Have you been considering buying a bass guitar? If so you have made a great choice as far as musical instruments go. Bass guitars have a great deep sound and are very easy to learn how to play. Before you rush right out and buy one, here are some buying tips to give you some peace of mind. Online bass guitar purchases are just fine, but before buying I suggest you visit your local music shop to get a feel for what is out on the market. You want to see how the bass guitar fits you and feels in your hands. Most music shops will let you plug it in and play around with any guitar right in the store. If you know any experienced bassist, see if they do not mind tagging along with you, as most sales associates merely want to sell you any bass. Listen for the tone and quality of the sound that matches your taste.
Make sure you have a budget in mind before making a purchase, as a brand new bass guitar can cost you anywhere from $200 to $5000 depending on the brand, quality, and wood finish. Used basses tend to range from $100 to $1500 and are often just as good, although pricing and selection will vary from one locale to another. Consider buying a used bass. Most used bass guitars drop in price over the years and can offer much better quality and sound as a new bass would.
When you think you might have found a bass you like, do a search for that model on the internet to see if any reviews have been written from people who have already purchased that same model. Bass players are usually pretty straight forward on the bass guitars they have played and purchased.
Some great starter brands include Rogue, Squier and Epiphone. These brands of basses both look good and play great for the price. Fretless , acoustic and five-string basses each have their own type of sounds and pluses, but it is easiest to learn on a four string electric bass. Most beginner tutorials are written with the four-string bass in mind. Other brands of popular basses include: Fender, Gibson, Washburn, Ibanez, Rickenbacker and Yamaha to name a few.
There are great places to buy bass guitars online. eBay and Musicians Friend are great starting points to begin your search for that special first bass and you can usually purchase cheap bass guitars there as well.