Bass rookie needing help

[yingkaik]

Hello Softies,

Being a drummer, i have a huge respect for bassists out there. And over the past few months i have developed a profound interest in having a bass guitar.
Question is, im not really sure on my decision. Currently i have a budget of 200 dollars. I have in my sights, a Fpj 20 Craftsman Bass from city music with their sale going on ($175) and a washburn (wb44 i think?) going for $150 with a ding at the bottom of the guitar. Thing is its hard to find reviews of both particular basses. For the craftsman bass i have come across with it being decently built and worth the money.

Next thing is i am deciding on getting instead of an amp, a Vox bass amplug. Keep in mind that i do not own any bass amps. The very reason is that im on a budgetary roll, and a new amp would cost quite a bit. Would this be a good idea? At the same time ill still look out for some good deals at the trade forum for a proper amp whilst using the Amplug.

To round it up, i would appreciate advice on what bass to get. If you have recommendations i would like to hear it. The direction of my music is not really decided yet so i guess a p and j pickup would be good. Also, is getting a bass with a Vox amplug a feasible idea to jam along with songs from my computer and mp3. Hoping to settle with a bass by this week.

Thanks all =) Cheers!

-Yk

 

[ashchong]

hmm thought i'd recommand getting the citymusic starter pack. it might cross ur budget abit.

but line 6 amps are worth it cause of the inbuilt efx good for auditioning sounds can try stuff out

well i like the craftsman series , sx is built better especially if ur looking for price to performance ratio. but craftsman has better how u saydeals i guess cause of the starter pack which gives u a tuner and an amp

 

[eieio]

$150-$200? get entry level yamaha attitude..
look out at buy & sell section maybe $250 with amp?

 

[dumbcube]

SX

SX will be a good start with your budget, though you may want to save up a few hundred bucks more for a Squier?

I own a Vox Amplug, and honestly speaking: tak shiok compared to playing through an amp. Look out for people selling sets on soft. I think I saw a Squier precision going for $250 recently.

 

[shinobi]

at the entry level it doesnt make much of a difference. go for things like number of frets, number of strings, neck profile, weight, even the colour. if aesthetics were not a factor, every guitar would be painted black. make sure the bass is not physically damaged. you shouldn't spend too much time deciding on an entry level bass because the product involvement is low.

 

[yingkaik]

I see, so in that case, with that in mind, a craftsman bass is rather decent then. Tried looking at the trade forums so far but yamaha basses (entry level) are still rather expensive.

In the future, i probably might go for an upgrade and thats where i should spend more money on. Still, in the case without an amplifier, is a Vox ampplug good enough to last till i get a decent second hand amp?

 

[rottenramone]

if u don't have an amp. can i suggest u get an audio interface and then plug that into your computer.

 

[yingkaik]

Thanks, i think ill do a search on that since im unsure of how to do it.
Hmm... first search through on the net netted me this result.
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/stealthplug/moreinfo/moreinfo4.php

Still welcome if there are more suggestions. =)

Cheers

 

[shinobi]

i saw a monster cable in the apple store thats supposed to be an interface for guitar. basically a 1/4" phone female to 1/8" phone male. to me it looks like overpriced crap.

alesis has a product that is far more convincing, it's a 1/4 phone to USB cable. converts the analog signal into a digital one. that sound alot more promising. i dunno its availability in SG but sinamex is the alesis dealer in singapore. i would expect such a dongle to be well below $100.

i've heard that the stealth plug suffers some lag, but no experience with it.

 

[lordie]

Thanks, i think ill do a search on that since im unsure of how to do it.
Hmm... first search through on the net netted me this result.
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/stealthplug/moreinfo/moreinfo4.php

Still welcome if there are more suggestions. =)

Cheers

u can try getting a pod toneport ux1, city music got a sale u might be able to get it for cheap.

 

[alanchia]

promo price of pod studio ux1 is now S$193.

 

[alanchia]

if u don't have an amp. can i suggest u get an audio interface and then plug that into your computer.

i plug my active bass to my pc (with subwoofer) using 1/4" to mini-stereo adapter which can be found in any DIY, with my instrument cable. most pc would have a line-in port which is sufficient.

 

[shinobi]

some amplification would be ideal if you plugging into the soundcard. it might not be loud enough due to impedance differences, especially if its a passive bass. a suitable DI could sort it out. some bass preamps have built in DI.

 

[yingkaik]

Ah in that case the built in DI would be like Zoom's B1. Looked for the amplug bass yesterday at City Music but unfortunately its sold out so i preordered it and its coming latest mid jan. The staff there recommended me a zoom B1 but though its cheap at $77 i would be required to get an extra cable that would, in the end, add up to 80 plus.

Getting a second hand p bass this sat. But in that case i pretty much will be ampless unless i figure out how a direct input from bass to my laptop speaker works etc. Or till i get a cheap 2nd hand amplifier.