Learning how to play a musical instrument can bring so much excitement that newbies often find themselves eager to spend and buy an instrument, sometimes in a hasty manner. But choosing an instrument to buy requires great care, especially in choosing elaborate instruments such as an electric bass guitar.

For novices, it's recommended to buy a guitar that meets the basic requirements instead of complex model guitars. The primary consideration is the type of bass guitar to purchase. The world's most common are the Fender bass guitar types: the Precision Bass and the Jazz Bass. The Precision Bass (P-Bass), designed by Leo Fender in 1951, became the first mass-produced electric guitar. It is popularly used by blues, rhythm and rock bassists for its hard-edged sound and articulated fundamental tones. P-Bass are usually made of alder and swamp ash, and is easy to spot with its split-coil humbucking pickup.

On the other hand, the Jazz Bass, or "J-Bass," is the Fender bass guitar model designed in the 60s. It is narrower than the P-bass and has two single coil pickups to cancel out external noises. The J-Bass' produces rich and bright tones of various midrange notes, from "jazzy" to "folky." Many bassists choose the combination of a "J" pickup at the bridge and a "P" pickup at the neck, and this is recommended for the new bass guitar players, too.

The are four-,five-, six-stringed bass guitars available in the market, and first time buyers are usually confused on which to pick. The rule of thumbs is, the less complicated the better. New guitar players are encouraged to buy four-string bass guitars, tuned EADG, because it covers the usual notes required. The purpose of using more strings is if the type of music you play demands hitting a lower and higher pitched notes all the time.

In considering scale lengths, the Fender bass guitars' 34" remains to be the standard. But generally, it depends on the number of strings preferred and one's hand size. Ideal for small hands are four-string bass guitars with either 30" or 32" scale length, while larger hands might require 35", 35.5" or 36" scale lengths. The longer it is the more stretching and shifting are required when playing. As such, test-playing guitars before buying them is recommended for first-time bass guitar players.

To go "fret-less" or not is another design aspect to consider. The Fender Precision earned its named because it has frets that allows for precise fingering, as oppose to the original double-bass cello. Playing on fretted bass guitars, such as the P-bass, enables musicians to reach the highest harmonics, while fretless guitars, when played accurately, produce a more warm tone. Because not all new bassists quickly develop the skills of playing tunes in their minds and correctly play it right on their guitars, it is most recommended that beginners play fretted guitars first.

There are still a lot of details to go over when buying your own guitar. Some of them includes feeling the weight of the guitar, the balance and fit of it against your body, the range of tones and its overall look. The important thing is to keep it within your skills range and not go overboard as an overly sophisticated bass guitar could only end up overwhelming you and discouraging you from developing your skills further.

Learn more and browse dozens of Fender bass guitars and hundreds of other bass guitars at The Guitar Center.