Need advice on my first bass guitar.

[Rokas108]

Hello

I wondered if any of you kind players could give me some advice on choosing a bass guitar. I have two basses in my mind so maybe any of you already had some experience with these bases and can advice me on which one would be a better choice.

The two basses I have in mind are Sire U5 Short scale bass and the 40th anniversary Squire vintage p bass. I personally like the P pickup sound the most but I also want to have some versatility in my bass. Hence I am looking at the Sire U5 quite a bit since it has the P/J configuration, tho I am not sure how much it will sound like a P bass. It is also a short scale so it may be a bit easier to play, tho I am not sure if its a good thing for a new player like me. The only issue is that there are no Sire U5 basses in any stores that are close to me, so I cant really try it out. I did however tried the 40th anniversary Squire vintage p bass in a local store and I did quite enjoyed it.

So my question i guess is which bass would you pick out of these two if you were a new bass player.

[sonics]

Unless you want to make it your main focus, I would NOT choose the short-scale bass. Your first instrument should be as good as you can get, and of the type you want to continue playing. Your musical tastes will be relevant here. For example, if your aim was to be a five-string player, you should really start on one IMO. Try to take an experienced player along with you to help you choose the instrument.
Then get a good teacher to start you off correctly, with a good practice regimen and habits.

[Wonks]

Unless there are physical reasons why you’d find a long-scale base too difficult to play, I’d go for a full-scale bass.

But if you’re of slighter stature, then you may be better off with a short scale (30”) bass. You need to be able to reach the first fret easily on all strings. If you’re stretching you won’t be comfortable and you’ll be less inclined to play it.

Note that Bill Wyman didn’t do too badly playing a short scale bass almost all of his playing life.

But I’d go long scale if you can.

[Rokas108]

Thanks to both of your replies, I am considering to go with the Squier P bass, I guess it will be a bit more simple. And will inspire me to be more creative with my playing

[Murray B]

+1 on having an experienced player help you pick the right bass.
Even with CNC manufacturing etc. some instruments from the same range are just better than others.

[shazer]

+1 on having an experienced player help you pick the right bass.
Even with CNC manufacturing etc. some instruments from the same range are just better than others.

Agreed take someone with you and have a go on a few till you're happy with one. Try some which aren't Squiers you never know I started off on a cheap Yamaha RBX and loved that bass, it was nice and light with a neck I really got on with.

Cheaper squier basses are usually ok but you need to make sure you don't accidentally get unlucky with a dud.

[Wonks]

I recently fettled an Ibanez SR300E bass for a friend and I thought that was very nice. Comfortable neck, not too heavy and the pickups were very decent sounding, with humbucking, parallel and single coil options, as well as an active treble, mid and bass EQ.

About £320 new.

Worth adding it to the list of basses to try.

[ajay_m]

I am an absolute noob on bass so all I can say is I got a Squier jazz bass clone years ago and just couldn't cope with the standard scale and then got a G&L fallout tribute short-scale bass and it was just SO much easier to play. Also sounds great, with the jazz bass 'growl' and frankly I can't hear any real tonal shortcomings over the standard scale bass but it is SO much easier getting your fingers around the fretboard. It cost £399 from Andertons, and it seems like a pretty good quality instrument, but I'm a keyboard player so I'm about the last person in the world to dispense expert advice on bass playing. All I can say is I'm making much better progress on this bass than I ever did on the full length scale bass.

[shazer]

I recently fettled an Ibanez SR300E bass for a friend and I thought that was very nice. Comfortable neck, not too heavy and the pickups were very decent sounding, with humbucking, parallel and single coil options, as well as an active treble, mid and bass EQ.

About £320 new.

Worth adding it to the list of basses to try.

Good shout I used to have an Ibanez SR300 as well I forgot very nice bass for the price. I've always liked Ibanez QC regardless of how cheap I've gone (down to £400) the stuff has always been good.

[Wonks]

Ibanez QC has been iffy in the fairly recent past, even on Japanese models.

Max/Studio Support Gnome (an ex-guitar shop owner amongst other things) knows the UK distributor well. He got a Japanese model through them and it was riddled with small and large faults and the guitar was subsequently returned. He then got asked to review three guitars picked at random from different ranges, and all three were sub-par.

Ibanez QC improved significantly after that.

[Wonks]

Referring back to a previous question, a P/J style bass can sound just like a P bass when using just the P bass pickup, but it depends on the pickups used (obviously) but also the volume pot resistance (less obvious).

A P-bass has a single volume and tone pot for the single pickup. That volume pot is traditionally a 250k pot.

The controls on a P/J bass normally borrow the most common Jazz bass arrangement of two volume controls and one master tone control (as opposed to the less common blend pot, master volume and master tone control arrangement).

Each volume has its own 250k volume pot. These are wired a bit differently to the normal Strat, Tele, Les Paul or SG volume pot wiring. So instead of the pickup output going to one end of the track, with ground at the other and the output signal coming from the wiper, the pickup output goes to the wiper and the output signal comes from the end of the track (with ground still at the other end if the track. Basically the input and output connections are swapped.

On a Les Paul with both pickups selected, if one volume pot is turned right down, you get no sound at all from the other pickup regardless of its volume setting. The output of that pot at zero is now connected directly to ground. But as the other volume pot’s output is also connected to the zero volume pot’s output (through the pickup selector switch being in the mid position), then it’s output is also connected directly to ground, so there’s no sound.

Which is why control arrangements like the J bass one with no selector switch swap the input and output connections. Although both volume pot outputs are always connected together, with one volume turned right down, on that pot there's always the full pot resistance between the output and ground, so you continue to get sound from the other pickup.

Except that you now have two volume pots wired in parallel between the common output and common ground, so that (two x 250k resistances in parallel) presents itself as a 125k ohm load, not a 250k one.

On a Jazz Bass, the thin single coil pickups are naturally brighter sounding than the split single-coil pickup in a P-Bass (more overall inductance and wider coils giving a fatter sound). So the 125k load on the pickups takes off some of the brightness (compared to if they saw a 250k load like the single pickup on a P-Bass sees), and stops them being over-bright.

But in a P/J arrangement, with just the P pickup turned up, it is being loaded by 125k (not 250k) from the two volume pot arrangement, so you’ll loose some treble* and overall output compared to a P-only arrangement.

So the same P-pickup will sound slightly different in a standard P compared to a standard P/J arrangement. (Note that the J pickup in a P/J arrangement will sound just the same as the bridge pickup in a J-bass if it’s the only pickup selected).

To counter the treble loss from the P-pickup in a P/J circuit, you could use 500k pots to give a total 250k load from the volume pots, but this will then brighten the output from the bridge J-pickup, which may be more obvious than the P-pickup being a bit duller.

Or you can try and use a brighter-sounding P-pickup than the one you would normally prefer to have on a P-bass, so the loss of some treble gets you back to the right point(ish).

Or you just choose a P/J bass with a sound you like and live happily ever after.**

*This is very simplified and you also get a drop in the resonant peak frequency so you also have a frequency boost lower than before, but I’m just trying to explain that you will get a slightly different sound from the same P-pickup in a P-bass compared to a standard P/J bass.

**Terms and conditions apply. Values of happiness can go down as well as up.

[SecretSam]

I'd agree with the recommendation for a 34" scale. It's the most common size, so you may as well start out to play basses of the size that God intended.

I have always been impressed with the Ibanez basses that I've tried. Even the entry level ones. Wonks is a proper expert, though, so if he says they did some iffy ones recently, I believe him. So based on his insights go for brand new or maybe five years old or older.

A lot of Ibanez models have three band eq, which is unusual outside of boutique territory, and very intuitive to use.

I have always found pickup balance to be an important tool. It is a sort of 'focus' control that does something very different to eq that really helps shape the sound.
Folks who swear by precision-type basses may disagree. But they are wrong and I am right

Yamaha also do excellent instruments for not much money.

I am not a fan of entry level fenders/squires, but they churn them out by the thousand, so it is possible that you will find a good one among all the dross. Take a knowledgeable friend with you if you go down that road. They do look iconic, which is the only good thing I have to say about them.

Given that entry level models may have the occasional QC fail, it might be worth looking at a secondhand instrument from somewhere reputable. Its previous owner will have fixed and egregious factory faults, and the saving over new costs could pay for a good setup.... which makes a huge difference to playability and some difference to the sound.

[BigRedX]

Other than Leo Fender deciding that he preferred 34" scale when he was designing his electric bass guitar and therefore it has become the most common one there is nothing special about the length. Yes, different scale lengths can make the bass sound different, but so does everything else in the design and construction, so just find and instrument that you are comfortable with, and like the sound and look of.

My first bass was a second-hand 60s Burns with a 30" scale, and picked mostly because to me it looked more interesting than the Grant and Columbus P and J copies that were the affordable alternatives. My next main bass was a 5-string Overwater with a 36" scale length. I knew it was a longer scale than the Burns, but I didn't realise quite how much longer until I bought my first set of replacement 34" scale strings and they didn't fit! That to me sums up the importance a choosing by what feels/sounds/looks right and not getting hung up on the numbers in the spec. I'm relatively small - 5' 6" but the Overwater never felt unwieldy. Since then I have owned basses with all sorts of scale lengths from 27" to 36" and all of them have worked perfectly well as bass guitars. These days I play 5-string 34"scale basses with one band, and 30" scale Bass VIs (6-string bass tuned an octave lower than a guitar) with the other.

If you really want the sound of a P-bass then pretty much anything with a P-bass pickup in roughly the correct position in relation to the scale length will get you there. The most "traditional" sounding P-bass I've owned was a Born To Rock F4B which is mostly made out of aluminium tubing, but has the P-Bass pickup in the correct position for that P-Bass sound. And while you shouldn't have any trouble getting the Precision sound out of a P-J bass expect to have to do more work to get it sounding like some of the classic Jazz bass tones as you'll find on most examples the P pickup completely over-powers the J one.

Ultimately if it's for recording you get a playable instrument with useable sounds out of almost anything made in the last 30 years. Go to your local musical instrument retailer and try out some bass guitars and buy the one you like the best.

[Wonks]

…Or a secondhand bass might have sat mainly unused because it wasn't very playable and possibly spent a lot of time in the attic with big temperature fluctuations, and is now being sold after being rediscovered.

Or its owner may well have made ‘improvements’ which really do nothing for the instrument’s sound or playability but they like to fiddle.

Or its owner may well know exactly what they were doing, have made modifications that suited their needs and set it up the way they like - which was the case with a bass I bought from a name player. It came with the heaviest strings possible, about 10mm of neck relief and a (not surprisingly) really high action. A new set of strings and some truss rod tweaks, some fingerboard scraping and fret and body polishing and I had a really nice instrument indeed.

Time may have weeded most of the worst-made examples from the past, but so many more instruments are made these these days in comparison to even the 70s or 80s, that not all used instruments will have been sorted to any degree.

Unfortunately a lot of people continue to struggle playing badly set-up instruments, not knowing they can be improved considerably. A lot of the time it’s just truss rod adjustment, bridge/saddle height adjustment and nut slot cutting, but sometimes the electrics need a good overhaul as well.

As always, buyer beware and try and buy an instrument you’ve actually played.

[ef37a]

As a very old bass player who has not kept up his practice! I would say go for the 'standard' long scale bass.

The physical aspects of the player are a red fish IMHO. Tal Wilnkenfeld is 5'4" and Suzi Q a very petite five footer! (and you don't get reduced size Steinways! Or lefties for that matter).

People adapt. My son plays electric and classical guitar (proper Bach stuff) but played "Variations" for his test at school on my battered Kay's Cat') bass. For the last year or so he has been playing bass* for drummer and singer/guitarist in France. He can also play a uke.

That is not to say don't buy the best instrument you can afford. As to "sounds" there is an almost infinite range of pedals and software available now.

*Chops wise they are a very good trio but the music is said to be a form of "French African jazz" I find it bloody awful but the punters seem to like it!

Dave.

[BigRedX]

As always, buyer beware and try and buy an instrument you’ve actually played.

In the last 30 years I have only bought 3 basses that I was able to try first and only one of those was kept for any length of time and that was the previously mentioned Overwater, that ended up being my main bass for most of the 90s.

IME experience trying in the shop only gets you so far. Case in point about 20 years ago I was on the the hunt for a better fretless bass than the £60 Wesley Acrylic bodied one I had bought off eBay. I'd seen good reviews in the musical instrument press and one of the local shops had one in which I spent an hour playing. It seemed fine in the shop. Unfortunately after a couple of rehearsals with my band I discovered lots of short-comings, the most important being that I couldn't easily reach the g-string machine head when it was on the strap and it sounded very weedy compared to all my other basses including the cheapo Wesley which was also equipped with a pair of J-style pickups. In the end I sold it and went back to using the Wesley, that (for me) played and sounded better and also looked more interesting, until I spotted a second hand Pedulla Buzz on eBay.

Of the 5 guitars and basses that I currently use not a single one was tried before I bought it.

[Wonks]

Other than Leo Fender deciding that he preferred 34" scale when he was designing his electric bass guitar and therefore it has become the most common one there is nothing special about the length.

Except Leo didn’t just ‘decide’ he preferred a 34” scale, there were definite tests with other scale lengths and involvements with known upright bass players of the time to achieve a particular sound.

This 5-Watt World video covers a lot of the development of it.

https://youtu.be/3tw8Ms1Sbek

They were going for a louder upright bass sound, hence the damper and carbon saddles and the flatwound strings. A 34” scale gave the best approximation of that sound whilst remaining playable in a seated context.

Had they been going for a different sound, then things may have been very different.

Leo was always looking to save money, so had plastic coated bass strings been available at the time (as seem to have been fitted as standard to those 60s Burns short-scale bass designs), a shorter 30” scale neck may well have been on the cards instead. That’s 4” of maple that could have been saved!

[Rokas108]

Wow, I didn't think I will get so much advice about short scales. Thank you all I found another squier p bass in a reputable shop, so I am thinking of going there and trying it. I don't know any one who plays bass but they have professionals at the shop, so I hope they will help me.

[tea for two]

Hello

I wondered if any of you kind players could give me some advice on choosing a bass guitar. I have two basses in my mind so maybe any of you already had some experience with these bases and can advice me on which one would be a better choice

Sausage fingers with hands like spades or dainty hands fingers lol.
I have small hands small fingers although not thin fingers not sausage either.
A Bass I been wanting to check ooot is Guy Pratt endorsed "Betsy" it's approx £600.
https://www.basscentre.com/british-bass ... betsy.html
I just want to check it ooot in person not to purchase.

I don't know any one who plays bass but they have professionals at the shop, so I hope they will help me.

I would say even though you have a budget in mind of £hundreds and it's easy to get flustered kind of when there's Basses in the £K in a music shop, it's worthwhile checking ooot some £K Basses for comparison.

::

I'd seen good reviews in the musical instrument press and one of the local shops had one in which I spent an hour playing. It seemed fine in the shop. Unfortunately after a couple of rehearsals with my band I discovered lots of short-comings, the most important being that I couldn't easily reach the g-string machine head when it was on the strap and it sounded very weedy compared to all my other basses including the cheapo Wesley

I wouldn't have considered how would reach with strap fitted, this is a rather handy tip for me.
Also taking along a Bass that I already dig the sound of so as to compare.

[ef37a]

"I wouldn't have considered how would reach with strap fitted, this is a rather handy tip for me.
Also taking along a Bass that I already dig the sound of so as to compare."

Again, I wouldn't worry about physique (unless you are missing an arm) Another player, the legendary Carol Kaye was just five two and I think also played bull bass? And getting at the G tuner? How often do you need to do that on a bass G? Not a bloody twelve string! A bass that drifts out of tune is a badly setup bass or the strings are knackered.

Dave.

[Wonks]

Strings drift with temperature changes (it's simple physics), and the G being at the end of a 4-in-line arrangement, its tuner is more prone to being knocked, say by someone walking by on stage, so it needs to be as adjustable just as easily as any other tuner.

[ef37a]

Strings drift with temperature changes (it's simple physics), and the G being at the end of a 4-in-line arrangement, its tuner is more prone to being knocked, say by someone walking by on stage, so it needs to be as adjustable just as easily as any other tuner.

True but surely it is no hardship to drop the bass on the deck and tweak it between songs? Mind you I say that as a lanky six footer!

Dave.

[Wonks]

It really doesn't look professional, and taking the bass off and putting it back on opens up the risk of more things going wrong (e.g. strap not going back on correctly) and upsetting the flow of songs.

[ef37a]

It really doesn't look professional, and taking the bass off and putting it back on opens up the risk of more things going wrong (e.g. strap not going back on correctly) and upsetting the flow of songs.

Oh ffs! I am going to try this with my tiny daughter when she gets back from her holiday.

Dave.

[Wonks]

Same about your comments, Dave.