Some bass advice wanted

[Swyse]

I've been looking into getting a bass for a bit now and I need help with a few things.

Firstly, I can't decide if I want a 5 string or a 4 string. The pros of the 5 string would be not needing to downtune it and having the extra high range, the downside being I may not need that lower string for many a song so it may get in my way. The 4 string won't be in my way, but I'll have to downtune it to play stuff in B and such and it will have a smaller neck. I guess my question is will I be fine with a 4 string, or should I just get the 5 string to avoid the hassles?

Secondly, what is a good amp brand/model and what is a good size/wattage to play live in small places. Keeping in mind my total budget for a bass and an amp are around $300 buying all used stuff.

Thanks in advance for any advice you may be able to share.

 

[thedarkoceans]

total budget is too low.at least 650$

 

[broj15]

i prefer 4 strings because if they are of decent quality then they can down tune and be just as good as any 5 string. I keep my fender p-bass (with seymour duncan quarter pounders) in drop c/ D Standard and my Fender Aerodyne Jazz bass (again, with seymour duncan quarter pounders for both the p and j pickups) in drop A/ B Standard. Like dark Oceans said, you definitely need to set your budget higher.

A quality bass will run you at least $500 unless you can find an insane deal in a pawn shop or on craigslist (i scored my FENDER p-bass, not a squire, in excellent condition for $150.) Some good brands to try are Fender (of course) Ernie ball (the sterling models will probably fit your budget more), or a mid to high level ibanez (expensive ibanez basses are good but the cheap ones are really low quality stuff, at least in my personal experience.)

A good bass amp will run $500-$700 new. i got my hartke vx3500 for 700 as a scratch and dent (however it looked new when i got it) As far as brands go you can never go wrong with fender, Ampeg, Mark Bass, Hartke, or Galien-Krueger. Fender makes a decent combo at 350 watts w/ 2 10" speakers witch retails for $500 (link at the bottom of my post).

When it comes to wattage 200-350 should be good for gigs. At my bands practice space I play through a shitty 200 watt kustom head with a 2x15 cab and i can still be heard when my drummer has his triggers on while my Hartke can shake stuff off the table in my room when the master volume is on 2... I've never had it above 3 as it would royally piss off my parents/ neighbors lol
Fender Rumble 350 350W 2x10 Bass Combo Amp and more Bass Amplifiers at GuitarCenter.com. link to the fender rumble 350

Hartke VX3500 Bass Combo Amp at zZounds Link to the Hartke vx3500

For my money the hartke is a much more versatile amp and is made for tone shaping. Between the tube and solid state preamp that you can either blend together or use one or the other independently, inputs for passive or active pickups, and the 10 band equalizer its a much better amp for the money. I know it's a lot of info at once and i hope i didn't overwhelm you. Just trying to answer all your questions lol

 

[Ckackley]

Whatever bass you choose, don't skimp on wattage with the amp. Our bands bass player struggled with sounding like total ass with a 100 watt Fender amp. He recently switched to a 250 watt Hartke and it's a world of difference. Headroom seems really important with a bass as the closer you get to an amps max output it seems the muddier and shittier everything sounds.

 

[Swyse]

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll keep saving.

 

[robotsatemygma]

total budget is too low.at least 650$

Naw he can do it for just over $300.

Personally going between a 5 and 4 string is really up to you. I have both a 5 and 4 string Jazz because I have certain songs that require that lower index a 4 string cannot achieve without drop tuning. And I hate swapping tunings around. But my main bass is my 4 string.

I'd personally looking into something above 300w to be safe, but I've been successful just running a 220w Acoustic 15" Combo and a Peavey Combo 15 (200w) in the past. Plus I've gigged with bands where the bass players have used Peavey TNT combos and they were audible. It's about EQing and style. These cats had style. You may not have that thunder and rumble but dialed in right you can sit in the mix just right depending on room size.

I'd personally look for an amp with a DI since a lot of clubs will DI the bass rather then mic. This will take care of any wattage issue since you'll be plugged directly into the house PA and your amp will act as a monitor.

You can grab a quality bass for a low price at Rondo for like $150 and I've seen 200w combos go for $200. So here we are at $350 for a decent bass rig to start with.

Check the TalkBass forums, they have a huge wealth of knowledge.

 

[ericsleepless]

Get like a Fender Mexican 5 string and an orange combo? Haha, something cool but conventional I guess.

 

[engage757]

definitely keep saving. A nice G&L Tribute series can be had for around $350-450 Used. Highly recommend it.

 

[iron blast]

I'll second rondo music for the bass or browse ebay I'd definitely use ebay for the amp you are going to want atleast 350 watts solidstate to be playing gigs Imho. You can get by with less but I wouldnt suggest it. I personally would get a 5-string if you do both drop and standard tuning. This saves the hassle of retuning constantly. I wouldn't worry about the extra string getting in the way either.

 

[Swedjent]

I'd say it depends on what kind of basses you find and how big your need for a G-string is. If you like having the extra string whether you use actually use it in a band or not I think you should try to find a good and affordable 5string. It might seem like the extra string will get in your way in the beginning, but as you get used to it you won't even notice! If the G-string isn't very important to you, then I recommend you just buying the best bass you can find, 4 or 5 strings.

 

[MassNecrophagia]

I'd say it depends on what kind of basses you find and how big your need for a G-string is. If you like having the extra string whether you use actually use it in a band or not I think you should try to find a good and affordable 5string. It might seem like the extra string will get in your way in the beginning, but as you get used to it you won't even notice! If the G-string isn't very important to you, then I recommend you just buying the best bass you can find, 4 or 5 strings.

You heard the man, g-strings are optional

 

[Enselmis]

You heard the man, g-strings are optional

I prefer to go commando. Ibanez SR700 in standard B thank you very much.