[andy5544]

I fancy having a go at the bass.

I dont know what to get , i dont want to spend a lot of money in case i hate
it , or i'm completely crap.
also i cant have it booming through the house , so i thought an acoustic might be good.
but acoustics are more expensive than solid basses , but with a solid you need to buy
an amp , more expense ....yes amps have headphone sockets ,but i dont really like headphones .

if i get an electro acoustic bass i can still plug it into the interface for home recording .

what do you bass players on here think?

[Michael]

i dont want to spend a lot of money in case i hate
it , or i'm completely crap.

If you play the guitar, you won't be completely crap (plus you'll skip the part with the bleeding finger tips )

Now I'm no expert when it comes to bass playing (just started a couple of months ago), so others might be more experienced here...

I got an electric one, and I record it directly into my audio interface.
It has some sort of amp simulation built in for both bass and guitar and this saves me the trouble of having to plug into an amp and mic it (hell, I don't even have a decent amp...)

So maybe something like that might be an option for you.

I decided against buying an acoustic bass because a) I lack the knowledge and equipment to properly mic it up and b) you can't really turn down the volume on an acoustic one

[Boydie]

Acoustic basses are a bit of a mine field

There seems to be "cheap ones" that are a bit flakey and then really expensive ones - there is very little "middle ground"

I play in an acoustic duo with me on guitar/vocals and my friend playing acoustic bass

After playing lots and lots of bases he went for the Tanglewood TW155, which is sub £400

The strings he uses on it are super expensive though - I can't remember the brand but he thinks they are vital to get a good sound from it


I would suggest an electric bass as you will get much more "bang for buck"

If you use a PC for recording you can go straight in to your audio interface so there is no need for an amp - you could probably go for an amp sim plugin (Amplitube Ampeg SVX has worked out particularly well for me!)

As for recommendations, RED recently picked up an Ibanez SR300-IPT (sub £250), which sounds particularly sweet and gives a staggering array of sounds for the money

If I needed a bass I wouldn't hesitate in picking one of these up

Check the reviews/videos for both

I am not sure of your budget but I hope these give you a starting point

[mihkay]

OK. Bass is not like a normal guitar. The tuning might be the same but it is a very different instrument to play.

I picked up Bass in my late teens. Before guitar (I'd been a poor drummer) and developed my own style... as most bassists do. It is both a rhythmic and melodic instrument and NOT just the Lower 4 notes that the guitarist can't reach and don't let any guitarist tell you so. 
It is a loud instrument. The lower notes resonate through floors and walls. You know how the band sounds in the pub toilet....usually better because all the high frequency is stopped by the walls. You will just have to accept that and find a way to deal with it.
Also, why do you want to play the bass. Believe me it's not an easy option if you want to do it well. The technique of playing varies from the very heavy low E or even lower B on a 5 string to the relatively light G string.

My advice is, firstly, don't worry about the sound. Spending money on an expensive bass is not worth it if you have no technique. There are bargains out there in Cash Converters or Argos to get you started. A cheap Fender Precision copy and any guitar amp to let you hear what your playing (just don't crank it up) is more than good enough to get you started.
I'd then if you're serious as Boydie said, go for a Ibanez. Try for one with an active pick-up (pre-amp in the guitar) to make recording without an amp (Direct Inject) easier.

Good luck and enjoy a very under-rated instrument.

 

[The Corsair]

Buy an electric. You can still hear it without plugging it in you know.

Just work with your electric bass, without an amp, until you're comfortable with it and pick up the amp when you feel you want to jam with some other, non-acoustic-playing musicians.

[Schavuitje]

I agree with boydie. Pick up a cheap one and see how it goes first.
My current bass my missus bought me as a present off ebay for 55 dobbers.
The bass I really want costs a lot more  
I'm enjoying bass more than guitar these days although I always think of myself as a guitarist
first.
I also send my bass and guitar through a pod and then straight into my computer so than unless
you have got headphones on I'm as quiet as can be. Don't know if that's an option for you but it keeps the neighbours happy.  

[andy5544]

thanks for your help chaps ,
i'm finding myself attracted to this one ,read some good reviews on it , and it's new .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350351117423?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[tina m]

playing bass on your own is extremeley boring & no fun so i dont know how easily bored you get...
if your going to play in a band with other instruments then it gets a lot of fun & is great if you dont want to be in the limelight
if you want it to add bass parts to your home recordings then it gets essntial to have one
i dont think there as important to get a good one they all sound the same realy & you dont play complicate dstuff on them like on other instruments
but buying a cheap chineses bass on ebay from germany is a bit more of a chance than id want  to take
why dont you get a cow

[andy5544]

playing bass on your own is extremeley boring & no fun so i dont know how easily bored you get...
if your going to play in a band with other instruments then it gets a lot of fun & is great if you dont want to be in the limelight
if you want it to add bass parts to your home recordings then it gets essntial to have one
i dont think there as important to get a good one they all sound the same realy & you dont play complicate dstuff on them like on other instruments
but buying a cheap chineses bass on ebay from germany is a bit more of a chance than id want  to take
why dont you get a cow

Well tina,     cows are more expensive  than bass guitars .
Dairy cows cost between 700 and 1500 quid , depending on
condition. Plus I'd have to keep it in the spare bedroom with
my other musical instruments and I've heard it said that they
can be messy. 

[Ramshackles]

I have an acoustic bass, a takamine model. It cost about £500.
I've recorded with it and with electric bass. Its good for some things. It is more difficult to get an even tone without string noise than with an electric bass and that can be very frustrating when recording.

I found that for recording it was best with a mix of DI and mic(or amp), with a compressor in the chain before the interface...

Fairly big unwieldy things aswell. Very difficult to get it to sit well in a mix with a lot of drums (doesnt lend itself naturally to that nayway)

[Binladeda]

For what it's worth....I bought an Ibanez Ergodyne A few months ago, and I just love it.  It's so easy to play..short neck, lightweight, great sound...try one out, think you might be suprised  ..good luck in your search

[andy5544]

Would it matter if i had active pup's or not ?

[andy5544]

Well i got my bass ,its a hohner arbour series .



not the best looking bass but it does the job , and at 46 quid .... cant complain 

Anyone know any good beginer lessons on youtube?   

[Michael]

Anyone know any good beginer lessons on youtube?   

Don't have the link here right now, but there's a good hour long video tutorial of RHCP bassist Flea on Youtube that I found pretty helpful... He moves on about lots of different stuff quite fast, just watch it in small steps.
Will send you the link tomorrow if I can find it.
Have fun with your bass

[tina m]

thats the best looking freisian cow ive seen ...look at them horns

heres what you need