So I've been playing guitars for about 6 months and a friend recommended I pick up a bass and learn it as well.  It sounded good to me(I figured it can't hurt) so I went looking and found this:



A Washburn XB100.  It was dirty and was missing the G string but was in good shape otherwise.  After a short negotiation (Pawn Shop) I left with it and a new set of strings for $100.  Using skills common to guitar I was able to play a few easy songs(The Police Walking on the Moon/Roxanne and Green Day When I come around/Brainstew) through within a few hours of restringing and cleaning.

My questions for the more experienced guys (and ladies) is A) can someone date this bass for me, and B) recommend good online lessons and any supporting equipment I should have for a bass (the bass is all I have bass related, I have full setups for two electric and one acoustic guitar).  My problem is I live in "A geographic oddity: two weeks from everywhere".  My only local support (<150mi) is poorly stocked pawn shops.  As far as the age, I know this is a cheap bass and not worth much but I know that Washburn stopped making the x series in '03,  and I was just wanting to know.  I also need a recommendation for good online lessons because, once again, nobody around here teaches music outside of grade schools.  I want to play Rock, not jazz, please help me find some lessons.  Thanks for your time, and I'm glad to join the ranks of the bassists, I think I like bass more than guitar.

Scott Devine on youtube, brit, fantastic instructor. He has something for every level of player.

Oh, and before you drive yourself batty on why he wears one glove. He has a neurological condition where it is very painful to play, so he either had to find a way, or quit. He found the glove took away the stabbing needle sensation.

The guy's great.

Subscribe and enjoy.

I found Scott's videos.  He sounds like a good teacher and I subscribed.

Any opinions of finbarb bass on youtube?  I'm subscribed to his videos too.

You did OK. It is a 100 to maybe $175 base. You would have no problem getting your money back with some for your time spent.

Do you have a guess on the year it may have been made?  I know it's not desireable or valuable but it plays great with new strings and I plan on keeping it for a while.  Can someone recommend a good set of pickups?  I don't know shit about the electronics, I'm still a complete noob there.

No clue as to the age. It may or may not have date markings on the neck or in the neck pocket or under the pick guard.

 

Get a good, wide strap. I use a Levy's and an Onori padded leather strap w/ Schaller strap locks. Very comfortable and secure.  For new pickups a lot of folks put in a set of Seymour Duncan Basslines SPB-3 Quarter Pounders (I've had a set in my P bass). They can be a bit "aggressive", but, by adjusting pickup height and tone/volume controls and string choice, you can get a variety of tones.  My current "favorite" P bass pickup is the Bill Lawrence P-46.

Can't help you with the date though, sorry.  What amp are you using?

I don't have a lot of bass experience... Been a guitar player for 40 years been playing bass for 4..I love the sound of my Fender USA P bass but I had a MiM P bass with passive EMG's that rocked.

I only have one amp, a Peavey 258(which is more than enough for what I'm doing).  Can you suggest a budget amp?  I don't think it needs any electronics yet(don't have the skills to push the factory parts yet) but thanks for the suggestions.   I don't do gigs(not enough skills), my playing is done on back porches and in living rooms just for shits and grins.

For a few years now my "patio/practice"  amp has been an Acoustic B20 (20w, 12" speaker).  Solid little amp. 4 band eq, 3.5mm aux in and headphone out. I think I paid $125ish for it. Of course though, Acoustic no longer makes the B20, but if you come across a used one in good condition, it's not a bad little amp to have.  Acoustic now makes a B30 (30w, 12" speaker). Same layout as the B20, but the 30 also has a selectable overdrive channel. I''ve fiddled around with the B30 in the store a few times. If my B20 ever dies, I'll get a B30. Now that I think about it, I might just go pick up a B30 "just because".

You're welcome.  

Depends on how "budget" you want.  For nearly any combo amp, I'll recommend Gallien-Krueger.  If you've got $150, you can get the designed-and-assembled in the US MB108.  I'd personally spend some extra and go with an MB110 or MB112, but I understand that this wouldn't make sense to many people, but having a larger speaker and a more powerful amp will really help give you much better low-end.  But I'll always push G-K to anyone, since they're still making at least some semblance of an attempt at keeping their factories on this side of the ocean open.  On top of that, they make indestrictible, high-quality, great-sounding bass gear, and nearly all of their equipment has just about every EQ option you could find useful.  And sometimes I even feel sorry for guitar players that have never gotten the chance to open up something like one of the bigger RB-series amps into a big, big cab.  

Congrats!

If I ever get a bass with P-bass pickups, it's gonna get a set of these:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/bass-pickups/pbass/passive/steve_harris_si/

And as far as an amp goes, a friend of mine has a little Ampeg solid state combo that sounds great. Can't remember the model, though.

Thanks!  I've been jamming out on the Les Paul too



ETA:  Thanks for the link, I think I may pick up a set of those SD pickups.

I don't know how to give you an exact date, but I had a black one back in 98-99 that I really loved to play. It was very lightweight and played pretty well. Nice score for $100.

That's what i liked about it.  It was lighter than anything else they had.  The neck felt good and more natural to me than a Peavey and a beat to shit Epiphone they had, the rest was First Act and Rogue junk.  I almost went with the Peavey but something told me to go with the Washburn(mostly the price) and I'm glad i did.  I've been playing it about 3 hours a day and I'm getting more comfortable with it.  I think I'm gonna keep it for a while.