Cheap bass and great rig or cheap rig and great bass?

[hankster]

Get the good bass first.  Once you learn to play on a good instrument, you can play on anything.  You can't learn where your music comes from on a bad instrument.  As for amps, you can rent, buy, borrow, etc. as needed.  I totally get Musashi's running in quicksand metaphor.

[hankster]

On a further note, the Ibanez with Barts is hardly a bad bass - some of those play pretty well.  The TC electronics rig would be good - i use one all the time now, and use the amp even when there is serious backline as a preamp.
 
When we talk about bad basses - those of  us who grew up in the sixties and seventies really know how bad a musical instrument can be.  Today's low-end instruments are like a Stradivarius compared to some of those from my teen years.  
 
R.

[cozmik_cowboy]

When we talk about bad basses - those of us who grew up in the sixties and seventies really know how bad a musical instrument can be. Today's low-end instruments are like a Stradivarius compared to some of those from my teen years.
 
If that's the case for basses - and it truly is - it still pales next to what's happened with lower-line acoustic guitars!  Last year a friend & I were hanging out at Chicago Music Exchange playing everything in sight, and I picked up a new Epiphone 12-string; first I noticed that it played really well.  Then I noticed that it had a pretty nice tone.  Then I noticed that the price tag said $169..........  
 
We are living in a Golden Age, my friends!  
 
And get the instrument first; A good guitar may not sound as good through the Silvertone 1448 currently gracing my office as through the Victoria or Vero or Riviera I hope to have there someday, but a lesser instrument won't either - and wouldn't sound good through the good amp, as well - not to mention playability.
 
Peter

[pace]

Cheap bass, cheap rig... Golden fingers, golden ears...
 
....after all, that's the alpha/omega of the signal chain....
 
.... My only other recommendation would be a filter like an SF-2.... That'll bring out the best of whatever bass or amp she's using....

[briant]

Fingers/hands aside...
 
A good instrument will always compensate for a cheap rig.  If you're fighting with the instrument to make good things happen you're already losing the battle.
 
Several years ago I took a $100 Johnson P-bass and replaced everything but the body/neck of the instrument.  This was an experiment in just because.  I put Bartolini pickups in it, an Aguilar preamp, Hipshop tuners, a nice brass nut, and a Badass II bridge.  It sounded insanely better than the original off the shelf bass but it still played like a $100 Johnson bass.  That is to say that after a 3 hour gig that I did with it my hands actually hurt from fighting with the poor quality of the instrument.  I can't quantify this in any other way but the cheap quality of the construction/wood/whatever.  Sonically it was vastly superior but from a feel standpoint it was awful.
 
Conversely I had a practice rig sitting at a rehearsal space that consisted of an Acoustic B300H and some 4x10 cab that I had sitting around (don't recall what it was).  All together the entire thing cost me ~$500 and when I played any bass I owned through it the resulting sound was good to great.
 
Start with something good and you can only get better from there.

[gtrguy]

80's small body Ibanez Musician active bass - $150 - 250, add SWR Workingmans 12 combo - $150 = great playing and sounding rig for $300 - 350.

[terryc]

Chicken or the egg eh??
Personally get the best instrument you can afford as it will stay with you for life especially if it is an Alembic, I only own two basses, my 83 Squier which is retro fitted with a PJ Alembic activator set and Badass bridge..the neck is superb and my MK Signature which is used constantly.
Even if you stop playing you can sell the amps but still practice and noodle around on your bass when you feel like it.
Amps..I am not precious about as technology progresses there is always something better out there year in and year out and there are always people who change there amps are regular as there underwear so to keep up with trends so as long as they have been looked after(and they usually have in those cases) buying second hand can give some bargain gear. As previously mentioned at large venues you are at the mercy of the sound man, in fact most times I don't bother taking an amp just tell the soundman to give me a decent mix in the monitors.
Again...instrument first and foremost.