@sbgower Josh has quite a few basses. I’m not sure which one you are referring to. In the course lessons he uses a Peavey Cirrus with a natural finish. In his more recent YouTube videos he uses a white Fender Squire Bass.
The Peavey seems to be his “go to” instrument, not because of any kind of endorsement but because it does what he wants and feels the way he wants. I think he uses the Squire in the more recent videos because the Peavey doesn’t have fret markers and the fret markers make it easier for people to see what he’s doing.
Also, if you travel a lot, you could try adding an acoustic bass or even a Ukulele Bass for maximum portability. I know there has been at least one person that did the whole course on a Uke Bass.
I took Josh’s course, but have been playing off and on for almost 30 years. I just never had proper training. I have been on stage with two different bands. I have walked out on stage with everything from a $100 bass and an $800 bass. It really boils down to what feels good to you and furthers your playing. There are a raft of used basses from folks who didn’t stick with it, or the need to add just one more, yet get rid of one you don’t play. There is also a good selection of solid mid range bases in the $300-$500 range. You may just need to find a store that has a few, and give them all a try. That’s what I did. I discovered Schecter this way. I also like the MIM Fenders, and have two. But depending on how I feel and what I want to bring, I will grab my $175 Ibanez Talman. You may put your hands on a high priced bass, and see that the fretwork is bad, or the knobs are loose, or grab one that’s a lower price range and it just feels right. It’s tough to say your first bass will be your “forever” bass, as you will see and play others and think “gotta get one.” I am on my 3rd “forever” bass.
No Peavey endorsement, it’s just the main bass I grew up on. I’ve since started using it less on gigs as I’ve gotten wiser about bringing Fenders when appropriate for tone/look.
And I’m using the Squier in recent videos for the fret markers, and also to show beginners that they don’t need a big gear budget to sound good!
yeah @JoshFossgreen I think it’s a very good thing to use the Squier for the videos. it has fret markers, yeah (and that’s important when you try to show notes on a video ) but also that’s very cool to show that there is no problem playing a “cheap” instrument. I don’t like the idea that a beginner could feel frustrated because he has a Squier, because those instruments really work and can be used for what they are : real instruments !
Hi Hannah, what made you go with the SX? I have a vintage, lol, 90s Yamaha 4 string, but I am thinking about getting another 4 string, so I am interested in hearing other’s stories.
Is it really the feel of a bass that makes the difference, or the sound, or the look that makes a difference? Does the adage “You get what you pay for” apply when it comes to bass guitars? Is there a real difference in the quality of the basses that are made? I would appreciate your feed back on this, since I am looking to add another 4 string to the Music Man Sting Ray 5 that I already have.
I know you addressed this to Josh but I figured I would throw in my two cents.
Yes. If you go to a guitar store and try a few different basses their is a big difference between how, for example, an Ibanez and a Fender feels, or how a Fender Precision and a Fender Jazz feels. The finish on the neck, the shape of the neck, the weight of the body, the shape of the body, short scale versus long scale, 4 string versus 5+ string, etc. All of these things (and more) can make a difference.
Yes. To me, an instrument is a work of art. I want to enjoy looking at it. Even more, I want to look at it and feel inspired to play it.
Yes and No. Manufacturing has come a long way in the 70+ (?) years since the first electric bass was created. Because of this, the base line and consistency of instruments are higher than they used to be. More money generally means higher end hardware, higher end electronics, higher end woods, higher end paint jobs, and more hand finishing. Notice, I said higher end and not better. For example, higher end hardware can mean better sustain and better tuning stability but we have people on BassBuzz using instruments from $100 to $2,000+ and I have yet to hear anyone complain about lack of sustain or problems with tuning stability. Not that these aren’t serious issues, but there are a lot of factors that can go into how much money you want to spend on this. This is a bit of an over simplification but hardware, electronics, wood, and paint (or finish) could each have their own topics.
Yes. If nothing else, there is a difference in perceived quality. What feels fine to one person might feel “cheap” to someone else. What is exceptional build quality would probably go unnoticed by someone who didn’t know what to look for. For example, I can’t tell the difference between an American made and a Mexican made Fender Jazz Bass. The difference in price is over $1,000 but I can’t detect those differences.
I know some of this was a bit vague but you were covering a lot of ground with the questions you were asking. As much as it might suck to hear, most of these questions you can only answer for yourself by going out to a guitar store, getting your hands on the instruments, and seeing what feels good to you.
If you still need some ideas, let us know what kind of budget you’re working with, what kind of music you like, what kind of music you want to play, do you have plans to join a band, record on your own, etc. The more we know about you, the better recommendations we can make.
What I would add - while there are certainly bad basses, there is also a vast sea of excellent midrange basses in the $500-$1k range and the variance in tone, look, feel and style among them is huge. And a lot of it is subjective to personal preferences.
Is a $5-10k high end bass really 5-10 times better than one of these? Well, maybe, if you are a recording artist and have very specific stylistic needs. But for the vast majority of bassists, including those in touring bands, and I mean A-list bands here, the answer is probably no.
Peter Hook, my favorite bassist - whose band to this day still has the best selling 12" single of all time and routinely packed stadiums - has been playing a mid-range Yamaha for 40 years. He bought seven of the model when it was discontinued and still rocks them to this day.
They all sound fine and blend together surprisingly well considering how different they are - dead simple P, nice J, and ultra high end humbucking active bass.
The tone on the Fodera is amazing. I don’t think I would trade fourteen of the J-basses for it though.
I hadn’t planned on buying a bass the day my husband said, “You should play bass. You’d be good at it.” We went into a pawn shop I picked up the SX and I randomly fingered the fret board and suddenly I was in love. It was divine providence, not knowledge that I bought the SX. It has a really full, round warm tone and it holds its tune. Since then I have tried other basses including Yamahas, but I am still thrilled with my SX!
Agreed with everything said so far. Hats off to @eric.kiser specifically for his write up. Personally I’m a big SX truther, annnnnnd…I’m looking to purchase a Stingray next year. There are some nostalgia reasons for my obsession with the Stingray, buuuuut at the same time every time I’ve played one, I’ve been in love. However, I will say that I’ve somewhat become nervous that as I continue to get better, complete Josh’s course, begin to play regularly for my church’s worship team, etc. All of which improves me as a bassist and curates my personal actual tastes when it comes to a bass. In the end will potentially result in me not actually liking a Stingray. Now again, every time in the past I’ve played one its felt like butter and I don’t think its going out on a limb to say that it has the 3rd biggest presence in the industry behind Leo Fender’s other two masterpieces (P & J). So all of that would lead me to believe I should have no doubts at all. And that would be true if it wasn’t for my SX.
It’s totally changed my mindset on what is and isn’t a good instrument. Granted overall more often than not there is a inherent correlation between price and quality, but it is NO WHERE near the level that the producers and distributors want you to believe. My $200 SX Jazz for example has a swamp ash body. Doing a quick search on sweetwaters site, the cheapest Jazz I can find with an ash body and natural finish is $1,125. Mine looks near identical to that Fender Deluxe and I bet if you put them side by side in person the only way you’d be able to tell them apart is the headstock. Electronics and hardware on the Fender? Yeah, I’d be shocked if they were not at least marginally better. But the stock stuff on my SX is just fine. Plus I can always upgrade to taste as I go if I want, or not. I’m getting a bit off track here but in short what I’m trying to say is. There are things, that more often than not separate the high dollar basses from the cheap ones, but its not always the case. Plus with a bit of DIY TLC, you can make a cheapo feel like butter. So much so, you’ll go to your local shop and pick up a high end bass and want to throw up cuz it just feels awful compared to your cheapo at home. Trust me, I know from experience. Which again fuels my Stingray worry.
In the end, the two most important things are your own personal talent and what feels good to you. Josh makes the Squire sing just like he does the Peavey because of his talent. I’ve wanted to throw up playing some high end basses before because of feel.
I appreciate all the great feed back that you guys have given me. I went with a 4 string Fender Jazz. I tried a few different guitars, but it was the sound of the Fender Jazz that really sold me. There was a significant sound difference between the Mexican and American made guitars. I also tried the P bass as well, but the Jazz had such a great sound to it, I could not say no. I have enjoyed going through the rest of module 2 and module 3 with the Jazz. A ton of fun, not to mention it is lighter than my Stingray. I am not saying good bye to my Stingray, but for now I am going to play the Jazz.
) but also that’s very cool to show that there is no problem playing a “cheap” instrument. I don’t like the idea that a beginner could feel frustrated because he has a Squier, because those instruments really work and can be used for what they are : real instruments !
