Here's a dude with a fender jag bass for $120 in Shelbyville (bass is probably chinese, but you set a pretty low price limit) who needs some rent money: http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/msg/4368049428.html

awesome, thanks

i was hoping you'd say fender...

Gretsch electro matic short scale

Yeah, I'd say it depends on if you want short or long scale...

what's the difference? is there any difference in sound?

Longer scale should, you know, sound deeper, but not by a ton. I think longer scale sustains better. Not really sure how much difference there is in practical use. Especially with a decent pickup...

Its 100% about how it feels it your hands which, to be honest, probably doesnt matter much to you at all since you arent getting a bass to become a bass player, you're getting one to lay down some bass parts for your music.

So in your case, it sounds like Price is the biggest limitation. Thus, the most remotely decent thing you stumble across in the limited amout of time you have to search becomes "the one."

http://huntsville.craigslist.org/msg/4378736120.html

not really any difference in tone or sustain between long and short scale to my ears and i've played extra long scale, but my hofner sounds plenty beefy.

So does McCartney's.

Flats. Good amp. Practice. Specifically shaping the end of the note with either hand.

As a guitarist, you might have more facility, technically speaking, on a shorty.

Less real estate to cover means less strain on the hands if you're prone to tendonitis.

i actually bought a fender bass (can't remember series) this weekend. nothing fancy, but it feels good and plays well. ~200 or so.

in other news, i bought my stepson his first guitar - a fender squire student model. he loves it. i'm thinking about making a guitar mix for him for inspiration and practice motivation. i'd like to make it pretty inclusive of all different styles to expose him to different things.

everything from chet atkins picking style to loud nirvana-y rock, to shredding metal.

if you guys have any guitar god fave tracks of any style, feel free to post them...

Rush's Exit Stage Left is what I beat into the ground at that age.

Alot of my friends who are much better guitarists than I learned Eric Johnson's Cliffs of Dover.

I like Jimmy Bryant alot.

nice...thanks for that'n

So, for "classics" I would suggest...

"Waiting For The Sunrise", which was originally by Les Paul and Mary Ford, but there are 2 excellent faithful covers by Jeff Beck and Neko Case out there on Spotify etc...

"Deep River Blues" by Doc Watson (played live here in '91), qualifying as perhaps among the best things a single person can do with a single guitar in his lap. "Best" of course not meaning fretboard gymnastics per se, but goddam storytelling. It is fairly hard to play, but that's secondary here. This is what I wish had been into when I was 13.

Now if fretboard gymnastics IS something you want to dip a toe into, here's that same 75 yr old blind man ripping the shit out of his fretboard. "Black Mountain Rag" also by Doc Watson, played live in '91. This is a good tool to help explain why learning scales isn't boring bullshit.

'Iron Man', 'Smoke On the Water', 'Blitzkrieg Bop'

Rinse. Repeat.

Krauth has a point.

point taken

at some point i'ma load these up on the 'FY

Hell, lots of Zep I would be pretty good fodder as well. Riffy, but usually not too hard.

Slim chance but anyone here wanna buy the mesa from me? Fucker won't sell.

ebay that shit, or see what you can trade it for on craigslist, and not just music gear?

It's been ebayed, several times. And I only want a top-shelf little amp.

bite the bullet and haggle this guy down to $300.

http://hartford.craigslist.org/msd/4429202267.html

That looks cool. Google says I'd have to fix the output transformer factory wiring fuckup (if it hadn't been done already) but yeah, very cool amp.