bass noob

[cool-beans]

i'm intending to get my first bass within the next mth (before april) so i have a few qns (i'm a total noob, so sorry if my qns sound dumb)

1) what's the diff btwn jazz bass and precision bass?
2) i intend to play rock, stuff like GNR, RHCP, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and some punk like Green Day. which is a more suitable bass, tonal-wise?
3) any good basses to recommend? i've got a budget of about $800-$900, incl uding amp. i don't mind second hand as well.
4) is there anywhere to learn bass myself? cause i picked up the guitar myself thru websites like cyberfret so was wondering if there's any site like that for basses?

thanks for viewing

 

[Guest]

i'm sellin my bass. and u can learn urself on ultimate-guitar.com. and u can use precision basses for green day stuff. but i can't tell u the diff between precision and jazz bcos i dun haf pictures to show

 

[bassics]

diff between a jazz and p bass other than the cosmetic differences u see.

p bass neck is wider at the nut jazz is smaller

p pickup is hum-cancelling cause of the way its wired, jazz is non humcancelling unless its stacked jazz pickups.

tonal wise jazz bass usually has 2 p/us neck and bridge where as p only has one in most cases. so most of the time jazz basses have more tonal range.

if u wanna know the differences in wiring go to wikipedia and do a search.

if you wanna play alot more music get a jazz bass, more tonal variety.

if u wanna a good p and j bass option go to yamaha check out the new bb 414/614 series which is actually a reissue in a way of the old bb basses.

best is try it out ur self at sweelee and yamaha to be the judge. oh and if u intend to buy a fender avoid the made in mexico ones.

 

[RentaBass]

There's really no hard and fast rule governing the right bass to use for a given genre, it's really up to you, the bassist. The bass you use is determined by the sound you want to achieve.

Every bass has a different sound, including two of the same make and model. Make sure you try them out, and only buy the one that you really like.

Remember, you're getting it for the sound.

 

[ravenelle]

how did i choose my bass? when i started, i didnt even noe the diff tones, and cant tell the diff btw p and jazz bass other than looking at the headstock!

but for me personally, i did consider in the factor of:

1) thin neck (small hands)
2) weight (i weak la..)
3) budget T_T

so my first bass i bought (still using it) is ibanez soundgear. its light (cheap wood mah), neck's real thin (compared to my pbass), has P&J active pickups, sounds okay for $400... korean make.

oh yeah for home practice, i recommend peavey microbass amp ^^

 

[exin]

i'd recommend ibanez or yamahas .. if you want that tonal range you can check out yamaha's RBX range .. or the newer BB range ..

 

[tim_1002]

i'd say you should go with a p/j combo as your first bass. you get the good thump of the p and can add growly j to taste. or vice versa.

like what exin said. the bb series is quite good. looks cool as well.

 

[RentaBass]

i'd say you should go with a p/j combo as your first bass. you get the good thump of the p and can add growly j to taste. or vice versa.

like what exin said. the bb series is quite good. looks cool as well.

+1 for P/J setups!

Although I'm a big fan of Jazz Basses, I'm still inclined to agree that the P/J setup is one of the most versatile setups you can have. Wish I had a nice P/J bass.....

 

[3notesAbar]

Listen to these people man, I used to own a nice passive P/J bass (yamaha attitude special). Its the ONLY bass i regret selling. I have sold about 10 basses in my 10 years of playing experience...A good PJ bass is like a special person...farking hard to find/replace for that matter! :smt086

 

[RentaBass]

I particularly like the Michael Anthony BBs, really tight and musical sounding.....pity the price

 

[3notesAbar]

I guess thats why they put the BB415s and 515s at those price points. Digression: GAS hit me for like 2 seconds thinking about CHEAP PJ basses, but thankfully its over... :? But seriously, if one wants to play Rock and remain versatile sound-wise, the BB 415 and 515s are THE way to go. Not many company can boast such a high level of QC at low price points.

EDIT: sorry i sua-koo....its not 515 but 615, I also just found out that 414 and 614 are the passive versions.

http://www.yamaha.com/guitars/bb/0,,CTID%3D600007,00.html

 

[cool-beans]

what's the pricing of the BBs?
izzit better to start with 4 strings or 5?
the diff btwn active and passive is?

sorry again

 

[RentaBass]

I'm kinda out of touch with prices, so I'll leave that to the more informed forimites....

As for starting on 4 or 5 strings, it's really up to you. Most stuff is played on a 4 string, so it's easier to start on those. Less strings to cover also means you have less notes to figure out. :lol:

If you play a lot of downtuned stuff, like death metal and the like, it'll be a good idea to go with a 5? :?

 

[3notesAbar]

Hi Afro,

Don't worry about asking questions la, its a forum! Check out www.luthermusic.com for a rough idea of the BB prices.

From my personal point of view, its better to start with a 4, then see how things go. Chances are most players get a 4, then move up to a 5, and finally land on a 6 or back to a 4. haha. Less vs more thing la. Reason why starting with a 5 isnt a good idea is because its harder for most beginners to play a 5 'cleanly' from having an extra string to take care of. Worst case, is being put off by a 5 at the start, when one can have musical bliss with a simple 4 string..

err active basses - requires a single 9V battery, usually can shape the sound by making things louder or softer (bass, treble or even mids).

Passive basses - require no battery, usually only able to shape the sound by making treble softer.

Don't forget that the BBs have 2 pickups. Using them in different settings changes the tone drastically as well.

 

[Indigo_blues]

think your $800-900 should be able to get you the BB614..

I have an older BB604 and i just love the tone.. i use it with a Hartke 140W combo in church and the sound is uber. Recently we repaired our Peavey TNT 160 and it sounds even more uber!

You should go yamaha and check out the prices. cheers.