I recently bought a used Fender Rumble 100 (pictured on the right) bass amp from my friend Brandon. I’m greatly enjoying having a practice amp again and I’ve found that it’s greatly increased the amount of time I spend playing and learning new songs. While a big part of that is being in the honeymoon stage of owning a new piece of equipment and the amount of time I spend with it will taper off slightly over time, I’m guessing I’ll spend a lot more time practicing than I used to (playing through headphones is lame!).

However, this has gotten me searching for a new guitar as well.

Perhaps I should be more specific. When I mention to Cassie that I’d like a new guitar she gets a hurt look on her face and reminds me that I just got a new guitar for my birthday. And although I love my Epiphone Les Paul electric guitar, what I actually mean is that I would like a new bass guitar.

My current bass is a long term loaner from Brandon. And while I’m content playing it, eventually I will have to return it. Because of that I’m always passively looking at other basses and trying to decide what I’d like. So I decided I would share the short list of what bass guitars I’m considering here along with some relevant information.

1. Ibanez SRX350

Cost: $399.99
What Cassie will say: “Four-hundred dollars? Why is it so expensive?”
This is the guitar that I play on Tuesday nights with the Crossroads band. It belongs to Sam, who leads the band, but I’ve gotten so comfortable on it that at this point I’m considering one as an option for my own guitar.

2. Epiphone Thunderbird Pro-V

Cost: $599.99
What Cassie will say: “You’d better quit dreaming! You can buy that when you sell one of your other guitars… Actually, if you want to afford that you’ll probably need to sell all your other guitars!”
I like the Thunderbird basses almost solely because of their distinctive shape. It’s got a dirtier sound than the other guitars on this list, but sometimes that can be a good thing.

3. Fender American Deluxe Jazz

Cost: $1299.99
What Cassie will say: Not much since her head exploded at the thought of a guitar that costs thirteen-hundred dollars.
The Jazz Bass is easily the guitar I would like the most. There is a standard version (I believe it’s Mexican built instead of American, but I could easily be wrong) that can be had for as little as $700, but that cost difference is due to substituted parts that change both the sound of the bass as well as how well it plays (Meaning I would buy the $700 version if I had the money, but I would have to think long and hard about whether or not I wanted to just wait it out and save up for the better version).

While there are other basses that I’ve considered, the above three are definitely the guitars that I like the most. And perhaps one day soon I’ll write a post on what bass I eventually bought.

(I have an idea on what Cassie would say about that too, but it would be wise for me to keep it to myself.)

–ringl