Beginner Bass Brands! $700 Budget! Advice Needed!

[TheMartianBassist]

Gonna keep this short and sweet.

These are the brand finalists I really like.
They all have fabulous basses in my price range, and I tried them all. Curious to see what you guys think!
And yes, I purposefully left out Fender. Don't kill me (-:

Cheers!

Update:
By the way I feel you guys are thinking of American G&L's!

I meant the Tribute series.
It won't let me change the option now.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Sire or G&L.

For a ton of reasons that I don't feel like writing about .

Never played an LTD. I've owned basses from all the other companies though.

 

[TheMartianBassist]

Sire or G&L.

For a ton of reasons that I don't feel like writing about .

Never played an LTD. I've owned basses from all the other companies though.

What Sire bass do you have?

 

[nostatic]

What kind of music do you want to play? What bass players do you listen to/like?

Plenty of great budget basses out there. You really can almost pick based on appearance and features as many of them are solid to begin with.

 

[Joe Nerve]

What Sire bass do you have?

Fretless V7

 

[TheMartianBassist]

What kind of music do you want to play? What bass players do you listen to/like?

Plenty of great budget basses out there. You really can almost pick based on appearance and features as many of them are solid to begin with.

This will be mainly for church and weekend bar gigs. Simple rock tunes.

 

[nostatic]

This will be mainly for church and weekend bar gigs. Simple rock tunes.

Hard to go wrong with a P bass. If you want a bit more flexibility, then a PJ (my first choice of instrument). Given that, the new Sire is probably a great choice:

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[alack]

I can't believe I'm saying this but, I chose Ibanez. I consider myself a dedicated P with flats guy. But I saw the 5 string SR1405E in a local shop and was knocked out by the look of. Five strings, active, totally not me. But the 4 string SR1400E with a set of light flats could be fun.

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[TheMartianBassist]

I can't believe I'm saying this but, I chose Ibanez. I consider myself a dedicated P with flats guy. But I saw the 5 string SR1405E in a local shop and was knocked out by the look of. Five strings, active, totally not me. But the 4 string SR1400E with a set of light flats could be fun.

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wow! That mojito lime green looks awesome!

 

[FunkyD]

IMHO...as a beginner I think your physical comfort should take priority. I would try out as many of these as you can - there truly is a difference in feel. One of them will surely feel better to you than the others, over time almost becoming an extension of your physical self as opposed to a cumbersome strain on your shoulders, back, wrist, fingers, et al. Feeling at ease was a major first step for me - eliminating discomfort allowed me to focus on technique and how to navigate around the fretboard unafraid of pain, which in turn meant I enjoyed practicing and getting better.

Try not to let price factor into your decision as best you can. My point here is that I spent a lot of money on a brand new Pedulla years ago...an absolutely beautiful instrument with wonderful tone. Problem was I struggled with the elongated neck and developed major wrist/hand cramps. It killed me to part with it but it was either that or quit playing. Picked up a MIM Jazz for 1/4 of what the Pedulla cost and it's a whole new world for me.

Good luck.

 

[alack]

wow! That mojito lime green looks awesome!

But I just realized I blew past your budget by about $500.
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[alack]

I have to read more carefully. First I missed your $700 budget. Then I realized I missed the word "beginner." But $700 is going to get you more than a beginner instrument. That said, I'm still impressed with Ibanez's current "bang for buck" value. Both links I posted are just instruments I'm currently gassing for. They may be way off the mark of what you need or want.

 

[TheMartianBassist]

I have to read more carefully. First I missed your $700 budget. Then I realized I missed the word "beginner." But $700 is going to get you more than a beginner instrument. That said, I'm still impressed with Ibanez's current "bang for buck" value. Both links I posted are just instruments I'm currently gassing for. They may be way off the mark of what you need or want.

The SR505 is in my budget and is super comfortable. I almost feel like it's a competition between that and the Sire models.

 

[TDR1138]

I chose G&L and Ibanez.

I love G&Ls. I think a nice M-2000 would fit in to what you're doing quite well. I do prefer the L myself, mainly because I've had them for 20+ years.

I've always liked the value you get with Ibanez, especially the SR650. And they sound great. I've thought about picking up an SR655 myself.

The Sires are super nice, would be my third choice. My gripe with them is that the controls are just too crowded for my mitts.

 

[lfmn16]

For $700, you could buy a Fender MIA used. That's what I would do.

 

[dxb]

For $700, you could buy a Fender MIA used. That's what I would do.

I was literally just typing the same thing.

 

[TheMartianBassist]

For $700, you could buy a Fender MIA used. That's what I would do.

Call me a psycho but... I can't put it into words... but I just don't like Fenders.
I'd get a G&L way before I'd get a Fender.

 

[TheMartianBassist]

By the way I feel you guys are thinking of American G&L's!

I meant the Tribute series.
It won't let me change the option now.

 

[garp]

Gotta agree with FunkyD here. For a beginner, comfort reigns supreme, closely followed by aesthetics. If the instrument is physically uncomfortable, the beginning player may think that all basses are equally uncomfortable and quickly lose interest. And if the instrument isn't pleasing to the beginner's eye, he/she will be even less likely to pick it up.

I voted Yamaha, if only because from their entry-level instruments to their pro-level instruments, the quality is always top-notch. However, I wouldn't hesitate to also recommend any other brand on that list.

 

[gln1955]

Call me a psycho but... I can't put it into words... but I just don't like Fenders.
I'd get a G&L way before I'd get a Fender.

But you have Squier on your list?