Bass guitar advice

[highlandsflyer]

You definitely don't need to spend much to get a very decent bass these days.

I've been playing bass for coming up 2 years now (having played violin, guitar and mandolin for decades) and love my bass - Squier Precision Special (about £225) which is a Precision body with Jazz neck (slimmer than the usual P neck) and a jazz style bridge pickup in addition to the usual P neck pickup.

You can get a huge range of tones from it, the fit and finish is perfect and the frets nicely done; it plays very well and never goes out of tune. A million miles away from the Encore 6-string electric I learned on in the 90s - decent instruments are being churned out in vast numbers by the factories in the far east nowadays.

I've had a beautiful Rickenbacker 6-string for years and while it's a lovely bit of workmanship and a nice-sounding piece of art, when it comes down to it I've already had more pleasure out of the "cheap" Squier bass which incidentally sounds fantastic.

As regards learning to play... if you have an ear for it, that's all you need. Reading music is highly overrated in my opinion (certainly for bass); I was taught sight-reading for violin to a decent level and it's great for reminding myself of how a tune goes but for bass I quickly decided it was more satisfying to work it out by ear... others will disagree no doubt

A couple of hundred is a reasonable outlay, then you need to talk amps.

Sight reading and theory lends you an understanding that will cross over to every musical instrument/genre.

Given the styles the OP is interested in playing, and a great idea for anyone learning an instrument, understanding rhythm formally is liberating.

Sight and ear are not mutually exclusive, they compliment each other perfectly.

 

[Tazio]

I don't know much about bass guitars but agree that a lot of the Squier stuff is good but you really need to try before you buy. I've got a Squier Telecaster that is great but I've tried some in shops that are pigs. Strangely I always loved the sound of a Telecaster but was put off after spending a fortune on a real Fender one years ago that was horrible to play and had a really nasty deep neck, my Squier is much nicer apart from the obvious moneysaving on the pickups.

I toured with Jack Bruce's nephew Nico years ago and at that time he was playing an Aria bass that was a gift to his uncle from the company. I had a shot of it and it was lovely to play. Active pickups and gold plated hardware.

And for the OP if you want to play the sort of stuff you mentioned something with active pickups will give you a lot of that sound in terms of the sharp "percussive" sound.

 

[cyfa2809]

You wana know about my thumb boooy!
...Like a blond tent peg.

One of my favourite episodes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gBEznBdFxM



Slap bass.

 

[highlandsflyer]

he he.

Last time I saw the Boosh it was the last gig of the tour and they rocked out for an extra half hour, it was splendid!

 

[Andy R]

Looking to take up bass guitar. I want to play mainly funk/house/disco type music - any pointers as to the sort of guitar I should buy as a beginner?

In two words? - Musicman Stingray. Won't come especially cheap but will last you, both in versatility and build quality, the rest of your life. Literally, if you wish.
Like with most things in life, buy cheap, buy twice (or three or four times....)

All depends how much you want to spend though - and then you'll need some sort of amplification too.

PM me if there's anything I can help you with.

 

[Piperdave]

Rickenbacker 4001, Orange amp and cab.

Pay the money Nd get a good I instrument, it willl hold its value, and if you give up...

 

[ozpete]

I'm going to back up Andy R on this one. Note that Music Man have an economy line, the Sterling by Music Man range, and a soon to be released SUB range, also made by the same factory as the Sterling line, which are absolute peanuts to buy. After 20+ years in the biz, I haven't ever met a MM bass that wasnt top notch in terms of build quality, ever. And that includes their cheapies. Squier / Fender are good too, but the QC is a little hit or miss, you really need to try each one first. Buy a better class of instrument 2nd hand for the best bang for your buck.
Pete.

 

[Andy R]

I don't know why I didn't mention the Sterling, as I have a 1993 "Transparent Red" fretless, which is probably my favourite bass. That little bit lighter and smaller than the Stingray, especially than the Stingray V.

 

[orange71]

ace - all great advice - really want to get into it now. Will reply in more detail when I get a mo.