Creating bass loop tracks

[Rick Honeyboy Hart]

I'm creating backing tracks for an acoustic duo gig. I'm recording into a Digitech looper and saving the bass as a track. Then we play along with the track at gigs.

Pretty basic stuff.

My question is... I'm not a bass player and have no bass equipment. i do have a Squire bass I just bought. So what is the best way to create a bass backing track onto the looper. The sound I'm getting is not very good. Do I need a Direct box or bass preamp?

Any suggestions are appreciated.