting something that excites you. and i’m talking visually here, something that makes you want to pick it up and spend time with it. get something that has a reputation for being good value and quality (which is different from expensive btw). amps, especially in an apartment? it’s better to prioritize price, features, and quality then watts. any amp around 100 watts would be fine. my little phil jones x4c amp is my practice amp, but it also isn’t the cheapest. it’s also 35 watts which may not do it for some. and get a setup done. even if it might not need it, get a setup anyways to be sure. nothing is harder for a beginner that trying to learn on a bass that is halfway impossible to play from the start.

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I was in your shoes not long ago. I went to a local Music Go Round, tried a bunch. Went with the one that just… felt nicest in my hands and made me most excited to play.

Do you have specific genres or music you want to play? Favorite bands/bassists you’d like to emulate? Look up what kind of bass they are most associated with and try to find something in that family, but stick to the standards of P-Bass, Jazz, P/J, Stingray, or Double-Humbucker.

Amps - I would highly recommend a headphone amp with a bluetooth in. This lets me practice anywhere, and I can stream audio from my phone or laptop to play along with without any hassle. I got a Fender Mustang Micro.

I also highly recommend the Fender Rumble 40 as a practice amp. A Rumble 15 or 25 work, but there is a big jump in tone quality and simple but useful features in the 40.

I would buy the amp off of FB Market.

There are lots of people selling off their old starter setup with a bass and a small amp together. These can be great value. I wouldn’t have known what to get when I was starting though. But you could probably post links to your local used market and get feedback from people here.

You will want a tuner and a set of tools to set up your bass correctly.

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also a great point. you can save a lot (well, some anyways) buying used. if you are comfortable doing this. reverb is the big player in this market.

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For me it was the point about the tuner… When I picked up my bass… I got home to realize… I had forgotten to buy a clip tuner. OOPS. lol

:rofl: :rofl:

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there are free phone apps that will do the job, but having a dedicated tuner is nice.

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That’s what I used at first :slight_smile: They do well enough to get ya started :slight_smile:

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You can get free tuner programs for your phone. They can work decently, but you need to be playing aloud. Clip on tuners will work when playing through headphones.

I am glad I got a clip-on tuner. I can tune up silently at the start of band practice. But that is an extra $30 that can be spent later.

The order I would get things:

  1. Guitar (from a shop)
  2. Small practice amp (used, private party) and cable
  3. Strap
  4. Tools
  5. Beginner To Badass Course
  6. Headphone amp with bluetooth
  7. Clip-on Tuner

Then later down the road get a nicer bass(es) once I understood what I like better and more amplification to meet ongoing needs.

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This tuner is decent and rather cheap:

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:slight_smile: great order … I like that list.

Funny thing… now I have the clip on… plus the tuner in my GT-1B so… tuning… covered :slight_smile:

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Here are my thoughts.

the best bass for you is the one that makes you excited to play and you play it. That is the number one consideration.

When I started it was in covid days and a local shop closed. I picked up a Schecter dirt cheap with a preamp and switches, and I kept getting lost fiddling with them. And it wasn’t what I really wanted.

So I replaced it with a passive bass in a style I liked couldn’t play it enough.

So don’t worry about features, get one in a style that lights you up. Because the best bass for you is the one you play.

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Here is my first bass, a Sire Marcus Miller V3 passive jazz bass. Purchased from a local Music-Go-Round.

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The main reasons I picked it were because I loved how it looked, and I loved how it felt to just run my hands over it. (Sire’s necks are very nice.)

Just holding it felt more special and exciting than the other basses in my price range.

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:100: on Sire. Either a V3 or V5.

While others might have their fave brands for a beginner bass, I can vouch for Sire for offering top-quality, easy playing basses at astoundingly low price points for the quality you get.

I took the Beginner to Badass course on my brand new Sire U5 short scale. It made learning new techniques a joy.

I now own two other Sire models, and I’m constantly amazed at their quality and tones.

It doesn’t hurt to shop around for used Sires. There are some floating around. Good luck.

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Beginner’s friendly instrument usually the next tier from student models, ie entry level bass. A few makes and models stands out to me. Yamaha trbx 504, BB 434 or BB734A. Sire P5, V5, Z3 or Z7 oh! M5. Squier classic vibe series P or J.
Basses can range from $350-650 new. If you buy from Sweetwater they’d also do a quick once over on your instrument and send you a small bag of candy along with it.

The fore mentioned models are pretty much worry free and plus well right out of the box. There’s no fret sprout poking out no build quality issues

Amp. My first thing would be the Katana Go and a decent pair of headphones. But if you have the fund to start I highly recommend the Katana 110. It will grow with you and can last you quite some times.

The 110 can be a stand alone amp or use it with the Boss app. For $40 more you can add a Bluetooth dongle and stream your music to your amp and fully utilize the app with your phone and tablet. Although I highly recommend that you play your audio on a separate audio source. It’s much better that way.

When you are ready to dip your toes into the world of effects you’d be glad to know that the 110 offers you the integrated effects you can use your app or buy a multi switch foot switch to complete your transformation :joy:

It seems like the past few weeks I made Boss quite a few new customers though my PM and postings. Myself included. I have absolutely no need for extra amp but I’m now own not only one but 2 katana 110.

While I highly recommend getting a new bass but the amp you can buy them used or open box.

Save some for necessity like tuners, look into Peterson strobe tuners. It will be the last brand you’d buy. It’s so accurate that they have to offer the “Sweetened “ tuning less accurate tuning so that it sounds better in the mix. :joy:

Get yourself some decent tools from music nomad or stewmac. Just the basic ones. And extra set of either Ernie ball slinky or fender 45 or both if they are on sale

Once you know your way around bass set aside $200 and keep your eyes out for a cheap used Squier. It should be around $75-160. That’s where your education on maintenance would come from. It will be the best couple of hundreds you’d ever spend on bass.

The example below are the 3 Squiers I paid less than $250 each from ProAudioStar when they were on sale. Rule number one, buy the bass when they are one sale not when you need one :rofl:

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I’m relatively new at bass. I went to Guitar Center (multiple locations) and tried a lot of basses from Sire, Fender, Epihone, Sterling & G&L (tribute series). Eventually one just felt and sounded great to me so I got that one. All recommendations from others or manufacturers marketing content can give you an opinion of an instrument - but you are likely to find out when you actually play them that, regardless of what others think or marketing says, you will really like some and others will not speak to you. Definitely take advice from experienced folks about which brands are good instruments - but I would caution against ordering a bass online which is a model that you’ve never had your hands on. One thing that some players care about (and some don’t) is neck width at the nut. IMO it is hard to know whether you like narrower necks (like on jazz-bass style basses) or wider necks (like on P-Bass style instruments) until you play both widths.

One advantage of buying used is that you can use the bass to learn what features you like/don’t like and then sell it for near what you paid for it when you’re ready to upgrade. I would suggest buying used from a shop with a fair return policy. If you buy from an individual I would suggest taking someone along who is familiar with basses and can make pretty sure you’re not buying a bass with any problems.

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AL1885
Has posted the complete low down for your question.
Bass’s and amp…
I will add only this, - Get the one or two bass’s that for whatsoever reason you love. :jbass: :sunglasses:

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I did a lot of research and wanted to avoid GAS as much as I could. I ended up getting a Stingray. They have a somewhat unique tone, and are very versatile (a ‘Swiss Army Bass’ as Josh has said). You can get everything from a Sterling Sub4 for a couple hundred all the way to a $3k Ernie Ball, but even the inexpensive 'rays play well and sound great.

I bought a Ray34 on closeout at G.C. - it just felt ‘right’ the minute I picked it up. The roasted maple neck is amazing. I later traded a 6 string I rarely played for a Ray35 (5 string). I don’t NEED the 5 string, but it’s fun. A year in, I’ve no temptation to get anything else, so that tells me it was a good choice.

Mark

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