Attention Bass Players!

I am buying a bass guitar in February and I was wondering if you have any tips on playing?

Also this is my soon to be owned setup.

Bass
Aria STB-PB


Amp
Behringer Ultrabass BT108 15 Watt Bass Amp

Well, you might consider buying a 45-or-higher-Watt Amp instead of a 15-Watt one, now this is personal preference though, I've never really enjoyed 15w-amps, not enough juice in them imo.

Next thing you want to do is figure out what kind of music you'll play, find a few picks (or no pick) that suits you and your play style, learn some basic scales, at least the pentatonic scale and learn a simple blues-pattern.

Just follow the groove and you'll be fine.

I've never like anything under 100 Watts so it's up to you what you like.Behringers are sketchy amps try looking at Acoustic and Ampeg amps.

Learn all the picking techniques like pick and fingerpicking.

^what they said.
Practicing picking and finger picking first. Scales will also do you good.
If you want to start leaning songs right away, tabs usually work, but I would suggest playing by ear.

Very few people have the ability to play by ear when first learning an instrument.

The main thing you have to remember, Slayer Nexus, is that with every new instrument you learn there are a few bad habits you'll pick up without even knowing what they are.

A big part of a bass players overall tone comes directly from the way he/she picks. A novice bass player can immediately improve their tone a thousand percent with the proper picking hand setup. After the mechanical motion is learned, a player can then develop their own personal touch and finesse.

Using proper fretting hand setup, a bass player can have much more fretboard mobility. Not knowing the notes around the one being played leaves the player feeling "stuck" in one spot. It's a frustrating, confusing feeling and also totally avoidable. Practicing some basic two octave scale exercises will make it easier for a newer player to see the fretboard from a bigger perspective. Then they can "connect the dots" up and down the fretboard much quicker.

Remember to practice in a uniformed manner. Put an hour or two in every day or every two days at the same time each day. This method allows your mind to start getting ready for practice even before you physically start doing so. This will increase your learning rate dramatically.

Make sure you cross-reference everything you learn even if it's from self-teaching books.

What do you mean by sketchy amps?

They're overpriced, unreliable, and the wattage is overrated.

I could list all the problems that they have but those three are main problems with Behringers products.

What about Bugera and Roland are they any good?

I like Roland reliability and tone for the price.

Bugeras are hit and miss amps you really have to find one that suits your needs.

Oh and look into Peaveys or Fender amps.

Got it, Thanks.

Roland and Peavey make quite nice amps yeah, for a Fender amp you'll have to go up quite a bit in price to make them equally good so I'd say Roland is the best bet out of those. But how much are you willing to spent on the amp? If you're willing to put out a few hundred bucks, then I recommend going with an Orange bass combo speaker, or a cabinet if you're rich, since you don't get a cabinet-system from Orange for less than fifteen hundred bucks. Orange amps are expensive, but if you have the cash to afford one, you should, imo they're unmatched in both quality and sound.

I am getting a package deal and it is going to cost me about $467.00 (CAD) I might be willing to shell out an extra $200 but I'd have to wait a few more months.

Hmm, Orange have a pretty sleek 50W Bass Combo for around 200€ (~250 CAD, checked it) that I would suggest you get, (if you even can get your hands on one though, that can be difficult sometimes) considering the price you can't go wrong imo. Orange Combo amps can be a bit tricky sometimes though since they have a very aggressive compressor which makes getting some more distinct sounds harder to get than others; And in the end it all comes down to personal preference, so go out to some stores and try amps until you find one that you like.

Otherwise it seems you have it all down now right? You've picked out your bass (Looks nice btw, checked it out and it have a nice sound for the price.) you've can check amps, and follow Cruentae's advice on playing, everything he said is right, i guess. I can't really explain how to play bass more than with "Follow the groove and you'll be fine."

Orange Amps are a bit compressed sounding to me though they are great amps.

May I inquire what type of music you're going to play? The type of music and the playing styles within it is a significant factor in deciding which bass and amp to use.

Mostly Punk rock and Metal.

Wow, it's a bit hard to find a bass with a tone that will suit both genres.

I got myself an Ibanez SoundGear for metal, and for my punk rock/alternative needs I got a Squire Precision Bass. I found that my Ibanez lacks the mid-tone punch I needed.

As for amps, an Ampeg SVT100 should do the job nicely. Are you thinking of getting pedals as well?

edited for grammar. Brain not working properly in the morning.

Ya I want to get a Zoom effects pedal since it's not only good for overdrive but it will give my bass the punch it needs to play both genres.

Which model are you planning on getting? I'm not too familiar with Zoom's products.

Have you already narrowed down your choices for the bass and amp you're getting? Or have you already decided?

Lol, I already got the bass. It is a Aria STB-PB Series and my amp is just a 15 watt Berhinger ultra bass amp. I forgot what model the zoom peddle was but I think it looks something like this.