Budget Electric Basses - Your Thoughts

[JD Supernatural]

Im not that keen on Squiers, but I do like my SDGR 800 Ibanez, Its a MIJ one so its great quality, only $250 used and a bit roadworn, so it counts as cheap, everything about it is excellent, its done loads of gigs.....you dont have to spend big

 

[bassdiggle]

I needed a 24 fret bass....classical studies....ended up with SDGR 304, pearl white, looks good, plays well, neck was closer to my Fender Jazz....under $500 Aus......happy camper

 

[Bass Man Dan]

I liken it to automobiles. It used to be companies could put out garbage. That has changed. To survive today, your entire product line has to be decent at worst. No more foisting off garbage. So let's call them "inexpensive" basses, cheap has a negative vibe to it.

 

[soulman969]

I own two Squier CVs I've upgraded to make them equals of any MIA Std PBass or JBass I've ever owned and I still have less invested in both than one MIA Std. PBass or JBass. I've gigged with them and gotten compliments from others who've played them. They cost me less than an MIA but neither of them is what I think of as budget bass.

Three months ago I also acquired the G&L Tribute L2500 in my avatar. Although less costly than it's US counterpart many key components are identical to those used in the US made version. These basses list for $800 new and even though it's an import it's also far from being a budget bass and it will undoubtedly get it's share of work. as well.

 

[Fender_Bender]

I liken it to automobiles. It used to be companies could put out garbage. That has changed. To survive today, your entire product line has to be decent at worst. No more foisting off garbage. So let's call them "inexpensive" basses, cheap has a negative vibe to it.

A retrospective look back at cars from the mid 70's to 1990 is truly cringe worthy .

 

[wysiwyg248]

I find that the budget brands (Epiphone,MIM Fender, Sterling) match up quite well with the sound quality of your high end lines (Gibson, Fender USA, MusicMan). I have no shame in saving a couple bucks. Being able to get the sound that I need and saving a couple of (considerable) dollars is more significant than spending an arm and a leg on the name brands that do, virtually, the same thing. Thoughts?

Agreed 100%. With the current level of instrument quality, inexpensive basses sound pretty good.
If you upgrade pickups and electronics, most of them sound great and rival their more expensive cousins.

 

[BadExample]

A retrospective look back at cars from the mid 70's to 1990 is truly cringe worthy .

Vega.

 

[GreyBeard]

I presently own 7 basses, 3 would be classified as budget. SX J 5,Sire v7-5. And an IB ATK305. All 3 will get the job done. Of those 3 the ATK is my fav

 

[bottomzone]

My Sire Marcus Miller V7 5, Sterling by MusicMan Ray 35 and Cort Artisan Custom Z 5 may be budget basses with respect to cost, but the quality is way above their price point! Having owned an Alembic Spoiler, a Warwick BO 5, a Ken Smith Black Tiger 5 and a Cirrus USA 5-I currently own a Cirrus USA 6, my "budget basses" can hold their own! For the money spent, the value is ridiculous!!!

 

[SurferJoe46]

I find that the budget brands (Epiphone,MIM Fender, Sterling) match up quite well with the sound quality of your high end lines (Gibson, Fender USA, MusicMan). I have no shame in saving a couple bucks. Being able to get the sound that I need and saving a couple of (considerable) dollars is more significant than spending an arm and a leg on the name brands that do, virtually, the same thing. Thoughts?

I dont think of a MIM Fender as a budget bass at all.

 

[BaileyMan]

I think entry level budget basses can be great! I totally agree that if you can get the same (or pretty dang near) tone, why not? I keep a budget bad or two around, but for me the reason I play higher quality instruments is the attention to detail that makes the bass an easier, more comfortable instrument to play.

 

[Vinnie Boombatz]

I recently picked up a used (to me), but essentially brand new 2017 G&L Tribute JB-2, and let me tell you, that bass is pretty darn amazing. I also have a Fender Classic 50's Precision and sold my 1976 Precision. It's just like everything else, you should judge each instrument individually because there are some amazing basses being made these days for not a lot of money.

 

[alembicman86]

I find that the budget brands (Epiphone,MIM Fender, Sterling) match up quite well with the sound quality of your high end lines (Gibson, Fender USA, MusicMan). I have no shame in saving a couple bucks. Being able to get the sound that I need and saving a couple of (considerable) dollars is more significant than spending an arm and a leg on the name brands that do, virtually, the same thing. Thoughts?

Hate to say that the higher priced instruments, as much as I would love to spend the extra money simply are not worth the $. I am not into cosmetics so I don't require pretty. I require good tone and playability. You can definitely achieve that with-in a reasonable budget. I will put my Mexican fender jazz against any American one. it has great jazz tone. My Epiphone Jack Cassidy is another "cheapy" that delivers the goods. It helps to use a decent bass amp and a lot of your tone is in your hands, fingers and attack style. However you can also skimp too much. A Rogue or non brand name made in Korea, China, Indonesia is probably junk, crappy machine heads, poor pick-ups and inferior materials will make them a poor buy.

 

[Malak the Mad]

I am on the lookout for a cheap bass specifically to get a lightweight body for my old fart shoulders. Neck issues.

As someone who specializes in the "pain relief" side of massage/neuromuscular therapy, you have my deepest sympathies. However, I may have a viable solution, but it comes with a caveat or two.

Recently, I put together a "travel-worthy" parts-bass that fit a certain aesthetic groove I wanted to fulfill, but one that was as inexpensive as I could reasonably go. Ultimately, I ended up getting an incredibly light, Glossy Black finished Jazz body from Guitar Fetish which I paired with a Squier VM '70s Jazz neck. To cut the overall weight down further (re: travel-worthy) and to ease up on possible neck dive, I got a trio of Invalid Link Removed to go with an Ultralite Drop-D tuner I had sitting in my parts-bin.

Before I go any further, here comes the caveat…I had to use a fair amount of "elbow grease" to get that body ready to accept the neck and wiring harness. Admittedly, the harness is a chunky sorta thing, so that one is all on me, but the neck pocket needed some work from the get-go. I had to Dremel it out a bit wider and the pre-existing holes weren't going to line up properly, so they got a fill-and-redrill treatment. It was a bit of a pain in the ass, but now it should accept just about any Fender/Squier neck I choose to install. Also, it doesn't have any drilling for a ground wire, so there's that, too.

In the end, after a fair amount of work and curating other bits of necessary hardware, I ended up with a slick-lookin', fully-functional bass that weighs-in at a hair over six-and-a-half pounds, which makes it the lightest, full-scale bass I've ever owned. wideyed: = my face when I weighed it)

Budget-wise, not counting the time I spent working on it, it probably cost me somewhere between $350 and $400. It may not sound very inexpensive, but the costs were spread out over a year or so, if you count my using up loose parts I had lying around. However, it has capabilities more expensive, off-the-shelf basses can't do without further modification and it fits the aesthetic groove I wanted to achieve.

Basically, it looks a lot like this…

If you're willing and able to do a bit of work, or if you know someone who can do it for you, this could be a viable solution for your neck issue. Good luck!

 

[WayneP]

Back in the late '90s and early '00s I had a couple of chances to mix some shows where multiple bands were playing. Both times there were basses in a wide variety of price ranges, with at least one at each event costing in the $1500 range (which was a pretty good chunk of change back then). In both events, IMO the best-sounding bass of the night was a Squier.

I remember one of them in particular - the band with the guy playing the $1500 bass was followed by the band with the guy playing the Squier. I couldn't get a good sound from that $1500 bass to save my life – just sounded like mush, no matter how much I fiddled with the EQ. That guy with the Squier gets on stage, and it's clear and clean, every note distinct and discernable. I complimented him after the show about how great his bass sounded, telling him, "I hope you didn't make any mistakes, because I guarantee you everyone heard it!"

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Pedulla Club #45 Unique Arrangements of Hymns, P&W Standards, and Original Tunes
Administrator, Tobias Club #133
Administrator, Fretless Club #943
Big Cabs Club #23
My Basses
Pedulla Club #45
Tobias Club #133

 

[davidlwillism]

The first bass I bought I still own. I would play it more often but I am now more dedicated to my upright electric which I find more suitable to the jazz I now emphasize. My original bass guitar was (I think) a slightly better line by Sanger (spelling?), I cannot remember more. It has a gilt "S" on the headstock and states that it was designed by "Greg Benneth." The truss rod has the model name: "Fastlane." I think it cost a bit over $200, big money at the time. The finish, the frets and the quality of the wood is as good as instruments costing a thousand or more above the price I paid. Frets are huge and judging from the lack of wear, probably stainless. They are polished like glass and the edges have not a trace of a burr. The sound? OK, maybe I have a wooden ear, but I have played a ton of stringed instruments and the quality of sound from even a cheap beginner bass and a high end bass is not great.
Basically a bass player is playing a tonal drum: boom, boom, boom. Have I uttered heresy? The bass is a rhythm instrument with a scale and spending big bucks for some overpriced bass pickup is irrational in my view. In fact, I have found that many (perhaps most) practiced musicians cannot even detect if the bass is in the same key, the range is just too low.
If I was too proud to be seen playing a cheap bass, I would sand off the letter on the headstock and claim that I built it.

 

[davidlwillism]

I have not tried their basses, but the Chinese imports (such as SX) offer extraordinary value for the dollar. I could go on and on about the values I have had in guitars, but I can only extrapolate to basses. The quality of wood is astounding, the electronics just as good. I have a semi-solid Les Paul made from a single solid block of mahogany with solid (not plywood as Gibxon and the other big names use) thin quilted maple, book matched top. OK, the down side is that I bought a second that never should have been sold. It had a badly warped neck. Buy first quality and you cannot go wrong. I cannot but believe the basses are as good. If I had to buy again, I would buy a Chinese import. Just be sure to get first quality and (I would think) get a solid body. They hold up better anyway. If you find the headstock ugly (yes I do too) you could alter the shape, sand down the trademark and claim that you built it.

 

[Gabe Lamog]

The first bass I bought I still own. I would play it more often but I am now more dedicated to my upright electric which I find more suitable to the jazz I now emphasize. My original bass guitar was (I think) a slightly better line by Jay Turser, I cannot remember more. The finish, the frets and the quality of the wood is as good as instruments costing a thousand or more above the price I paid. The sound? OK, maybe I have a dull ear, but I have played a ton of string instruments and the quality of sound from even a cheap beginner bass and a high end bass is not great. Basically a bass player is playing a tonal drum: boom, boom. Have I uttered heresy? It does not mean that heresy is untrue. The bass is a rhythm instrument with a scale.

Explain how much you explored the tonal switches and knobs on the basses you played. What were you looking for in a tone?

 

[davidlwillism]

Explain how much you explored the tonal switches and knobs on the basses you played. What were you looking for in a tone?

Well, I have played with the knobs, and honestly if you want to play with the tone, you are better off leaving it on the bright side and adjusting on the amp. Volume is, I think, also better addressed on the amp. Just turn up the instrument volume and adjust downward on the amp between sets or on the instrument during performance. I honestly believe that bass is essentially a rhythm instrument with a tonal scale and except for brightness and warmth, there is not in my view much to play with. Maybe chorus. For that get a pedal.
I just edited to add this: I have found with guitars that the quality of the pots can be critical. If you do not like the sound of your cheap bass a cheap and often effective upgrade would be to have the pots changed.

 

[Paulabass]

I agree, you get so much bass for the buck, and value seems to get better every year.
So why do all my basses cost so much?
I'll be the first to admit, call it pride of ownership, or pure snobbery- that's me. I want people to say Holy Crap, look at that! Any digital watch keeps time the same as a Rolex. Every time I buy a 'run of the mill' bass, I trade it in, because of imagined faults, or- it just doesn't get my motor running.
There are luxury goods in every segment of the retail market, from canned beans to handmade sports cars. There will always be a market for the most expensive of anything. A nylon gig bag would get my bass to a gig, so I bought a handmade leather one. Seatbelt straps would hold up my bass all day, and I buy Ethos straps.
I was playing an almost $3000 bass the other day in a store. My girlfriend pointed out the 'Squier bass pack' and mentioned I could buy 12 of them for the price of the bass I was playing. I HONESTLY did not have a response for her.