Scoobs Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Hi Folks, Thought I'd come here first to say hello before I trot off to ask about what to buy. I'm currently not playing any kind of bass guitar and have nothing bass related. A long time ago (25 years) I played bass but life happened and I stopped playing in a band. Then on Saturday I plucked up the courage to ask for a go on a bass just to see what happened..... and here I am. It was great! I can still sort of play it, the fingers may be slow but that will come back - I hope! All I need now is something to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted October 8, 2013 Share Posted October 8, 2013 You're in the right place. Welcome to the forum. [size=4] [/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted October 8, 2013 Share Posted October 8, 2013 Welcome, Scoobs! Mention a budget, and whether you'll buy used or not, and I'm sure streams of floods of avalanches of answers will start moving in your general direction. Oh, and there's some searchable advice already too. Enjoy! bert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuddBass Posted October 8, 2013 Share Posted October 8, 2013 Hi! Welcome back to the deep end Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoobs Posted October 8, 2013 Author Share Posted October 8, 2013 Thanks folks - I'm wading slowly through the mass of information on the site before I start another which bass should I buy thread. I had a go on a Fender P made in Mexico which felt and sounded nice. I'll have to check what the amp was. I'm still in a bit of a state of shock because either my memory is failing me or the quality of practice bass amps has gone up hugely while price and size have both reduced since I were a lad. And don't even mention what you can buy a bass for these days!! Budget - depends on higher command and how good I am between now and Christmas, second hand would be fine. Other questions I haven't got answers to yet are what sort of music do I want to play and who do I admire and aspire to play like. I don't think I'll be playing any punk or metal but anything from funk soul blues ska reggae or eighties indie disco would be fun to play. Off to get educated now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted October 8, 2013 Share Posted October 8, 2013 Yeah, ain't it grand what a little money will buy these days? Things surely have developed from the days we couldn't afford a lousy Carlsbro amp. From BC, I think I've learned that chances for a quality bass being cheap are better than those for a quality amp, so as a rule one would do best to save on the bass rather than on the amp, but of course this does depend on price range too. Though: I (soon) have this combination of great Yamaha RBX170 bass (175 quid) and great Harley Benton 110W combo with built in effects (75 quid) and some other bits 'n' pieces, totalling well below 300 quid new from the shop, so everything is possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprocket123 Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Welcome aboard . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoobs Posted October 16, 2013 Author Share Posted October 16, 2013 OK so I've been into a music shop and had a go on a Yamaha something or other, they didn't have much else so I didn't try any others - I'm going to have to go to that there Brizzle to try a few others out by the looks of things. I can't remember exactly what type it was but it £230 on the ticket (I think) and it was passive not active. Sound felt very bright to me so what does the active stuff do apart from give me batteries to worry about!! I've just used the search function to find out about the active passive thing so I have a little light reading! Thoughts were: very forgiving, no buzzes from the frets like I remember in the old days from my (CSL I think it was) Jazz bass. Other thing was the bass felt really small (I am 6 2 with arms like an Orang Utang and big hands) It never occurred to me that size matters - insert appropriate gag here oo er missus etc - when it comes to basses but does it? Finally any other music shops to visit or avoid around the Bath area? Thanks folks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Adams Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Welcome from me. Good to see another "Born Again Bassist". Yams are good I think, and consider that if the body feels small to you, then it will (should be!) correspondingly lighter. Enjoy your voyage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-bbb Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 dont worry too much about passive or active - i have two passive squiers (J's) and the output from both of them is as big as my active basses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 It may have been an RBX270 or too expensive RBX170. Good stuff, and safe buys. Active pre-amps tend to avoid hum, and can boost as well as reduce. Their output is not necessarily higher, even though people often think that. Output impedance would probably be lower. Though there's a huge difference between a large hollow-body and a tiny Steinberger cricket bat, in this case I think size differences with other solid bodies matter less than placement of components, and in that respect, strap length can soon be a very important factor depending on belly size amongst other things. Experiment and learn. Oh, and you need a good amp. In your case an Orange. The model is called Utange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoobs Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share Posted October 17, 2013 OK it may have taken three reads to sink in but BT that is funny right there!! (as Mater from Cars would say for any parents out there). I haven't even started thinking about amps yet - which is probably why I thought there was an Utange made by Orange...... oh dear. Until very recently Orange made mountain bikes in my world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dev70 Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Hi first timer , enjoying all the posts tried to ask a question but couldn't post it regarding eden 550 and speakers ? Advice welcomed hope this topic gets posted this time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 (edited) Hey Dev, It got posted alright as you saw, but I think you'd be better served if you tried again, starting a new thread in the Amps&Cabs forum in the Gear section. Likely few people are reading this thread here, but many will read the thread titles down there. That said, yes, it's a good idea to connect speakers to the Eden. (Sorry, couldn't resist. ) Oh,and welcome! best, bert Edited October 18, 2013 by BassTractor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoobs Posted October 21, 2013 Author Share Posted October 21, 2013 So do I ask this here or somewhere else. Budget for everything is £400, bass, case/bag, strap, lead, amp and headphones (otherwise I'll never be able to practise!) Anything else I've missed, set up maybe? Not worried about second hand or new. How should I split the budget up between those things? Sound I'm after? First bass lines I'm going to learn are good times, le freak and master blaster cos I've always wanted to play them properly, after that I'm not really sure. I want a bit of flexibility really as although I won't be playing any heavy metal I don't know what I might end up wanting to play. Neck width - I have big fat fingers so want a bit of space between the strings - does this vary a lot? A lot of questions I'm afraid and all thoughts are greatly appreciated. Part of the problem is the amount of choice and my limited knowledge! Plus it isn't that easy to get round shops to try things out. My first planned trip to Bristol didn't happen cos stuff got in the way. Maybe next week eh? Thanks for reading.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoJoKe Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 [quote name='Scoobs' timestamp='1382391254' post='2251718'] So do I ask this here or somewhere else. Budget for everything is £400, bass, case/bag, strap, lead, amp and headphones.... [/quote] Scoobs, Hi welcome to the forum! Can I suggest you re-post your question as a new topic in "General Discussion"? The "introductions" forum is frequented by lots of great people, who'll certainly have some thoughts about your issues, but there are hundreds of members who rarely look at these pages!! While I could move this topic for you, I think you'd be better starting a new one, and the general discussion forum is the place for this! For my part, I would have no hesitation in saying start with a reasonable bass, and concentrate the bulk of your budget on this, and if you are not planning to gig for a while, buy a cheapish practice amp. you can always upgrade the amp later, much more important to find a bass which feels good. There'll be a shed load of different opinion out there, but my twopence, a Squier Jazz bass should do the trick for you quite nicely, with a great range of tones and can be picked up for less than half your budget, something like this:- [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/219623-squier-classic-vibe-60s-jazz/page__p__2251335__hl__squier__fromsearch__1#entry2251335"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/219623-squier-classic-vibe-60s-jazz/page__p__2251335__hl__squier__fromsearch__1#entry2251335[/url] (not mine BTW!), still leaving a decent chunk for an amp.... Good luck, I'll watch out for your new post and add to the discussion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoobs Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 So just to round this off I am now officially back in the deep end. Farida FJB-6 and Ashdown after 8 practice amp are in the house and I'm playing again - hurrah. Bonus is the kids like it when I play too even if they do only want another one bites the dust! Best news is I still have half the budget for a proper amp for when i need one - result! Now all I need to do is practise, learn some songs and find some like minded individuals to play with..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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