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Hello everybody!

I am new in the crew! I've always wanted to play the bass and now I'm about to take the first steps :)

I was looking for an ideal bass for begginers, therefore I was advised to buy a Squier bass! I'm even decided to buy a Jazz one, once my favourite bassist plays a jazz bass and I'm used to it's sound!

My question is: Should I buy the Squier kit? It comes with a Fender Rumble 15 amplifier and I've been told that a low power could contribute to the distortion of the sound!

BASSically, I'm very confused, since in one hand the kit is considered very good for begginers, but on the other it may not sound that good, and a good sound contributes for good learning!

Should I get the bass and an amp separately? Which amplifier should I choose in that case?

*I know that I must try and see which one sounds better for me, but I look forward to hear opinions from experts :)

Greetings 

 

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First off, welcome to the low-end. Onto business, unless you`re intending to use the Jazz/Rumble in a band scenario (where it won`t be anywhere near loud enough against any kind of drums) it will be plenty enough, with no distortion. I`ve had the Rumble 15 and it was too loud to have on full for home use. Similarly Squier basses are decent instruments to start out on, some pros use them as their main live instruments so nothing wrong with that choice. 

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One point about distortion with lower powered practice amps... if you whack up the volume and bass eq, it probably will distort, if you're a bit careful with both you can get a great sound... good enough for home practice... I've had a few, not tried the Rumble, though.

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Welcome!

Only thing I would say is about the kits is it MIGHT not be the best value, the amp will be fine but for the same money you could get a better Squier than the Affinity(I'm guessing) that's included. Going second hand might allow you to get a better bass, but there is just so much choice!

 

Go and try a few if you can, the world is your oyster. You will never be short of good advice around these parts.

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54 minutes ago, Taniathenoob said:

Should I buy the Squier kit?

The Rumble 15 is pretty good for what it is, and that's a home practice amp. However, the bass in that kit is from Squier's "Affinity" line. Again, this is very much a beginner instrument, with dubious quality control, and you may find you outgrow it very quickly.

To buy a Rumble amp and a Squier "Vintage Modified" Jazz bass separately would cost £400 total. This is probably about £100 more than the pack you're looking at, but will be a much more "future-proof" investment and will keep you going for longer before you need to upgrade.

S.P.

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10 minutes ago, Japhet said:

If you buy new stuff you'll lose a lot more money when you trade up, if that's your intention. You might want to consider buying higher quality used gear to preserve a bit more second hand value.

I don't mind spending a bit more, I just don't really know what to choose! In my country we don't have a huge variety os bass guitars in stores, it's very hard to choose it! 

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On 11/06/2018 at 17:11, Taniathenoob said:

I don't mind spending a bit more, I just don't really know what to choose! In my country we don't have a huge variety os bass guitars in stores, it's very hard to choose it! 

Welcome! Please do fill out your profile as much as you can, Basschat is a big place and there might be a person from your country or even your city who can help with some local knowledge!

 

I'd always buy second-hand first time around. As you've said, the better your bass is the more likely to are to enjoy learning and to keep playing. And whatever your budget you can always buy a better bass amp second hand than you can spending the same money on new items. Secondly, if you incorrectly and stupidly decide that playing bass isn't for you then you should be able to get nearly all of your money back on a used instrument when you sell it on. A used Mexican Jazz bought for £300 will sell for £300. A new Squier bought for £200 will only be worth £100 or so.

 

All that being said, the Squier Jazz and amp is great choice, and if you've got the money then go for it. An Affinity P Bass and Fender Frontman 15B was bought for me, in a kit, brand new, from a shop, on my 13th birthday and I'm still here...

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Welcome. Don’t do what I did and spend the next thirty years playing full scale bass without trying a short scale. Go to a decent shop and play EVERYTHING. Make notes about which you like and which you don’t then come back here and see what’s for sale that’s similar, or post your findings and I’m sure some of the experts here will let you know what’s good and what’s not. I just bought a short scale Squier Jaguar and have just got back from a my first lesson using it, it’s a great bass in my book. So if I were you I’d take the advice from the good people on here but, in the end, you pick which bass just feels good and right to you, never discount that feeling just because you are starting out. I’d say it was fifty fifty, half good advice, half the personal vibe you get from the bass.

Edited by Frank Blank
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Welcome. It's not easy for us to describe how something works/sounds (and equally difficult for you to translate what we say into practical understanding of how well it might meet your needs). For what it's worth, my two pence worth is to stick with proven/mainstream/branded stuff when you're starting out. Avoid unusual options. A Squier plus a Rumble is decent, proven budget kit that will do as described on the tin. It will also be easily sellable when the time comes to upgrade.

I wouldn't buy a new instrument. There are plenty of used Squiers about (have a look on eBay, Gumtree et al), so let someone else take the hit on depreciation and buy used. Get something that has been treated well (plenty of people buy Squiers and similar starter instruments, try it for a bit, give up and sell them, so you can often get something that is virtually unused and save a lot of money).

Put the money you save on the bass towards a better amp. I wouldn't buy a used amp in the price/power range you're looking at. Used small amps have usually been overdriven/abused (as beginners try to play them in band settings and hammer them when they're only really meant for low volume practice).

New or used, the Rumble 15 comes into that category. It's little more than a toy, I'm afraid. An 8" driver just isn't going to cut it for bass. It won't be re-sellable for anything other than peanuts, so buying one will effectively be money down the drain. Save a bit longer and go for something like a Rumble 200, which will last you and be up to (moderate) band use as you improve. Do you have any musician pals who could help/advise when you go shopping? An extra pair of ears is always helpful. Good luck.

 

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Hi Tania,

Welcome to Basschat

Another supporter here for buying "used" instruments.   In the UK the shops don't carry a great selection of basses unless you want Fender,  Squier, Epiphone or Yamaha. So, we too find we need to actually buy gear to get to try them out properly. You can lose a lot of money buying and selling basses to find what suits you. 

Personally, I don't like the tone from a Fender Rumble 15. To my ears the sound is quite "electronic".  I would suggest you go for something with more power if you can. More power generally gives a better sound and will give you what you need to play with others, rather than waste money on something that won't meet all your needs. 

Finally, if you find something in the UK that you want to buy, you can post a thread here asking someone to go and try it out for you to make sure it's a good-buy. It then may still not be to your liking, but there's less chance there will be a problem with it.

It might help folk advise you more if you tell us what music you like and would like to play.

Good luck

Richard

Edit: as a lover of Flea. You might find a good bass to look at will be one with a good high-output bridge pickup.  So, maybe something like a Musicman copy, or a jazz, as you say. You might also like Hartke amps.  Victor Wooten uses Hartke for a lot of slap-bass. 

Edited by Grangur
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