What To Think About When Buying A Bass Guitar?

When you are a beginner, learning about bass guitars can be a thrilling and overwhelming experience.

Many factors must be considered, including models, brands, woods, strings, etc.

As you look for the best beginner bass guitar, this buying guide will break down these elements in a detailed manner, helping you make an informed decision.

Body Type

The body of a bass guitar can be made from a variety of woods, each with its own tone:

Mahogany

Mahogany bass guitars produce rich, warm, and full tones ideal for rock and metal genres.

Alder

A bass guitar body made of alder has a balanced tone with decent resonance in the low, mid, and high ranges.

Ash

Ash’s bright tone and excellent sustain make it a great choice for players looking for a more pronounced midrange.

Bass guitar body shape also influences the instrument’s balance and comfort.

The most comfortable way to stand or sit depends on your body type.

Experiment with different kinds of bodies to find out what works best for you.

Neck Construction

Another important aspect of the bass guitar is its neck, affecting its sound and stability. In terms of neck construction, there are three primary types:

Bolt-On Necks

This type of neck construction involves bolting the neck onto the body.

A bolt-on neck has a punchy sound, a good sustain, and is relatively easy to adjust or replace.

Set Necks (Glued-In Necks)

It is glued into the body that set necks are attached to. Compared to bolt-on necks, they typically provide more sustain and warmer tones.

Neck-Through Designs

Neck-through guitars have necks that extend the length of the body.

The complex manufacturing process of these pickups makes them excellent at providing sustainability and stability.

Still, they are usually found on higher-end bass guitars.

It is also important to consider the neck’s profile, which is the shape and thickness of the neck.

Players with smaller hands might find it more comfortable to have a thinner neck.

Pickups

String vibrations are converted into electrical signals by pickups, which are used to amplify electric bass guitar sounds.

Active and Passive bass pickups are the two main types:

Passive Pickups

Passive pickups are ideal for blues, jazz, and classic rock due to their warm, dynamic, and vintage tones.

As they do not require external power, they require little maintenance.

Active Pickups

With a battery-powered preamp, these pickups produce a clear, punchy sound with a higher output.

Tonal flexibility and noise reduction are two advantages of active pickups for players seeking a modern sound.

Number of Strings

Many bass guitars have four, five, or six strings, but there are also variants, including the following:

Four-String Bass

This is the most common and standard type of bass guitar. These models are ideal for beginners because they have fewer strings.

Five-String Bass

The instrument’s lower range is expanded by adding a lower B string.

Certain types of music, such as metal, jazz, and progressive rock, can benefit from the extra string.

Six-String Bass

A six-string bass has a higher C string than a five-string bass, giving it a broader range of sounds.

In genres such as jazz and fusion, advanced players typically use these basses.

Scale Length And Size

A bass guitar’s scale length is measured from the bridge to the nut.

Typically, a ‘full-size’ or ‘long-scale’ bass measures 34 inches in length.

Short-scale basses measure around 30 inches, while medium-scale basses measure around 32 inches. 

You can choose between these depending on your level of comfort and the type of tone you want.

Players with smaller hands or younger players may find it easier to handle shorter scales.

The tone they produce is also warm and vintage. Alternatively, long-scale basses have a bright, punchy sound.

Music Genre

The genre of music you prefer can also influence your choice of bass guitar.

P-Basses are popular among rock and punk musicians because of their punchy and aggressive tone.

It will be a great choice if you like jazz or soul, as the Jazz Bass (J-Bass) has a bright and rich tone.

The lower range of a five-string bass may appeal to metal enthusiasts.

How To Learn A Bass Guitar?

It is incredibly fun to play bass, and many songs have simple bass parts that anyone can learn.

Learn About The Different Parts Of A Bass Guitar

Becoming proficient at playing an instrument becomes almost like an extension of your body – you don’t even consider it separate.

It is no different from the bass guitar. Playing bass guitar (or any instrument, for that matter) can feel awkward when you’re just getting started.

So it’s important to know what each part of the bass guitar does and how it works.

Buying your first bass guitar requires knowing the instrument’s parts. Learn at least the following bass parts:

Body

It is the largest part of the bass guitar. Bass bodies are the parts you hold against your own body.

An acoustic bass guitar has a hollow body, while an electric bass guitar has a solid body.

Neck

Bass guitar necks are long and protrude from the body. Left-handed players hold the neck with their left hand.

It is also known as their fretting hand. Bassists with left hands can play the same way, flip a regular bass the other way, or find a left-handed bass.

Headstock And Tuning Pegs

The headstock is located at the end of the bass’s neck. A tuning peg attaches to this part of the instrument.

It is with tuning pegs that the bass is tuned (more on that later).

Fretboard And Frets

It has small frets that make it easier to navigate when playing the fretboard.

The neck of the bass guitar is covered by the fretboard. Bass guitar strings are pressed against the fretboard when playing.

F fretless bass guitars are also available but are only recommended for some beginners.

Learn How To Hold The Instrument

It is obvious to know how to hold a bass. It’s important to maintain good ergonomic posture.

Also, make sure you have the bass correctly right away. Unlearning bad posture later on, will be much more difficult than learning it in the first place.

When sitting down, here’s how to hold a bass guitar:

1. In the first place, you should always use a bass strap whenever you play, regardless of whether you are seated or standing. You won’t have to carry as much weight with your hands.
2. Place the instrument on your lap. You should rest the bass body on top of your leg. You can place the instrument on your left or right leg, depending on your size and comfort level.
3. Ensure that the neck of the bass is pointing upwards at a slight angle. Playing the strings closer to the headstock will require a lot of reach if you hold the bass guitar’s neck horizontally.
4. Good posture ensures you do not develop back problems when sitting at your computer or standing still. Not slouching will also make you look cooler!
5. Make sure you also practice standing up if you normally play sitting down.

Learn How To Tune A Bass Guitar

The tuning of any stringed instrument is crucial to the enjoyment of playing it.

When you pick up your bass guitar to play, ensure it is tuned correctly.

In most songs, the tuning is E-A-D-G (from lowest to highest string).

You can only worry about alternate tunings once you’re comfortable with them.

A skilled bass player knows how to tune their instrument by ear.

A bass guitar tuner can be a great tool even if you don’t play bass.

Tuning a bass guitar with a physical tuner device can be reliable.

Unfortunately, they are also quite expensive, especially if you want an accurate bass tuner.

Play With A Pick Or Your Fingers

Both playing styles are good for different things, so the decision is yours.

Using a pick, you can play faster, alternating between upstrokes and downstrokes (also known as tremolo picking).

A pick produces a sharper and punchier sound, ideal for rock, punk, and metal.

Playing with a pick may not suit all musical genres and styles.

The most common way to play is with your fingers, which fits many musical styles and genres.

Fingerstyle refers to playing with your right hand’s fingers.

Some players use more than just their right hand’s index and middle finger to pluck strings.

You can easily change strings with fingerstyle, and the sound is rounder.

Bass guitarists with advanced skills can pluck multiple strings simultaneously or slap the strings with their thumbs.

As a beginner, you can use your fingers to get acquainted with the instrument and gain control over the strings.

You can also learn to play with a pick once you get better and more comfortable playing.

The ability to use both playing techniques is a good decision in the long run.

You can switch between playing with a pick and your fingers when necessary.

Get Familiar With Bass Tablature

It takes a lot of time and effort to learn how to read sheet music, a useful skill.

Bass guitar tablature is a simpler and more accessible form of musical notation. 

Bass guitar strings are horizontal lines, notes are numbers.

A bass tab shows which frets you should be playing. Strings with zeros are open strings.

In bass tablature, the lowest horizontal line represents the low E string.

In contrast, the highest horizontal line represents the thinnest string (the G string).

Make Your First Bass Line

The song’s bass lines accompany drums, guitars, vocals, and perhaps other instruments.

In contrast to a guitar riff, bass lines refer to the lower register of the song played by the bass guitar.

There are several musical genres in which bass lines are essential building blocks.

Bass lines that walk between different chords connect their roots.

Bass players make chord progressions from one chord to another by walking bass lines.

Practice Playing The Bass

You can learn an entire song on the bass guitar with practice and hard work.

Create a routine that suits your schedule and style of playing.

It’s easy to reach your bass-playing goals if you practice for just ten minutes daily.