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Buying the right bass for beginners, experienced bassists, and pros – for every style of music

If you are looking to buy a new bass guitar, you have come to the right place: Thomann has basses for beginners, for experts, and of course for professional bassists, too. You are sure to find the right one for you, with our instruments ranging from inexpensive beginners' basses to handmade, high-end boutique bass guitars. This buying guide will help anybody interested in bass guitars to find their perfect bass!

And remember: Here at Thomann, we offer our famous 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee on every instrument we sell, so you can buy a new bass guitar with complete peace of mind. And once you have chosen an instrument, you also receive a full 3-year warranty – no ifs or buts!

Which bass guitar is best for me?

Your guiding question shouldn't be: "Which is the best bass guitar?", but "Which bass guitar is the best for ME?" Do you already know what style of music you'll be playing with your new bass? Do you have some ideas about what colour or shape it should be? If so, great – you're already a couple of steps closer to the bass of your dreams!

Still, whether you already know all this or you're still looking for inspiration, it never hurts to get some friendly advice. For example, Thomann's interactive GuitarLab is full of information about things like the different shapes, finishes, and features available when buying a new guitar or bass. And our comprehensive online guide to basses goes into even more detail, giving you everything you need to know about the bass guitar.

Of course, if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to contact the Thomann bass department by phone: +49 (0)9546-9223-20 or e-mail: gitarre@thomann.de.

Black and white Jazz basses in front of a bass drum

It's so easy to get started with an affordable beginner's set, which includes the bass itself, a bass combo amp and accessories such as cables, straps, picks and even a tuner. Thomann offers a great range of these complete packages – and if you have any special requests, we'd be happy to "customise" your set to your exact specifications! Some of our most popular bundles include the Harley Benton JB-75SB MN Vintage Series Bundle and the Fender SQ Affinity P Bass PJ PACK 3-SB, but they all include everything you will need to get started.

What is an electric bass guitar, and how are they constructed?

An electric bass guitar is only slightly larger than a regular electric guitar and is therefore relatively easy to transport. The body of the bass is usually made of solid wood, hence the term solid body. Only a very small number of "exotics" are made from alternative materials or have a partially hollow body. The neck of each bass guitar is either bolted to the body – these instruments are usually called bolt-on basses – or glued into it (set-neck basses). Some models are also built in such a way that they have a continuous neck the length of the entire instrument, with two body parts called wings glued to the left and right – these are referred to as through-neck or neck-through-body basses.

The neck is also where you'll find the fingerboard, normally with frets that make it much easier to play the correct notes. Although there are fretless basses, these are something of a rarity. At the top of the neck is the headstock, fitted with machine heads to tune your bass guitar's strings. At the other end, the strings are anchored to the body at the bridge.

Most electric basses are equipped with four strings in the traditional E/A/D/G tuning. These are effectively the same as the four lowest strings on a standard guitar, but they are much thicker than guitar strings, so they sound an octave lower.

Originally developed in the 1980s, the more unusual five-string and six-string basses extend the normal range of the bass guitar upwards and/or downwards. There are even extended range basses (ERB) that can have seven, nine, or more strings, but they are usually considered instruments for individualists. The good news: Ultimately, your playing career isn't going to be affected by how many strings your instrument has!

While we are on the subject of strings: Almost all bass guitars are strung with roundwound strings made of stainlesss steel (which sounds aggressive and bright) or nickel (which are often said to sound a little "silkier"). In fact, 98% of all basses on the market are strung with strings of this type. There are also flatwound strings, with wrap wire which is flattened and polished during production; these reduce the treble frequencies in bass guitar's sound, resulting in a charming old-school tone.

An alternative are black nylon or tape wound strings, which sound somewhere between polished and unpolished strings. Some manufacturers, such as D'Addario, even produce strings with a protective plastic coating, so-called coated strings, which will keep you sounding fresh for a long time!

Which kinds of bass guitar are there? (Fender Precision Bass, Fender Jazz Bass, Music Man Stingray... )

Fundamentally, the electric bass is a cross between an electric guitar and a classical double bass – so the name bass guitar is pretty accurate. It's amazing to think that the three most important electric bass models were all devised by one and the same developer: True, the revered US radio mechanic Leo Fender didn't actually invent the electric bass guitar, as Paul Tutmarc first marketed his "Electronic Bass Fiddle" back in 1935. But it took a genius like Fender to make it possible for the electric bass guitar to achieve such persistent international popularity, thanks to serial production in large quantities.

Although frequently modified, the Fender Precision Bass (also called a P-Bass), introduced in 1951, is still one of the most popular bass models out there. Earlier-type models are equipped with a single-coil pickup, while later ones have a so-called split-coil pickup – two single coils wound in opposite directions with reversed magnetic fields. This little stroke of genius helps to filter out interference noise, a process known as humbucking – they literally block that annoying humming sound!

Although P-Basses are not particularly versatile in terms of sound, their power makes them well suited to any playing style. Well-known Precision bassists include James Jamerson (Motown Records), Steve Harris (Iron Maiden), and Donald "Duck" Dunn (Blues Brothers).

The Fender Jazz Bass (frequently referred to as a J-Bass, though the name doesn't mean it can only be used to play jazz!) followed in 1961 and was no less successful. The Jazz Bass has a slimmer body and a more delicate neck than the Precision Bass. The most important difference, however, is that it is equipped with two single-coil pickups. A J-Bass sounds similar to a P-Bass on its neck pickup – but it sounds rather more cutting and precise on the bridge pickup. With both pickups working in unison, a fat, "spanky" sound is created, familiar from the work of prolific bassists like Marcus Miller – and it's also ideal for slap bass. Other famous jazz bass players include the legendary Jaco Pastorius and Noel Redding, of the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

The third of Leo Fender's famous bass guitars is also timeless, and still in use to this day: The Music Man Stingray, introduced in 1976 has a wide humbucking pickup. This model produces a well-defined sound that is equally at home in Pop music and hard crossover: Well-known Stingray bassists include Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Timmy C. (Rage Against The Machine).

The Music Man Stingray was also the first bass guitar to feature active bass electronics as standard, making it possible to control the bass, mids, and treble – just like you can with your home stereo system, although this musical flexibility does require a 9V battery in the body.

Fantastic news: You don't have to break the bank to get hold of classic Fender-style basses. Companies such as Harley Benton, Sire, and others produce top-quality copies of the originals at amazingly low prices.

Fender 66 Jazz Bass 3TSB Heavy Relic
514821 Fender 66 Jazz Bass 3TSB Heavy Relic

What other brands of bass guitar are there? (Höfner, Rickenbacker, Gibson...)

Further evidence of Fender's influence is the fact that most of today's bass guitars can be traced back to the three original Fender types, although many contemporary manufacturers actually produce hybrid models that, for example, combine a Music Man-style humbucker with a J-bass neck pickup or P-bass pickup. Truly the best of both worlds!

Other pioneering models include the Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass (the "Beatles Bass"), which was made famous by Paul McCartney. The Rickenbacker, as used by Chris Squire of Yes, among others, or the Gibson Thunderbird (prominent users of which have included UFO's Pete Way) are also world famous. Although these bass models are popular, it has to be said that they are not the universal, all-purpose bass guitars that the many versions and variants of the Precision Bass, Jazz Bass, or Stingray are, due to their deeply distinctive sounds and often unusual handling characteristics.

Good news for children, teenagers, and anyone with smaller hands: Short scale basses have a shorter fingerboard than conventional bass guitars. The distances between the frets are smaller, making it easier to pick out individual notes. In terms of sound, "shorties" are almost impossible to distinguish from the full-grown long scale models.

We should also mention fretless basses, which completely do without frets on the fingerboard; this results in a wonderfully "singing" bass sound in the hands of experienced players, great for enhancing soulful ballads and the like. However, playing fretless instruments requires a lot of practice to achieve the right intonation – so beginners should probably start with a fretted bass!

And finally: If you're left-handed – like Paul McCartney – that's no problem, as all major manufacturers also produce their models as left-handed basses.

What accessories do I need for my bass guitar?

Usually, a bass guitar will be the first item on your shopping list – but what are the best accessories for bassists? You'll find all the essentials in this list:

  • A gig bag or case for transporting your bass
  • A bass amp and a bass cab, or a bass combo, which combines an amp and a speaker in one device. For best results, choose one with a headphone jack so you can practice in peace!
  • A jack cable for connecting your bass to the amplifier
  • A bass strap to allow you to play standing up (make sure the length is adjustable!)
  • A tuner, so you'll always be in tune
  • A bass stand, to keep your new instrument safe and sound!

Anything else? They're not a must, but you're sure to have endless fun with our huge range of effect pedals for bass guitar, which include full-on metal distortion, swirling harmonic modulation (chorus, flanger, etc.), bubbling funk sounds (wah-wah), and more.