Discussion
Calling Nickthebassist, or anyone else...BG junior is 12, and wants a bass guitar set-up, he's starting lessons next week at school.
I know absolutely nothing about them, but want to get him one as a surprise. I don't want to buy the wrong thing though.
How do they work? what sort of things should I be looking for, in terms of specs, power, settings, knobs to fiddle etc?
Any tips or recommendations for a starter package?
Thanks in advance.
Warren.
I used to have a Warwick 5 string that was lovely albeit expensive
Also had a Yamaha which was a nice little piece of kit and a bog standard Squire P-Bass which served me very very well!!!
Ive been told that Ibanez bass guitars are a damn good guitar too, but Ive never used one before
I also had a Fender bass amp which was roughly and older version of this
http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~Fender---...
Which sounded fantastic, lovely and deep without sounding shite towards the higher gain
I also had one of these
Which was great, but not recommended for anyone looking to maintain their sanity
Try somewhere like Soundcontrol, they've always done me proud and provided a fantastic service when it came to music
Also had a Yamaha which was a nice little piece of kit and a bog standard Squire P-Bass which served me very very well!!!
Ive been told that Ibanez bass guitars are a damn good guitar too, but Ive never used one before
I also had a Fender bass amp which was roughly and older version of this
http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~Fender---...
Which sounded fantastic, lovely and deep without sounding shite towards the higher gain
I also had one of these
Which was great, but not recommended for anyone looking to maintain their sanity
Try somewhere like Soundcontrol, they've always done me proud and provided a fantastic service when it came to music
Edited by jagdpanther on Monday 24th September 18:45
Hi Warren,
I sympathise mate, been there and done that, but hey there are up sides.
If you want advice I will be happy to help having gone through this a few years ago with my son (now 16 ). Now he has a bedroom full of gear, some very expensive guitars, manages his own music shop and has an exclusive supply deal with a guitar manufacturer!
First I would suggest that you decide exactly how much you want to pay, and bear in mind that this may be a passing phase so do not push the boat out too far at first.
If he remains enthusiastic about his music he will be demand as bassist`s are hard to find.
Have a look on www.gak.com or the usual culprit fleabay, there are some quite reasonable deals about.
If you are not sure about quality, you can always drop me a email and will be happy to help.
Be warned though, music is addictive, and I now get to go see some great live bands, which sometimes takes me away from my other passion, my cars.
Its a great life!!
Cheers Roy
I sympathise mate, been there and done that, but hey there are up sides.
If you want advice I will be happy to help having gone through this a few years ago with my son (now 16 ). Now he has a bedroom full of gear, some very expensive guitars, manages his own music shop and has an exclusive supply deal with a guitar manufacturer!
First I would suggest that you decide exactly how much you want to pay, and bear in mind that this may be a passing phase so do not push the boat out too far at first.
If he remains enthusiastic about his music he will be demand as bassist`s are hard to find.
Have a look on www.gak.com or the usual culprit fleabay, there are some quite reasonable deals about.
If you are not sure about quality, you can always drop me a email and will be happy to help.
Be warned though, music is addictive, and I now get to go see some great live bands, which sometimes takes me away from my other passion, my cars.
Its a great life!!
Cheers Roy
Buy the best you can afford. If you buy crap, it will not play as easy and he will become frustrated.
I personally love Yamahas as you get a lot for your money, even at the cheaper end. I have one of these;
this is one of the expensive ones in the Yammy range though.
I also have a Tanglewood Warrior II which I paid about £170 for. It sounds great when you slap and pop it but you can see where they've saved money by using cheap materials.
The Amp makes a difference as well. A bass amp needs to be a lot beefier than a guitar amp. I made the mistake of buying to weedy an amp when I started playing and found myself spending mor money to play with my mates.
I would reccomend you find someone who plays though to take with you when you buy. It might not be a good idea to suprise him though, you don't want to buy him something he won't like.
I personally love Yamahas as you get a lot for your money, even at the cheaper end. I have one of these;
this is one of the expensive ones in the Yammy range though.
I also have a Tanglewood Warrior II which I paid about £170 for. It sounds great when you slap and pop it but you can see where they've saved money by using cheap materials.
The Amp makes a difference as well. A bass amp needs to be a lot beefier than a guitar amp. I made the mistake of buying to weedy an amp when I started playing and found myself spending mor money to play with my mates.
I would reccomend you find someone who plays though to take with you when you buy. It might not be a good idea to suprise him though, you don't want to buy him something he won't like.
Blue Meanie said:
On a sidenote, I used to love listeneing to Mark King play bass 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKI8pFqWm0s Brilliant!
ganglandboss said:
I also have a Tanglewood Warrior II which I paid about £170 for. It sounds great when you slap and pop it but you can see where they've saved money by using cheap materials.
still its better than the Sunn Mustang (Fender P-Bass copy) i got - which is good for drunken bashing on a friday night, but otherwise.. but then i'm not very good on bass anyway
Warren, I have a small bass guitar - can't remember the proper name for it. He can borrow it till he/you figure out what e really wants/needs?
Ace-T
Edited to add it is a shortscale (I think that is what it should be called ) black Encore. Probably needs new strings though.
Ace-T
Edited to add it is a shortscale (I think that is what it should be called ) black Encore. Probably needs new strings though.
Edited by Ace-T on Monday 24th September 18:59
lord summerisle said:
ganglandboss said:
I also have a Tanglewood Warrior II which I paid about £170 for. It sounds great when you slap and pop it but you can see where they've saved money by using cheap materials.
still its better than the Sunn Mustang (Fender P-Bass copy) i got - which is good for drunken bashing on a friday night, but otherwise.. but then i'm not very good on bass anyway
Did they use the name 'Mustang' for a bass as well then?
Ace-T said:
Warren, I have a small bass guitar - can't remember the proper name for it. He can borrow it till he/you figure out what e really wants/needs?
Ace-T
Ace-T
Result!Fantastic offer, thanks a million.
Don't suppose it will fit in the Ferrari tomorrow night will it? No, of course it won't you pillock!
Or could I nip round in BG at the weekend? You are long overdue a drive anyway.
Edited by Balmoral Green on Monday 24th September 19:08
Balmoral Green said:
Ace-T said:
Warren, I have a small bass guitar - can't remember the proper name for it. He can borrow it till he/you figure out what e really wants/needs?
Ace-T
Ace-T
Result!Fantastic offer, thanks a million.
Don't suppose it will fit in the Ferrari tomorrow night will it? No, of course it won't you pillock!
Or could I nip round in BG at the weekend? You are long overdue a drive anyway.
ganglandboss said:
Blue Meanie said:
On a sidenote, I used to love listeneing to Mark King play bass
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKI8pFqWm0s Brilliant!
How big is he for 12? A short scale is not the best way to start if you can actually handle a full scale. Also how image aware is he? These things all matter.
Yamaha do excellent starter bases, The RBX170 and 270 are both good sub £200 instruments. If brand cred is required Phil Lynott played an Aria http://www.guitarbitz.com/599.htm
As for an amp, I'd go for something like the Peavy Max 115, and make it clear what practice volume levels are acceptable. The thing about being a Bass player is that things get very dull very quickly without a Drummer, and a guitarist, and you need an amp that can compete in the local rehersal studio, and can even pull off a small gig.
http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~Fender-Ru... looks like a great start in life for a budding bass player.
Yamaha do excellent starter bases, The RBX170 and 270 are both good sub £200 instruments. If brand cred is required Phil Lynott played an Aria http://www.guitarbitz.com/599.htm
As for an amp, I'd go for something like the Peavy Max 115, and make it clear what practice volume levels are acceptable. The thing about being a Bass player is that things get very dull very quickly without a Drummer, and a guitarist, and you need an amp that can compete in the local rehersal studio, and can even pull off a small gig.
http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~Fender-Ru... looks like a great start in life for a budding bass player.
mattley said:
How big is he for 12? A short scale is not the best way to start if you can actually handle a full scale. Also how image aware is he? These things all matter.
Don't disagree mate, that's why it's a loaner to mess about with in his bedroom until he decides on what he really wants. Ace-T
Balmoral Green said:
Calling Nickthebassist, or anyone else...BG junior is 12, and wants a bass guitar set-up, he's starting lessons next week at school.
I know absolutely nothing about them, but want to get him one as a surprise. I don't want to buy the wrong thing though.
How do they work? what sort of things should I be looking for, in terms of specs, power, settings, knobs to fiddle etc?
Any tips or recommendations for a starter package?
Thanks in advance.
Warren.
Here are some links:
http://www.soundcontrol.co.uk/mod_1/pages/mod_1.12...
Fender Squier Bronco, this has a short scale, meaning it'll be easier for smaller hands.
http://www.soundcontrol.co.uk/mod_1/pages/mod_1.12...
Yamaha
As for amps, here are some more links:
http://www.soundcontrol.co.uk/mod_1/pages/mod_1.12...
BARGAINNNNN!
http://www.soundcontrol.co.uk/mod_1/pages/mod_1.12...
A peavey.
You can go cheaper than my examples, but personally It'd advisable to go for something that'll last, especially if he's serious about learning. Hope that helps!
Or try these people. They're in Portsmouth but do mail order:-
http://www.nevadamusic.co.uk/Bass_Guitars/Bass_Gui...
http://www.nevadamusic.co.uk/Bass_Guitars/Bass_Gui...
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