Kit and Kaboodle
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Published on 10-31-2013 04:00 AM
Number of Views: 979
If you’re ready to start playing the bass, but don’t necessarily want to go through all the fuss of piecing together all the accessories to make a go of it, you might want to consider a starter kit. A kit gets you going right out of the box, by including all the elements to have you making thunder the minute you get home.
In a kit, however, it’s easy to be suckered in by a low price. Discount priced department store kits can come with many accessories that make the purchase look attractive, but let’s face it - if the bass is substandard, have you really gotten your money’s worth?
Look for a brand name kit, with a reputation for quality. Most major names make good quality starter kits. After all, their ultimate wish is that you’re happy with your new bass, so stuffing the package with a cheap, nasty ax is bad for their reputation. If you’re happy with the starter kit, it’s their hope you’ll develop a brand loyalty that keeps you coming back to them for upgrades when you’re ready.
And you? You get a quality name on your first bass!
One starter kit that has a very good reputation is the Yamaha Gigmaker for electric bass.
You get the very popular Yamaha RBX170 bass guitar, which is one of Yamaha’s top selling models even without the kit!
The RBX170 is a 24-fret, 34” scale four stringer with a body of solid Agathis, a bolt-on maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard. The bridge is vintage style, and the two pickups are a split single coil and a single coil. Controls include front volume, rear volume, and master tone. Available colours (as I've seen them) are black, blue, or red.
They don’t skimp on the quality of the accessory package either.
You get a 15 or 20 watt DRIVE bass amp (depending on the specs of the particular kit), a gig bag, a chromatic tuner, an instructional DVD (which you’ll naturally be eager to replace with the TMBG course to kick-start your learning), a strap, and a cable. The only thing I find lacking in this kit is a stand.
The entire kit and kaboodle is usually priced between $275.00 - $300.00. Not bad.
Kits are usually all over the place in music stores when Christmas rolls around, but most stores will keep a few of the more popular ones in stock all year round.
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