Active Band Man Chats - Buying Your First Bass Equipment

Well, well, well. Today is?

Sempai!

Huh?

Tell me!

Ah, so this is a continuation from last time. To start with ...... In accordance with the guitar section, we’re talking about how to choose a bass, right?

Yes, senpai!

I've had enough of the club activity contrasts. I guess it's the same as in the guitar section. ...... Is it the appearance, or rather the guy you want?

Well, I guess so.

I guess so. It's best to buy an instrument that you “want” or “want to play” within your budget. If it is an instrument that makes you want to touch it, you will be motivated to play it. If there is someone who doesn't know what instrument he/she wants, I would recommend ...... that he/she should buy an instrument that is comfortable to play.

I'm sure that's something you're interested in.

And I'm just assuming “I am”. ...... I'd like you to check the neck first.

Neck?

I think the shape of the neck can make quite a difference in playing comfort, so you should try playing as many different basses as possible and check the grip of the neck. For example, there are quite a few differences in neck shape between Fender's jazz basses and precision basses, so I recommend that you compare the two first.

Yeah. Just by comparing these two basses, you will be able to feel the difference in the playing comfort of the necks.

That's right. After that, I think it's the body balance. It's hard to tell if the bass feels right when you hold it...... but I guess you have to be used to it to some extent. ......

I guess so. There are things that only become clear when you have more experience.

I think it’s quite important to hold the bass, grip the neck, and see if it feels right. So, first of all, I would like you to try playing various instruments that you are interested in. As long as it doesn't bother the music shop.

That's important (laugh).

After that...as with the guitar section, I think it's time to actually make some sounds and check the knobs .......

(You can read about that in my previous column.) Which bass guitar does Horry recommend? The ones available at Sound House. Of course, he doesn’t include ones he likes. The ones with a proper head.

I'll look for one with a head (lol). ...... So for now, I'll choose one of the jazz basses (including the PJ type). ......

So, this is a jazz bass?

Yes, I think so. If I had to choose between a plebe and a jazz bass, I would choose the jazz bass. ......It's just my opinion, but I think the jazz bass is more versatile. For guitars, Telecaster and Strat, I have an image that Strat is more versatile, but …is it that different? (Chuckles)

I guess so. ...... Strat is the more flexible one. Well, in the end, it's all about preference.

That's true, but...

Come to think of it, the Telecaster was made first for guitars, then the Strat. As for basses, plebes were made first, and jazz basses later, right? Considering that, the versatility of the Strat and the Jazz bass makes sense.

I'm going to choose from the jazz bass. ...... I think I'll start with this one.

SQUIER / Classic Vibe 70s Jazz Bass 3-Color Sunburst

A stable Squier made bass. Standard specs are good.

I like Squier!

There are many color variations, but I wonder if Squier's products are in short supply. Some of them take a long time for delivery, so I recommend you to check out the ......JB type.

PLAYTECH / JB420 Rose Sunburst

This is the most popular bass among Playtech's basses, which boast overwhelmingly great bang for your buck.

It really is overwhelming!

It's a good first bass to get. I wish Sound House had been around when I started playing bass.

Mm-hmm.

And since the bass I started with was a YAMAHA, here are some of their products.

YAMAHA / trbx304 ftb
I bought this TRB series 5-string bass last year, and it was so good that I was reminded once again of the greatness of Japanese-made basses.

It's inexpensive, stable, and nice! The pickups look fairly strong too!

You said “they look fairly strong” (laughs) I chose them because I thought they were well-made and well-balanced overall, and I would recommend them to beginners. So I chose these three for the time being. But, well, if you find one you like, that's always best. But back to the point.

I'm going back to that.

I think it's best to play as many different basses as possible and buy one that you want. Within your budget, of course. Just try it out, and then we'll talk about it (laughs).

I didn't mention this in the guitar section, but there are different tastes depending on whether the fingerboard is rose or maple, right?

Is it just a matter of looks? You can choose whichever one you like best. ...... As for playing comfort and sound, you can get used to it after playing it for a while, right?

Yes! Now that we've decided on Sao, let's move on to the next step! Effects pedals, right?

Effects pedals.........What is the first effects pedal that a bassist buys......?

When I was a student, I thought maybe a comp or a limiter. Anyway, I'll get the volume right!

I see. A comp. But I basically don't use comps myself. ...... Can I divide some patterns? For preamps, distortion, and multi ...... or something like that?

Yeah.

Let's start with the preamp. When it comes to preamps, I guess I'll go with these two.

MXR / M80 Bass D.I. + standard bass preamp

TECH21 / Sansamp Sansamp / Bass Driver DI V2
This is a classic. I used Sans for a long time. They are still very popular. I have a few other preamps as well. I have a few others, but I would choose from these most of the time.

The Pre - Guitarists don’t normally buy this first.

The Sans one already has a unique sound and ...... I've been using it for over 10 years and I'm getting a little tired of it, but I'm not giving it up. I've been using it for over 10 years and I'm getting a little tired of it, but I'm not going to give it up. If you are a beginner and want to buy a preamp, you should try this one. I have never owned an MXR, but when I tried it, I thought the EQ was good and the distortion part was good. There are a lot of people who love it.

I think MXR is a good choice if you like this distortion!

I would recommend BOSS, but I'd like you to try these two first. And distortion? I'd say these two are the best for distortion. Both of them are standard models.

BOSS / ODB-3 Overdrive for bass

Ibanez / TS9B
I don’t use either of these, but something completely different, but that's because I got obsessed. lol ...... beginners should probably start with these.

I think it's a good place to start if you're new to basses before you get hooked (laughs). By the way, Ted uses BOSS, too. This one has been current for quite a long time, so I guess it's about time for an updated version to be released.

Both of them have easy-to-understand knobs. Operability is also important.

Sometimes it's hard to understand the knobs. The knobs are sometimes hard to understand.

That's right. (laughs) The ones where you can't imagine how this knob works. This one is easy to understand and the sound is rather orthodox, so I thought it would be good to start with this one.

And then you get hooked.

Yes, that's right (laughs), and as you play, I think you'll get to know your own tastes and tendencies, so I think it would be good to try a variety of things from there. Of course, if you have a clear preference from the beginning, you can choose according to your preference.

Yes, I know.

So, multi effects. I have recommended multi-effects pedals many times in my previous columns. It's a good way to learn about effects pedals, since there are many different sounds in them.

That's right. It's a great way to learn what kind of sounds you can get from what kind of effects pedals you can use.

So, if I had to choose, it would be this one.

ZOOM / B1 FOUR Bass Multi-Effects Pedal

Oohhh, he let it out! Zoom, a product that even advanced players own at least one!

This one is also very comfortable. You can get 9 different amp models and 60 different effects pedals for this price. ...... Good times, huh?

It's awesome!

There is also a B1X FOUR with pedals for a little more, but that's your choice.

ZOOM has a multi-stomp, right? I think it's MS-60B+ now, right?

I think this is the best choice for ease of operation. I have a previous multi-stomp model (MS-60B), but it has only one footswitch, so switching between them is troublesome. I wonder if it's not like that with the current model. But well, B1 is easier to operate and understand, so I would recommend this one to beginners. I think you will gain knowledge of various effects pedals just by playing with them. And, you will learn how to operate a multi-effects pedal.

It's fun, isn't it?

I've talked about this a lot, but in the end, it's best to buy what you know you want. I hope this is just for reference.

I am a person with somewhat special tastes (laughs).

Anyway, the best thing is to actually try playing it yourself. Then we can talk about it (laughs).

Yes, all of that?

Because of love!