Bass guitar parts – Introduction to your bass
Contents
Bass guitar parts series
Say that you are new to the world of the bass guitar. You want to start but you’re not sure about all these terms and jargon. “What does this do? Is it important?” etc. In this Bass Guitar Parts series. We introduce you the hardware that matters the most. This information will also factor in when you are ready to buy a bass. You will be armed with the knowledge of where the value in your instrument is.
The guide is broken down into 4 parts
- Pickups explained – A guide to pickup types
- Bass guitar wood – The body, neck and fretboard
- Strings – Construction, sound and genre
- Let’s talk about bass frets – What do I need to know?
- A bonus guide in the series is our Precision vs Jazz bass – Whats the difference?
Bass pricing
If you are buying a bass to gauge your interest in the instrument. An introductory model like the beginners Gear4Music Precision Bass is an affordable satisfactory choice for a new bass player. It will be comfortable and work as expected.
With that said, buying a budget bass may cost you more in the long run. With beginner models, parts of a bass can typically be made with materials that don’t have a long life span.
The quality of the sound may also suffer as a result of these materials. The only way to find out is to go out and physically play the bass guitar to find out for yourself.
Budgets can be difficult, here are our suggested price ranges;
Beginners £0-350
The first thing you want to do is try as many basses as you possibly can. Go and find out what feels best in your hands and what sounds best in your head. Ultimately it comes down to your personal choice. We use and highly recommend the Squier Affinity Bass. It’s built to last and extremely affordable for beginners.
Intermediate player (Played time 2 – 4 years) £350-£1500
If you’ve been playing for 2-4 years you may be looking to upgrade your current bass to something more similar to your skill level. Practically any bass made by Fender (e.g. Fender Precision Bass) will push you to the next level. The quality of their bass guitar parts is superior to anything else at this price range.
Experienced player (More than 4 years) £650+
If you have played for more than 4 years. You’re pretty much a professional and need an idea for a purchase. You should be familiar with the workings of a bass now and know what sound you want to achieve. Maybe you even have a bass or two in your collection already. Ask yourself…
“What is it want my bass to do?”
Once you’ve identified where you wish to improve upon it’s time to branch out and explore other basses. Think about the bass guitar parts your current bass could improve upon. Maybe even the features that appeal to you that you want to try and incorporate.
That could be a different frequency range or ‘colouring’ of the sound. What about different fret board type (rosewood or maple) or maybe you just want to try a new musical direction or genre. Our signature bass guitar post will help show you what is possible if your budget permits it.
More free guides
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