General questions from one completely new to the bass.

[qlzbass]

Hi, first post to soft.

I'm interested in buying my first bass in Singapore. When I was first introduced to music, I was given my brother's old Ibanez SA Series electric guitar to try out. Then, I found that I was listening to the bass lines more than the guitar tracks in songs (RHCP, Incubus, Muse etc).

What I'm saying is, I have basic knowledge on how to work an electric instrument, reading tabs (not scores, though), and I practiced some bass lines on my electric guitar after removing the last two strings (sounds ridiculous, but I take whatever I can get).

Since I have finished my A'Levels, I have more time to spend now on the things I have more interest in.

I plan to buy a brand new bass in a Singapore outlet with a budget of around 500 dollars, inclusive of necessities like the bass amplifier, cords, strap (as I feel better playing while standing up).

Here are some questions:

1. This may seem a little general, but how do I buy a bass? Do I just walk into a store and ask for one to try out? Or do I have to have something in mind first before I enter? Also, there is the amp to care about and I have no idea what is the price or how to pick one...

2. How do you check if the bass is one of good quality? I've read up about things like checking for abnormalities in the neck, the bridge etc. Are there any more necessary things I must check for?

3. So I have the bass in my hands, how do I test it? Do I randomly strum a few strings? Or try playing a song? I plan to learn how to slap and pop, but I've never tried it. Do I try it then? How do I know it sounds right?

4. What do I buy? Please suggest a few basses within that budget that can be found in Singapore. If possible, reasons why they're good rather than just 'it's good' .

Thanks everyone, I look forward to the replies helping me to get my first bass!

 

[cheesedaele]

Short version:

City Music is having their popular year end sale now. Some people literally wait the entire year just to save $ at this sale. Walk in during off-peak (weekdays before 4pm), tell a salesperson straight up: Hi, I want to buy a bass, my budget is $500, I'm clueless please help me. If you stopped reading here and don't like it, blame yourself for being too lazy to read the long version.

=====

Long version:

$500 is a healthy budget to work with. You could get a great mid-level bass on the classifieds if you're patient, or if you want one brand new, it could fetch you a higher-end entry level package. If you don't mind getting help from others to physically accompany you to buy, you have a few options:

- Buy from stores (other than Swee Lee). Get a friend who knows basses to accompany you and do the hard work. You just pay for it. And then also buy them a good dinner.

- Buy from Swee Lee. Make sure to get your parent(s) to accompany you or expect to be ignored.

- Camp the classifieds here and pick one up cheap. (Might take a while.)


If you want to swing it on your own, then,

First, look at this thread:
http://soft.com.sg/forum/showthread.php/192324-Buying-a-bass-101

Then, you might want to check out these threads:
http://soft.com.sg/forum/showthread.php/199137-Beginner-packages-!
http://soft.com.sg/forum/showthread.php/197833-Good-for-value-beginner-bass
http://soft.com.sg/forum/showthread.php/197403-Beginner-s-dilemma
http://soft.com.sg/forum/showthread.php/196401-How-to-know-whether-a-bass-sounds-good
http://soft.com.sg/forum/showthread.php/195493-How-to-choose-a-bass!
http://soft.com.sg/forum/showthread.php/195528-Bass-recomendation
http://soft.com.sg/forum/showthread.php/195124-New-Bassist-)-Need-a-bass!-Advice-pls-)
http://soft.com.sg/forum/showthread...t-a-bass-package-with-amp-and-all-at-200-HELP

 

[volux]

Damn cheese!! Hats (and wig) off to you for compiling all those thread!! Honestly there should be a sticky for these kinda threads :/

 

[qlzbass]

wow, that really helped me a lot. thanks cheese
well, here's one more question in case i look stupid in the store; is there any difference between a guitar amplifier and a bass amplifier? I have a guitar amp at home which my brother used to use.

 

[cheesedaele]

wow, that really helped me a lot. thanks cheese
well, here's one more question in case i look stupid in the store; is there any difference between a guitar amplifier and a bass amplifier? I have a guitar amp at home which my brother used to use.

The two types of amps use different types of speaker cones. A bass amp is optimised for lower frequencies of sound that a guitar amp doesn't handle as well. The bottom end of the sound might feel weak, sound empty and/or inaccurate, or even be absent at the lowest pitches. Conversely, the higher frequencies will be emphasised more with a guitar amp than on a bass amp, so things like fret clicks, string noise, might be slightly more noticeable. This might be apparent to a trained/experienced ear but a layman might not be able to tell the difference unless they're carefully pointed out in a controlled environment.

I'm not too sure of this next part, so don't take as gospel truth.
Of actual concern, but isn't very likely, is that at higher volumes, the bass frequencies that should be handled by a woofer in a bass amp might push a guitar amp's speaker cone beyond what it's designed to handle. Over extended use (read: many many years) this'll wear out the speaker cone much sooner than if used with gear it was designed for. There's the risk you might tear the speaker cone, but that's a really extreme case and it could happen even with just a guitar.

Simply for a beginner just starting out, I don't think it'll make much of a difference.