Danno

Oak, I too don't have the long fingers. I've always wanted to learn the Bass too.

I've been tempted many times to pick up a decent but cheap bass guitar from a pawn shop, but I have no idea what to look for.

All my income goes to my stay at home wife and 2 kids about to start college, so I can't just run out and buy a 500.00 guitar/amp combo.

Hey guitar gurus... Any ideas about what to look for or what to avoid at pawn shops?

TheOak

Budget set up will run you around $175-250 new. Find the nearest Guitar Center, they have starter packs that will have the Bass, small amp, bag etc all in 1 box.

They also "usually" have an assortment of used instruments.

Their website is loaded with used cheap Basses.
Electric Bass Guitars | Guitar Center

I could have saved tax and $30 if i had bought my Bass on Amazon but there are just somethings i do not buy off of the internet and fragile instruments are one of them. Guitar Center also has a 30 day return policy so I could return it on my way to work one day if I decided that instrument wasn't working out for me.

This Dean is $230
Dean Edge 09 Bass and Amp Pack | GuitarCenter

Take an hour on Saturday and go feel up all the ladies

K Major

+1, agreed.
It depends on how YOU learn. There are TONS and TONS of useful tools, techniques you can acquire with books & discs but some folks absorb it all through a structured study program (private tutors/classes). If any of you guys plan to 'stick with it for years to come', I would strongly recommend learning Music Theory. I'm no bassist but I do know that bass players play single notes and this instrument does require modes/scales (leads to Music Theory). For me, being able to read music was key.

FYI... I started playing the Flugelhorn/snare drums in middle school & pretty much continued all the way through high school & some college(some of those cats are on another level). I'm an occasional 'fill in' at my church when the real guy can make it in (lol).

Outside of the drums, I think the BASS is the backbone of music.

Again, I'm no professional musician but that would be my take away for anyone interested in learning the bass from ground zero.

Mr.Riaton

Avoid any basses that don't work....seriously. Plug it in and make sure the tuners work as well as tone/volume knobs etc. I would buy the cheapest one you can find if your just starting out. Once you realize your gonna stick with it, then buy a better one. My first guitar was free and it was a piece of crap- but it worked.Also, you can find good deals on eBay and I believe Best Buy has some good beginner bass/amp combos for a good price.

K Major

I would have NO problem purchasing a bass, snare drum, flugelhorn etc from a Pawn Shop. If its a reputable one that you are familiar with and trust, by all means GO FOR IT. You can always have the serial number checked out before you buy. I would go to a P/S before I purchased off Ebay, Craigslist. At least you can hold, touch and try it out on site before laying down your hard earned cash on potential junk.

Mr.Riaton

These are my babies!

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saintfan

Couple things:

I started playing piano when I was 8. Learned to read music. Learned nothing about theory in 4 years of lessons.

I started playing trumpet in the 5th grade, and play trumpet, drums, baritone, and a few other instruments, all the way through 12th grade. Concert band. Symphonic Band. Marching Band. You name it. Toured Europe summer of 1985 with a Drum and Bugle Corp.

And rarely if ever did any of my "teachers" teach me any theory. None that amounted to anything anyway.

Then I sat down with my grandmother who taught herself to play guitar, piano, and organ. In 5 minutes she opened up the guitar and music in general...with a bit of theory that nobody the decade prior bothered to teach me.

I'm still learning theory and I'm 45 years old. LEARN MUSIC THEORY, however you can. Books. Lessons. Youtube. It's out there. LEARN IT.

As for having small hands, I remember when I was still relatively new to guitar, working in radio, and Marty Stuart came by our station. He has relatives in the town I grew up in, so he was there as a "normal person" and came by on his own time. I always took my guitar and played along and so he comes in the studio and starts chatting me up about my guitar, how long I've been playing, blah blah. I tell him I'm just getting started and that I'm having some trouble with some of the chords because I say, "my hands are just too small."

He laughed and held his hand up. His hands...decidedly smaller than mine, and this man is one of the best pickers in Nashville. He picked up my guitar and showed me how he held it and smiled up at me and said, "the trick is to get your wrist under the neck. You don't have to have perfect form, just get that wrist UNDER the neck, like this..."

Man I was on cloud 9 people.

I'll never be as good as him. Hell, I'll never be good enough to do much more than entertain myself and some friends, but that's all I ever wanted to do anyway. That little conversation did inspire me though, and I took his advice.

Oh, and another thing. I try to play every day. I don't, but I try. And whenever I pick up my guitar I do a few little exercises with scales and help me limber up and help with my dexterity.

Just DO it Oak. Don't give up. You may never be Paul McCartney, but most girls will never know the difference.

C'mon Man...

Mr.Riaton

The best time to practice is during a Saints game between plays and during commercials. That's a solid 3 hrs. of practice time. Not a good idea though if you're short tempered and the Saints are having a bad game

K Major

+1 and agreed. Everyone develops differently but in my experience, it was helpful... especially if your background is percussion.

TheOak

BS! If you know me then you understand that I will know I am not Paul McCartney. lol

These are the two books that the playa at Guitar Center recommended.


I picked this one up as well, I flipped through it and saw some things that I liked.