Noobie here been offered this (see below)

[The Attic Man]

Hi all and firstly thank you for the warm welcome.

As stated in my introduction post. Totally new to the world of bass so I know nothing so please forgive my ignorance. 

 

I've been leant a Encore Bass and a Peavy Bass amp to noodle and teach myself. Really enjoying it 8 weeks in. 

Anyway the lovely person who loaned me the Bass and Amp said I can buy them for a total of £50

 

Now is this a good deal I think it is but I do also really fancy a Harley Benton brand new from Thomman I'm not to fussed about having a amp as I live in a flat and when I (attempt) to play I wear earphones. So if I did buy a Harley Benton I would also purchase one of those headphone amps .

I've included some photos of the encore and the amp.

I've read on here that the older encores (made in india) aren't that bad of a Bass i know they are budget basses but I'd read that the old encores although a heavy beast are not to bad. I was thinking if I did keep the encore the money saved from purchasing a Harley benton  I could buy some better pick ups and get a good service done on the old girl.

Anyway I eagerly await your thoughts and input.

I'm off to murder some tunes now.

Cheers all .OK

[warwickhunt]

You can't go far wrong at £50 BUT (imho) I'd not immediately go spending money on upgrades.  You'll never recoup the outlay and you might want to try other basses first.

[Stub Mandrel]

Rude Not to for 50!

 

But do try some well set up entry level basses at a (good) music shop near you.

[The Attic Man]

Thanks guys appreciate your thoughts.

I've been alerted to some reasonable priced pick ups. I've got about £100 quid to spend so the 50 I would save from buying the encore I was going to use that on pick ups.

Unfortunately I went to a local music store they only had stuff well out of my price range.

Once again many thanks 😊 

[Bleat]

If you are 8 weeks in and enjoying playing the bass, then I would go for it especially for £50 including the Peavey amp. You obviously like it!

A new bass doesn't always guarantee that it will be "better" than the Encore. Though I'm not a massive P bass fan, I bought a PJ Encore a few weeks ago for about the same cost. Very well built, sounds like a Precision bass, plays nicely. I just pick it up when I feel like a change from my usual bass. In fact it plays better than a few more high end P basses I have owned previously.

[Supernaut]

Peavey Micro Bass is a great little amp. Ask if you could purchase just that. 
 

Harley Benton are decent basses, a secondhand Squier/Cort/Ibanez/Yamaha all should be considered if budget allows. 

[Maude]

I have a similar Encore (same headstock logo so probably same era) and I genuinely consider it one of my best basses. Admittedly I have spent a couple of hours fettling it but it was still very good to begin with. 

Being new to all this you presumably don't know about setting up a bass to your liking (forgive me if you do) but it can make an OK playing bass into a superb playing bass, and it's not difficult if you're reasonably hands on. 

If you're able to, or live close to someone that could help, I'd set the Encore up to your liking, put the kind of strings on you like and give it a good clean and polish, then spend the saved money on an Nux Mighty Plug and some headphones for practicing. 

There's a thread on here about the NUX Mighty Plug, and lots about setting up a bass but ask away here and you'll get plenty of help. 

[The Attic Man]

6 minutes ago, Maude said:

I have a similar Encore (same headstock logo so probably same era) and I genuinely consider it one of my best basses. Admittedly I have spent a couple of hours fettling it but it was still very good to begin with. 

Being new to all this you presumably don't know about setting up a bass to your liking (forgive me if you do) but it can make an OK playing bass into a superb playing bass, and it's not difficult if you're reasonably hands on. 

If you're able to, or live close to someone that could help, I'd set the Encore up to your liking, put the kind of strings on you like and give it a good clean and polish, then spend the saved money on an Nux Mighty Plug and some headphones for practicing. 

There's a thread on here about the NUX Mighty Plug, and lots about setting up a bass but ask away here and you'll get plenty of help. 

Thank you. Yeah I know nothing about setting it up or strings. I'm very tempted to keep it. I would like someone to give it a once over and deffo needs a clean then again as I'm immersing into the world of bass i read about James jammerson never cleaning his bass as he believed it added to the funk. Thanks for your help 👍 and I'm loving attempting to play it .

[Paolo85]

53 minutes ago, Bleat said:

If you are 8 weeks in and enjoying playing the bass, then I would go for it especially for £50 including the Peavey amp. You obviously like it!

 

This, totally agree. If you are enjoying the bass, it means the bass suit you and there is nothing particularly wrong with it. Which is no small achievement!

Harley Bentons are incredible value for money but they are not fairyland. Some are weird if you ask me. At the price they come, you have no guarantee that you won't get one without a terrible fretwork for example (yes sure, most people will be swearing theirs is perfect but guess what, even with Sires but the one I got was terrible, basses are always a lottery, the cheaper, the higher the risk).

I would not discount the amp, you'll never know. I mostly play at night with my daughter sleeping but lately I find I prefer the amp at minimal volume (it is not much louder than the acoustic sound of the bass, it beefs it up a bit) that having headphones on all night every day.

I would buy the encore, keep playing. If you feel like upgrading, consider a professional setup if this has not been done yet, it can make a world of difference in terms of playability and sometimes even sound.

I am not discouraging upgrading but to be honest I'd go around shops, build more knowledge (what type of bass suit you? A P, a J? A shortscale semihollow? A superlight and slim neck a la Ibanez? An active bass?) and put together a budget that gives you more flexibility to chose (which may still mean you buy a Harley Benton).

I started on a cheap P bass which was unlikely to be any more high end than an Encore (can't remember the brand). A few months lster I upgraded to an Ibanez Ergodyne. I swear, in hindsight, the cheap P was more suitable for me than the Ibanez

 

 

[Geek99]

23 minutes ago, The Attic Man said:

James jamerson never cleaning his bass as he believed it added to the funk. Thanks for your help 👍 and I'm loving attempting to play it .

He did say that, but he was a) mistaken or b) talking rubbish 

 

and I speak as a jamerson fan 

[The Attic Man]

7 minutes ago, Paolo85 said:

This, totally agree. If you are enjoying the bass, it means the bass suit you and there is nothing particularly wrong with it. Which is no small achievement!

Harley Bentons are incredible value for money but they are not fairyland. Some are weird if you ask me. At the price they come, you have no guarantee that you won't get one without a terrible fretwork for example (yes sure, most people will be swearing theirs is perfect but guess what, even with Sires but the one I got was terrible, basses are always a lottery, the cheaper, the higher the risk).

I would not discount the amp, you'll never know. I mostly play at night with my daughter sleeping but lately I find I prefer the amp at minimal volume (it is not much louder than the acoustic sound of the bass, it beefs it up a bit) that having headphones on all night every day.

I would buy the encore, keep playing. If you feel like upgrading, consider a professional setup if this has not been done yet, it can make a world of difference in terms of playability and sometimes even sound.

I am not discouraging upgrading but to be honest I'd go around shops, build more knowledge (what type of bass suit you? A P, a J? A shortscale semihollow? A superlight and slim neck a la Ibanez? An active bass?) and put together a budget that gives you more flexibility to chose (which may still mean you buy a Harley Benton).

I started on a cheap P bass which was unlikely to be any more high end than an Encore (can't remember the brand). A few months lster I upgraded to an Ibanez Ergodyne. I swear, in hindsight, the cheap P was more suitable for me than the Ibanez

 

 

Thanks so much the encore is a heavy beast bit then again I'm used to playing ukulele 😆  but I do like it it does need checking over at some point thanks so much

[Paolo85]

19 minutes ago, The Attic Man said:

Thank you. Yeah I know nothing about setting it up or strings. I'm very tempted to keep it. 

Ah yes, strings, forgot that! I'd much rather play a very cheap P with decent neck and strings of my liking (actually, that's what I do!) than an expensive Fender precision with strings not of my liking. Now that's a rabbit hole and not a cheap one. But worth considering that as well in terms of priorities. Old strings are fine if you like them, depending what do you want to achieve. But some age more gracefully than others. Some are known to last forever, some people tend to change them every few months. Some strings may just be described as dead and changing them is like buying a fresh new bass. Plus there's the tension issue. Some are very hard work to play, stiff, high tension. Some are effortless - though they tend to create other problems.

[The Attic Man]

2 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

He did say that, but he was a) mistaken or b) talking rubbish 

 

and I speak as a jamerson fan 

Yeah I'm only discovering the world of bass and jumping down the bass rabbit hole. Been watching a documentary about the funk brothers really enjoying it.

[Paolo85]

1 minute ago, The Attic Man said:

Thanks so much the encore is a heavy beast bit then again I'm used to playing ukulele 😆  but I do like it it does need checking over at some point thanks so much

Cheers. I hate heavy basses myself. From that point of view though, some Harley Bentons would not solve the problem... certainly not the two HB boat anchors I had

 

[The Attic Man]

2 minutes ago, Paolo85 said:

Ah yes, strings, forgot that! I'd much rather play a very cheap P with decent neck and strings of my liking (actually, that's what I do!) than an expensive Fender precision with strings not of my liking. Now that's a rabbit hole and not a cheap one. But worth considering that as well in terms of priorities. Old strings are fine if you like them, depending what do you want to achieve. But some age more gracefully than others. Some are known to last forever, some people tend to change them every few months. Some strings may just be described as dead and changing them is like buying a fresh new bass. Plus there's the tension issue. Some are very hard work to play, stiff, high tension. Some are effortless - though they tend to create other problems.

Yes strings are a whole new ball game I know well from my time on ukulele forums the great string debates. It's all a personal choice isn't it. The strings are old on the encore you can see they are well used. But they sound fine to my untrained ears and I have no problem fretting them . I'm avoiding the whole bebacle of string choice and changing them I've got my headed planted firmly in the ground 🙃 

[The Attic Man]

1 minute ago, Paolo85 said:

Cheers. I hate heavy basses myself. From that point of view though, some Harley Bentons would not solve the problem... certainly not the two HB boat anchors I had

 

I've mainly been playing sitting down. But I did a stint standing last Saturday I need a shoulder padded strap 😆 

[Delberthot]

I'd echo the comments above about having it set up, new set of strings etc then play as much as you can.

 

My first bass at age 12 was a Marlin Slammer which was, like yours, a precision copy. I never changed the strings, cleaned it or anything until I got a new bass at 16. All I did was play it as much as I could to the annoyance of the neighbours 😂

 

Unless the bass is unplayable, don't be in too much of a rush to change it. Just play the hell out of it as much as you can to learn as much as you can.

 

During that time, use the forum to learn as much as you can about playing, bass players to listen out for, what gear is hot and what is not then when the time comes further down the line, by all means treat yourself to something else.

 

At 48 I have had around 160+ basses pass through my hands. the expensive ones aren't always the best and the raved about ones aren't always the best for you either.

 

To illustrate this, I currently have the following:

 

Harley Benton JB75 - for practicing in the house

Warmoth / Status Graphite Jazz bass

EBMM Stingray HH

Sire D5

Squier 40th Anniversary Precision bass

 

 

The Squier was the cheapest and the Musicman Sterling is worth the most but I happily gig both of them. I am currently looking into getting myself a Sire fretless as well.

 

If your Encore was set up with my choice of strings, I'd happily gig that as well. I think that if most of us were to be honest with ourselves, the main reason we buy more expensive basses is because we can afford to. Lower end / Budget Basses are infinitely better today than they were when I was young - for example, the chrome peeled off the bridge on my Marlin Slammer.

Edited November 4, 2023 by Delberthot

[Reggaebass]

If you’re finding it comfortable to play I’d buy it for that money, just give it a clean up and I would oil the fretboard if it was mine ,and if it needs setting up then it will play even better, imo if you want to change the pickups then Tonerider ones can be bought fairly cheap and they are very good , they come up for sale here now and again , good luck 

[Geek99]

1 hour ago, The Attic Man said:

Yes strings are a whole new ball game I know well from my time on ukulele forums the great string debates. It's all a personal choice isn't it. The strings are old on the encore you can see they are well used. But they sound fine to my untrained ears and I have no problem fretting them . I'm avoiding the whole bebacle of string choice and changing them I've got my headed planted firmly in the ground 🙃 

Just try Warwick’s reds. Cheap and very good 

 

Warwick RedLabel 045-105 Electric Bass Strings https://amzn.eu/d/8U2kJar

 

I only play these or adagio flats from eBay - I don’t play well enough or often enough to justify paying more, and IMHO super-expensive strings are not a quantum leap better at my level of expertise 

Edited November 4, 2023 by Geek99

[Thump]

I bought a Wilkinson P pickup from northwest guitars, £20. Sounds great to my ears , well worth the small amount it costs. Whilst you're in there, slap some copper tape in the cavity to reduce any hiss/noise. A roll is about a fiver. Pocket friendly and great mods.

Keep us updated with how things go with the bass, any problems you come across can most likely be solved by some of the incredibly knowledgeable people on here ✌️

[Geek99]

@Thump at least a few of us will likely live near you

 

@Oldman lives just a couple of miles away from me 

[The Attic Man]

29 minutes ago, Thump said:

I bought a Wilkinson P pickup from northwest guitars, £20. Sounds great to my ears , well worth the small amount it costs. Whilst you're in there, slap some copper tape in the cavity to reduce any hiss/noise. A roll is about a fiver. Pocket friendly and great mods.

Keep us updated with how things go with the bass, any problems you come across can most likely be solved by some of the incredibly knowledgeable people on here ✌️

Thank you so much 👍  and very much appreciated.  Yeah that is my thoughts. The money I save buying the encore I can pay for a set up and hunt around for a pick up I'd love to change the pick guard to would love a tortoise shell effect one 😆 I know it doesn't help the sound but I love tortoise shell 

[The Attic Man]

Thanks everyone your input is invaluable and greatly appreciated sorry I've not replied to you all personally but I've devoured your comments. Thanks so much and I'm really glad I joined this forum. Will keep you posted. 🤘🙃

[Geek99]

7 minutes ago, The Attic Man said:

Thank you so much 👍  and very much appreciated.  Yeah that is my thoughts. The money I save buying the encore I can pay for a set up and hunt around for a pick up I'd love to change the pick guard to would love a tortoise shell effect one 😆 I know it doesn't help the sound but I love tortoise shell 

Smart man. All the best people love tortoiseshell. Be careful that an encore pickguard may be slightly different shape than a fender compatible one. There are people who make them to order. The topic comes up on here quite often 

 

edit : @The Attic Man here you go 

 

Edited November 4, 2023 by Geek99

[Geek99]

You don’t have to reply individually 

if you put @ followed by a username that user gets tagged to read. You can tag several people in one post 

see here @The Attic Man

Edited November 4, 2023 by Geek99