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Favorite Cheap Bass
- Thread starter tcbassist
- Start date
@desertsolace yea atk's are pretty amazing even the base model. i'm surprised they're not more popular.
i feel like ive answered this like 8 times now since i started TB, but my answer is Jay Turser 401--the '55 single coil pbass immo. just needs replacement p/u. i have duncan scpb2 in mine.
honorable mentions: aria's gibson eb3 immo or the aria/matsumoku version JB is pretty sick
hands down ibanez atk (and their btb) are great value. you're getting a lot of bass for the money.
i feel like ive answered this like 8 times now since i started TB, but my answer is Jay Turser 401--the '55 single coil pbass immo. just needs replacement p/u. i have duncan scpb2 in mine.
honorable mentions: aria's gibson eb3 immo or the aria/matsumoku version JB is pretty sick
hands down ibanez atk (and their btb) are great value. you're getting a lot of bass for the money.
Are we talking list price or what can be had for 600$ on the used market? Because I think that could be enough to get a MIA fender on some occasions, not something I'd call cheap to begin with.
Anyhow, I'll concentrate to what I feel are cheap new, which to me is 400'ish or less.
I really like the CV squiers and the VM jazz isn't bad either. Peavey grinds can be great and are brilliant mod platforms. But the number one spot would have to go to the yamaha bb414. I've sold many MIA and MIE instruments, but the yamaha just stays. Partly because I want to have a cheap and reliable instrument I can take to parties where there is a distinct possibility of nasty things happening but still every time I pick it up and plug it in I'm amazed by the playability and tone. It's still the easiest bass to record I've ever owned, even beats a P bass. Plug in, adjust volume and play. Sure I can achieve better results with differend things, but never so easily. And it just naturally sits in the mix. And it's durable as the survivability definately has been tested.
Anyhow, I'll concentrate to what I feel are cheap new, which to me is 400'ish or less.
I really like the CV squiers and the VM jazz isn't bad either. Peavey grinds can be great and are brilliant mod platforms. But the number one spot would have to go to the yamaha bb414. I've sold many MIA and MIE instruments, but the yamaha just stays. Partly because I want to have a cheap and reliable instrument I can take to parties where there is a distinct possibility of nasty things happening but still every time I pick it up and plug it in I'm amazed by the playability and tone. It's still the easiest bass to record I've ever owned, even beats a P bass. Plug in, adjust volume and play. Sure I can achieve better results with differend things, but never so easily. And it just naturally sits in the mix. And it's durable as the survivability definately has been tested.
I've got a Squier Classic Vibe Jazz that I threw some Seymour Duncan quarter pounders on and an Aguilar OBP 1 pre that I love the holy hell out of. All in all I have about $400 invested in the thing and it smokes.
Squier VM Jaguar gets as much play as my Modulus, if not more. I'm a huge fan of the look, the tone, and above all else the playability of it. It just "fits," and there are a great number of others who share this opinion on TB.
The Ibanez GSR190 that came in the Jumpstart package my wife and kids bought me for Christmas a few years ago.
It's tolerated a pickup upgrades, string upgrades and my early attempts at setup. It's put up with my terrible slap technique, half a year of root-5 banjo jam session accompaniment (3rd and 5th fret wear is very apparent) and maybe 3000 attempts to play Chameleon right.
The best part is that it's taken me from limited or no bass ability, to being able to learn and play solid lines to most of my favorite music and jam with guitarist friends who have decades more experience. I can now change strings, troubleshoot electronics, solder, and adjust the bridge and trussrod with a good amount of reliability.
It's tolerated a pickup upgrades, string upgrades and my early attempts at setup. It's put up with my terrible slap technique, half a year of root-5 banjo jam session accompaniment (3rd and 5th fret wear is very apparent) and maybe 3000 attempts to play Chameleon right.
The best part is that it's taken me from limited or no bass ability, to being able to learn and play solid lines to most of my favorite music and jam with guitarist friends who have decades more experience. I can now change strings, troubleshoot electronics, solder, and adjust the bridge and trussrod with a good amount of reliability.
I think I paid $600 for this one. It's my favorite bass ever, period.
Still wanting to find a Millennium 5 Plus to go with my Carvin XB5000
I have two favorite "cheap" basses and both are probably the two best gear investments I've ever made from a bang-for-the-buck standpoint.
The first is my $230 Squier Jazz 5 Affinity bought bone stock and brand new not on sale. I haven't found a Fender MIA or MIM yet that sounds, looks or feels better (and yes, I own several of MIAs - none of which get much play time anymore). You can change out the pups and bridge and tuners and control pots if you want but mine sound so good I'm afraid to mess with 'em. I've even considered going out and buying another one before Fender figures out that these things can hang with the MIM and MIA's and discontinue them.
That brings me to my second favorite "cheap" bass - my Musicman SUB5 active. It's a pure vintage Stingray knock off in the tone and feel department and at $500 new it too was a steal. Unfortunately Musicman realized these things could easily compete with the real Stingrays and discontinued them. Now if you can find one used on eBay it costs the same as they did new, but still easily worth the $500 price even used.
These days when I go into Guitar Center or Sam Ash to look for a new or used Jazz bass the first thing I grab is a Squier Jazz 5 and then I play it right along side the MIA Jazz 5 and smile at the price difference. Sometimes the MIA feels or sounds a little better, sometimes the Squier feel or sounds a little better but I have yet to find an MIA that sounded or felt or looked 600% better.
Now if they could just minimize the word Squier and maximize the word Fender on the headstock I'd be in heaven. I guess another way to look at it is there's a Fender MIA, MIM and with Squier a Fender MIC.
The first is my $230 Squier Jazz 5 Affinity bought bone stock and brand new not on sale. I haven't found a Fender MIA or MIM yet that sounds, looks or feels better (and yes, I own several of MIAs - none of which get much play time anymore). You can change out the pups and bridge and tuners and control pots if you want but mine sound so good I'm afraid to mess with 'em. I've even considered going out and buying another one before Fender figures out that these things can hang with the MIM and MIA's and discontinue them.
That brings me to my second favorite "cheap" bass - my Musicman SUB5 active. It's a pure vintage Stingray knock off in the tone and feel department and at $500 new it too was a steal. Unfortunately Musicman realized these things could easily compete with the real Stingrays and discontinued them. Now if you can find one used on eBay it costs the same as they did new, but still easily worth the $500 price even used.
These days when I go into Guitar Center or Sam Ash to look for a new or used Jazz bass the first thing I grab is a Squier Jazz 5 and then I play it right along side the MIA Jazz 5 and smile at the price difference. Sometimes the MIA feels or sounds a little better, sometimes the Squier feel or sounds a little better but I have yet to find an MIA that sounded or felt or looked 600% better.
Now if they could just minimize the word Squier and maximize the word Fender on the headstock I'd be in heaven. I guess another way to look at it is there's a Fender MIA, MIM and with Squier a Fender MIC.
My ESP LTD B-155DX was $430 new, with a hardshell case. It's got a string-thru body, a nice heavy bridge, an active 3 band EQ, and a Rosewood fingerboard on a neck that is a little bit thinner than my Precisions. Although, I had to set it up, and the mid and treble pots were switched. Now that it's set up, it plays quite nicely. It's my travel bass, because I can fine tune the sound coming out of my Rockman, due to the EQ. Check it out:
I've got a $50 Fullerton P-Bass knockoff that sounds and plays wonderful, and has one of the most pleasant necks I've ever played, though it dives like submariner. I like it better than my AmStd Fender P.
Oooh blue! here's my fav blue cheap basses (well, again, the ones I get the most kick telling people what I paid for them):
Brice Z6 (neck thru, ash wings, active/passive and Alnico pups) fretted and fretless... $530 for the pair!
(and before anybody asks, no, 6ers aren't my main players, I'm really a 5 string kinda guy)
Brice Z6 (neck thru, ash wings, active/passive and Alnico pups) fretted and fretless... $530 for the pair!
(and before anybody asks, no, 6ers aren't my main players, I'm really a 5 string kinda guy)
This^^^...or a Dyna Bass, also from Peavey, basically a Foundation with active electronics.
Well, all of my basses fit under the OP's original cap, but these two are my favorite REAL cheapies.
Probably play the Foundation more than any bass I own, but the Fury is a keeper and stays because of the sound, feel, and it's my first refinish attempt. Under $200 for the both of them as purchase price goes, but it would take a bunch more than that to get them away from me.
Probably play the Foundation more than any bass I own, but the Fury is a keeper and stays because of the sound, feel, and it's my first refinish attempt. Under $200 for the both of them as purchase price goes, but it would take a bunch more than that to get them away from me.
all of these were 300 or less. my favorite comes down to the blue atk(159) new or the Btbs.
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Has to be the SX Jazz. I can put in the trunk of my car whether the temp is -20 or +100 and not worry about it.
Rick B.
Rick B.
