What Are The Best Beginner Basses?

[Stub Mandrel]

17 hours ago, mangotango said:

There's been quite a few "Well I started out on a XYZ bass..." posts involved with this thread. It's quite interesting, I am sad enough to believe, especially if accompanied by the usual mix of nostalgia and misery - "now that WAS a piece of ****, action about a mile high, and don't get me started on the amp...."

So I think I might just kick off a "What was your first Bass/Amp?" thread on here. Might be a bit of fun. See what people have to say.

Pictures essential, natch, even if they're library pics off the Internet and not of the actual bass, which would probably be lost in the mists of time...and would probably have deserved it too, in most cases....

Go on then!

[greghagger]

54 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Go on then!

 You may want to set up a separate thread, as your question is a completely different topic, and people wouldn’t know your question from the title of this thread. 

[mangotango]

12 minutes ago, greghagger said:

 You may want to set up a separate thread, as your question is a completely different topic, and people wouldn’t know your question from the title of this thread. 

Yep. Hence my "I might just kick off a "What was your first Bass/Amp?" thread" comment above. I'll get to it soon....non-bass stuff going on at the mo', I'm afraid.

[greghagger]

Just now, mangotango said:

Yep. Hence my "I might just kick off a "What was your first Bass/Amp?" thread" comment above. I'll get to it soon....non-bass stuff going on at the mo', I'm afraid.

Ah, I mistook your previously reply as frustration that no one was replying to your question on this thread! 

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, greghagger said:

 You may want to set up a separate thread, as your question is a completely different topic, and people wouldn’t know your question from the title of this thread. 

Err... 🙂

[greghagger]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Err... 🙂

Ah, got you confused with the other poster, sorry about that! 

Edited August 30, 2019 by greghagger

[mangotango]

6 minutes ago, greghagger said:

Ah, I mistook your previously reply as frustration that no one was replying to your question on this thread! 

No Sir!  As I said, I noted a whole bunch of replies from people bemoaning the rubbish basses on which we started all those years ago, so I thought it might be of interest to start, as a separate entity from this thread (which IMHO has much worth), a separate thread on that subject.

 

Per previous, I will get to that when I have chance, but there's an awful lot going on out here in Mango-land at the moment by way of non-musical stuff.....

[greghagger]

5 minutes ago, mangotango said:

No Sir!  As I said, I noted a whole bunch of replies from people bemoaning the rubbish basses on which we started all those years ago, so I thought it might be of interest to start, as a separate entity from this thread (which IMHO has much worth), a separate thread on that subject.

 

Per previous, I will get to that when I have chance, but there's an awful lot going on out here in Mango-land at the moment by way of non-musical stuff.....

Ah, well that’s cleared it up! 

Well when things have eased up a bit for you, I look forward to your thread 👍

[neil___lien]

 

On 22/08/2019 at 16:59, Newfoundfreedom said:

If definitely have any of the "Vintage" bass lineup on there. 

Absolutely superb instruments. Cheap as chips and punch massively above their price tag. 

 

On 22/08/2019 at 19:15, machinehead said:

Ibanez Talman range.  Available for under £150.00 brand new.

I've just bought a Talman TMB100M from Tom1946 and, after lowering the action a little to suit my playing style, it's a superb bass.  I gigged it on Saturday night.  It's up there with my US Fenders for sound and playability.   The hardware, woods and assembly are good enough to gig this bass for life.

I wish I'd owned a Talman when I was starting out on bass.

Frank.

Hey guys! 

 

I might be late to the party but i own a Squier Classic Vibe Precision '50s Lake Placid Blue that i got second hand for £190, an Ibanez TMB30 Mint Green that i got new for 160€ which i strung with Black Nylon tapes, a Harley Benton BZ-6000 (350€), a Vintage V74MRJP (250€) with Fender flats and a Harley Benton JB-75MN Black (139€) that i just got for my Bday four days ago.

All my basses are super low budget. I tried, bought & sold a bunch of basses before i got to this collection. Some of them were much more expensive than the ones i own now, & yet i prefer those. I would recommend the JB-75MN  especially, super low cost, super comfortable & fast under the fingers. Same goes for the TMB30 if U're looking for a short scale..

Hope this helps...

Edited August 30, 2019 by outtaseezun

[greghagger]

44 minutes ago, outtaseezun said:

 

 

Hey guys! 

 

I might be late to the party but i own a Squier Classic Vibe Precision '50s Lake Placid Blue that i got second hand for £190, an Ibanez TMB30 Mint Green that i got new for 160€ which i strung with Black Nylon tapes, a Harley Benton BZ-6000 (350€), a Vintage V74MRJP (250€) with Fender flats and a Harley Benton JB-75MN Black (139€) that i just got for my Bday four days ago.

All my basses are super low budget. I tried, bought & sold a bunch of basses before i got to this collection. Some of them were much more expensive than the ones i own now, & yet i prefer those. I would recommend the JB-75MN  especially, super low cost, super comfortable & fast under the fingers. Same goes for the TMB30 if U're looking for a short scale..

Hope this helps...

That’s fantastic, cheers. Sounds like you have tried and owned a lot of instruments. Definitely helpful experience for a beginner wishing to get more information on potential basses. 

[Stub Mandrel]

Anything with Talman on it is far more lovely than its price tag suggests.

I really hope they don't bring out a bass version of the TCM50 because I would have to buy one straight away:

[OliverBlackman]

I don't know why you would put the other basses in the same discussion as a Sire. The V7 I had was better than most new £1000 basses. A squire Affinity series definitely is nowhere near it as a comparison of playability, sound, or quality.

[greghagger]

33 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Anything with Talman on it is far more lovely than its price tag suggests.

I really hope they don't bring out a bass version of the TCM50 because I would have to buy one straight away:

Good tip, there are a few basses I need to go and try out, before the final list. Food for thought!

Nice looking guitars!

[BreadBin]

11 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

I don't know why you would put the other basses in the same discussion as a Sire. The V7 I had was better than most new £1000 basses. A squire Affinity series definitely is nowhere near it as a comparison of playability, sound, or quality.

Or price! The Sire is loads more expensive...

[greghagger]

15 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

I don't know why you would put the other basses in the same discussion as a Sire. The V7 I had was better than most new £1000 basses. A squire Affinity series definitely is nowhere near it as a comparison of playability, sound, or quality.

I have spent a bit of time trying out all the Sire range, and I agree that they are good value for the money. But, as with all instruments, they won’t be to everyone’s taste. 

I feel it’s good to give different options. 

[DoubleOhStephan]

Just now, BreadBin said:

Or price! The Sire is loads more expensive...

Aye.

The Sire I had was excellent but, I truthfully wouldn't say it was a £1k equivalent though. I also had a Maruszczyk jazz at the same time and that beat the Sire hands down in all departments (except maybe finish). I also found the controls on the Sire too fiddly for my fat sausage fingers. 

Great basses though and definitely worth a look. 

[OliverBlackman]

19 minutes ago, BreadBin said:

Or price! The Sire is loads more expensive...

£100 difference from a Squier Affinity. Wouldn't say that is loads.

16 minutes ago, DoubleOhStephan said:

Aye.

The Sire I had was excellent but, I truthfully wouldn't say it was a £1k equivalent though. I also had a Maruszczyk jazz at the same time and that beat the Sire hands down in all departments (except maybe finish). I also found the controls on the Sire too fiddly for my fat sausage fingers. 

Great basses though and definitely worth a look. 

Maruszczyk also known to be great value for money. Compared with a Lakland or Fender standard series the Sire for me wins hands down.

[OliverBlackman]

19 minutes ago, greghagger said:

I have spent a bit of time trying out all the Sire range, and I agree that they are good value for the money. But, as with all instruments, they won’t be to everyone’s taste. 

I feel it’s good to give different options. 

But how would a beginner know that a Sire would be better than a Squier Affinity? All they can go on is price so if it is recommended in the same way, surely they would choose the Squier because it is cheaper. I feel like a video review for all your recommendations would be a good start, explaining the pros and cons of each one.

[Stub Mandrel]

43 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

I don't know why you would put the other basses in the same discussion as a Sire. The V7 I had was better than most new £1000 basses. A squire Affinity series definitely is nowhere near it as a comparison of playability, sound, or quality.

Because £500 is a bit steep for most beginners?

Squiers you need to pick teh right one., The VMs appear to be better than the Affinities (as beginner choices).

Edited August 31, 2019 by Stub Mandrel

[DoubleOhStephan]

8 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

Maruszczyk also known to be great value for money. Compared with a Lakland or Fender standard series the Sire for me wins hands down.

Fair enough bro. Like I say, the one I owned was excellent, but I had it side by side with a £1k bass and there was an clear difference. 

[greghagger]

46 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

But how would a beginner know that a Sire would be better than a Squier Affinity? All they can go on is price so if it is recommended in the same way, surely they would choose the Squier because it is cheaper. I feel like a video review for all your recommendations would be a good start, explaining the pros and cons of each one.

The idea of the list is to give options for beginners to try out, if they can. They can see how the instrument feels to them, and if they are drawn to a particular one.  

Good idea to make a video explaining about the different options, for those that would find it difficult to try a few different basses  👍

[prowla]

2 hours ago, OliverBlackman said:

I don't know why you would put the other basses in the same discussion as a Sire. The V7 I had was better than most new £1000 basses. A squire Affinity series definitely is nowhere near it as a comparison of playability, sound, or quality.

How many £1000 basses did you compare it against?

[PaulWarning]

this is an area where the friendly local guitar shop will be sorely missed, any newbie reading this thread would be thoroughly confused by now.

What are set ups like on cheap mail order basses?  I got a new Vintage off ebay, excellent bass after a set up, was unplayable when it arrived, a newbie wouldn't have a clue about setting up a bass or even if it needed it

[greghagger]

1 hour ago, PaulWarning said:

this is an area where the friendly local guitar shop will be sorely missed, any newbie reading this thread would be thoroughly confused by now.

What are set ups like on cheap mail order basses?  I got a new Vintage off ebay, excellent bass after a set up, was unplayable when it arrived, a newbie wouldn't have a clue about setting up a bass or even if it needed it

Good points. That’s why I am writing a list. It’s definitely been useful to have the feedback from this thread, to tweak that list a bit. 

We have also discussed on here, the need to talk about getting the bass setup, and other useful tips. I will be making all this information available on my website, to accompany the video lessons, as I agree, most beginners won’t know this. 

https://gregsbassshed.com/home

 

[Stub Mandrel]

I tried out a bass the other day, It was almost unplayable. The action was so high I thought the bridge needed dropping (one piece acoustic), the shop assistant spent five minutes on the truss rod and gave it back to me a transformed instrument.