Gonna drag this thread up from the depths, since it didn't seem appropriate to start a whole new one.
Fair warning: I've had a couple of drinks tonight, and I type just as much as I talk when I've been drinking LOL :P
Since I'm a guitar-a-holic (been playing since March, already on my 3rd electric [but still my first acoustic]) and since I have three very good friends who all happen to play bass, I've thought about picking up a bass guitar myself. Having looked at some basic tabs and clunked around on my friends' axes, I think I could get a good deal of enjoyment out of learning bass along with regular 6-string.
I'm actually a drummer at heart, have played on and off for nearly 20 years now. I like to think I have a decent sense of rhythm. :) I do pretty well on a 6-string without a metronome, although I can still see the difference in my guitar playing if I have a met or my drum machine running. I'm sure I'll work that out over time. On a drum kit I can hold a beat all day long with little perceivable (sp?) variance in tempo, and I feel as though combining that skill with my new-found love for guitar would make me a decent bass player as well.
Or I could be completely mistaken. :lol:
At any rate, I have a couple of questions in the event that I do decide to do this:
1) I know my $200 electric and my $120 acoustic guitars do me just fine...knowing that I'm pretty easy to please at this point (now that I have an electric that I actually enjoy playing,) how much should I be looking to spend for a "budget yet pretty OK" bass guitar? I'm just worried that I'll end up running the same cycle with bass guitars...the more suggestions I get, the better idea I'll have when I hit the guitar shop to try some out. Thankfully I have a bit more experience now, so I feel that I could probably test-drive a few basses (bass? basi? what is the plural for that?) and get a good idea of what I'd like and what I wouldn't. I do know for a fact that I like my buddy's Ibanez SR405 5-string...but I'm not sure I'm ready to drop $500-ish on a bass for myself just yet.
2) I think I already know the answer to this one, but I'll ask anyway - as long as I don't try to wind it up to 11, would my cheezy little 10-watt Crate amp be OK for now? I can't (well, don't and won't, out of respect for others) ever play at loud volumes due to apartment living, and I really can't see me burning up the amp by running a bass through it. Perhaps not the best solution, but a budgetary solution in light of the upcoming holiday season.
3) What is the square root of 13? OK, that had nothing to do with anything else at all, but it's a question that I like to have people answer anyway. :lol:
I'm actually a drummer at heart, have played on and off for nearly 20 years now.I like to think I have a decent sense of rhythm.
I think you need to decide which of these is true. :wink:
1) I'm happy with my Squier bass, although I've modified it a little bit. So that's a good place to start looking.
2) First of all, it's not my fault when it blows up. The amp itself will be fine, but turn down if the speaker starts getting stressed.
3) 3.6
I love my Squier as well - P-Bass Special from eBay. I was just tracking it last night on a country tune we're doing. I have Rotosound flatwouds on it and it really punches.
Then there's my Turser Beatle; a constant favorite. Both of these were relatively inexpensive; even the Essex 5-string I got from Rondo music. Took a bit of tweaking, and I shielded it with copper foil, but it does the job.
You might check out Rondo if you have the chance. The Brice basses and what's that other brand? Agile! They've got some rave reviews over in TalkBass.com. Really well-made Korean instruments that can be played as is or modded to your pleasure. Good prices I think.
I don't have a bass amp because I only record at present, but if I needed one I'd probably go with that one Carvin with the 15" speaker and the tweater. 160 watts I think, but easy to carry. I can't see myself lugging an SVT around, lol.
Fender also has some nice little portable bass combos (1 piece) that you could check out.
Have fun! Bass playing can be a lot of fun if you let it.
I'm actually a drummer at heart, have played on and off for nearly 20 years now.I like to think I have a decent sense of rhythm.
I think you need to decide which of these is true. :wink:
Pfffffffft! :P :lol:
I popped by Guitar Center yesterday on my way home from work to have a look around. They've got some Squier package sets with the bass, an amp, etc. for about $300. I also looked at some Ibanez 4-strings, which seem to run $20-$30 more than the "bare" Squier basses, and they have a little more control as far as tone and such. Roughly the bass equivalent of my GAX-70 6-string methinks - not a "pro" guitar (if in fact there is such a thing) but nothing to sneeze at either. I was pretty happy with the Ibanez, although both sounded just fine. Didn't even bother to look at the more expensive brands. :) The fellow that I deal with most often at GC demo'd a few of the Squiers and Ibanez(zzez?) for me since I can't play crap, and after handling both brands myself, I truly did like the Ibanez for both sound and feel. I can see one of those in my future. :)
I'm still not going to take the plunge just yet, will probably mess around a little with my neighbor's acoustic bass just to get more of a feel for actually playing. I appreciate the input though, and the Squier isn't totall off my radar yet, especially in light of the package deal. :)
I like Ibanezzzez (at least, I think you guessed right) too. There's a nice six string at my local shop that I hope to pick up when I have the money.
