i m looking for a bass guitar that suits a beginner and a professional

I never said the band doesn't care. Just for fun I've been asking people I know who sting is, who paul mccartney is, who jaco pastorius or other people on that list. The answer is: sting and paul mccartney, they're music guys, one was with the beatles. None of them has a clue who jaco or chris squier or any of the other guys are. If you're just playing music for just your band mates...people listening to your stuff just aren't that sophisticated.

bnolsen said:

I never said the band doesn't care. Just for fun I've been asking people I know who sting is, who paul mccartney is, who jaco pastorius or other people on that list. The answer is: sting and paul mccartney, they're music guys, one was with the beatles. None of them has a clue who jaco or chris squier or any of the other guys are. If you're just playing music for just your band mates...people listening to your stuff just aren't that sophisticated.

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You're certainly entitled to your opinion. My experience is the complete and utter opposite, and it sounds like several other posters here have had entirely opposite opinions. Probably a waste of time to debate it, as you certainly won't change my mind, no matter how many of your friends you poll.

But back to the OP: I think some of the consensus you're seeing here is that there are a few reliable bass brands. If I were to have just one bass, I would probably go with a Fender; they are reliable, proven, and you know what you are going to get. You can also get in at several different price points; the Squiers are pretty good and extremely inexpensive; the Mexico-made Fenders are pretty reasonably priced and good instruments-- a lot of bassists gig with these without apologies. The American-made Fenders are very good, but for a lot of people, the quality improvement doesn't justify the significant increase in price. YMMV, but any of these would be a great choice.

Yeah, it's hard to go wrong with a Fender or Squier. Sometimes you can find some of the older Made in Japan models for almost nothing, and they're every bit as good as the US made basses. I have a pair of the Japanese P-Bass Lytes that I gigged with for about ten years, the active pickups in them are versatile enough to get any kind of tone you'd want at least 90% of the time.

Washburns are a bargain as well.

LDS714 said:

Yeah, it's hard to go wrong with a Fender or Squier. Sometimes you can find some of the older Made in Japan models for almost nothing, and they're every bit as good as the US made basses. I have a pair of the Japanese P-Bass Lytes that I gigged with for about ten years, the active pickups in them are versatile enough to get any kind of tone you'd want at least 90% of the time.

Washburns are a bargain as well.

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I have a Washburn that I bought secondhand; somebody pulled the frets and added maple inserts to make it a fretless. Wonderful bass. I can't speak for Washburns in general, but this one is great.

Any opinions on a decent combo amp as well? This thread really has inspired me to get into the bass route. Im putting some things p for sale soon, i really want a gretsch but damn if that 3 hundo is just a bit to much right now. Is it even possible to get a decent amp for under 200? Mostly practice but maybe eventual jam with my buddy who drums?

BigD said:

Any opinions on a decent combo amp as well? This thread really has inspired me to get into the bass route. Im putting some things p for sale soon, i really want a gretsch but damn if that 3 hundo is just a bit to much right now. Is it even possible to get a decent amp for under 200? Mostly practice but maybe eventual jam with my buddy who drums?

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Yes and no. For practice and light jamming, a small combo amp will be fine. For really getting the bass tone, you'll need some big speakers, which are hard to come by in a small combo amp. For everyday practice, I use small Hartke combo amp, and it's just fine. It doesn't appear they make it anymore, but it's similar to this one:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Hartke-A-Series-A35-35-Watt-1x10--Bass-Combo-Amp-107934432-i2536878.gc

I recently tried the Orange 50W/12 inch combo amp, and was pleasantly surprised at the amount of thump it delivered for the price ($269). Really good price/performance. Sounds like that's above your budget, so they also make a 25w/10 inch combo for $179. I've never played it, but it may be worth looking at.

Edited to add: If you think you might commit to bass, consider that Orange 50W/12. It's got enough power for small rooms, and could be mic'd or put through the PA for larger ones. You'd get more utility from it than a 25w/10 that would probably never leave the house.

we tigers said:

I have 5 basses and they all sound totally different. I choose my instruments based what sound is needed and the combination of amplification and venue. It I always come back to my trusty Precision with flats. I use that 70% of the time.
I'd recommend a Squier classic vibe or vintage modified precision or jazz. They are the best bang for the buck imho.

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are you a professional bass player? If yes then ill go for your recommendation

After a ton of reading on talkbass im more than likely going the squier vm jaquar. Ppl seem to like it quite a bit and it seems simple enough to mod when the time comes. Not a huge fan of the look but function over eye candy for me...

Amp wise a new v3 fender rumble or an ampeg will do. 12 inch speaker if tbats in your price range. Ampeg thats a ba112.

1300cc said:

are you a professional bass player? If yes then ill go for your recommendation

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Definitely no pro, but I'm in a couple of bands and have been for quite some time. The problem with instruments is that there are so many of them and a lot of choices regarding them are down to personal preferences and taste.
If I were I'd go down to a store and try a few.