The bass is a great instrument and well worth the time you put into it. Also you will end up playing a lot more with diffrent people. There are a lot of good guitarist but not a lot of good Bassists. I play both, the bass is easier to learn and timing is really important. I would start out looking for a good instructor. Also a good instuctor should help you learn all the diffrent type of music, Rock, Metal, funk, R&B, Watlz, Jazz ect.. Six months to a year depending on the instructor should give you a good foundation