[muso] I Think I Need a Bass Guitar

[boki]

I've been thinking about getting one for a while. I like bass, and I love basslines.  I've caught myself playing my guitar like a bass a couple of times.  I'm clearly a closet bassist.  Thing is, I'm not made of money, so I want to keep it below 200 quid for starters (I'm just gonna be messing around in my bedroom, so there's no point in getting serious gear) - and I'm definitely leaning towards a Peavey Millenium, so anyone got one/know someone who has or summat?  Or maybe one of y'all knows of a different bassy bargain

Cheers

{Whoo! Post no. 501 - Levi's as fuck!}

[didgeripoo]

Would you consider second hand? Much bargain is to be had that way.

[Labian Quest]

I haven't tried a Peavey Millenium but if you know the exact model you're interested in there are some useful reviews here.

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Electric+Bass/brand/Peavey

The other basses that get a lot of positive comments are the Yamaha RBX170's and the Ibanez GSR200's, which can both be had for £150-£170, I've got a GSR and it's pretty nice, though I would probably get the Yamaha or maybe a Squier precision if I could rewind time, as I prefer the necks. Note that GSR has got active pickups (running on a 9V battery) so you can get a 'fatter' sound out of it than you might be able to get out of some of the other sub-£200 basses.

[boki]

Thanks for the replies, chaps.  I don't mind going second-hand, but I don't particularly want to buy online 'cos of the hassle of making sure you're in if/when it's delivered etc. so that's why I'm thinking of something I can just walk into a shop and come out with a bit later - plus I've got the added luxury of being able to try it out first, although what I'd do when I haven't even touched a bass for over ten years and even then it was just a quick blast on a mate's, I've no idea.  Certainly no Stairway. Maybe Paranoid, I bet that's the bass equivalent to Stairway in most guitar shops...

[micanio]

Get one of these - Washburn Taurus T14

RRP of £149. Absolutley superb basses. The bass player in my band uses one for gigging and he's never had a problem with it all. We sell tonnes of them in store and everyone who has bought one has loved it....

[JJJJH]

My brother just bought a Cruiser Jazz Bass and it's fantastic. Rikaxxe in Bristol were selling it for the same price as in that link (£129), but they also gave it a great setup for free plus a free gig bag. It's great quality, plus it's a Jazz Bass which is hard to go wrong with. The amount of sounds he can tease from it are as good as any mid-range Fender Jazz I've heard.

[session9]

I got a "Shine" branded bass, it's cheap and quite good. I imagine all the recent crop of cheap basses all come from the same factory in Korea or something though, so the name probably isn't that important..

[Marty McFly]

I got a second-hand Vintage Jazz Bass copy from eBay for the princely sum of £70.

http://www.jhs.co.uk/vintagebass.html - the second model down, EJM96. The cheapest I've seen them go for new online is about £150. It's a beautiful instrument.

eBay and your local 'Yellow Free Ads' or equivalent paper is worth looking in if you're going to go the second-hand route.