Members monkeytech Posted August 24, 2007 Members Share Posted August 24, 2007 Price range is about 400 USD. I know zero nothing about bass, but I'm wanting to get together and maybe jam with my friend who plays guitar. I'm looking for a good metal bass, even though I know that kind of doesn't matter the style...but since like I said, I don't know much, it might help. What should I look for bass wise to play like melo-death/metalcore? Also, what cheap amp brands should I look at? What's the best lower end stuff?What's some of the better higher end stuff that I could go ahead and check out? Thanks so much! Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitargod0dmw Posted August 24, 2007 Members Share Posted August 24, 2007 Head to the store and try out everything you can. Don't look at the prices yet...just get a feel for what you'd like in a bass. Then, with a criteria in mind...try to find something that fits the bill that you can afford. As for amps, are you guys going to be playing with a drummer, or is it just you and a guitard? That will make a big difference... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted August 24, 2007 Moderators Share Posted August 24, 2007 Head to the store and try out everything you can. Don't look at the prices yet...just get a feel for what you'd like in a bass.Then, with a criteria in mind...try to find something that fits the bill that you can afford. Exactly. If you came back and told us what you liked and didn't like, we might be able to find something in your price range that matches your needs that might not have been at the store you were at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members monkeytech Posted August 24, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 24, 2007 Just me and the guitarist for a while, unless we happen to fall across someone one our level to mess around with. We probably won't really be looking though, so for now just me and him. Bass wise, I went to Guitar Center with him one time and seemed to me like the Ibanez basses they had where pretty cool. I tried an Ibanez, BC Rich, and I think some kind of cheap fender and a Musical Man i think is what it's called?. The ibanez felt pretty nice. I don't really remember prices though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members liko Posted August 24, 2007 Members Share Posted August 24, 2007 OK, if you only have $400 for both a bass and amp and the amp has to be powerful enough for rehearsing with another guitarist, your budget's gonna squeak. I would recommend looking at used basses in the $100-$150 and used amps in the $300 range. The rig I bought to replace my stolen gear was the Yamaha BB404 and the Combo 210 without the extension cab. Bass, $165 on massive markdown, amp $375 used in excellent condition, so even that was $540 for a decent setup. Hit the pawn shops. They often do not know what rigs are worth, or sell them for just over what they paid the previous owner (which is in many cases pennies on the dollar versus the equipment's true value). The cheapest rig I've ever owned was an RBX260 P-bass and a 100W 1x15 amp, for just under $300 for the pair. It's doable, but you basically have to take what you can get and you will be SOL if you look at new stuff. The Ibanez Soundgear series is a pretty good beginner bass, and often pretty inexpensive. I personally don't care for the feel of the neck (very narrow and thin), but for a new bassist that might be just the ticket. Because they're so inexpensive, they're popular as first basses and you will see many of these that were traded in for something better or sold because the previous owner lost interest. The lower-end Soundgears go for next to nothing used because of this. As for amps, even if it's just one guitar I would look for a combo amp with at least twice the power of your guitarist's amp. Bass is very different from guitar when you're looking at amps. First of all, DO NOT buy a guitar amp; the speakers and often the amp circuit itself are not designed for such a bass-heavy signal. Second, you'll need more power than the guitarist because the guitarist will simply crank up the gain and distort their sound, using all available power of the amp. You on the other hand want a clean sound that can be heard over the guitarist's sound, so you need enough headroom to stay clean. If you have to turn the master volume past halfway in order to be heard, you're underpowered. I would say that 100W is the minimum to be heard over most guitar amps. Look at used Peavey combos; they're loud, durable and usually undervalued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members monkeytech Posted August 24, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 24, 2007 Awesome, thanks a lot for the help I'll see if I can try to go play some more basses and maybe see what I like. If there is anymore advice, feel free to say something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted August 24, 2007 Moderators Share Posted August 24, 2007 Go take a look, bump the thread up with what you find and we'll give more input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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