Hello everyone - I’m Graham - 55 (gulp!) and a lifelong music fan with absolutely no musicality myself!
I broke my shoulder on a recent(ish) ski trip and had a rebuild six weeks back - somebody mentioned that getting to grips with a guitar (or bass) is supposedly really helpful to get you stretching the arm out so I decided to get a bass (my favourite along with Rhodes piano) and give it a go!
So far, so great - my shoulder’s aching but I’ve made something tuneful - I might fall in love…
Welcome, @graham.a.ward. Glad you’re here. Josh will ease you into stretching your arm, fingers and brain. Enjoy!
Welcome @graham.a.ward ! Really glad you are here with us! Best of luck on the recovery and in your bass journey. You’ve landed on a really great program, and a forum full of really terrific people.
Shredded shoulder isn’t Any kind of fun tickets, please take care of yourself and keep us posted on your progress!
Greetings from West Melbourne Florida! I’m a 52 year old newbie with zero experience playing any instruments. Eugene from the band Jinjer inspired me to give the bass a try along with my wife learning guitar. Been pouring over BassBuzz videos and ultimately purchased a Yamaha TRBX304 today. Still need to come up with the rest of the gear and plan on doing the BB lessons. Any recommendations on cords and straps?
Welcome, @GrimJeeper. Glad you’re here. You’ve come to the right place for amazing lessons aimed at beginners. Follow Josh’s lead and you’ll be playing music very soon. Enjoy!
Welcome @GrimJeeper !
For cables, I wouldn’t worry about it. Livewire cables are fairly inexpensive and do the job just fine.
For straps, that’s a whole different ball game. A good strap can make a huge difference. Look for one that’s padded and at least three inches wide. When searching for straps, search for Bass Straps and definitely stay away from the little two inch wide nylon guitar straps. Basses are just enough heavier than guitars that those little straps will kill your shoulder. Staps from Levy’s Leathers, Kliq Aircell, and Neotech are popular choices.
Check here for recommendations…
Show us your straps!
Welcome @GrimJeeper
I’m using real cheap cables with no issues.
Straps are a really personal thing. Again I’m using a wide but cheap strap I grabbed off eBay with no issues but I do play sat down
Welcome to the community @GrimJeeper. @eric.kiser gave you some good suggestions, I would start there. I bought most of my startup gear from Amazon, I tried to keep my startup costs down until I knew I was going to stick with it, and had an idea of what I liked. Now I use these:
Just kidding.
$7,621.85
LoL! 
It’s okay since the description says “heirloom quality instrument cable”.
That is a cable you want to take with you in the coffin, not leave with the kids…