# Recommend a guitarist a first bass!



## Chi (May 11, 2013)

Good afternoon to all you bassists and fellow guitarists in here. ;-)

As the title suggests, I'm looking for my first bass that'd finally replace the awful programmed bass guitar in my tracks. I don't really know much about basses if I'm honest, but it should have 5 strings since I'm playing a 7 string guitar. Of course, I'd like it to be affordable, let's say not more than 400 ? Considering that my first guitar was around 400, I think that's alright.

I've already looked around a little, and found the Yamaha RBX 375 to look quite good, not only spec wise...

Musical taste ranges from Korn over Keith Merrow up to Meshuggah and hell, lots of stuff really, also low-gain stuff, so it should be flexible. I dig slapping, but I think you can slap with every bass, right? 

It'd be awesome if you could recommend an amp right away, too. I hope that wasn't too much to ask for, thanks in advance.


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## Mwoit (May 11, 2013)

Second hand Ibanez SR505 and Sterling Sub Ray 5 are my immediate suggestions. 

If you can look around second hand, you might be able to find Warwicks or Spectors too. If you're lucky!


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## Chi (May 11, 2013)

Maybe a bit pricey for my taste. D:

Something else? What about the one I mentioned?


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## Mwoit (May 11, 2013)

Yamaha basses are cool. The RBX series is a bit plain, but they sound good for the price point in my opinion.


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## Chi (May 11, 2013)

Righto. Still anything modern in that price range ?

Would be cool if you guys can recommend me an amp, too. Shouldn't be too pricey either.


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## Ocara-Jacob (May 11, 2013)

What are you looking for in an amp? Also about what price range?


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## iron blast (May 12, 2013)

We need more info man cant help much based on that info alone. Here's what I can suggest as a starting point tho 5-string basses in the $300 range generally are pretty lack luster sadly but you can find some used if you look hard. Many will suggest a Ibanez sr505 they are decent for the money.and if you want something really good for the money get a Ampeg B2re head they can be had for $250, the DI is really good on it, it has graphic EQ built in, has enough gain to get pretty grindy sounding, can power a 8x10 cab later, and it can be used as a preamp into your computer or other sound source until you afford a cab. As for a cab look for a used Ampeg they can be had around $300


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## Chi (May 12, 2013)

Ocara-Jacob said:


> What are you looking for in an amp? Also about what price range?



Well, let's say it should be able to make the bass sound grindy, considering I'll be using a five string bass that'll play along with a 7 string guitar - heavy and groovy stuff.

The price shouldn't really be much higher than 250 or so, if I'm honest...



iron blast said:


> We need more info man cant help much based on that info alone. Here's what I can suggest as a starting point tho 5-string basses in the $300 range generally are pretty lack luster sadly but you can find some used if you look hard. Many will suggest a Ibanez sr505 they are decent for the money.and if you want something really good for the money get a Ampeg B2re head they can be had for $250, the DI is really good on it, it has graphic EQ built in, has enough gain to get pretty grindy sounding, can power a 8x10 cab later, and it can be used as a preamp into your computer or other sound source until you afford a cab. As for a cab look for a used Ampeg they can be had around $300



Hmm, what more info do you need? I know you won't get a great piece of wood for 300 (Euro, mind you), but it should be possible to get an instrument that'll work for recordings.


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## Elliott Jeffries (May 12, 2013)

If you're looking for a bass, try them out at your local music store. They sound more or less similar (deep and rumbly), you want one that feels good. There are necks that have a different roundness. A Fender Jazz or Precision are good and affordable, Hofner's play almost exactly like guitars. You want a 5 string, but I will say it's not necessary unless you are really going to use it more as a primary instrument. I can't recommend any 5 strings but bass has it's own straddle to be learned to bridge the drums and guitar. A 5 string seems more complicated than what a bass needs to be. A simple effective bass line is what you're trying to do and it's easier said than done.


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## Chi (May 12, 2013)

Elliott Jeffries said:


> If you're looking for a bass, try them out at your local music store. They sound more or less similar (deep and rumbly), you want one that feels good. There are necks that have a different roundness. A Fender Jazz or Precision are good and affordable, Hofner's play almost exactly like guitars. You want a 5 string, but I will say it's not necessary unless you are really going to use it more as a primary instrument. I can't recommend any 5 strings but bass has it's own straddle to be learned to bridge the drums and guitar. A 5 string seems more complicated than what a bass needs to be. A simple effective bass line is what you're trying to do and it's easier said than done.



Thanks for the reply. Sadly I don't have a music store around my area. I'll do fine with five strings, it's not like I haven't held a bass before. I can handle 7 Strings on my guitar, so I'm sure I'll do just fine playing the bass for my recordings. As I said, it'll just cover the lows in my mixes. My music isn't bass centered, that's why I don't want to spend a huge amount of money on it. A Fender J wouldn't really do it, I think, since I play mostly heavier stuff. It should be able to growl and not fall apart, that's everything really..


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## Bleach31 (May 12, 2013)

I would recommend checking out some of ESP's stuff as well as Ibanez. The next bass I'm getting is the LTD B-155DX. It's a great bass for the price.


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## Chuck (May 12, 2013)

Ibanez basses play just like big guitars to me.


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## Bleach31 (May 12, 2013)

^^ I'd second that.


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## Chi (May 12, 2013)

What would you think of this one Ibanez SR305-IPT - Thomann UK


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## Bleach31 (May 12, 2013)

Chi said:


> What would you think of this one Ibanez SR305-IPT - Thomann UK



That's a very comfortable bass to play. I would recommend it for a first 5 string. It'll get the tone you want as well.


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## Chi (May 12, 2013)

Bleach31 said:


> That's a very comfortable bass to play. I would recommend it for a first 5 string. It'll get the tone you want as well.



Fair enough...any recommendations for some sort of amp?


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## sweepingDemon (May 12, 2013)

Harley Benton HBZ-2005 - Thomann UK


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## Chi (May 12, 2013)

sweepingDemon said:


> Harley Benton HBZ-2005 - Thomann UK



Noooot too fond of HB stuff, thanks.


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## Bleach31 (May 12, 2013)

Chi said:


> Fair enough...any recommendations for some sort of amp?



I'd pick up a Hartke honestly. They have some nice little practice amps that have good EQ choices and they hook up to cabs very easily. My bassist runs a 25 watt and uses the hookup from the back to add an extension 4x10.


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## Chi (May 12, 2013)

Bleach31 said:


> I'd pick up a Hartke honestly. They have some nice little practice amps that have good EQ choices and they hook up to cabs very easily. My bassist runs a 25 watt and uses the hookup from the back to add an extension 4x10.



Able to get something grindy with those, too ? Looked at the Hartke 25 thingy, seems to have no gain control.


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## Bleach31 (May 12, 2013)

You can get the sound you'd like out of it, but it takes a bit of tweaking. I'd recommend this instead of the other amp, though. I've used the 50 watt version and it kicks serious butt. Don't know why I didn't think about it before. 

Orange Amplifiers Crush PiX CR25BX 25W 1x8 Bass Combo Amp | Musician's Friend


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## Chi (May 12, 2013)

Yeah the Orange looked appealing to me as well, especially for the price.


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## Bleach31 (May 12, 2013)

Definitely a really great amp for the price. Not sure why I didn't recommend it first.


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## iron blast (May 13, 2013)

are you looking for a combo amp or a stack? If you are looking for a stack I still recommend a used Ampeg B2re head it's well within the budget and sounds mean. as for a bass try finding a used Warwick rock bass double buck that paired with the Ampeg will get you some heavy bass tone


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## Konfyouzd (May 13, 2013)

I hear great things about the Yamaha RBX basses. I would recommened an Ibanez BTB as I have a soft spot for them.


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## Chi (May 13, 2013)

iron blast said:


> are you looking for a combo amp or a stack? If you are looking for a stack I still recommend a used Ampeg B2re head it's well within the budget and sounds mean. as for a bass try finding a used Warwick rock bass double buck that paired with the Ampeg will get you some heavy bass tone



A combo most likely...It's not too easy finding used stuff around Germany for some reason. D:



Konfyouzd said:


> I hear great things about the Yamaha RBX basses. I would recommened an Ibanez BTB as I have a soft spot for them.



Well, it's either the Yamaha or the Ibanez SR305, since the BTB's are a bit pricey.


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## Konfyouzd (May 13, 2013)

Ahh... I got lucky with my BTB. I scored it off a dude who didn't want/need it anymore for like $300. I was in the same boat, though when I wanted one. 

I would go with the Yamaha based simply off the reviews I read of it around the time I got my SR and how underwhelmed I was with the SR305. It's enough to get you into bass, but I think you might outgrow it sooner than you'd want.


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## Chi (May 13, 2013)

Thanks for your opinion! I don't have high expectations anyway, since I'll pretty much use it for recording purposes exclusively. Cheers!


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## LuizPauloDT (May 13, 2013)

I've just bought one LTD B206-SM for the same reason as yours: Bass recording instead of bass plugins.

As I don't have any other experience with other brands and models, I can't compare it, but I think it's a good starter Bass guitar.


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## Chi (May 13, 2013)

Thanks for your input.


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## Retarded Bassist (May 14, 2013)

I sugggest buying a Ibanez gsr205 it's my secondary axe have a 505 as main. The 205 is cheap and has a great tone, if you throw in some new strings, plus a very comfortable bass to play mine is 10 years old and hell it's better than some of the newer ones.


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## 7stg (May 18, 2013)

I would recommend a Ibanez btb7 or Conklin gtbd7. It might be a bit over budget, but a 7 string bass will have all the notes you are used to and they are fun to play.


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## hairychris (May 23, 2013)

I own one of these: Ibanez SR500-BM - Thomann UK

It's close to your figure and kicks arse.

And an Ampeg BR2. A good, basic, head.

w007, 3000.


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## Shrooms (May 24, 2013)

I recommend an SR series from Ibanez, whatever level of SR you get, you get something very nice. I played an SR-300 on stage for several months before getting my 885. (which I got for 200 plus shipping, and is the same model Fieldy used at Woodstock 99). I don't recommend the B2 head by ampeg though, I recommend trying to scalp around on Ebay used or some other online place you have over there. The B2R is a really flat, bland sounding head unit in my opinion. I like lots of "character" in my bass tone. I use an SWR head, just for now though. It's a good sounding head, and they make em fairly cheap if I remember.


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