Hey everyone, first time here
I’ve been thinking really hard on getting a bass past couple months and decided on the sire marcus miller v7 fretless
But i have no idea about like, decent first time gear that i won’t have to spend months saving up for on top of saving for the bass
i’m planning on just playing at home with headphones for the time being which i feel is also relevant to mention
Thank you in advance for any help
Edit: i need to reiterate, i am absolutely set on starting on a fretless and the model i buy, i really just need help on what gear to buy with it
My understanding is that Sire makes a great bass for the price, but I have no direct experience with them. If you’re new to the instrument and intend to learn on a fretless you’re braver than I am.
As to other stuff, you can find amplifiers that don’t cost all that much which will do what you need them to do. Fender has the Rumble series of small combo amps, with the Rumble 40 weighing in around $230 or so. I mention the 40 specifically because it’s been spoken of pretty highly by folks who know about such things, including our trusty bass teacher.
My lil’ practice amp is an Acoustic B50C, which costs the same amount and offers a similar degree of tone shaping and more than enough volume. Like the Rumble 40, it has a headphone jack.
Don’t be afraid to spend a bit more on decent cables and a comfortable strap. If you connect a good bass to a good amp with a P.O.S. cable, you’re hampering both. And basses tend to be heavy, so a nice strap that distributes weight well will feel a lot better than a cheap skinny one that doesn’t.
Hi Weirdocritter, I am assuming you are new to bass because you stated “first time gear”. Why do you want a fretless as a first time bass?
Get your bass, metronome, tuner and start playing, . The other stuff will fall into place as you save money and decide what you want. The Beginner to Badass course is fun and great. It is probably best to have a fretted instrument for the course to be able to play along more easier and progress quicker.
I just really love how funky you can get with a fretless, and i think i can follow along normal lessons if i pay good attention since the bass is lined
i thought about a different, fretted sire bass but ultimately decided on this one because i think i like the sound better
What do you mean lines? Are there lines where the frets would be? A fretless looks cool.
I did not know that fretless would sound better than a fretted Sire.
Instruments like double bass, violin, cello etc are all fretless…
Good for you.
I’m always a supporter of beginners getting whatever the want to start with, be it 5 string, short or long scale, I guess lined Fretless is ok I guess. The thing with Fretless is you kinda have to be on it all the time because when you get even slightly sloppy you are paying dearly for it.
It’s not harder to play than the standard fretted bass. The playing is actually easier than fretted bass, it’s the intonation part that can get to you.
What kind of music are you playing or planning to play.
I’m not sure what exactly i wanna play since i listen to a lot of different genres and subgenres but that’s predominantly rock and similar stuff so i’ll say that
Yeah both options are available maybe not by the same manufacturer. Some like MusicMan offer both. The lined fingerboard play just like regular Fretless the unlined the dots represent the respective line. The function changes a bit.
If you can get through learning on a fretless without too much frustration I guess you’ll never have a single problem with finger placement on a fretted bass. Good luck.
As others have mentioned, starting on a fretted bass would be easier. Sire basses generally offer really good bang for the buck. I’m a short scale player, so I’m biased, but I would suggest taking a look at the Sire U5. It’s a great bass for just over $500. Recently, I bought the fretless version. It only cost about $25 more, and that included the flatwound strings that come on it.
Sire basses will generally compete well with instruments up to double their price. Yamaha is another brand in a similar price and quality range, you can generally compare them with other instruments up to around 2x their price. For brands where you really cannot go wrong with their entry and mid-level instruments, it’s tough to beat these.
