What bass guitar should i get?

So much for my suggestion….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcqqyL-Y6Go
:)

Used instrument shop, only a Gibson. if you decide to record music, the Gibson has the best bass reproduction. been in many recording sessions. bassman tried many electric bass guitars for the best sound reproduction and the Gibson bass is it. a new one will cost a lot more than you are willing to spend, so seek a used instrument shop. you will like what you hear.

if you are learning buy a Ibanez
good price, its not Gibson but who cares you are not a pro yet
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ibanez-Gio-GSR200FM-Bass-Guitar-580511-i1442101.gc

I second an Ibanez. You don’t need a Gibson to start.

Try Amazon. I just bought a mint and mean mint Fender Jazz with active electronics for $425.00½ the cost of new. So you could pick up a decent bass in your price range.

If money was an issue the Fender Squires would have been a good place to start until you can afford the better ax.

go to pawn shop, or used instrument shop, feel around for an axe, with a pure tone and that is naturally easy for your fingers to seat and flow.

It doesnt matter if it has some scratches, that means it has soul.

Nahhh Believe me…. Its not the instrument but the musician who has soul… I played with an Ibanez for years and I liked it. I understand that gibson, fender and others are awesome intruments but if you are learning and if your budget is short.. Ibanez is a good option.

@ El Persequidor oh no….. the instrument and the musician have to match strengths…..and the instruments do have soul. My old Roland and my djembe from Ghana, have a spirituality that my other instruments do not have.

I know you love your Ibanez, and that probably is a great option, but pickin an axe, is very personal.

I have no knowledge of guitars and bass constructors apart from a flawed mental ranking of them. But if Gibson is really among the best brands, you should know that they do have starting packs such as this one:

http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Bass/Epiphone/EB-0-Bass-Player-Pack.aspx

All you need for $499

Don’t know if an entry Gibson is better than an Ibanez, but if it is, and you know bass is a serious pursuit of yours, I’d say go for Gibson because then you can keep it longer.

I’m a drummer, and when I was picking my first drum set 5 years ago, I spent a lot of time wondering whether I should buy a cheap but not so good set, or put some more money in the kit and keep it for a long time.

After much soul searching, I realized drumming was indeed a durable passion of mine, and I ended up buying a Pearl export ELX which was on sale. A drum set is quite an investment. I put around $1,500 in it with cymbals and everything. I figured, why pay “only” $800 now for the cheapest set, be sick of it in a year and end up buying the $1,500 two years later anyways?

So it really depends on knowing whether or not you are really going to commit to the instrument. If you know you’re in it for the long term, it might actually save you money to pay for a middle range instrument right from the start.

@john65pennington Gibson’s bass guitars are limited to the SG, the Explorer (extremely hard to find) and the Thunderbird, none of which are very good for metal. Gibson makes great guitars, and all of those basses are extremely high quality, in my opinion, but the range available is very limited, especially to a beginner. In my opinion, Fender makes much better basses, for a lower price.

I’d actually recommend a Squier bass (made in the same factory as Fender basses, same design). It’s in the price range you’re looking for, and are a bit more versatile for a wide range of music. This or this would be ones to look at, I think. It’s a trusted brand (not that Ibanez isn’t, and they should serve you a bit longer than an Ibanez of the same price range.)

If you are looking for an Ibanez, though, I’d be a little wary of some of there entry level ones (less than 200$) because I’ve had a friend who had some major trouble with the pickup wiring in his 150$ Ibanez. @El_Perseguidor‘s suggestion looks like a pretty nice guitar, though. Should last a good while.

@TheBot Is completely right, though. When buying instruments (less so online than in person), you really get what you pay for. I’d consider saving a little bit and seeing if you can go for a higher end bass, something like this or this. It will last you much longer, be a better instrument in tone and feel, and if you have a nice instrument you really will want to play and practice more, helping you get better fast. I personally started playing drums on a middle of the line Ludwig set after looking around at many others, and I can personally tell you that the nicer the instrument is, the more you will want to play it. It’s no fun to play a crappy, used, bass into the ground when you could be playing a much nicer instrument for just a little bit more.

Sorry, that was pretty longwinded.

@dverhey Very true that a better instrument will make you want to practice more, and hence make you learn faster. It also leaves more room for progress to have a less limited instrument. Another effect of paying more for the initial instrument is that you morally oblige yourself to commit. Obviously it shouldn’t be the only driver, but it does help you get back on track if you start slacking off for a while. I guarantee that the cheaper your instrument, the easier it is to let it sit in your room taking dust until you eventually forget about it altogether.

Paying for the instrument really is in many ways the first step you take towards playing seriously. But again @heateme1 maybe you want to play more casually than others and it’s perfecly fine. Just know what your goal is beforehand to make the smartest purchase possible.

@jazmina88 I think the axe picks you. I have my first guitar a Silvertone that I Frankenstein’d to the 10th degree that is unplayable compared to my other guitars I have today, but my oldest son cherishes that guitar and to hear him play it you can tell he is connected to it in a way I once was. Play what you can afford and forget about the pedigree for now.