Beginning Anew on an Electric Bass

[bpilati]

:confused:
I played a string bass in high school over 20 years ago. I am interested in picking up an electric bass this time and starting again. I have done a preliminary review of various bass guitars, it appears the Ibanez GSR-200 has gotten solid reviews for a starting level guitar. Do any of you bass players out there have any comments that would be helpful in selecting the right bass guitar? I am interested in playing R&B, Classic Rock and Jazz music. Advice on a matching amp would also be desirable. Thanks. ;)

[cyberfret]

For that $200 range (US), also check out the Dean Edge series. I am not sure of the exact model, but there is one in that price rage that one of my students has that is very nice for that price.

That Ibanez GSR-200 does look like a good choice though. You have both the Jazz and the Precision style pickups. And that just means that you can get the wide rage of tones that you are looking for.

For an amp a couple of the things that you want to consider. One is that you want an amp with reverb. Some of the cheapest amps do not. This will make your tone sound much more full, and you will be glad you have it. The next things to consider are watts and speaker size. Remember that you are playing a low range instrument. So if you are playing an amp with a small 6 inch speaker, then you will not have the sound that attracted you to the bass in the first play. Of course an amp with a bigger speaker, and a little more power will cost a little more. You can probably find something in the $160 range (US) that will get you started. If you get the cheapest option you could get something for $70, but I don't think you will be happy with the sound.

Good Luck
--Shawn

[beast2106]

well i play electric bass. and i just started to play about 2 mouth's ago. the bass i have is a Washburn it's a four string bass. realy easy to slide becouse of it's slim neck. So i would recomend a Wasburn bass guitar and a Marshal BASS AMP.