Bought my first bass a few months ago (Yamaha trbx 304) and I love it but also want to get something a little more traditional. I was looking at jazz and P basses before finding the Yamaha and a fender rumble 100 for $400 together so I got that instead. Now that I know I'll be sticking with it for awhile I'm revisiting the idea of purchasing a P or Jazz bass, possibly a PJ. What would you do? Should I get something like a classic vibe or get a player 2?

I play a little bit of everything, with fingers and a pick. Would like to start learning slap soon. The few of these basses I've played i like the feel of jazz bass a little more but like the p bass sound a little more. I haven't played a PJ though. Not necessarily loyal to fender and have considered buying cheaper models of both then buying a nicer one of the one I like. Think squire affinity level if I decide to buy both or maybe one classic vibe one affinity idk. Regardless don't really wanna spend more than $900-1000 and preferably less unless you guys think I should upgrade my amp or something. Again, I'm not loyal to fender so will consider other brands (heard good things about sire and sadowsky for example) also Tokai seems to have some cool looking stuff.

Anyway, yeah any reccomedations are much appreciated.

I know this is a pretty useless complaint but it's just an annoying pet peeve of mine lol

(anecdotal) My Guitar Center never carries them, my local shops never carry them, and some of my favorite types of strings don't come in them either.

Obviously I have to buy everything online. All these stores have 45-100, 45-105, 40-100, 50-110, and the only 40-95s I can ever find are the EB slinkys (hate 'em). Never come in Stainless Steel for some reason

This would all be fine if Elixir Steel Nanowebs came with them at all....

I thought these string gauges were pretty common so it's confusing to me lol. I mean shit my GC even carries Roto 30-90s sometimes

Hey, i recently realised that i should be be playing bass instead of an 8 string guitar, but it'll have to be a 6 string, because i love Jon Stockman and Conner Green, and their incredible usage of extended range basses inspired me to make the switch.

However i want it to be not that expensive, and not absolutely garbage as well. Can i get some opinions on the ibanez BTB 676 NTF? Ideally i'd grab the 806MS for that sweet 37" B string, but it's really damn expensive and i can't really find a used one anywhere in Europe.

One guy in my city is selling his 676 and asking 667$ for it. Just wondering if it's a good bass for that price, and if there is anything better for the buck on the market. I've considered the g4m multiscale bass, but heard that their stuff are heaps of shit for the most part.

What do you about think schecter sgr c5?

If you are a novice bass player and you don't like your round wound or flat wound strings or are curious about the difference don't be intimidated by your instrument. There's superstitions about keeping the same stings for ever and all that but you should figure out what you like before bothering with all that. Pay attention to sound and finger feeling differences. If you've been using the same ones that came with the bass just because they are on there, that's great, but know that there's a huge impact on your sound based on what strings you're using so it's worth experimenting.

I'm having a Sterling by Music Man StingRay SUB RAY4HH on Facebook Marketplace, and I really love its sound and tone.

I'm still trying to understand the difference between active and passive EQ. Since this bass uses a 9V battery for its active preamp, does that make any noticeable difference to the sound when playing live? What happens if the battery starts running low during a gig?

For those who've played both active and passive basses, which do you prefer, and why?

I have had terrible luck with instrument cables that start crackling after only a few months. Friends say it's just bound to happen with all that bending. Some buy cable at length and solder on their own connectors to save on costs. What's your strategy? Are there things to look for in a cable like wall thickness and shield coverage? Any reliable brands you recommend or is there anything you'd look for in a cable meant for a bass? I don't need something with oxygen free copper and gold plated connectors, just a decent $10-$15 cable.

I just got my first bass yesterday. I’m also in band so I know most of the beginner stuff like counting but I just want to learn some songs

Wondering if anyone has one of these basses? Seems like a good price for a neck through body design. I love my Ibanez Mikro for fooling around in the house, but wanting a decent quality full size bass. Started with a Glarry and 3 months later I’m still interested and learning more everyday. Can’t justify the Ibanez 1425 I want but told myself in 4-6 months if I still played/practiced regularly, I would spend more money on a better bass.
Currently between the Winnz 4-string or the Ibanez sr-300eb.

Just curious

I have this old yamaha 4 string bass that I don't use anymore but I've been thinking of changing the strings and leaving that bass always tuned in C standard. I was gonna buy an individual low B string (that you would find on a 5str) and put it on the bass. So the tuning would be B-E-A-D, but it would always be tuned in C standard. Is this a good idea? Or is it better to buy a new set of 4 thicker gauge strings ? I hope this makes sense lol. Thanks in advance

Hi all!

I currently have an Ibanez SR400 (2003, MIK) 34". It's fine, but more than ~2 hours of play a day and my neck and shoulders feel it. (I currently have a 3" elastic strap on it) I have an existing neck and shoulder injury from martial arts, so that doesn't help.

I also am very enjoying learning to play funk. I think a short scale stingray is probably my best bet for a lighter bass that fits my style.

I am wondering if people could recommend me some stingray-like basses that tend to run lighter? I think the SBMM is an obvious contender, but I don't know if there's other options. I have been playing only 4 months or so but I can swing ~$1k if I save up for a few months (and convince the wife to let me spend it... >_>)

Are we about good deals here?

I just saw that the Markbass Little Mark Black Line 250 is $250 USD today.
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/stupid/
When I bought mine used the pawn shop was asking $250 used, but after a few months, I negotiated them down to 200 used.

This amp has been great for rehearsal and I have done a handful of gigs with it. I like the EQ I like the sound, but I find the sound a little bit too clean at times. An overdrive pedal solves that. The XLR out can be a bit hot, but it has a volume adjustment. I have to turn it down for most PA boards. I have it paired with a 15 inch cabinet of 8 ohms and it’s just loud enough for rehearsal with a drummer two guitarist and a keyboard. For larger gigs having the output to the PA is great.

Only criticisms are no overdrive on board in the amp, and on my old unit sometimes the pots get scratchy and there’s no way to lube or clean them externally so I work them back-and-forth a dozen times each to work the crackles out. Other than that, it’s been amazing and I am tempted to buy a second one and keep my used one as a backup for this price.

Hello hello. I’ve been on a Ryan Martinie/Mudvayne kick recently and have been looking into his setup on the L.D. 50 album. From what I’ve been reading, it seems that he used DR Hi-Beams (45-130) and had his strings tuned to drop B (F#-B-F#-B-E).

I guess what I’m wondering is would a 130 gauge string have enough tension to tune a low B string to F#? Or really would any of the strings in that set have enough tension to tune down 5 half steps?

Hey, I’ve recently realized that I supposedly have the “wrong” fretting position in my thumb. The thumb is near the e string but not touching it, versus completely behind the neck. This position is what I’ve determined to be my natural one and allows me to relax so much better. Is there something I’m doing wrong or is the general consensus advice not always applicable?

I come from a guitar background but have played bass for about 5-6 years now. I usually play with a pick and have never really thought too much about my tone until I went to record bass earlier this week.

I am just mainly looking for some advice on my technique. I often rest my hand on the bridge area, that way I can kinda slide my hand up on the bridge or use the fat of my palm to mute. In doing this, though, I can't hit the other pickup and my sound is very thin / lots of high end. Do people float their hand when they pick? I tried that, but then I can't mute.

Also, do lots of pick players play with a bridge guard? My hand is getting sore from the bridge fine tuning screws poking my palm lol

Looking at picking up a StingRay 5H and wondering what people think is the best generation to go for.

Currently have two custom Overwater 5 strings which I love, but fancy something different. Mainly play fingerstyle in a function band covering pop, rock, funk etc.

Been looking at late 90s/2000s StingRays and the newer Specials. Is the Special actually better or do the older ones have something about them?

Main priorities are tone, build quality, neck feel and a good low B. Prefer 18mm string spacing or less.

Budget around £1.5-2.5k, happy buying used.

Anyone owned both? What would you go for?

So yesterday I bought an acoustic bass and it's awesome. The only issue is that the 18th fret of the G string makes a D instead of a C#. Now, if I bend it a bit it does make a D, it's just not confortable at all lol. Frets seem leveled though so I don't know whats causing this.

I have a Rumble Studio 40 and I'm trying to learn how to replicate some tones, but of course all the amp and pedal names and preset tones are given fake names to prevent lawsuits that presumably anyone who already knows the gear will know what they're replicating, but I don't know what most of them are supposed to be. Does anyone know if someone's compiled a list of which preset corresponds to which real piece of gear, so I can figure out which one will give me the best match?

I'm contemplating buying a Harley Benton Bass guitar.

Has anyone played them and got a good honest opinion on them?

Obviously bass related stuff only but could be gear related, playing related whatever. I just wanna hear all them little gems we've collected along the way.

Hey guys, I know this gets asked 25 times a day, but I'm special and want tailored answers to my questions 😂

Unfortunately I stripped the truss rod head on my Sqiuer Affinity P Bass by being an idiot so I'm in the market for a new bass while I try and repair the old one.

I've been playing since December 2025. In that time I've mostly focused on learning the fretboard, fingerstyle playing, and tone control with my fingers rather than using the knobs. I've learned a few easy songs and can play them pretty well to a drum or click track. Most of what I have learned fits really well in the wheelhouse of the P bass. Clean tones, thumpy low end, nothing flashy just carrying the rhythm.

For the next bass obviously I'd like to step up a bit, but seeing as how I'm a beginner I don't think I'm ready to step up too far. I'm thinking something in the $300-$500 range.

The only real extra feature I think I might be ready for is the extra tone control of a J bass. I say this because I eventually want to graduate to playing more funk/jazzy styles. I don't think I'll have much issue with the difference in neck shape, I've played a J bass at the local gc and it felt very comfortable. I'm also not opposed to a good PJ combo, if that will truly get me a good mix of both worlds.

Thanks in advance for any advice you have to offer.

Hi, I was playing Basketball, and when I got up for a rebound, ball came directly to my left ring finger (glad it was not a hard pass from someone else)

I immediately applied ice, and ordered these basketball player protection finger-gloves.

It was 10days ago.

Yesterday, I tried to practice, without these finger-gloves, I felt not good. Then I tried with putting on the finger-gloves to my left ring finger, but also on left middle finger(just to be sure).

I feel it is now better, it does not hurt as before, but I wonder if it will be back to being fit again, or if I should wear these finger-gloves all the time.

Maybe someone else had a similar experience, and want to give advice/share his/her experience

Thanks in advance

PS: My left hand is my fret hand