You can't really go wrong with the Yamaha, but you can do a lot better for the money. For God's sake, don't buy a Mexican Fender, and if you do, don't let it cloud your judgement about American instruments.
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Best Bass for £700
- Thread starter SteveB1978
- Start date
If it's your first bass, I'd aim cheaper personally. A Squier Classic Vibe (P or J) would be less than half your budget, and hold its value better than the Yamahas (they are great basses, but generally seem undervalued secondhand... Which could make one a great buy used!).
I'm a newbie so couldn't tell a Mexican Fender if someone hit me in the face with one unfortunately lol But a do like the fender deluxe active precision bass
Fender Rumble amps are a solid choice and great value.
i'll second that Yamaha and Ibanez are reliable and generally high quality. For that money i'd get a Yamaha BB735a (or 734a, the 4 string), but that's just me...
oh and there are plenty of great Mexi Fenders out there but it's advisable to try before you buy. So maybe not for now
i'll second that Yamaha and Ibanez are reliable and generally high quality. For that money i'd get a Yamaha BB735a (or 734a, the 4 string), but that's just me...
oh and there are plenty of great Mexi Fenders out there but it's advisable to try before you buy. So maybe not for now
I would say that you really need to try stuff out before shelling out that much on a bass.
Where are you bas(s)ed?
Suss out your local guitar shops, and see what they have in stock when the lock down lifts.
I would say that if you're desperate to get a bass during lock down, then maybe look at a Squier, something like:
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£200 gets you a decent P/J bass, with the possibility of decent resale on it when you decide to move on to something else.
Alternatively, go for the Squier starter pack, which includes an amp, gig bag, etc. to get you going for £249.
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Where are you bas(s)ed?
Suss out your local guitar shops, and see what they have in stock when the lock down lifts.
I would say that if you're desperate to get a bass during lock down, then maybe look at a Squier, something like:
Invalid Link Removed
£200 gets you a decent P/J bass, with the possibility of decent resale on it when you decide to move on to something else.
Alternatively, go for the Squier starter pack, which includes an amp, gig bag, etc. to get you going for £249.
Invalid Link Removed
i would also say try some of the classic vibe squier,revelation,vintage v4,Sire alot of these play really well,i have a Vintage V4 and it is a really well put together bass,and i owned a Revelation jazz bass and for the money it sounded great.
i would recommend trying some basses first to see what you like some basses look great, but unless you try them you wont know if its the bass for you.
i wouldnt spend £700 buying online unless i had at least tried out the bass
i have been playing years but some of my favourite basses have'nt cost me over £100 thats seconhand though.
i would recommend trying some basses first to see what you like some basses look great, but unless you try them you wont know if its the bass for you.
i wouldnt spend £700 buying online unless i had at least tried out the bass
i have been playing years but some of my favourite basses have'nt cost me over £100 thats seconhand though.
I do like the yamaha bb734a mind it's a really nice bassFender Rumble amps are a solid choice and great value.
i'll second that Yamaha and Ibanez are reliable and generally high quality. For that money i'd get a Yamaha BB735a (or 734a, the 4 string), but that's just me...
View attachment 3798777
oh and there are plenty of great Mexi Fenders out there but it's advisable to try before you buy. So maybe not for now
I'm in Sunderland Northeast Area guess I'll just have to wait which is a little frustrating
great instrument! Easy to play. Passive and active with mids selector lets you cover a ton of ground sonically. AWESOME neck. And I prefer the CND pups to barts or whatever it is that comes in the 300s. Bonus that you get to skip the "fun" that comes from owning a starter instrument.
If you go this path make sure you get the "e". Some sites still have the older version cheaper. The "e" with the active / passive switch and mids selector is what you want.
for what it is worth the green Jackson caught my eye too when it came out. I tried one and recall the neck being fairly chunky. The neck shape is a U and the board is flat. Not a bad thing but not my preference and not exactly as easy to play as other Jacksons IMO. And I just cannot get over the pointy headstock. I am all for pointy Basses, but that headstock on the traditional shape hurts my eyes.
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I was looking at Jackson CBXM David Ellefson Concert Bass and preferred the original headstock on the camo bass. But that's worried me now as I really want an easy neck with being a beginner as a Yamaha or Ibanez are quite easy fast necks so I've read. Do you know what the neck is like on the Dave Ellefson I was reading it was more rounded at the neck and flatter near the bridge for easier playing.
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Is he really small or is that a big bass lol but that is in my top 3 though
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welcome!
IMHO, something in the 300-500 usd range will be perfectly good for a first bass. Ibanez and Yamaha have excellent quality control, especially at their lower price point. I'd look at PJ pickup basses, because they give you access to several classic and very usable bass tones.
So with that in mind, I'd vote Yamaha bb434. But the bb734a and Ibanez SR650e you're looking at would also be excellent choices.
I'll also toss in a vote for the Rumble 100. They sound great at home, through speakers and in headphones, and get loud enough to hang with a drummer (if the drummer knows how to behave them selves
)
Happy hunting !
IMHO, something in the 300-500 usd range will be perfectly good for a first bass. Ibanez and Yamaha have excellent quality control, especially at their lower price point. I'd look at PJ pickup basses, because they give you access to several classic and very usable bass tones.
So with that in mind, I'd vote Yamaha bb434. But the bb734a and Ibanez SR650e you're looking at would also be excellent choices.
I'll also toss in a vote for the Rumble 100. They sound great at home, through speakers and in headphones, and get loud enough to hang with a drummer (if the drummer knows how to behave them selves
)Happy hunting !
There's plenty of shops in the North East of England that do carry bass stock, there's a few of the "big names" in Newcastle, like Guitar Guitar & PMT.
Guitar Guitar: Buy the Squier Pack Affinity Series PJ Bass Black
PMT: Squier Affinity Precision Bass PJ Pack Brown Sunburst with Gig Bag
Guitar Guitar: Buy the Squier Pack Affinity Series PJ Bass Black
PMT: Squier Affinity Precision Bass PJ Pack Brown Sunburst with Gig Bag
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Yeah I know I had popped in before the lock down and ordered a acoustic bass to look at but the shop closed the day my order was due in so never got to look at it and I'm still waiting lol
I do quite like the cream one just looking at it just wondering if I could up grade the plastic tone nobs?
As you are in England, Andertons and Thomann would be store for Sire's. I've got the Antique white P7 passing through Vietnamese customs from Thomann.
I also ordered these (looking the reviews, everyone bought them for the Sires)
*Pictures not to scale
