4 Strings and 400 Watts

You probably already know this by now but if you don’t already have a bass you are going to need one. Used ones are easy to find. Your old bass player might have even left his instrument behind after he stormed off due to creative differences never to return. Look around before you go shopping. It might still be in the basement.

If you have to buy one for yourself, please let me reiterate: used ones are easy to find. Trust me on this, people give up. Here are a few recommendations if you are on the fence. 

The first is don’t purchase a Rickenbacker, you will hate it. You might think you want one because they look cool and some of your favorite bass players made them sound good. But as a guitarist you will end up throwing it out the window or, worse, using it to smash something that actually has value.

Next, don’t buy anything expensive. Keep in mind you might not want to keep playing bass for very long. Remember, people give up (you won’t, I am just saying).

Don’t worry about your bass retaining its resale value. There is a theory that you can always get your money back or even profit if you decide to buy and sell certain models. It’s not a theory, really, it’s true. So, those models tend to be a little pricey anyway. Also, strict adherence to this “resale value rule” might keep you from modifying the instrument to make it easier to play or even sound better or painting it with a paisley pattern or smashing it on stage to the delight of a raging crowd.

Avoid anything with more than 4 strings. As a guitarist you might be tempted by that 6 string leviathan but it is not the same thing. 5 and 6 string basses are a head, neck and backache. If you need more than 4 strings, you are a pretentious dork who will never get laid and the sound guy will always turn you down. (Note: the extra strings caveat does NOT apply to 8 and 12 string basses. If you have one of these then you are in Cheap Trick and you are totally bitchin’.)

Consider a short scale bass like a Squier Jaguar. These can be easier to play than the standard long scale  like a Fender Jazz especially for those of you transitioning from guitar. They are also a bit lighter so after your 4 hour gig you won’t feel like you have been carrying around an oak log while doing grip exercises.

Here is an example of a bass that fits my criteria. This is a Squier Jaguar bass. It is not a Rick, it has 4 strings and it was under 200 bucks, brand new. I have completely modified mine. The pickups are DiMarzio which are inexpensive and sound better than the stock pickups. The bridge is a Leo Quan BadAss II which is far superior to the bent door-hinge-bridge that it shipped with and I upgraded the wiring and knobs. Now, in my case I already owned the pickups and the bridge, these are the spare parts that life accumulates for musicians but if you have to invest in your own mods all of the ones I have mentioned here are a good bang for the buck.

And if anyone claims you are a wimp for playing a small scale bass, give them a good crack across the jaw with a Mike Watt signature model.