Is the bass physically hard to play?

>Dear Mr. Pfaff,
>
>Thanks for answering my question about the bass and for your advice. You're right in not over thinking it. I don't want to do that. I just want to find a bass that is easy to play.
>
>I was told that a bass is hard to play and that if you don't have strong wrists that you shouldn't even bother. What do you say to that? Also, if you were starting to play all over again, which brand or instrument type would you get? Would you reccomend a book to learn from?
>
>Thanks again Mr. Pfaff.
>
>J.

Dear J.,
Your wrists gain strength through practice. A bass that is set up decently should be playable by anyone with normal wrist strength.
I started with a cheap copy of a Fender Precision made by a company called Crestline. I imagine they have long since gone out of business. It was fine for what I needed at the time, and as my playing matured my tastes and preferences matured as well, which led me to the next bass and the next one after that.
If I had it to do over again that bass would still have been fine. Just about any of the inexpensive models you see in music stores today are playable if they have a good truss rod adjustment.
As for beginning bass books, get one that teaches you how to read standard musical notation. It's a far superior system to tablature for many reasons. Most of the books in that category are equally good. Again, I encourage you not to overthink it. Any book you pick out and practice from diligently will give you results.
Hope this helps,
Andy

http://www.andrewpfaff.com