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lol
However that can't be my answer here because no matter how you try, you aren't going to get even a worthwhile fake one for £200...
For that money, I would either second Bridgehouse and get a Squier P-Bass, or if you do fancy a short-scale bass, the Squier VM Jaguar Bass is unbeatable value, at least new.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson
McCartney in the Beatles, Jack Bruce in Cream, and Andy Fraser in Cream all used short scale basses. It's a valid option.
The first bass I bought, I thought I'm going to keep this simple and get a Precision. I got a second hand Fender Japan reissue of an early 60's (62?) P bass which had a really wide neck. I've got really short fingers, and it was a struggle to play. Playing a Jazz for the first time was a revelation. After that I ended up selling the Precision and getting a Jazz, which I got modded to PJ specs because a Precision sounds better.
A couple of months ago, I borrowed a friend's short scale Supro, and that was another revelation. It was so much easier to play. It's a different sound but short scale didn't stop McCartney selling bucket loads of records. Not everyone is going to have my short fingers, so a long scale bass might not be an issue, but I did want to make the OP aware of short scale as an option.
If you have a shop near you with a decent stock, then it's worth going and trying a few. Try a Precision, but also try the Jazz to see if you like the narrower neck. Try something like the Mustang bass to see if the short scale is better for you. Even if you do end up buying a second hand one off of Gumtree, you will have a better idea of what you want.
I think if you are going to chose one bass over another it has to be on playability, tone, fit etc. My comment was in response to the suggestion that a short scale is a good choice because it will "suit a guitarist better"
I disagree - it won't necessarily at all. A short scale may though suit a specific players needs, ear, tone requirements.
the most 'guitary' bass neck i have tried is the squier jag shortcale bass. really liked it. but i didn't like the P&J pickup combo so much. combined with the shortscale it sounded a bit dry to me. but that side depends on you are intending to process your signal (pedals & amp). i know royal blood bassman (can never remember his name) uses a shortscale jag now (squier not fender) & if you have heard that stuff, it's not light on bottom end.
i could have put a hot neck pickup in mine & pumped/saturated the bass eq, but i have now gone semi acoustic bass in search of max phatness (whoever he is).
the gretsch shortscale (i forget the number but they only do one) is often said to have a similar guitary neck. bridgehouse thinks they are pretty cool but i have never tried one. a highly rated bass you might get used within your budget.
on the other hand i tried a squier bronco bass (shortscale) recently and it seemed uber chunky. entirely different animal to the squier jag (like precision v jazz).
i had wanted to try one for a while, thinking 'squier, black, offset, shortscale... whats not to love?' but even at under £100 used i didn't take it. but then you may have loved it.
anyway, those two above would be good starting points to try if you want shortscale & guitary. & if they are too thin maybe the bronco will be your thing. shortscale seems to be a good way for guitarists to bridge the gap either as a final destination or as a stepping stone to fullscale.
re tone, to me shortscale basses definitely have a 'softer warmer' tone. less low end aggressive punch ('grunt' maybe the word) and more middy & muddy harmonics (in a good way).
but again it depends on what you are doing with it. if you are playing in a very fuzzy distorted mix then a shortscale may not cut through enough. but if you are doing cleaner things, then the shortscale has a hint more warmth.
Go to a shop with at least a dozen basses in it. Play all of them in your price range. If you can afford the time, go to a second shop and play an equally large number.
Ignore the label on the headstock, the scale length, the pickup arrangement and just have a play and listen to it amped up. If you have a bass playing mate take them to twiddle whilst you listen.
Then, fuck what everyone else says and buy the one that you feel is most comfortable, sounds best and you are more likely to play. Frankly, that's about as scientific as I think it should get.
... don't.
Either commit fully or don't bother. (You'll love it. It's a way of life.)
That depends on whether you consider Bass to be a larger guitar, tuned lower or to be The Final Frontier.
I take the view that Bass is a musical function. In a band context, the role could be fulfilled by a four-stringed instrument, a tuba or a Moog Taurus pedal. Possibly, even, all three simultaneously.
No.
Yeah, a major difference is that bass playing is all about the song (the music). When I took up bass I had to learn the rudiments of music theory whereas before, playing guitar, I did not, or believed I did not, need to know any theory to play guitar.
Bass is a whole different world. You will either love it or you will love it.
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
Writing bass lines for original songs in our band has been has been more rewarding than any other writing too. It really has been brilliant
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself