Looking for a deal & recommendation for a beginner's bass guitar

[Captain_Insano16]

Hey Everyone,

Anyone have any recommendations, or know of any current deals on a bass guitar for a beginner? My sister is after getting one for my nephew for his birthday.

Also, is there a difference between a guitar amp and a bass amp (as in can you use a guitar amp for a bass). I already have an extra guitar amp I could give him to save them some funds if it will work for a bass.

Thanks for any deals or recommendations anyone might have.

[$hady]

I recommend this. It's pretty reasonable and usually you can check it out in most stores. (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8944903&st=rock+band&lp=4&type=product&cp=1&id=1215818943166)

[frombrknwings]

check out www.musiciansfriend.com (http://www.musiciansfriend.com) they always have some good deals and if you have any questions about whether or not the bass is good just send me a pm.I personally play guitar and used to play the bass so I can give you a heads up if needed


and a guitar amp will work for a starter bass,but there is a difference,many guitar amps wont get that low bass sound to them or just simply cant take the tones of a bass and blow the speakers,so you may be able to find a combo deal of a bass and an amp!
-Cody

[Prfntbtr]

As far as using a guitar amp for the bass, it would technically work, sound would come out, but I think the lower registers would end up blowing the speaker pretty quick.

[jaide]

A lot of people recommend SX basses from www.rondomusic.com. I bought a $99 bass from there with a PJ setup, and personally I don't see what the big fuss is about. My 6 year old squier p bass special was better. Still, if you're looking for an inexpensive bass they offer a pretty good variety of super cheap instruments.

To answer your second question, using a guitar amp for a bass can definitely blow the speakers. The sound won't be great either. If you buy a bass and an amp together from a Guitar Center, they should give you discount for doing so.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

[OlDirtyBastard]

Be careful when buying "Beginner Packages." They usually seem like a good idea but you end up with junk equipment which may ruin a new musician's experience.
I would recommend looking on craigs list or ebay for someone who is selling their old gear, I have had a lot of luck with this method.

[CanIBDom]

A lot of people recommend SX basses from www.rondomusic.com (http://www.rondomusic.com). I bought a $99 bass from there with a PJ setup, and personally I don't see what the big fuss is about. My 6 year old squier p bass special was better. Still, if you're looking for an inexpensive bass they offer a pretty good variety of super cheap instruments.

To answer your second question, using a guitar amp for a bass can definitely blow the speakers. The sound won't be great either. If you buy a bass and an amp together from a Guitar Center, they should give you discount for doing so.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

You can't go wrong with Rondo. Their SX and Douglas lines are probably the best ~$100 guitars around these days.

[Ruahrc]

Be careful when buying "Beginner Packages." They usually seem like a good idea but you end up with junk equipment which may ruin a new musician's experience.
I would recommend looking on craigs list or ebay for someone who is selling their old gear, I have had a lot of luck with this method.

+1. Don't need to spend a fortune but stay away from teh cheapest stuff because it's mostly junk and if you decide you want to progress to a better instrument it'll have practically no resale value. Get something that has a little quality to it and you'll either

a) find you like bass and be able to play it for a long time before you would need to upgrade, giving you a good value, or
b) find you don't like bass and have a decent instrument to sell, giving you a little money back. With a beginner's kit you'd have a piece of nearly worthless junk to get rid of.

When I bought my first guitar I made sure it had a solid wood soundboard which is a mark of a better quality instrument. I ended up staying with guitar and it still serves me just fine, I'd need to pay probably 3 or 4 times its cost to get a signifiantly better guitar. But had I not stuck with the guitar, the fact that it was a solid wood soundboard meant I could probably get decent money back for it if I sold it away.

Ruahrc

[letsgetacid]

I'm surprised no one's said "Bassists don't get laid" yet.

[advanced]

I'm surprised no one's said "Bassists don't get laid" yet.

Because it isn't true.

Buy a decent quality Squier (not a starter pack guitar), preferably a Jazz bass, as it will get more tonal range out of it, and buy a used 10-watt amp off of eBay or CL.

http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Affinity-Series-J-Bass?sku=519631

Pretty decent, I still play on a Affinity series live after 4 years. And when looking for a 10-watt, look for a bass amp, not a guitar one. I have a guitar practice amp that I killed by using a bass through it at first.