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Cheap Hollowbody Basses?

#21
I would buy an ibanez or aria tab over any of those 4 you've listed. That san francisco will have really bad neck dive. It's built similar to my semihollow with a full scale 22 fret neck attached too far out on the body.
If you can spend a little more >$500, buy a jack casady. (> means greater than. < means lesser than). I think it's more suited to what you want and is going to be better quality. Here's the club JACK CASADY BASS PLAYERS CLUB!
 
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#22
Astre said:
I'm looking for a pretty cheap (>$500) semi-hollow or hollow body bass. So far I've found four that seem cheap and pretty okay but I know next to nothing about these basses or their manufacturers.

Samick Royale RLB-2 This is some hollow bass that looks pretty nice with inlays ... my only real reservation is its single humbucker. I have also not been able to find any reviews.

Samick Royale RLB-2 Here is another one from the same brand that seems a little bit nicer... I love the flaming finish on it and it also has a rosewood fretboard. Other than that it seems to be exactly the same as the one above. The inlays are also great.

Invalid Link Removed Here's an inhouse branded one that is much cheaper and I would not consider if it weren't for three things: It's much cheaper, it has two pickups instead of one - suggesting more versatility, and I think its body contour is slightly more appealing and reminds me of the old Gibson EB line. The neck & headstock seem to be of a significantly lower quality, though, and the pickups are unbranded.

https://www.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_hb_60_wb.htm Harley Benton is supposed to be a pretty good budget brand, and I like its pickups, finish, and body shape. The inlays are okay, although they're pretty out there. My biggest problems are that it is a short scale, which is not ideal, and it is only available from Thomann, which has around $100 shipping to the US. That being said, with shipping, this bass would cost around the same as one of the Greg Bennett ones.

So, what do you guys think? Should I go for one of the Greg Bennetts, the Generic bass, or the Harley Benton? Are there any other basses I should look for? Thanks.
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Here’s a review on the GB
Invalid Link Removed
the TB search engine is your friend.;)
 
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#23
Astre said:
I'm looking for a pretty cheap (>$500) semi-hollow or hollow body bass. So far I've found four that seem cheap and pretty okay but I know next to nothing about these basses or their manufacturers.

Invalid Link Removed This is some hollow bass that looks pretty nice with inlays ... my only real reservation is its single humbucker. I have also not been able to find any reviews.

Invalid Link Removed Here is another one from the same brand that seems a little bit nicer... I love the flaming finish on it and it also has a rosewood fretboard. Other than that it seems to be exactly the same as the one above. The inlays are also great.

Invalid Link Removed Here's an inhouse branded one that is much cheaper and I would not consider if it weren't for three things: It's much cheaper, it has two pickups instead of one - suggesting more versatility, and I think its body contour is slightly more appealing and reminds me of the old Gibson EB line. The neck & headstock seem to be of a significantly lower quality, though, and the pickups are unbranded.

https://www.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_hb_60_wb.htm Harley Benton is supposed to be a pretty good budget brand, and I like its pickups, finish, and body shape. The inlays are okay, although they're pretty out there. My biggest problems are that it is a short scale, which is not ideal, and it is only available from Thomann, which has around $100 shipping to the US. That being said, with shipping, this bass would cost around the same as one of the Greg Bennett ones.

So, what do you guys think? Should I go for one of the Greg Bennetts, the Generic bass, or the Harley Benton? Are there any other basses I should look for? Thanks.
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‘I just saw a video from low end lobster on Utube last night and in his opinion he said that he really liked a Gretch just a twitch above your price range. Unfortunately, no audio sample on the video but it might be a good place to start.
 
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#25
Astre said:
Right, thanks. I'm not that interested in ABGs, and AFBs and ASBs are short scale, but I found what looks to be a pretty decent ASB 180 on reverb. Thanks for the suggestion.
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The Ibanez AGB/AFB etc. series require medium-scale strings, even though they're considered short-scale (because of the way the tailpiece and bridge are designed). So maybe that would eliminate the problems you see with short-scale basses.
 
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#26
I would favour a rosewood fingerboard over maple, less bright and mellower, imo, but what will make a major difference is your string choice. Recently I tried Labella 760 black tape wounds and they have a great 'acoustic' quality to them, but being tapewound, they are not grounding the bass, (for want of better words), like steel or nickel strings.
 
#27
My only personal hollow body experience is with my 1965 Rivoli with Rotosound Tru 88 Tapewounds which I thoroughly love but short scale, surprisingly heavy ish and finding one in your price range impossible .

I have played several EPI JC basses but again, over your budget.

I worked with a lady who’s son was friends with Greg Bennett’s son (and therefore knew the parents) and asked if I knew the guitar line bearing his name. Great family, so there’s that. Don’t have any other experience but Samick is known for producing good instruments.

I think I’d be tempted to try the San Francisco model. Best price, 2 pickups and passive. Gibson aesthetics. I’d opt for the red finish and TI flats, GHS black tapes or in true period correctness Pyramid Gold flats. I still haven’t personally used the Pyramids (the others are my go to) but I intend to one day.
 
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#28
If you keep a sharp eye out, are patient and/or are willing to spend just a shade more, you may come across a "Newark Street" (MIK) Guild Starfire I in decent condition:

PZ90PF6.jpg




They are out of production, having been replaced by these (Made in Indonesia) which are even less expensive:

Guild Launches Iconic Starfire I Bass

I can recommend the former based on personal experience, but haven't played or examined the latter in person. People who have seem to think they're a good value, by and large.

Note that in this review, he does some A/B comparisons with an Epi Jack Casady, which you might find helpful in influencing your decision:

 
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#31
hypercarrots said:
I would buy an ibanez or aria tab over any of those 4 you've listed. That san francisco will have really bad neck dive. It's built similar to my semihollow with a full scale 22 fret neck attached too far out on the body.
If you can spend a little more >$500, buy a jack casady. (> means greater than. < means lesser than). I think it's more suited to what you want and is going to be better quality. Here's the club JACK CASADY BASS PLAYERS CLUB!
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^This! I have Labella DTFs on my Casady and while no electric bass is going to sound like an upright, that’s what I recommend.
 
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#33
Astre said:
...The real reason I'm searching for a hollow body is because of that characteristic thump sound, almost like an acoustic double bass - which I used to play. I'm part of a jazz group and would love a nice deep, warm, thumpy bass to play there... right now I'm playing an Ibanez SR500 and while it's certainly great, I crave the sound of a hollow bass.
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I also wanted that double-bassish thump sound when I took up bass guitar (I started on double bass too). So the first bass guitar I bought was a hollowbody (the Ibanez Artcore). It sounded more like a guitar than a bass. I was disappointed and have since tried several others. The closest I've come to double-bassish (emphasis on the "ish," because no bass guitar will sound like a DB) is the Epiphone Rumblekat that I currently have, with LaBella Deep Talkin' Bass flats on it and a sponge mute under the strings by the bridge. This bass is variously described as semi-hollow or chambered on different websites. I also was impressed by the deep, thumpy sound of an Epiphone Viola bass that I tried in a local shop. It was rumbly and thunderous, but you said you weren't interested in that shape of bass. Good luck in your search.
 
#36
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#37
JRA said:
i love the look of hollow-body bass instruments --- and know nothing/little about them.
- i assume that most are of the lighter-weight variety --- true?
- neck dive issues?
- do all of them have neck/fingerboard binding? asking for a friend who'd have to defret it.
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I play older 50s Kay models, the tone is closer to upright bass. My band plays original music, rock influenced by 60s and 70s bands mostly.
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#39
For acoustic tone I’ll second the ESP suggestion. Through body strings, needs slightly longer than regular long scale. Labella DTF TB are perfect, nice thump. A bit over budget but used probably under 500. Not full hollow, doesn’t sound as good as my Breedlove but likely no feedback issues (haven’t tried it at higher volume).
 

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