GUitar heroes I need your help - beginner bass guitar purchase advice please

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DS13 is desperate for a bass guitar, having mastered two riffs! There are some second hand ones on eBay at around £60 +.
But we are completely new to this area - do you have any advice/recommendations for a cheap way for him to see if he actually likes this properly?

I'm afraid I can't advise about bass guitars, but have you tried your local music shop? IME, staff can be very helpful in giving advice.

Also, music department at school, or any friends who play?

Presumably though, if it's a case of not being sure if he'll take to it, rather than 'Is this a good quality guitar?', you will be able to sell it on afterwards if he doesn't take to it, so not much lost.

Yes, I agree with other reply. Also, try bass and/or guitar web sites as well as real shops.

You'll also need a practice amp, unless it can go through your hi-fi, but then you risk damaging speakers, so volume needs careful control.

Does he have any other musical experience, as keyboard is easier to learn for beginners, and it will have plenty of 'bass voices', and can use headphones or connect to hi-fi.

Where are you? We have one for sale.

But Google Peavey guitars. They do some good basic ones*

*I am not a guitar expert

Are there any 'rock guitar clubs' / youth group things in your area that maybe run out of community centres or youth clubs?

Failing that - take the plunge! Fender Squier are great. Classic guitar but at a fraction of the price of a full-on Fender and would keep a reasonably decent resale value if you needed to sell on. Most other big brands have budget bass ranges (go alliteration!) eg Epiphone, Yamaha, Ibanez, Peavey and it's probably best to go for one of those rather than a cheap random make, in my opinion. Your local friendly guitar shop can help you there if you want advice or to try them... (And might even know about any clubs / projects etc in the local area).

Buying 2nd hand online can be a bit of a minefield unless you know what to look out for but equally you can get some real bargains... But you don't want to end up with a turkey that's got problems from the off.

Sorry, you asked for ways for him to try it out and I rattled on about buying guitars... Got carried away!

Hope he sticks with it

Second hand will hold value better than new, and if he loses interest you can sell. I know some music schools and shops rent them, but tbh I think buying a cheapie will be better. Just make sure it works! Cash converters etc are often a good place to look, as you can test things out, especially amps.

Squier are an excellent beginner guitar, but it doesn't really matter that much what kind you get at this point so if there's one that's affordable and he likes it, go for it.

He will need a practise amp. Get one with a headphone outlet as well as the speaker, and one that's made for bass, not guitar, as a bass will sound awful through a guitar amp for a short time, and then it will break it.

Any of these would be fine as a practise amp, but there are lots of different ones and you'll be able to find cheaper ones secondhand.

www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hb20b_bass_combo.htm
www.thomann.de/gb/ibanez_ibz10b_2.htm
www.gak.co.uk/en/behringer-bt-108/940