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Cheap, playable basses?

#21
kjpollo said:
From a pawnshop/Craigslist:

Peavey Fury or Milestone
Squier-almost anything
Yamaha-dont know all the models but there's several
Ibanez-see "Yamaha"
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or foundation, or t-20/25/40, or patriot ...

as for the ibby's - generally, the higher the first number, the better. srx is better than sr, is better than gsr ... should be able to find a sr 300 or 400 series for 150-300 depending on condition, shop / seller ...

personally i have a sr300dx that i traded an old laptop for, that with the right strings and a 1/4 turn on the truss rod, now plays like butter. and i have a 93' foundation that i bought new in 93 - still play it at least once a week. once again, finding the right strings made the difference.

so even if it looks / plays like crap in the shop - chances are for not a lot of $$ it can be made to fit your needs. make friends with a tech / luthier.
 
#22
In this situation, it's not the bass, but the DEAL.

See my post in Hot Deals for a batch of dirt-cheap +/-70%-off Washburns at Amazon. Perfect solution.

$103-$117, shipped.

Note caveats.

Washburns are usually good instruments in terms of quality, though not beautiful, which detracts from the theft appeal.
 
#23
disclaimer... have not played very many cheap basses.

As a player of expensive basses, I was impressed with a Squier VM 70s Jazz. Played great, very resonant wood, Duncan designed Pickups... honestly could have mistaken it for a much more expensive bass with a Fender logo on it.

Absolutely fine bass, and astounding for the $280 price tag
 
#25
Dbassmon said:
disclaimer... have not played very many cheap basses.

As a player of expensive basses, I was impressed with a Squier VM 70s Jazz. Played great, very resonant wood, Duncan designed Pickups... honestly could have mistaken it for a much more expensive bass with a Fender logo on it.

Absolutely fine bass, and astounding for the $280 price tag
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+1 on the Squier VM Jazz, Mine is a fine instrument.
Also I would second giving SX's a look. I can't testify as to any but my own experience, but, I just got an SX P-bass copy, and after doing a quick setup, and a couple of simple cosmetic mods, it plays,sounds and looks exceptionally nice. Not bad for a $109 bass with about $30 in mods.
 
#26
SX, Yamaha, squier. Sx will be good or you can send it back. Yamaha is what I steer all of my acoustic guitar students toward - consistent quality in those, but I haven't played with their cheap basses much.

Squiers are all over the place used, and the ones I've seen vary widely in feel. I'd play a bunch and find some. Play several and you'll find a good one.

But I personally have been happy with sx for that niche- I even gig them when I don't want to take a nicer bass to the venue.
 
#27
While I've played some fine Arias over the years, I've got to say I was very unimpressed with the cheap P-bass of theirs that I played last year. It just wasn't the right shape; nowhere near enough forearm relief, and the neck became very rectangular (with sharp corners) before slotting into the body.

The best cheap ones I've had have been AXL, from the "Player Deluxe" range, which I think is now discontinued, but dirt cheap on ebay and suchlike. I have a P and a fretless jazz, and they're well made, beautifully finished, good pickups (under licence from EMG on both the basses I have), and reasonable hardware (no plastic knobs, etc). They stand up pretty well against basses I payed five times as much for.
 
#29
Well, if the handful of pawn shops I went to today are a fair sample of what's in this area, I won't be buying from one of those. Overpriced, tarnished metal, mostly the kind of basses that look like they came from a kit you could buy at Walmart or Target.
I did see a nice looking Yamaha five string through the window of a place that was closed, but I have no idea what they want for it. It wasn't painted, but looked like a dark natural wood. I called the number and left a message: we'll see what results from that. It looks like I'm going to end up buying a new low end bass. Musicians
friend has Rogue with gig bag, shipping included for $129. The reviews indicate seriously inconsistent quality control issues though. Their are also the SX basses, which seem to be well liked by some and considered junk by others. The only reviews I've found are five years old and they weren't good.
 
#30
two days ago i haunted several pawn shops and used gear stores. Squires all over the place $95-$125, No old peaveys, RBX yamhas $50-$90, one jack Cassidy for $150, GC and plenty playable. Other yamahas, peaveys and epi's for $100-$140. Most with HSC or gig bag.

Good enough deals for entry level stuff, and I have played way worse.like from 1968-1972, 1973-1976.
 
#31
Ok, what do you think? I am really considering doing this. I have just played the Ibanez "Ashula" 6 string bass. I really like this guitar. It's a basic 4 string fretted bass along with a 2 string fretless bass. The expression is awesome. I was thinking of getting a cheap 6 string, under $200 and have my guitar luther turn it into the same configuration. The pickups would be in a different config. than the Ashula. A hybird bass for a faction of the cost. :bassist:
 
#32
Rick N Backer said:
Ok, what do you think? I am really considering doing this. I have just played the Ibanez "Ashula" 6 string bass. I really like this guitar. It's a basic 4 string fretted bass along with a 2 string fretless bass. The expression is awesome. I was thinking of getting a cheap 6 string, under $200 and have my guitar luther turn it into the same configuration. The pickups would be in a different config. than the Ashula. A hybird bass for a faction of the cost. :bassist:
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I agree, it's crazy. :hiding:
 

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