Budget P copies with alder bodies

The Yamaha is probably as close as you are going to get.

 

Chinese Squier Affinity.
Alder body and about as P bass as you can get.
However, if your nephew has small hands, maybe the 32" scale Yamaha is a plus.

 

Chinese Squier Affinity.

 

Dave what about the Douglas Pieces it's alder and $139.95

http://www.rondomusic.com/pisces2ts.html

The short scales are basswood so no good.

 

Or this one from Thomann in Germany

http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hot_rod_bass.htm

It's 139 euro delivered to the US bit pricey though that's $169.

You get 30 days return even though it's from Germany and 3 years warranty.

There's a Harley Benton owners club just started on here toK I'm club member #2

 

SX and Xavier both make alder body P-bass copies.

 

If you don't mind doing a little work, you could mod a used Chinese squier. Here is my project affinity http://www.talkbass.com/threads/used-squier-project.1100318/ 180 bucks, but could be done cheaper if you're resourceful.

 

Why does it have to have a alder body?

 

http://www.guitarfetish.com/Xaviere-Bass-Guitars_c_362.html

 

90ish Corts P-bass plus the neck width at the nut is a little bit over 1.75, which puts it in the category of the older P's that Fender produced in the 60s when the neck differences between the P and the J models were significant. I actually prefer the wider neck at the nut of the old P' s, and the Cort that I found (used), fit the bill perfectly.
The tuning machines on the Cort are licensed by Schaller and of course the guts had to be replaced with EMG passives in A5
to help represent that early Fender sound which were alnico 5 on Jazz's... but I'm not sure about the P's.