Hi all, recently I've wanted to try out playing the bass. I know very little about bass guitars and had a few questions about what I should buy and how I can use it.
Firstly, I'm considering whether I should start with a short scale, I'm not very tall (around 172cm) so would a shorter scale work better?
Next would be whether I can use it with my Katana. I have a Katana 100 but would only be using this at home where I keep it on 0.5 watt mode most of the time, would this sound any good and is it possible to do any damage at that volume level?
I don't want to spend very much as I'm just trying it out to see if I like it, so probably aiming to spend under £200 on the guitar.
Any advice or recommendations are much appreciated.
Comments
*including me. I’m a rubbish bassist.
In terms of kit you can't go wrong with a P-bass unless you already know it's not right for you (e.g. you have your heart set on a Hofner, or all your bass heroes play Jazzes, etc). Don't worry too much about size & scale. I'm 180cm and don't have especially beefy hands and I get on just fine with a 34" Precision. Short scales are great but they sound different and don't help guitarists feel more like it's a different instrument and hence play it like a different instrument.
But I do know it's not meant to be played like a guitar, I've always appreciated a great bass line, it's the sort of thing you don't notice outright but elevates a good song to a great one.
I'll start looking into some P Basses, I was probably looking into a Fender style anyway.
You can use the Katana at home, although you will probably want to set it to a higher power than 0.5W even if you're not playing louder - they just sound less crap better like that. The only risk is to the speaker, so if you're not at the level where that's starting to have to work too hard or distort then it's fine.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I echo what @ICBM says about P-Bass necks being big. I can't get on with them hence the Jazz Bass.
Regarding amps, you can pick up nice amps from Fender, Ampeg or Orange for a little over £100. Not loud enough for gigging but a big improvement on playing through a guitar amp around the house.
Roll on 10 months and I've got a vintage 70's P bass and a big Markbass rig and I'm playing in a band!
I steered away from any bass I might have considered "easier to play" with a shorter scale length and decided to bite the bullet with a 34" scale bass right from the off. I'm glad I did, as I feel very comfortable on it now.
I would say pick up a cheap P bass and see how it goes. Be aware though, the guy I got the Squire off had wanted to learn bass and said he just couldn't do it, and when I saw the bass he sold me I knew why, I could fit my fingers between the strings and the fretboard! It took some setting up, but I got it playing nice in the end. When you're new to bass, a good setup and action is very important, well it was to me anyway.
Good luck!
On bass guitar, the strings meet the fingers roughly half way along the last bone of each finger.
The third thing you need is attitude.
You don't have to buy new from a music shop, but just get a feel there, then find something 2nd hand when you know that you want.
Either way the Ibanez Talman are crazy good basses for around the £200 mark they do both a 34” and 30”.
https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/181218336171008--ibanez-tmb30-short-scale-bass-mint-green
I absolutely love it, and it sounds great, with no dead spots.
just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
Of course, you could tell the shop (only really applies if buying new) about the cheaper price elsewhere and give them a chance to match it (or get close). That's probably (just about, and only if you suspect they can get close) ok. The other problem is that you might like the one you try in the shop more than the one you buy later online!