Dumbass n00ewb bass questions - how can I shot half decent rig for cheap?

[Removed Illegal Link]

amp2

amp1

The versatility of having both P and J pickups.

oh GAHD those squier P-basses are the WORST... never have i seen so many warped necks in my life. the heaviness of bass strings demand a neck of at least SOME quality or they bow immediately and become unusable. the horror, seriously.

i've played some o.k. made in mexico fender p-basses in the past, i'd consider one of those the absolute bottom limit.

for 'bass amps' under a hundred dollars it's probably not worth slaving over the big decision. get whatever and put a sansamp bass DI in front - it will make it way more pleasurable.

oh GAHD those squier P-basses are the WORST... never have i seen so many warped necks in my life. the heaviness of bass strings demand a neck of at least SOME quality or they bow immediately and become unusable. the horror, seriously.

Nothing that a truss rod can't fix.

If you have a Mac of recent vintage, consider getting this:

http://cachepe.zzounds.com/media/quality,85/brand,zzounds/fit,400by400/UCA202_big-c5c66c5ee06b3a89a1fe3b25a7ba0cb3.jpg

or something like it, instead of an amp. Then you can play along in GarageBand and slow down or loop sections you have difficulty learning. GB is super easy, and if you only plan to use headphones, why bother with an amp? (I do all my songwriting in GB with an interface that's a bit more expensive than that one, even though I have Pro Tools and other fancy software available.)

If you don't have a Mac, then I dunno what to say, since I don't know much about Windows software.

are there any companies other than danelectro that make basses with lipstick pickups

also which squier basses are decent

To the previous question: Out of the box? I don't think so. Those pickup casings are definitely most associated with Danelectros.

Of course you can buy lipstick pickups and put them (or have them put) in any bass you like. On a cursory search it appears there are at least some Fender basses out there where someone has retrofitted lipstick pickups.

https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/sany6243_zps584e3cf8-jpg

https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.3645526951be812341e7d2a8eeca4431?rik=R8C1sPlGSg19GQ&riu=http%3a%2f%2fbunnyears.net%2fguitar%2fwp-content%2fflagallery%2frascal%2fkat_0300.jpg

The lipstick thing is aesthetic rather than sonic, I think* I doubt that a lipstick pickup sounds very different from other P-style single-coils.

* = not that there's anything wrong with that! I have bought lots of gear because it looked cool.

Can't comment on Squier basses, as I have had very little playing time on them. I'm on my third Yamaha bass and it does all that I ask of it.

xp this year I bought one of the Squier Classic Vibe 1950s P basses (with the old style headstock and one single-coil pickup) and it’s absolutely divine, as good or better than my 80s Japanese Fenders. Made in Indonesia. The Paranormal series are superb quality too.

Interesting, mat3k4. I have a Squier Classic Vibe Thinline Telecaster that I like a lot.

I liked the aesthetic and saw one in the local classifieds so I tried it out, and damn. The neck in particular is flawless and fits the hand just so.