bass rig
Choosing the right bass is tricky, specially for beginners who donÕt have much experience with instruments. You can buy good inexpensive basses sometimes even under a hundred bucks that would be perfect to learn with. It's about how you play it rather than what you play. Lots of music stores offer seasonal deals that includes a bass, a gig bag, an amp with cables and all.
If you decide to buy used gear make sure the instrument is in good condition. Not necessarily the paint and finish, but more important things like frets, tuning keys, electronics, bridge or neck. Try not to buy customized instruments, lot of times they are sold, because the customization didnÕt quite work out as intended. An original instrument will always hold its value better.
A bass should feel comfortable to play. The body should be round and smooth without any sharp edges, so extended hours of playing wouldnÕt cause any discomfort or pain. Heavy basses may h ¤ave better sustain, but than again nothingÕs better than a light old Fender Jazz either. When playing it should resonate all round, have a nice, natural unamplified sound with long decay.
The neck contributes much to the natural sound of the instrument. The two standard choices are between maple and rosewood. Maple seems to be the preference of slapsters, rosewood seems to fit better with finger style players, but it really depends on the bass. If the neck has a dead spot let it be maple or rosewood some notes will have limited sustain, and some other overtones would be too loud, the bass will sound unbalanced. Modern graphite composite necks promise safe heaven from dead spots, at the price of their graphite sound.