What is your budget? Generally a $300 rod will be much better than a $100 rod but go up from there and there are diminishing returns. It will be cheaper to start with a "Ready to fish" outfit.
If I had to pick a beginner setup it would probably be this path setup. Redington is Sage's lower end brand but it is still good stuff.
If you are going to be fishing for bass that aren't in very shallow water you will probably want to pick up some intermediate or sinking line as well.