new vs used bass

[paulwcp]

hi ive been playing upright bass for a few years now and i want to change to electric/acoustic
and i got a few qns

1 does anyone know where to get a new acoustic or electric bass + amp under 500?
2 what are the benefits of new vs used bass?
3 and also how to choose a bass?

ive been to some shops but there are so many choices and i dont know which are good guitars / shops

and are there any reputable shops or good brands too?

thanks alot for the help

 

[cheesedaele]

Pick up one of the Craftsman starter packs at City Music, very much under $500 and at decent quality at that. And two thumbs up to sales staff.

The range of basses you find in the soft classifieds, are either the entry level Squiers (quite a few "I want to try bass, wow so cool" and then 2 months later "eee so boring".) or the high end $2-4k and beyond instruments, not much inbetween.

There's too many ways in which a brand new bass can differ from a used, and dependent on so many factors; I'll avoid rambling, but some quick pros vs cons:
- Brand new, you can ask the shop to set it up for you, you can get advice/tips from the sales folks, you've got all sort of after-sale service. Second-hand, depends on whether the seller is a really nice guy.
- Brand new, you've (almost always) got warranty. If you find any "surprises", you can bring it back to the shop and someone is answerable. Second-hand, too bad. The most you could do is name and shame the seller.
- Brand new, you can shop around for something you like. Used, you only have what's available, or you wait for a good deal on a lucky day.

Trawl a few pages back, these are quite common questions and there's been many threads.

 

[Turxile]

Squiers are very good quality these days.
Cheesecake has made good points, but don't waste your money on a Craftsman, get a Squier.
Reliable, good, and if you want to, easy to sell.
As for amp, the cheap amps will be, well, cheap. I would get a headphone amp at first and save for a good amp.