Best target for 1st bass??

[0utputXfmr]

Good to see a Fender shorty! Plenty of tonal variety in that package!

But I'll put this reply out there in case another guitar guy is looking for a solid, entry-level bass. For context, I'm a bassist who dabbles in guitar.

My first picks near the specified price points would be the G&L Tribute series, or the Sire 5-series. While the Sire 3, 7, and 9 series come with Marcus Miller's active preamp (too many freakin' knobs for my taste, and I prefer to do my tone shaping through the amp anyway, save for quick, on-the-fly adjustments), the 5 series uses the standard Fender-format passive controls, and are currently starting around $500 new.

While Squier and MIM Fenders offer great bang-for-the-buck-- and I won't dissuade anyone against checking them out-- I think the Sire and G&L Tribute basses offer superior hardware, electronics, and wood selection at similar price points, at least from what I've seen so far.

Just my $0.02.

To the OP-- if your wife takes to that Mustang bass, maybe an upgrade to a Fullerton-made G&L Fallout bass could be in her future...

 

[Maroonandwhite]

Good to see a Fender shorty! Plenty of tonal variety in that package!

But I'll put this reply out there in case another guitar guy is looking for a solid, entry-level bass. For context, I'm a bassist who dabbles in guitar.

My first picks near the specified price points would be the G&L Tribute series, or the Sire 5-series. While the Sire 3, 7, and 9 series come with Marcus Miller's active preamp (too many freakin' knobs for my taste, and I prefer to do my tone shaping through the amp anyway, save for quick, on-the-fly adjustments), the 5 series uses the standard Fender-format passive controls, and are currently starting around $500 new.

While Squier and MIM Fenders offer great bang-for-the-buck-- and I won't dissuade anyone against checking them out-- I think the Sire and G&L Tribute basses offer superior hardware, electronics, and wood selection at similar price points, at least from what I've seen so far.

Just my $0.02.

To the OP-- if your wife takes to that Mustang bass, maybe an upgrade to a Fullerton-made G&L Fallout bass could be in her future...

Oh I’m sure another one will come along eventually. I like my gear for sure. We will dive a little deeper into the bass world slowly but surely.

 

[Twang-ineer]

I'm a life long bassist. I was a bass private tutor in my younger years, And recently my wife also picked up bass. The Mustang PJ is the ultimate bass for smaller people, and anyone who is unaccustomed to a heavy instrument on their body. The mustang is also curved in a way that *helps* with sitting on the torso and not being too much of an encumbrance around the breast. I own an embarrassment of basses from very high end makers. She has never even picked up most of them, she only ever showed interest in the Mustang PJ (that I kept by the sofa for noodling).

Buy any rumble amp and get her a subscription to Truefire. I let Stu Hamm teach my wife, I only helped out when asked. I try not to "teach" my wife anything .... just something to consider ....

We can now get around a basic 12 bar - her on bass me on guitar. It may never go beyond that, but it makes her happy to be able to say that she can play bass (and indeed she is very good at what she has learned so far)

***Edited - writing this post prompted me to pick up that Mustang PJ and plug it into my Spark amp -- I just lost a half hour playing around on it. There really isn't a gig that could require anything more, what an amazing sound and feel out of a very simple instrument.

 

[Maroonandwhite]

I'm a life long bassist. I was a bass private tutor in my younger years, And recently my wife also picked up bass. The Mustang PJ is the ultimate bass for smaller people, and anyone who is unaccustomed to a heavy instrument on their body. The mustang is also curved in a way that *helps* with sitting on the torso and not being too much of an encumbrance around the breast. I own an embarrassment of basses from very high end makers. She has never even picked up most of them, she only ever showed interest in the Mustang PJ (that I kept by the sofa for noodling).

Buy any rumble amp and get her a subscription to Truefire. I let Stu Hamm teach my wife, I only helped out when asked. I try not to "teach" my wife anything .... just something to consider ....

We can now get around a basic 12 bar - her on bass me on guitar. It may never go beyond that, but it makes her happy to be able to say that she can play bass (and indeed she is very good at what she has learned so far)

***Edited - writing this post prompted me to pick up that Mustang PJ and plug it into my Spark amp -- I just lost a half hour playing around on it. There really isn't a gig that could require anything more, what an amazing sound and feel out of a very simple instrument.

Thanks for that! We actually have a rumble amp at church we are going to use until I buy one. I think we will end up in the same spot and that’s all either of us probably cares about. Just want to make music together. If she ends up being a rock star, even better!

We will probably try some amps when we go buy a case. I won’t be trusting this beauty to a gig bag.

 

[schmee]

Kala

 

[Blackout Jazz]

Short scale.

 

[Maroonandwhite]

So what’s the consensus on Truefire? I can get a year for $99 now. The few samples I watched seemed very helpful. I held off on buying it at full price for myself / guitar practice, but if my wife would use it as well as myself it seems like a home run.

 

[Ronzo]

For a new adult player, feel is paramount. That, to me, isn’t limited to the neck. It also means weight, control placement, and appearance.

I suggest taking her to a nearby big-box music retailer with a large selection - preferably right after they open, on a non-holiday weekday. Have her try as many instruments as possible. Let HER decide which feels best TO HER. Avoid confirmation bias by staying out of the initial part of the selection process. Then ask her what basses feel best to her. Work from that point forward to “is it affordable?”. She may fall in love with something expensive or cheap. If it’s the expensive one and it’s not affordable, then you BOTH can ask what feels similar in your price range.

The good news: she wants to play. Make it as easy for her as possible, and she’s likely to push on if she’s the one most invested in the buying decision.

 

[kafka]

Yamaha BB. Tons of them out there for $400. Solid, professional quality basses. Not some kids toy with the weird resonances and weak sound.

 

[knopflerfan]

Lots of good basses out there. I would suggest a used Mexican Fender, a used Sire, or Classic Vibe Squier - if trying to keep it around the $500.00 price point. However, if you find a bass that works for her at $750.00 -$800.00(again, possibly used), buy it. The extra price may mean a huge "bang for the buck" for her.

 

[Ronzo]

Thanks for that! We actually have a rumble amp at church we are going to use until I buy one. I think we will end up in the same spot and that’s all either of us probably cares about. Just want to make music together. If she ends up being a rock star, even better!

We will probably try some amps when we go buy a case. I won’t be trusting this beauty to a gig bag.

Don’t know what Rumble amp your Church has, but the (v.3, current model) Rumble 40 has the same preamp as the higher-powered models. I have one I bought for home and Church use, and at 18 pounds, it’s very portable with a small footprint. Easily powerful enough for home use as you’ve described, and it has a good sounding XLR line out. When I bought it, I was looking at the Rumble 100 - which sounded muddy to me. The effects loop the 100 has wasn’t a meaningful feature loss to me, so I want with the 40 and got, IMO, a better sounding amp for $100 USD less. At Church, I run the XLR Line Out to the FOH board and use the amp for a personal monitor. Works great.

 

[Maroonandwhite]

Don’t know what Rumble amp your Church has, but the (v.3, current model) Rumble 40 has the same preamp as the higher-powered models. I have one I bought for home and Church use, and at 18 pounds, it’s very portable with a small footprint. Easily powerful enough for home use as you’ve described, and it has a good sounding XLR line out. When I bought it, I was looking at the Rumble 100 - which sounded muddy to me. The effects loop the 100 has wasn’t a meaningful feature loss to me, so I want with the 40 and got, IMO, a better sounding amp for $100 USD less. At Church, I run the XLR Line Out to the FOH board and use the amp for a personal monitor. Works great.

I actually bought the 40 v3 this morning. I was blown away by the sound out of it. It feels like a toy but sounds like a dream! I’ll be posting a separate post will all the goodies soon.