son wants inexpensive bass/amp

twocorgis

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Hiya, guys, my son has started playing bass (mostly rock, I think) and wants to gear up, inexpensively. He's looking for something that looks cool, and he's considering used gear. Right now he's checking out a Peavey https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Peavey/Millennium-AC-BXP-Electric-Bass-Guitar-113520457.gc

Any suggestions?

Any opinions on the Peavey?

The best cheap bass I've played recently was so good that I bought one Charlie; a Sire Marcus Miller V3. Truly incredible for the $329 shipped price ($379 with the optional gig bag). I just love the translucent red on the mahogany body, too.

v3-mg-4st.png


Some of the details on this bass are impossible to find on basses anywhere near the price, including the finish, a true bone nut, solid maple neck, and astoundingly good active electronics. The fretwork, usually a weak spot, is amazing at this price point. Mine is going to be my go to rig for gigs going forward I think. No worries about playing this one around drunk people. Many glowing reviews over at Talkbass, too.

Failing that, I'd just get him a used Pilot.
 

fronobulax

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No experience. Pilot might be out of budget. Don't worry about it. Most beginners don't really know what they want when they buy the first instrument. The ones who stick with it will eventually be able to articulate what needs to be different for them and it is the second instrument that tends to be the keeper. The usual caveats about "everything working" and everything that can be adjusted is really adjustable applies.

In general I shy away from active electronics. A spare battery and whatever tools I need to access it are just a couple more things to carry around.

Maybe compare notes with GAD? I think his daughter was dabbling in bass.
 

twocorgis

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Jeez, Sandy, that's a super cool bass for such a ridiculously low price! :)

It really is Charlie. You can get an incredibly tonal range out of them, and they're great players too. Just a good bass at pretty much any price.
 

mellowgerman

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The Peavey is a killer bass for the money! My band teacher during junior high had 2 "entry-level" Peavey jazz basses, essentially the predecessors to the millennium model but pretty much the same, just without the cool quilted finishes and with a pickguard. I had my flashy ESP F series bass at the time, which I always played because it looked so cool (at least to my eyes at the time) but I secretly preferred the playability of the Peaveys and was always silently frustrated because my bass couldn't get the same sound.
 

chazmo

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Hey, guys. Thanks for that, mellow! He's super-excited, and it sounds like he made the right choice for him. I wish I'd been there to test it out, but he says it's comfortable to play (that was my only real concern, as a guitar player, that he might get a bad neck). Anyway, yes, JP, guitar center gave him a package deal (which is what he wanted anyway). Nice, he got a Fender amp. :) :) The ironies of life never stop, do they?? :) :)

GO6IQKA.jpg
 

hieronymous

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That does look like a good starter set! I was going to suggest one of those Fender amps, I've been impressed with them, even played through one (more powerful model) as part of the backline at a gig yesterday and it was fine. And the bass looks great!
 

chazmo

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jp, hieronomous, that's really great feedback, guys. Thanks! I'm very happy he made a good choice. I will have to try it out myself soon. :) :) Yeah, it does look sharp, doesn't it, dread? I think that'll help motivate him, and I'm excited for him.
 

ClaytonS15

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Looks like a good setup. I can say that Fender Rumble bass amps are great. I have the bigger brother, the Rumble 100, and I love it!
 

JimmyD

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And soon enough he will want to learn the art of moving air.....lot's of air. At which point there might be a move to the garage....
 

mavuser

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Hey, guys. Thanks for that, mellow! He's super-excited, and it sounds like he made the right choice for him. I wish I'd been there to test it out, but he says it's comfortable to play (that was my only real concern, as a guitar player, that he might get a bad neck). Anyway, yes, JP, guitar center gave him a package deal (which is what he wanted anyway). Nice, he got a Fender amp. :) :) The ironies of life never stop, do they?? :) :)

GO6IQKA.jpg


i am seeing alot of things i like in this picture. the guitar strap, number of the beast vinyl, chips and salsa, R2D2...have fun!!
 
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