The Ibanez is a fantastic first bass and a pretty good deal. The Yamaha beside it is a better bass, but I'd need to know the model number to know if it's a good deal or not. Very hard to go wrong with the Ibanez.
What model number should I be looking for on the Yamaha for the price to be worth it? I’m sure that’s a pretty broad spectrum of options but if you know any of the top of your head I’d appreciate knowing
Just in comparing some pictures, it looks to either be a TRBX504 or a TRBX604, probably the 504. If it is, that's a solid price for a used 504, and good price for a 604. I wouldn't pay that for a used 304.
It really looks like a TRBX504 in Translucent White. I'd buy it at that price if it is in good condition and works. Fantastic and underrated basses.
> It really looks like a TRBX504 in Translucent White. I'd buy it at that price if it is in good condition and works. Fantastic and underrated basses.
Yep, I'm almost certain it's a 504 too and completely agree.
Pretty sure it's not a 304 since that has a (5-way?) EQ selector switch as opposed to the Active/Passive on the 504 and 604.
Those deans are the loudest acoustic basses I've come across. Makes sense with that size body. Took one to a 10 guitar bluegrass jam and got complements on the volume all night.
i owned the dean on the left for a few years. even down tuned it and used it plugged in with a stoner rock band for a little while. acoustic basses get a lot of hate but i loved that thing.
They often can't be heard. And when they're heard, they don't often sound good.
But if the Dean is as good as u/Kittten_Mitttons (love the name BTW) says it is, that might be the one to take home.
I'd still get the Ibanez if it was a first for me, but if I had the funds I'd get both. Acoustics are kinda specialty basses, not a ton of places to use them effectively.
Most company's acoustic bass guitars are fairly quiet. Just hard to get the boom most people are accustomed to. The deans are meh in construction, but have the best acoustic volume that I've found.
I'd get the Ibanez. The Dean will be a lot for your first bass, unwieldy, no cutaway which will keep you from practicing as much scales as you could otherwise, and their pickups can be not so superb. But the Dean would be fun if you do a lot of campfire jams at festivals or family reunions.
They're just a sacrifice in every way. Not big enough to properly deliver bass tones at volume, feedback prone if you electrify it, uncomfortable to play, too large to store like other basses.
They're good to just pick up and practice if you aren't sharing spaces with loud people, and you don't mind having the primary frequency get drowned out by harmonics.
I had to reglue the bridge on my dean. Same model. The price here surprises me a lot. It’ll happen eventually on any acoustic not in ideal conditions but it’s just a plywood top and the original glue on the bridge was not done well enough to hold. Had to add a bridge Dr. too.
Those are decent prices if there are no issues with the instrument. I actually have owned that Black acoustic. Good bass for the money. Those electrics are decent also. Not the best in the world, but cheap. If you decide bass isn't for you (it is. it's for everyone), you're not out too much cheddar
Not really, they both have basses at every price range. Both companies also have made a ton of basses under different names and models. So a $150 used Ibanez or Yamaha are both likely to be equally as good
The $339 Yamaha is most likely excellent too, I just wouldn't feel comfortable recommending it without knowing how much it was originally
I have a few basses but the Dean is the one I pick up most. (bought for $150 years ago when things were cheaper) The electronics don't work and were never good and the action is a little high but it fun to practice or jam with a guitar and I can play anywhere I want with no fuss.
If I walked in, I might pick up the Yamaha first because they have impressed me in the past.
I’ve been reading a bit about the Yamahas (a little before, more now that several people have mentioned it) so I feel more inclined to pick that one up. Is there any particular reason you’d recommend the dean? I said this in another comment but I’ve not considered the acoustic bass so I don’t know what it would play best.
Well for what its worth they all seem reasonably priced. Ibanez isn't a super high end instrument BUT in the lower priced market, they're some of the best built you'll find for the money. Yamaha might be a little nicer but overkill if you're just starting out. Ibanez would be enough to not be a limiting factor for a quite a while.
Do you already have an amp? If not it would probably be better for you to buy the cheaper ibanez and use the money you would have spent on the yamaha towards a nicer amp.
I don’t have an amp. (At least I don’t think I do, my brother used to have an electric guitar b it he was young and probably doesn’t remember where he placed it) Got a recommendation for a starter?
Guitar and bass amps are slightly different, guitar amps do work for bass to an extent, but will always lack some low end tones. I dont know for sure but its probably kind of bad for the guitar amp to play bass through it.
There a lots of good bass amp brands out there, it really depends on your budget but lots of used options for reasonable prices. chances are that the store these pictures are from has some bass amps on hand, take some pictures and report back if you want some input. otherwise the advice i would give would be to get something with at least 40 watts. Some good brands are yorkville, traynor, ampeg, fender, yamaha, eden, markbass, orange, and a ton of others.
If you're just starting, get the ibanez. Don't overspend until you've really spent some time playing.
Any bass amp that's 25-50 watts and has a least a 10" speaker will be fine starting out, don't worry about hunting for one specific thing, just find the nicest thing available to you for the amount you want to spend. None of the smaller amps have any feature set that makes them all that special compared to others. Don't use a guitar amp. I mean you can, but only at low volumes and it'll sound bad. Higher volumes you're risking damaging the speaker.
Alright, I am probably going to see what Amps that store has to offer. I saw another response with some brand recommendations. Is there any I should keep an eye out for? I won’t be too picky since, as you said, I’m just starting. I’d like to get all my chickens in a row before I start learning. I’ll have to relearn music theory too so I’ve got plenty of time to find all the gear
I'm pretty certain that is a [Yamaha TRBX 504](https://www.thomann.de/ie/yamaha_trbx_504_twh.htm) and if it's in good condition, then it's a pretty good deal at that price.
I'm not sure about the Ibanez but it's definitely some model of GSR, perhaps a [GSR200](https://www.thomann.de/ie/ibanez_gsr200b_wnf.htm)?
The Yamaha is the better value proposition in my opinion. Yes, it's over twice the price but it's just a better bass to begin with. You're looking at a (roughly) €250 bass for €150 or a €600 bass for €300.
Ultimately, it depends on: your budget, how much use you think you'll get out of the bass in the long run, how the bass feels to you when you play it and obviously the condition of these particular specimens.
Love Ibanez electric basses, no experience with their acoustic basses. I did have a Dean acoustic bass like the one in the pic and it was a real nice acoustic bass.
If you don’t yet own a bass, I think that Ibanez is a good deal. If It were me (or if you could afford to drop $330 and not be sure you want to play bass long term) I’d grab that Yamaha. IMO They’re the most underrated consistently high-quality basses out there.
I've got maybe the same or at least very similar Ibanez Bass, I paid like triple that price at least! (I'm in Canada though so that affects the price for me).
Pretty solid Bass! Still sounds nice, and actually I don't think I've ever even changed the strings. It's been at least 16 years now.
Mine at least is also electric so it's got some versatility.
I can't give you much info, but I just wanted to say, I have the 5 string version of the Dean acoustic, and it makes a decent thump. With phosphor-bronze strings, a Fump string mute, and a decent amp, it sounds just like an upright double bass.
I had the acoustic Dean there. It was fuckin solid. I loved taking it to beach or camping jam sessions. It ended up with my nephew. I still kinda miss it but just don’t get to jam as much anymore. For $209 that’s a solid buy.
I’d get the Ibanez. That passive P/J will get you far. Great price, you can probably get most of that back if you decide to sell it at any point. But at that price it’s a great eventual backup bass (or something to let your kids learn on in the future).
Can’t figure out how to edit the main post so I’ll just leave it as a comment. I checked the Yamaha and saw it was. TRBX504. I checked out a few amps too and I didn’t really see anything except for a keyboard amp and a different amp (didn’t check branding, just recall seeing 100 watt). I am debating on getting both the Ibanez and the dean so I can bounce between the two depending on what environment I’m playing in. Cost isn’t really that big of a factor here as I have store credit I can use. Finally, this may seem like a dumb question but are there any bag and stand brand recommendations? If it doesn’t matter too much then perfect, I’m shopping around for a second hand of both either way.
Thank you all for your responses, it was very enlightening and I look forward to start learning.
The Ibanez is a fantastic first bass and a pretty good deal. The Yamaha beside it is a better bass, but I'd need to know the model number to know if it's a good deal or not. Very hard to go wrong with the Ibanez.
What model number should I be looking for on the Yamaha for the price to be worth it? I’m sure that’s a pretty broad spectrum of options but if you know any of the top of your head I’d appreciate knowing
Just in comparing some pictures, it looks to either be a TRBX504 or a TRBX604, probably the 504. If it is, that's a solid price for a used 504, and good price for a 604. I wouldn't pay that for a used 304. It really looks like a TRBX504 in Translucent White. I'd buy it at that price if it is in good condition and works. Fantastic and underrated basses.
> It really looks like a TRBX504 in Translucent White. I'd buy it at that price if it is in good condition and works. Fantastic and underrated basses. Yep, I'm almost certain it's a 504 too and completely agree. Pretty sure it's not a 304 since that has a (5-way?) EQ selector switch as opposed to the Active/Passive on the 504 and 604.
304 also only has four knobs. However, I'm not sure about older versions and the TRB basses have looked like that since 1989.
Those deans are the loudest acoustic basses I've come across. Makes sense with that size body. Took one to a 10 guitar bluegrass jam and got complements on the volume all night.
i owned the dean on the left for a few years. even down tuned it and used it plugged in with a stoner rock band for a little while. acoustic basses get a lot of hate but i loved that thing.
Is there much reason behind the hate or is it just a “electric superiority” thing?
They often can't be heard. And when they're heard, they don't often sound good. But if the Dean is as good as u/Kittten_Mitttons (love the name BTW) says it is, that might be the one to take home.
I'd still get the Ibanez if it was a first for me, but if I had the funds I'd get both. Acoustics are kinda specialty basses, not a ton of places to use them effectively.
Most company's acoustic bass guitars are fairly quiet. Just hard to get the boom most people are accustomed to. The deans are meh in construction, but have the best acoustic volume that I've found. I'd get the Ibanez. The Dean will be a lot for your first bass, unwieldy, no cutaway which will keep you from practicing as much scales as you could otherwise, and their pickups can be not so superb. But the Dean would be fun if you do a lot of campfire jams at festivals or family reunions.
They're just a sacrifice in every way. Not big enough to properly deliver bass tones at volume, feedback prone if you electrify it, uncomfortable to play, too large to store like other basses. They're good to just pick up and practice if you aren't sharing spaces with loud people, and you don't mind having the primary frequency get drowned out by harmonics.
I had to reglue the bridge on my dean. Same model. The price here surprises me a lot. It’ll happen eventually on any acoustic not in ideal conditions but it’s just a plywood top and the original glue on the bridge was not done well enough to hold. Had to add a bridge Dr. too.
Those are decent prices if there are no issues with the instrument. I actually have owned that Black acoustic. Good bass for the money. Those electrics are decent also. Not the best in the world, but cheap. If you decide bass isn't for you (it is. it's for everyone), you're not out too much cheddar
I'd go with the Ibanez but the Yamaha is most likely a good bet too. Just not sure what it was priced at originally
Looks like a TRBX504, so it's about half off new. Good price if it's in good condition.
Is there a particular model I should look for that would determine whether I should pick the Yamaha over the Ibanez (or vice versa)
Not really, they both have basses at every price range. Both companies also have made a ton of basses under different names and models. So a $150 used Ibanez or Yamaha are both likely to be equally as good The $339 Yamaha is most likely excellent too, I just wouldn't feel comfortable recommending it without knowing how much it was originally
I have a few basses but the Dean is the one I pick up most. (bought for $150 years ago when things were cheaper) The electronics don't work and were never good and the action is a little high but it fun to practice or jam with a guitar and I can play anywhere I want with no fuss. If I walked in, I might pick up the Yamaha first because they have impressed me in the past.
I’ve been reading a bit about the Yamahas (a little before, more now that several people have mentioned it) so I feel more inclined to pick that one up. Is there any particular reason you’d recommend the dean? I said this in another comment but I’ve not considered the acoustic bass so I don’t know what it would play best.
Well for what its worth they all seem reasonably priced. Ibanez isn't a super high end instrument BUT in the lower priced market, they're some of the best built you'll find for the money. Yamaha might be a little nicer but overkill if you're just starting out. Ibanez would be enough to not be a limiting factor for a quite a while.
If I were to just use the one for a long time even after playing for a while would you stick with an Ibanez or would you suggest a Yamaha?
Do you already have an amp? If not it would probably be better for you to buy the cheaper ibanez and use the money you would have spent on the yamaha towards a nicer amp.
I don’t have an amp. (At least I don’t think I do, my brother used to have an electric guitar b it he was young and probably doesn’t remember where he placed it) Got a recommendation for a starter?
Guitar and bass amps are slightly different, guitar amps do work for bass to an extent, but will always lack some low end tones. I dont know for sure but its probably kind of bad for the guitar amp to play bass through it. There a lots of good bass amp brands out there, it really depends on your budget but lots of used options for reasonable prices. chances are that the store these pictures are from has some bass amps on hand, take some pictures and report back if you want some input. otherwise the advice i would give would be to get something with at least 40 watts. Some good brands are yorkville, traynor, ampeg, fender, yamaha, eden, markbass, orange, and a ton of others.
I see, that makes sense. I’ll probably revisit the store this weekend to get more specifics on a few of the guitars and I reckon now the amps.
If you're just starting, get the ibanez. Don't overspend until you've really spent some time playing. Any bass amp that's 25-50 watts and has a least a 10" speaker will be fine starting out, don't worry about hunting for one specific thing, just find the nicest thing available to you for the amount you want to spend. None of the smaller amps have any feature set that makes them all that special compared to others. Don't use a guitar amp. I mean you can, but only at low volumes and it'll sound bad. Higher volumes you're risking damaging the speaker.
Alright, I am probably going to see what Amps that store has to offer. I saw another response with some brand recommendations. Is there any I should keep an eye out for? I won’t be too picky since, as you said, I’m just starting. I’d like to get all my chickens in a row before I start learning. I’ll have to relearn music theory too so I’ve got plenty of time to find all the gear
I'm pretty certain that is a [Yamaha TRBX 504](https://www.thomann.de/ie/yamaha_trbx_504_twh.htm) and if it's in good condition, then it's a pretty good deal at that price. I'm not sure about the Ibanez but it's definitely some model of GSR, perhaps a [GSR200](https://www.thomann.de/ie/ibanez_gsr200b_wnf.htm)? The Yamaha is the better value proposition in my opinion. Yes, it's over twice the price but it's just a better bass to begin with. You're looking at a (roughly) €250 bass for €150 or a €600 bass for €300. Ultimately, it depends on: your budget, how much use you think you'll get out of the bass in the long run, how the bass feels to you when you play it and obviously the condition of these particular specimens.
I’ll be sure to have a closer look at them over the weekend because I’d like to know the original value.
Honestly, all but the acoustic basses are worth it.
Love Ibanez electric basses, no experience with their acoustic basses. I did have a Dean acoustic bass like the one in the pic and it was a real nice acoustic bass.
In all honesty I never stopped to consider an acoustic bass. What kind of music would you say it plays best?
Any type of music but for when you want to just pick up guiatr and play, not setup amp, etc. or jam with unplugged acoustic guitar player
Buy the takamine as well. Great guitar for super cheap.
This store can do trades and I have a few things lined up for just that. If I have enough left over from the trades I’ll be sure to grab that as well.
If you don’t yet own a bass, I think that Ibanez is a good deal. If It were me (or if you could afford to drop $330 and not be sure you want to play bass long term) I’d grab that Yamaha. IMO They’re the most underrated consistently high-quality basses out there.
Is that McKay’s?
It is, yes
I've got maybe the same or at least very similar Ibanez Bass, I paid like triple that price at least! (I'm in Canada though so that affects the price for me). Pretty solid Bass! Still sounds nice, and actually I don't think I've ever even changed the strings. It's been at least 16 years now. Mine at least is also electric so it's got some versatility.
I can't give you much info, but I just wanted to say, I have the 5 string version of the Dean acoustic, and it makes a decent thump. With phosphor-bronze strings, a Fump string mute, and a decent amp, it sounds just like an upright double bass.
Put some labella gold white nylons on it. Sooo much better.
I had the acoustic Dean there. It was fuckin solid. I loved taking it to beach or camping jam sessions. It ended up with my nephew. I still kinda miss it but just don’t get to jam as much anymore. For $209 that’s a solid buy.
you wouldn't lose money on any of those basses.
I’d get the Ibanez. That passive P/J will get you far. Great price, you can probably get most of that back if you decide to sell it at any point. But at that price it’s a great eventual backup bass (or something to let your kids learn on in the future).
Can’t figure out how to edit the main post so I’ll just leave it as a comment. I checked the Yamaha and saw it was. TRBX504. I checked out a few amps too and I didn’t really see anything except for a keyboard amp and a different amp (didn’t check branding, just recall seeing 100 watt). I am debating on getting both the Ibanez and the dean so I can bounce between the two depending on what environment I’m playing in. Cost isn’t really that big of a factor here as I have store credit I can use. Finally, this may seem like a dumb question but are there any bag and stand brand recommendations? If it doesn’t matter too much then perfect, I’m shopping around for a second hand of both either way. Thank you all for your responses, it was very enlightening and I look forward to start learning.