Ok, guys. Since most of you are so savvy when it comes to music and the instruments used to play it, I want some advice. I am determined to learn how to play bass, and I need to know which brands are better, etc. So, help me out! Message me, or give me some suggestions here. It's much appreciated.

I was going to suggest largemouth, or striped... but then I read the message.

i admittedly know nary a thing about basses, but if you learn how (or even if you don't really) there's a band here for you...actually my band concept, phyllis, is quite defunct, but it still may wobble awkwardly to it's feet yet...and i've always fancied having a girl bassist. regardless of my own pipe dreams, i wish you lots of luck and musical inspiration with this, a wise and brave choice to make music.

I know nothing about music, but I would think you'd want your first bass to be the cheapest one you can find. It may not sound the best, but that way you minimize your investment if it doesn't work out for you.

When you're ready, buy a Rickenbacker.

my best suggestion when buying a bass is to make sure it doesnt smell fishy. fresh bass [and all other fish] should not smell like anything.

i was going to laugh at stopforme's message but then i read peacefrog's.
oh fine, both of you are funny.

Keith is really much more of an expert than me, so you'll probably just want to do whatever he says. Or even better - my mentor, Roger Dabbs!

But I'll give you my advice anyway. Do the world (and yourself) a favor, Steph, and buy a bass that has 4 STRINGS. That's the most important thing. Next, you don't want the bass that you buy to look like a piece of furniture - nothing that looks just like a stained peice of wood. We call these furniture basses, and we make fun of the people who play them.

So those are really the most important two things to keep in mind. You might want to just get a cheap piece of shit to learn on, or you might want to spend a little bit of money. A Fender is a pretty safe bet. Roger uses one. Keith uses one. Mike Mills uses one. It's hard to go wrong with a Fender, and they're not too terribly expensive, especially if you get one that was made in Japan or Mexico.

But remember - 4 strings, no furniture. Good luck! Let us know how it's going.

there is nothing wrong with a 5 string, in my opinion (i own both a 4 and 5). but yeah the wood stain is out...as is a 6 string.
im not even going try to venture into the 12 string area.

There's such a contraption?

I learn new things every day.

Man, so many people to quote. I'm going to do it the lazy way:
Hey, I think I was in that band once!
I was almost flattered there for a minute. But seriously, Roger knows way more about basses than me, but he has a life and therefore won't be around to answer you questions as much as me!
I TOTALLY AGREE! Buy a Mexican Fender. They sound alright (definitely good enough to learn on), they feel great, and you can get them really cheap, especially used.
Nah. When you're ready buy a better Fender. Then when you have money to burn, buy a Rick. They are very cool looking and sound decent, but I have one and am much more comfortable with the Fender P-Bass (deluxe).
Sure there is. At least if you want to play rock and roll, and I assume that is the case. If you want to be in a hippie band or play nu-metal, than go ahead and buy the 5-string.
Yeah. They're generally like six-string basses (B,E,A,D,G,C usually) with a string an octave lower (basically a guitar string) directly next to each normal string. You hold down both strings at the same time so you are constantly playing octaves. It's the same concept as a 12-string guitar, only an octave lower and a slightly different tuning (E,A,D,G,B,E). I don't really know why I bothered to explain this considering anyone who cares probably already knows. I'm just bored.

Me too! Everyone who has been in Phyllis take a step forward. Not so fast, William Tyler!

Actually, Keith I think that you probably do know more about the world of bass than anyone else I know.

Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam used to play one, I'm pretty sure. What a terrible bass player he was/is. It's funny how some bands that I really like have really subpar bass players.

(Edited by jamiecarroll at 12:37 am on Jun. 7, 2004)

i've always been a fan of the Violin-shaped bass. Rickenbacker's are great too!

John Paul Jones had one. It's in Cleveland now.

By the way...



...that way you can play the jangely parts, too.