My 18 yr old wants to add bass guitar to his skill set. Currently he’s an acoustic set drummer along with snare in the marching band. Does anyone have any recommendations for online instruction? What about bass guitar instrument recommendation, like 4 string vs 5 string, brand, etc?
Bass Guitar Lessons
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I am older and thus old school… I am a Fender Precision Bass fanatic. I have played all sorts of music and my PBass has always done fine. A PBass isn’t the cheapest option, but it is what I would recommend. If you buy wisely, you can sell it for what you have in it, so it’s not like it’s gonna be a loss of money if he doesn’t stick with it. That said, my info is dated (as am I). There are also lots of other wonderful basses. I am just a fan of the PBass. Lots of kids like the Jazz (J) bass quite a bit. It is a little more versatile, but I always end up trying to get it to sound like my PBass anyway.
If a PBass just isn’t an option due to cost, I have played some cheap Ibanez that were quite nice for the money.
As far as 5 vs 4 string, that’s preference thing. There weren’t too many other than 4 string basses available when I got started. I still play 4 and I am not too jealous of the guys hitting a low B. If I were starting today, I might well have more strings.
A bass rig is a bit of a thing. To get something with a sound I like, it takes a pretty substantial amp. To practice with, anything will do, but performance bass rigs are big and heavy.
Lessons… youtube led me to Ben and I haven’t looked back so maybe that is a good place to find bass folks too. There are a few bass guys on youtube. The only one I have seen a bit of is Scott’s Bass lessons. I’d go look at his basic stuff to make sure he covers fundamentals well before sending your son there. Scott does do a nice job with higher level stuff.
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Thanks for the tips, @Mike_R. Since your post I’ve been looking into Pbass vs Jazz bass, the spire, Mexican pbass, and American pbass ($$). I guess the next thing is a good amp to go with whatever we choose. Right now playing for the worship team at church is his immediate goal.
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@Brent.H Awesome to hear! I am a worship musician as well. If you want, I can IM my contact info and if I can help with any questions or whatever, I’d be glad to do so. As far as an amp: if the place he is going to be playing has a PA, then you don’t really need a substantial amp. Where I play we typically just use a preamp/DI box (no speaker) for the bass player. I have an ampeg combo amp with a 15 inch and a tweeter. It wasn’t too expensive, but I don’t think they make that model any more, but I do like it and I suspect they make something similar. It is still kind of heavy, but it has been a great amp for me. It is good enough for small jams with live drums, but it doesn’t take up as much space as a head and separate cabinet(s). If he just needs something to practice with, he could even go with a headphone amp to get started. I think they can be had for about $50 and up.
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By the way, I have played some Mexican made Fenders that were great. It sounded and played just like a PBass should. I have seen quite a few good deals on those over the years as well.
OK I’m not a bassist, but this should help: D G A Bm
Don’t forget the key change to where the worship leader can just barely hit the high note. 
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I’m pretty sure there is a bass guitar course on artistworks.com. Check it out. The courses I’m in are great
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I know I am late to the game on this post… but my main instrument is the electric bass. It was my major at the Armed Forces School of Music. I can do virtual (Zoom) Bass lessons if you still need them. I will also stay tuned to this topic and will answer questions if I can.
Mr G
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