Gorgonseye on 22/4/2008 at 23:29
Food shortages are happening. People are being raped, murdered, and tortured in countries around the world. Americans are still wasteful pigs. And the world may very well be ending.
But none of that really matters right now, because I need to play some heavy beats before the apocalypse.
The only problem is, I need to get myself an instrument now don't I?
Ever since I was four-teen or so, I've thought about playing an instrument, but I realized I could not stand school music class. After talking it over with family and friends, I had come to the conclusion that what I was doing wrong, was that I kept playing orchestral music, and maybe it was time to try and play an instrument a bit more rock-esque, so that I could actually attempt to make music I, well, y'know, like?
After that, I obviously needed to ask myself: "Then what do I want to play?"
Drums? Out of the question expensive for a full set, and I feel they lack a bit in range.
Keyboard? Too much like a piano, frequently in pop-style music. It's certainly not a bad instrument as a whole, but seems to be more of a support or filler instrument.
Guitar? :erg: We're getting there. It looks cool, it's a key instrument to rock/metal bands, but it's just a bit too high-pitched for me.
Bass Guitar?:idea: ....Perfect!
Okay, so that's out of the way. Now what do I do? I suppose it won't hurt to rent the bass guitar itself and start to actually learn how to use it, but what kind of guitar am I looking to rent, and what will I do once I'm finally ready to go that one step into getting my own bass guitar?
Are there any brands I should be looking for?
Is there such thing as a "beginners" bass/brand to look into?
What defines an "affordable" bass?
How much should I be willing to spend on an electric bass? Is that extra one-hundred dollars going to give me that much better sound quality?
Once again TTLG, I come to you for wisdom. I know some of you have some musical talent. Any tips or suggestions you folks can offer me?
Thief13x on 23/4/2008 at 00:29
Quote Posted by Gorgonseye
Food shortages are happening. People are being raped, murdered, and tortured in countries around the world. Americans are still wasteful pigs. And the world may very well be ending.
But none of that
really matters right now, because I need to play some heavy beats before the apocalypse.
YOU MAKE ME FUCKING SICK:mad:
:D
Actually I used to play the Accordion (shh) as a kid and could never really get motivated about music until I bought myself an electric guitar. Too high pitch? not really sure what you mean by that...even with the cheap ass amp I have I can make it sound like anything from an acoustic to oldschool metallica thrashmetal...Either way, the bass is an awesome instrument too, too bad I know nothing about them besides they have huge strings and are generally attracted to crackpots:ebil:
The Phenomenon on 23/4/2008 at 01:05
I play the guitar myself :D
Best advice I can give you: Go to a music store, check out the bass they have there. Talk to the bass/guitar guy (any semi-decent music store has people that know a lot by specific instruments). Hold it, find one you think you like. Ask questions.
Jackablade on 23/4/2008 at 01:35
(
http://www.tunemybass.com/bass_guitar_buying_guide/)
It will tell you way more information than you need to know, but it's still a pretty good resource. My advice is to find a used bass. You could probably get a good used bass for a fairly nice price. Just remember that you need an amp to play bass, so leave some money for that. For a beginner you should get a bass and amp for less than $1000 total. You never know how long you're going to stick with it, so don't waste too much money when you're buying your first bass.
Aja on 23/4/2008 at 02:28
On the other hand, if you buy a real piece of junk, you might not be motivated to play it. Poor quality instruments are harder to play. You shouldn't need to spend more than a few hundred dollars for a good used bass.
Bathcat on 23/4/2008 at 02:42
Quote Posted by Aja
On the other hand, if you buy a real piece of junk, you might not be motivated to play it. Poor quality instruments are harder to play. You shouldn't need to spend more than a few hundred dollars for a good used bass.
I was struck by the same notion as the OP a couple months ago and bought a low-end used Ibanez. I haven't tried to play it for many weeks. :p
Jackablade on 23/4/2008 at 02:46
Yeah, you can't go too cheap. Wal-mart guitars are a bad idea.
demagogue on 23/4/2008 at 16:19
My first two guitars were my dad's cheap electric from the 60s and a cheap acoustic my neighbor just gave to me because I had been inadvertantly mowing half his lawn thinking it was part of our's (if you saw it, you'd understand).
The advantage of starting with a cheap or used instrument is that, one, because they're usually a little harder to play, it forces you to be more careful and practice harder to make it sound good (that's a good thing for learning), and two, when you invest in a good instrument later, you can really appreciate why it's good.
I'm also of the school that it's good to start on an acoustic instrument, to get a feel for where the instrument is coming from. But if you want to start playing with people early on and fit in, and they play electric, then I guess you'd want an electric. I love the sound of acoustic bass, though, the way it harmonizes with an acoustic guitar. I also love the sound of fretless bass. Anyway, just go with whatever feels right.
