Which bass do i choose?

Hi I’ve been lookin for my first bass over the last 3 months and i can’t decide beetween the

Cort Action 4 Plus (240 usd)
the Cort action dlx plus (275 usd)
or Squier affinity jazz bass (260 usd)

Which one do you think Is better?

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You’re getting a lot more bass with either of the Corts than the Squier. Cort generally makes excellent products as well.

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I don’t know anything about Corts, never saw one, but @howard knows his stuff

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I am mostly looking at the features and options on the basses. I’m confident in Cort’s quality for their entry level - I own one of their guitars and it’s fine, feels very nice and is solidly built.

Markbass preamp in the DLX looks nice, interesting sounding pickups too, or potentially interesting anyway - can’t find much info on them. Would like more info about the electronics -might be a coil tap switch and not active/passive but I am not sure. Active/Passive would be great.

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Have you actually held and played (at least plucked the strings of) all three basses?

I’ve researched a bunch recently (not Cort though) and physically holding them changed my mind substantially about whether or not they were for me.

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This is the best advice ever - the Squier will feel a lot different than the Cort’s in your hands. Strongly recommend trying them out, nothing can substitute for that. It’s at least 100x more important than any online advice you will get.

The most important thing for your first bass is feel and playability. Nothing else even comes close to those, and if one feels a lot better to you than others, go with it. You can always upgrade later (everyone does).

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No it’s very difficult find a squier physically at good price where I live, and the Corts I only found 2 online stores that are selling it

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The feel of a bass is very subjective, especially around the neck. So playing them is important. Finding one that’s comfortable is the primary goal.

I take in person lessons, and at the place my instructor has an 8 inch guitar amp so the bass never sounds great. But that doesn’t affect the lessons at all. What does affect the lessons is how at ease I am with the instrument.

Comfort is super important. And is super personal. I can’t tell you whether a Cort is better than a Squier. Cort probably offers more features than a Squier, but if you go and play them both, and just love the feel of a Squier, than that’s the bass for you. Or vice versa.

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I’d go with the Squier jazz bass. At the end of the day classic is the best way to start plus the quality of imports nowadays are excellent.

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I live in a remote place, about 2 hours from the nearest highway, with a one lane road from me to it. So I get the constraints of remote.

Squier Jazz is a solid bass and a safe bet. Jazz necks are playable. I can’t find the specs for a Cort (they don’t give any info on their nut or neck profile) so can’t say.

Yamaha, Ibanez, ESP/LTD are also good bets.

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Go with a Jazz bass. It’s an excellent place to start for any beginner. It’s considered a classic build for a number of valid reasons.

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I’ve found Jazz basses to be very comfortable and they definitely are classic. Comfort is key. You’re not going to want to play for long if you’re in pain. Be sure and buy from somewhere that has a clear return policy in case you don’t like the feel of your instrument.

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I’d definitely go with either Cort over a Jazz, but that’s mostly personal preference. Way more versatility in either the P/J or the active/passive dual soapbar.

But in the end what really matters is feel, and in general the Cort’s will probably (but not definitely) have a slimmer and faster neck than the Jazz, and will amost definitely weigh less than the Jazz. This is where trying them out comes in; it’s too bad that they won’t have that chance.

Which isn’t to trash talk the Squier Jazz - it’s an excellent choice too, for a starter bass. All three of these would be good choices.

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Can’t go wrong with any of them. Just take the one which you think looks cool. Looks do matter to keep playing.

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It’s true. In addition to feeling good, it’s got to motivate you to pick it up to play :slight_smile:

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As you’ve seen, when you ask for opinions on which bass to buy, you’ll get many answers. Some will agree, some won’t. That’s because the choice of an instrument is such a personal, subjective decision.

The best advice is to hold and feel a bass to see if you bond with it. If doing that locally isn’t an option, then order one or more on your list, making sure the store(s) will allow you to return any you don’t want to keep. You might have to pay for shipping, but at least you will have a chance to try out one or more candidates.

Good luck.

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Good advice from Mike there, and another thing I would mention is that you shouldn’t worry too much about your choice here. All three of those would be fine.

A lot of people get hung up on the idea that they need to pick a perfect instrument for them on the first try, or that they are buying a “forever bass”. This is rarely true in practice and never true for your first instrument - you don’t even know what you like yet, or even enough to know how to know what you like; no one would expect you to make a perfect long term choice here :slight_smile:

Most people buy then upgrade over time, once they know what matters to them in an instrument. This is natural.

Another good approach is to seriously consider a used instrument. There’s a lot of people out there that bought instruments on a pandemic whim and now want to sell them, relatively new and pristine. Might as well let someone else’s broken dreams take that depreciation hit.

You’re already doing well right out of the gate, by spelling Squier correctly and not “Squire” :rofl:

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I am a PJ man as it turns out, at least if you go by my family.

Only reasons I don’t recommend Cort is they don’t publish their specs. Much prefer the pups over a Jazz

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Oh, Billy!

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