I’m thinking about learning to play the bass and would like to solicit some advice from musical dopers!
Lately I’ve been trying to learn more about music. While I’ve always been a big fan of many kinds of music, It’s been a passive appreciation. I tried to find the common thread in all of the music that I enjoy the most, and I think that it’s a really cool bass that does it for me, more than other instruments. Now that I’m living in a remote northern town with nothing to do, I’m trying to rekindle old hobbies and maybe start a new one or two.
Will an inexpensive instrument cause more frustration than it’s worth? Is a bass the kind of thing where a modest increase in cost yields a much better instrument? Will a total noob even notice the difference?
My goal in learning is to be able to join my musical friends in a little garage jamming, that sort of thing.
We’ll be going to the BIG CITY (aka Winnipeg) in a few weeks, and I plan on visiting music stores then. I’m just trying to do some preliminary research now.
Anything else I should know? I’ve seen the “guitar acquisition syndrome” threads and have wondered if this is a road I want to go down…
One thing is there is almost always a shortage of bass players so it’s easier to find people to play with.
You should look around for a good used instrument on craigslist or other online places. You can probably find a pretty good bass used for the same price as a cheap one new. If possible when buying take someone who knows how to play the bass or at least the guitar so they will know what to look for and can check it out for you.
Yeah, it seems that everyone wants to be the lead guitar, but I like the idea of being the one just behind the scenes who keeps the whole thing going. Hey, that’s my job in real life, so why not? I’m a creative-but-not-flashy person so I think that it would fit me better.
That’s a good thought on a used one. The store where my husband got his guitar takes trade ins, so I may be to find a good one there.
Of course eBay has tons of basses for sale but the downside is you can’t see before you buy. There are always used guitars and basses around that are like new because some people give up playing after just a few months.
The Squier “Classic Vibe” models are generally considered quite good value for money (I have a CV Telecaster and think it’s great)… a 10 watt bass amp might be OK for practicing, but ain’t gonna cut it if you plan on playing with a drummer!
The bass guitar is one of the easier instruments to start on because it’s relatively simple. You only have four strings to worry about, you don’t need to play chords, and the space between the frets is much wider than on a guitar, giving you a little more of a margin for error. That doesn’t mean that it’s easy to be good at playing the bass, but it does mean that it’s easier to learn. Some of the best bassists in rock (Paul McCartney, Phil Lesh, Flea) were basically self taught, originally playing one instrument and then switching to bass because the band’s original bassist left or something.
It takes a hell of a lot of practice and creativity to develop your own unique, fluid style on the bass, and to be able to actually add something to the song melodically rather than just playing chord tones along with the rhythm of the drummer, but it’s not hard to start out on. I would advise at least a few lessons so you don’t develop a bad technique early.
Getting a crappy bass (or guitar) can make learning very hard. The action (string height) can be too high, the intonation off (can’t tune properly) and a bunch of other things that make learning a bitch.
If you can, find a bass player to help you pick out a bass. It doesn’t have to be top end but it does need to be playable. If possible, find a store with a bass teacher and have him/her help you out.
I’m inclined to think that the first bass should be an inexpensive one. Basses vary surprisingly much not just in quality but in ergonomics, too. For instance, the Precision and Jazz Basses by Fender (and cheaper versions by Squier plus countless knock-offs) that are the world’s most used basses are just too big and clumsy for some players. I’m a 5’11" male and I had to get rid of my otherwise lovely Jazz Bass because the body didn’t fit in my lap and actually hurt my plucking hand arm. Since I switched to more modern, downsized bass models, I realized how much the Jazz sucked, ergonomically (FTR, millions of bassists are very happy with their Jazzes).
Scale lengths vary, too. The industry standard (as in Fenders and most others) is 34" which is a bit much for small-handed players. A 32" scale bass may be hugely more comfortable. Many basses today are even 35" which doesn’t make the beginner’s task any easier.
The thing is, a beginner can’t tell if her bass is just right for her or not. It will probably take numerous tries before one’s preferences emerge (I went through maybe six basses in ascending price/quality to find what works for me). Should one shell 1200 bucks for a nice American Fender before knowing squat? Many would say sure, since a Fender is a quality instrument that’s almost always easy to sell or trade while many of the affordable far-eastern imports have little resale value. The overall quality of cheap basses has risen by leaps and bounds in recent years, though. A $300 bass can be very nice, especially if set up by a professional.
Yes, and yes. But only if we’re talking a certain level of cost–and while I really can’t speak to the particular Epiphone bass you’ve been looking at, it does fall below the dubious price-point in my experience. Low quality guitars and basses tend to have the following qualities that will make your learning much more difficult:
They tend to not stay in tune very well and don’t have very good intonation, which makes everything about learning–and especially playing with other people–very frustrating. Your playing might not sound very good at all even if you’re playing the “correct” notes, and you won’t know whether the mistake is you or the instrument.
If the frets aren’t properly aligned with the side of the fretboard and stick out a little bit, you’ll cut your index finger to shreds through no fault of your own. I only survived my first guitar through a combination of dedication and masochism.
Definitely agree with sleestak here regarding having someone experienced take a look at your prospective bass. You don’t need to spend a fortune on your first bass, but it needs to stay in tune and not physically hurt you! That said, Toxylon is not incorrect in saying that inexpensive instruments have come a long way, and you can find perfectly suitable beginner basses for $300 or less.
I also second zombywoof’s assessment of that practice amp not really being sufficient for playing music with others (unless there’s no drummer, in which case you may be okay). If you can’t hear yourself over the other players, you’re not going to learn very much.
<hopelessly biased opinion>That said, playing music makes absolutely everything about life better, so go for it!</hopelessly biased opinion>
I have to defend the Fender Jazz. It’s got my favorite compromise between playability and tone. I began on a 3/4 size bass as a kid. It was easy to play, but it’s tone was well, butt tone. I have had other short-scale basses, such as the EB0 linked above, and they do suffer from the same problem (and consequently the same ergonomic benefits) to varying degrees. I’d certainly say to consider the EB0, though. It’s scale’s a little shorter than your average Fender, so the strings are more slack when in tune. That, coupled with the narrow neck might make it easy for a beginner. You might be able to find a battered Gibson one for the price of a new Epiphone one ( I traded a Japanese non-Fender Jazz copy for mine, incidentally ) . The Gibsons have a set neck rather than a bolt on neck, and are generally much nicer.
Every manufacturer has off days, so buy your instrument in person if you can. Used is actually better than new in many cases, because an instrument that has been played has probably been set up properly. Lots of the guitars in music stores haven’t been set up well. Consequently, you don’t know how good or bad it is. Price is almost irrelevant to quality. The same is true of amplifiers, only it’s even more of a crapshoot. You will want more than ten watts very soon. Having only ten watts will keep your neighbors from hating you, though. If you buy a higher output amp, be sure to test it loud – with your bass – before you buy.
Yes. One more thing. Often overlooked by rock and pop musicians. Learn to read music. If you decide to go further in music, you’ll never, ever regret it.
Toxylon, that’s a good point about the size. I’m a 5’3" woman with very petite hands. Saintly Loser, I started to read a bit about reading music this weekend and I think I broke my brain. Since I’ve yet to pick up an instrument or learn about music in any meaningful way, it’s all theoretical at this point. Please tell me that it’ll be easier with a little practical experience!
Thanks everyone else for the input - I’m going to make a cheat sheet with these ideas when I go to try out basses!
Reading isn’t so tough, especially for the bass (reading guitar music will drive you nuts, though). By all means, learn to play by ear, have fun, and enjoy yourself, but put in a little time on a regular basis on learning to read.
Here’s a tip. Start with some country music (for reading or playing). It’s simple, and easy to play, but you’ll learn the basics of how a bass line works, and how to keep time.
If you’ve got small hands, by all means go with a short-scale bass. After a while, if you really start to enjoy playing, you may want to try a long-scale instrument for the superior tone, but for now a shorter neck is probably better. And there are plenty of famous electric bass players who played short-scale basses. Bill Wyman, Jack Bruce, Paul McCartney (the famous Beatle bass) and (for a while) Phil Lesh come to mind.
Here’s a thought - how often are you in Winnipeg? The reason I ask is, you could rent a bass and an amp from Long & McQuade for a month and see how that particular bass feels. The trick is, because you’re starting out, you may not be able to feel the difference between ‘I need to get used to this stretch’ and ‘this stretch is more than I should ask of my hand’. If you were to ask to rent a short scale bass, you would then be able to ask a teacher whether you should go up to a larger bass anytime in the future. You could also try out a larger bass for a month (or a week, or a couple of days, whatever.) and see how your hand likes it.
There are also a couple of good music shops in Brandon, if that’s any closer to you.
You should start with a quality instrument, but that doesn’t mean an expensive or brand name model. Kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince.
Before you buy one, borrow one or mess around in stores to the point where you learn a little ditty–a crappy classic rock tune or something. Then play that on a lot of basses that you’re shopping for until you find one that you can afford that plays comfortably with minimal “fret buzz”. Don’t worry about supposed differences in sound quality.
Once you buy, learning to play a few favorite songs is a great way to start, even if it’s painstakingly, note for note. Find song from your music collection where the bass part is distinctive, although the tabulature that shows you what frets to play might be available on the web.
Once you’ve learned a song, figure out what the key note is and how it dictates what notes are and are not kosher for that song. Learning sheet music is not necessary, but learning to play a major scale starting on any given note is very helpful.
More basically, learn how the same note–or the same note an “octave” higher–is played on a couple different frets, 2 strings up and 2 frets up form a “box” that frames the scale.
If you can find someone to teach you the 12-bar blues, that’s very helpful, since it shows you how a basic structure can be based on a starting note and then elaborated upon with extraneous notes (i.e. “licks”).
Mllz sure describes a bad quality instrument. I’m not sure it’s easy to find such crap these days. I’ve gone through a bunch of affordable basses and they all stay in tune OK and have a good intonation (this is really a function of the fretboard accuracy, which is extremely high in mass-produced instruments). Basses do go out of tune, but that applied to my Neuser and Alembic, too ($3000 - 5000 works of art - got mine second-hand in incredible deals). Checking the tuning comes with the territory.
I’m a bit perplexed by the second paragraph above. Properly dressing the fret ends is a time-consuming step that’s rarely done on inexpensive instruments. As fingerboard wood contracts due to a change in RH while the metal frets don’t, the problem becomes evident. Right now I’m playing a 300-dollar Korean five-string with protruding fret ends. However, the fret ends don’t make contact anywhere on my hand (only my thumb contacts the neck back and sides and only on smooth wood), and even if I tried, I couldn’t cut my index finger (huh?) or anything else, on them - they’re just not sharp enough. Dressing the fret ends is easily done after-market by a pro, but even if not, it’s a very small issue.
Regarding short-scale basses, they are almost universally described as instruments lacking in sound and feel for ease of playing. But Alembic, possibly the world’s most prestigious custom bass manufacturer uses the 32" scale as standard. My 5-string Alembic had a 32" scale, and the bass had an extremely solid feel and a huge sound. The B-string was tighter than on my 35" scale Korean bass. Alembics aren’t really pertinent to discussion on entry-level basses, but the fact is short-scale can be just as good as long-scale, only easier to play. (Very big-handed) Stanley Clarke would agree.
Just so to not get hung up on the scale length, many women bassists use 34" (standard) basses just fine.
Schecter doesn’t make short-scales AFAIK but their bass models are small and lightweight, with narrow, easy necks. Ibanez Soundgears are similarly ergonomic. Just a couple inexpensive makes to consider. Second-hand, one can get a nice one for 200 bucks or so.
As a bass player, there’s one sentence you’ll have to say over and over and over again, so best practice it early. Goes something like this : “Hey, guys, come on, don’t you want to just play the music ? Please, guys ?”.
You’ll say this when the singer and the lead guitar are fighting over some broad one of 'em brought to the rehearsal. You’ll say this when they’re both bitching at the drummer because he’s going too fast. You’ll say this when the drummer storms out in a huff because it’s not his fault everyone’s playing too fucking slow. And so on, and so forth. Be prepared
Sorry–looking back on it, the shredded index finger was a guitar injury (sliding barre-chords up and down the neck), not electric bass. You’re correct that it would be difficult to achieve such an injury on bass. Probably wouldn’t have happened on guitar had I possessed better technique at the time, either!
Are low-end instruments really that rare now? My first bass was a made-in-Mexico Fender Jazz, and quite a solid instrument–but I had learned lessons from my first electric guitar (the finger-shredder), as well as from junky basses of friends (one was a dreadful Cort that was extremely difficult to tune, and the other was a truly horrendous flying-V copy whose brand-name had once been affixed by a sticker, long since missing). Tuners would stick and gears would wear out and slip, frets would be uneven, electronics would fail. All fixable–along with the terrible intonation–but hardly worth it on instruments of that value.
Come to think of it, though, the kind of shady music store that used to sell such crap equipment seems to have vanished around here… only the more respectable places lived on.
