By the way, how much is a good instrument for someone starting to play bass?

I bought my first bass from a friend in 1994, at DM 450,-. It was a used Hohner PJ bass that had a few issues and was not the ideal instrument for a beginner. By the way, today, the bass is played in Tansania.

In the mean time, the bass market has changed a lot. When yesterday I was asked how much a bass for a beginner is about, I had to first think a bit. In this case, it's about getting a bass for a student band, and the budget allows for not choosing the most cheap instruments. And let's also add the follow-up question: Should you start on a four-string, or can you choose to start on a five-string as well?

My gut reaction was: You shouldn't spend less than €250 unless you really don't have any money or if you are extremely lucky and find an okay instrument. Between €250 and €600, you should be able to find good instruments that will not damage your technique (e.g. by Squier, Ibanez, Yamaha). Above that, you're already in an area where you can afford to be choosy and where you can find an instrument “for life” if you play bass occasionally. People normally only spend more than €1500 if they play bass quite a lot, and if you spend more than €2500-3000, you probably have good reasons to. But before you enter this kind of price range, most people rather choose to have a second or third bass ;-). (Although, judging from the Talkbass classifieds, there are more than enough people buying in this price range.)

When buying instruments, I would also recommend looking at the used instruments market. You should play an instrument before buying it anyway – so it doesn't matter whether you do that at a shop or at someone's house. And an experienced bassist (that I recommend asking when buying a bass anyway) should be able to find flaws in an instrument rather quickly, unlike for example when buying a car. Basses are much less complicated than cars :-).

And about four vs. five strings: I think it depends on the music you want to make. If you want to play rock, a five-string can come in very handy. But both can be used to learn solid bass technique, so I wouldn't say there is a fixed rule. Of course it is a good idea to also play a four-string once in a while (or vice versa) to gather more experience. And of course you also need an amp, but that's another story for another blog entry…

What do you think? Is €250-€600 an okay budget range for this case? Can you start on a five-string as well, or do you think it's better to start on a four-string as a matter of principle?

Photo (cc) aj_uva91