Any recommended cheap bass guitars?

D K · Post by **D K** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 3:13 am

i'll give another vote for the yamaha bb300(bottom of the line p-bass)...
owned a fretted and a fretless, and they were really great playing basses.
new pickups and they were awesome, although the stock ones weren't bad.
i'll have to disagree about the pick being easier, in my experience (teaching) it really depends on the player, even if they are a novice.
i have a few really nice basses, my main gig bass is an ns 5 string electric upright,
and i also have a ken smith melvin davis 7 string...
but one of my favourite sounding basses is a 1965 hagstrom i got for 250 bucks.
tone for days! i love all the older beaters, in my opinion they usually have way more tone and character than alot of the new inexpensive basses out there....
although, i will admit, with the manufacturing capabilities of factories today the new basses make up for that lack of tone with greater playability.
lots of great options for little money....

sebovzeoueb · Post by **sebovzeoueb** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 3:21 am

I think at the end of the day you should go into shops and try them... that's the best way of finding the right bass. In my experience you can just come across one that sounds and feels "right". That's certainly how I found mine anyway...
For the whole fingers v pick thing I would say that it depends what sound you're after, and what previous playing experience you have: If you've played guitar with a pick before then pick is probably easier, but getting used to fingers is not that hard. As I say it depends what sound you want, and the sound you want should also influence what bass you get, hence the importance of trying them.

MrYellow · Post by **MrYellow** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 5:43 am

Fingers or nothing.

Take Jason Newsted from metallica for example.....

I always thought he was a shit bassist, until I was watching some live
videos and saw what he was doing and how fast he could actually move.
Problem was he played with a pick. If he was sitting there playing basic
stuff it sounded fine, soon as he does a fast run or anything he totally
drops out of the mix. Picks just can't cut it...... Now it's about style...... oh
ok.... if it's metal it has to be pick..... bullshit.... Most finger players can
play faster and better then pick players with a better tone....... Tho....
There is a place for picks in bands that play nothing but flat-out tremelo
picking for 45 mins.

Me and a few bass player mates have a catch-cry......
"Pull that pick outta u'r ass buddy"

-Ben

sebovzeoueb · Post by **sebovzeoueb** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 5:53 am

What would Deep Purple be without pick bass though?

suburbanbather · Post by **suburbanbather** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 6:44 am

I would suggest getting a starter pack. http://www.zzounds.com/cat--Bass-Guitar-Packs--2411

After a while if you decide you like it, then get a real bass. Like this one

I've never felt the need to use a pick for brighter tones, just play closer to the bridge.

DrumsOnTap · Post by **DrumsOnTap** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 6:51 am

How about an old guild pilot? (80's)

Will you be playing with a pick or fingers? Slap Pop? Two handed (hammer ons)? Those are the three playing parameters I look at when considering a bass. I wouldn't buy anything without playing it first if possible. Check the intonation too. When I'm in a music store, I take off my shirt and rub the guitar on my belly. Thats another parameter. And depending on whether your toilet is against the left or right wall, that should determine if you play a left or right handed instrument. I have switched many times as I've moved over the years.

suburbanbather · Post by **suburbanbather** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 6:55 am

DrumsOnTap wrote:How about an old guild pilot? (80's)

Thats what I have

Its a shame they don't make them anymore, or do they?

MrYellow · Post by **MrYellow** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 7:26 am

sebovzeoueb wrote:What would Deep Purple be without pick bass though?

A better band

-Ben

sebovzeoueb · Post by **sebovzeoueb** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 11:04 am

MrYellow wrote:
A better band

-Ben

Blasphemy!

I generally prefer fingers too though... but I find Deep Purple is one of the bands where the pick style works really well (one of the rare cases were I will say this about bass playing). I don't know a lot of Deep Purple, but I've tried playing the Smoke On The Water bassline (which is a really interesting bassline IMO) with fingers, and it loses its attack, especially as the main riff is playe over muted clanky bassline, a sound which I am as yet unable to reproduce with fingers...

MrYellow · Post by **MrYellow** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 11:26 am

Yeah definitely has it's place.....

One thing tho, any finger player can play with a pick but pick players can't
use their fingers...... So if you're a finger player and u need that sound u
can get it.

-Ben

sebovzeoueb · Post by **sebovzeoueb** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 11:51 am

My advice is learn both, they can come in handy. Pick technique is not as easy as it seems, especially to get a good sound on bass... (which is arguably the reason people don't like the pick sound)