So, you've decided to buy your first bass guitar. Congratulations!

Playing bass guitars is very easy and it's a great instrument for beginners.

The choice of bass guitars is very wide with many different colors, shapes, pickup configurations, etc.

In this article, we will review the main models for beginners and how to choose the most suitable one.

How to choose your first bass guitar

You can certainly find endless advice on how and what kind of first guitar to choose on the Internet, but still the best way to choose a guitar is to touch it with your own hands.

Feel how it rests on your lap, whether the neck is comfortable (not too thick, not too wide). Just feel if the instrument is comfortable and you want to play it in your hands.

Another good practice when choosing a guitar is to make a list of musicians or bands you like and show it to the store employee, this will definitely help him suggest the best option for you based on the style and music you listen to or the musician you like.

What to look for when choosing your first instrument

It is clear that you want to choose a good quality, neatly made instrument that will inspire you to pick it up and learn to play.

Here are a few things you can pay attention to:

Size - bass guitars come in full scale and short scale. This is how the size of a bass guitar is determined.

Short scale bass guitars are smaller and more comfortable to play for smaller children or guitarists who want to learn to play the bass guitar.

A full scale guitar is the so-called standard size guitar that we encounter most often.

It is important to choose the right size of the instrument so that it is comfortable to play.

Does a bass guitar stay in tune well? Bass guitars usually stay in tune well compared to electric guitars.

Since the strings are thicker, they are more stable.

But it is still a good idea to check the tuning of the instrument. Before you start playing, tune the instrument, play it, and after a few or ten minutes, check to see if all the notes are in place.

String height - The height of the strings is measured at the 12th fret from the top of the fretboard to the bottom of the string.

If the strings are too low, then the strings may rustle when playing. If they are too high, it will be difficult to press the strings.

It can be really difficult for a beginner bassist to determine if the string height is correct, so if you are in doubt after playing, always ask the store employee to check.

If the employee sees that the height is incorrect, he will be able to quickly adjust it on the spot. This is a simple procedure and does not take long.

Electronics - Be sure to play the guitar through an amplifier and turn all the potentiometers (knobs) to their full amplitude.

If you hear unwanted crackling sounds - tell the store employee, who can also solve this problem very quickly. Often, it is enough to just lubricate the potentiometers and the problem disappears.

If this happens - do not panic. This is not a terrible problem that requires you to give up the instrument you liked.

Are the frets even - a good practice is to play all the notes on the fretboard. This way you will notice if there are any notes that do not sound, called "dead notes".

If such notes appear, then the frets of the guitar are uneven. You should tell the employee.

Neck thickness - pay attention to the thickness of the fretboard. Is it comfortable for you, if it is too thick, the employee will definitely offer you an instrument with a thinner fretboard.

Types of bass guitars

There are several different types of bass guitars: acoustic bass guitar, electric bass guitar (it can be even only 4 strings, but also 5-6 strings), wireless electric bass guitar.

Most people start with a standard electric 4-string bass guitar. Of course, modern metal music uses 5-string bass guitars, which allow you to get more lower notes.

Fans of this genre can also choose a 5-string instrument as their first guitar.

Used or new instrument?

If you decide to buy a used instrument, we always recommend that you bring someone who knows about instruments with you when buying.

Because even 1mm in the wrong direction can cause so much trouble in guitars that repairing the instrument can cost more than you paid for the used guitar.

When buying a new instrument from our store, you get not only a brand new instrument, but also a 2-year warranty, which will definitely solve a lot of headaches if something happens to the instrument.

We will take care of everything for you.

A good choice for a beginner bass player

Markbass is a guitar and amplifier manufacturer from Italy. Best known in Lithuania and abroad for its bass cubes, but not so long ago it also started producing bass guitars. It has instruments for beginners and advanced players. Also for professional musicians.

The quality of Markbass guitars is high. The instruments are suitable for both classical and modern music, as they produce instruments withpassive and active electronics.

Here are some models that are suitable for beginners and are sold immediately with a case:

Markbass MB Yellow JB

Markbass MB Yellow PB

Short-scale bass guitar Markbass MB Yellow Little Bass

Cort is a manufacturer from the East. Cort produces a very wide selection of bass and electric guitars. The instruments are of really good quality at an attractive price. Cort itself also produces instruments for such giants as Fernder (Squier series guitars), so you really don't need to think that Cort instruments are inferior in quality to the instruments of major manufacturers.

The following Cort options are perfect for beginners:

Cort Action PJ OPB

Cort GB24JJ TBK

Cort GB34JJ BK

Ibanez - probably best known as a manufacturer of electric guitars, but recently it has also been earning a good name in the bass guitar category.

From Ibanez we offer the following options for beginners:

Ibanez GSR180-BK

Ibanez GSR200SM-NGT

Short scale options:

Ibanez TMB30-BK

Ibanez GSR200B WNF

Jet - Compared to other manufacturers, this may be a new name in the world of instruments, but in Lithuania it is already well known as a manufacturer of good quality electric guitars, which not so long ago also introduced a line of bass guitars.

Jet JJB-300 SB

Squier - this is a line of cheaper instruments from the well-known manufacturer Fender, which also has good options for beginners.

Squier Affinity Jazz Bass LRL BSB

Squier Affinity Precision Bass PJ BK

Squier Affinity Jazz Bass LRL BPG BGM

Accessories

When buying a guitar, think about the accessories you want to buy along with the guitar.

The main accessories are:

Cub/headphone amplifier - when choosing a cube, make sure that it has a headphone output. This way you can practice late at night without disturbing your family or neighbors.

Headphone amplifiers like the VOX Amplug3 Bass are a great alternative if you don't want to buy a cube and want to save space at home. You simply connect the amplifier directly to your guitar and connect your headphones to the amplifier.

Recommendations for your first cube:

Cort CM20B

Orange Crush Bass 25

Fender Rumble 15

MXR DCIS10

Cable - If you decide to buy a headphone amplifier, you don't need a cable, but if you buy a cube, you can't do without a cable.

At home, the best cable is a 3-meter cable, because it doesn't get tangled under your feet (it's not too long). It's best to choose not the cheapest one, because the cheapest often causes additional noise because it is not well insulated. Plus, the tips are made of soft metal, which is why they tend to break more quickly.

Proel CHL100LU3

Proel Brave BRV100LU3BW

Headphones - Will help you practice quietly. You will definitely find a large selection of headphones. We recommend buying large, also called "over ear" headphones. They are the most comfortable to play with.

Roland RH-5

Tuner - It is a good idea to buy a clip-on tuner, because you will need to tune the instrument every time before you start playing.

Dunlop CLIP-ON TUNER DT-C1

Korg Pitchclip 2 PC-2

Fender FT-1

Guitar strap - You can choose the strap according to your taste. Almost all straps are universal. Suitable for all guitars.

You can find all straps here

Case - If you are going to take the instrument to lessons, then a case will be really necessary for you. A medium case with a little padding will be enough for a start.

We do not recommend buying the cheapest one without any padding, as these cases can often scratch the instrument and will not protect it from damage.

Gator GBE-BASS

Proel BAG230

Gator GB-4G-BASS

We hope these tips will help you choose the right bass guitar.

Be sure to try out a few different guitars, even if you have already chosen your dream guitar.