3 Tips for Purchasing Your First Bass Setup
After a great deal of thought and consideration, you’ve decided that the bass guitar is your instrument of choice (because you’re all about that low-end life). Congrats! This is an exciting time- you’re ready to start learning the instrument and selling out venues.
That’s great… but now what?
The next step is selecting your gear. What do you need? You’ve got a ton of options: Fender, Ibanez, Schecter, Gibson, ESP… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The possibilities are endless, which is both exciting and overwhelming.
3 Tips for Purchasing Your First Bass Setup
- Think about short-term and long-term goals.
- Consider your budget.
- Buy what sounds/feels good to you PERSONALLY.
1. Think about short-term and long-term goals… What are your musical intentions?
What kind of music do you plan on playing? Most of us are drawn to one or two styles of music in particular. Sometimes, your preferred genre is the one you’ll end up playing. On the other hand, the style of music you play might be completely different from what you listen to in your free time.
Will you be playing with multiple bands/music groups? You may not have anyone to play with right off the bat- it may just be you and the bass in your bedroom for a while (which is perfectly fine, by the way- this just means more practice time for you!).
Contrarily, you might already have some musically talented friends in mind who would be interested in starting a band with you. Or maybe your church’s worship band is seeking a bass player to add to the Sunday morning rotation? Or maybe a little bit of both?
What kind of venues do you plan on performing in? Start small if you don’t have any opportunities on the horizon to perform live yet. My first amp was a Fender Rumble 25 combo amp, and it served me well for a long time as I practiced away at home.
If you’re looking for something that’s bigger than a practice amp but smaller than the gargantuan 810 cabinet, a speaker cabinet or combo amp with a 410 or 115 configuration will be perfect for small and medium-sized venues (roughly 50-500 capacity). In terms of power, 100 watts is a good place to start.
*Note: You’ll notice a group of numbers when referring to speaker cabinet configurations, like in the paragraph above. The first number refers to the quantity of speakers, and the last two numbers refer to the size of the speakers (in inches). For example, a 410 configuration (also seen as 4×10) would refer to a speaker cabinet with four 10″ speakers.
Another idea to consider is going DI, aka plugging straight in to the board rather than using an amp. This allows you to shape your tone without having to haul an amp around.
To be honest, it’s been almost a year since I’ve used my amp onstage! Every church and venue I’ve played in recently has had a DI box, allowing me to plug my pedalboard straight in- eliminating the need for an amp. Maybe not ideal for your setup, but definitely something to consider.
2. Consider your budget.
For most of us, this is the not-so-fun part. Whether your parents offer to help you out or you’re planning on using your own hard-earned cash, most beginner bassists are bound to some sort of budget.
New vs. used gear. This is 100% up to you. I’m a believer in both. My current bass and amp are used, but I purchased all of my pedals brand new. You may prefer new gear if you have a little more money to spend and if cosmetics are important to you. On the flip side, used gear may be your go-to if you’re on a tighter budget. Craigslist, eBay, Reverb, and Talkbass Classifieds are all great sources for finding used gear. Just remember to be smart and safe!
In the end, it comes down to timing and cost regarding used gear. If you have the patience to check Craigslist every day for two months, then you have the potential to land a sick deal!
Miscellaneous items. Besides your bass guitar and amp, here are a few other inexpensive items you’ll need:
- Tuner
- Strings
- Instrument cables
- Gig bag
- Guitar strap
- Microfiber cleaning cloth
3. Buy what sounds/feels good to you PERSONALLY.
This is by far the most important point of the entire post. When looking at reviews online, it’s crazy how the exact same product can receive a one star rating by one individual and a five star rating by another! It can be downright confusing for someone starting out.
Sure, reading product reviews can help you in your decision making process. But there’s nothing like going out and developing your own opinions.
My advice? Go to every single music store within your area and try out every bass guitar and amplifier combination you possibly can. If you have friends or relatives who play bass, ask them if you can try out their setup.
In the end, if you find a bass/amp you like, ask yourself: Does it sound good? Does it feel good in my hands? Is the price right? If you answer “yes” to all three, then what are you waiting for?!
Personal recommendations. In addition to point #3, here is a list of gear that I’ve either owned or used at some point that I’d highly recommend (in case you need somewhere to start ;)).
- Squier 5-String Bass (not sure if it was a Jazz or a Precision… this was my first bass, back when I was clueless about bass guitars!)
- ESP LTD F-414FM Bass
- Schecter Stiletto Custom-5 Bass
- Sire Marcus Miller V7 Bass
- Fender Precision Bass
- Fender Rumble 25 Combo Amp
- Ampeg BA-115 Combo Amp
- Ampeg 810 Bass Cabinet
- Ampeg SVT-3PRO Bass Head
- Ampeg B42X 412 Bass Cabinet (my current vintage cab- not much info about it on the web…)
There are so many more factors I could cover- tube vs. solid state amps, pickup configuration, active vs. passive pickups, roundwound vs. flatwound strings, and so on. In my honest opinion, these are items to consider down the road. Your ear and your gear preferences will develop with time! Who knows… in five years you may have a completely different setup than what you started out with.
So get out there and play all the gear you can get your hands on!
