I love cheap basses!

[Kaa]

Still playing my parts-o-matic that I got from ThudStaff. Sounds sweet plays great. I jiggered with the truss rod once or twice, same with the neck, bridge, and pickups. Mostly for my own entertainment and tastes. I'd gig with it, no issues. In fact, I like it so much that when I look at other basses similar to it, I just go, "I have one that already does all that, why get another?".

 

[elderdawg]

Well, I can fit into this thread well. I played a '62 Fender Precision in the '70s and '80s, yes, I am an old guy. In the '90s, after selling my '62 Precision in the mid '80s, head slap, I bought a Fender '89 PB. When the 21st century arrived, I became burned out with the "dive gigs", that had become an expensive "hobby". So I retired from packing up gear at 2AM on a Saturday morning and collecting my share, $20, of the door and then paying my $15 bar tab, so sold my '89 P. The 21st century brought me/us the "Golden Age" of playable/quality cheap import basses. It was also then I discovered Rondo and my GAS exploded. I was like a kid with a $1,000 gift card to Toys Are Us. I probably bought every "Vintage" P and J basses they offered. All for under $150! I eventually sold them all off except for a "B" stock short scale Jazz that I still have. About 5 years ago I let it "have a companion" with a Glen Burton P-Bass. A nice natural wood finish that I added to; a Fender Tort pick guard, a Gotoh bridge, and just last week a EMG Geezer PU. I swear I feel like I am back playing my '62 Fender Precision, with more punch for $350!

 

[bigdaddybass12]

Here is a honest comparison.
For years I played keys for a church band. The church purchased a Roland RD700??
Close to $2000. My keyboard was a Yamaha xxx that I paid $340
The Roland was great, easy to use.
Beautiful sounds.
On the other hand my Yamaha had 7/8 size keys, semi weighted, 72 keys opposed to 88 like the Roland. Sounds we’re not usable. Could not blend sounds. Practice only. Compare that to a $2000 bass and a $340 bass. You can’t. There were major differences between the 2 keyboards. Basically a Toy compared to a professional instrument. Like comparing a plastic body guitar from target to an intro Alverez.
Let’s put the same scenario on bass guitar. You compare a $2000 bass to a $340 bass. Any similarities to the keyboards?

 

[Ronnie Thunders]

Go Big Daddy!

 

[bigdaddybass12]

OK guys, been a few weeks, someone has gotten a new inexpensive bass!! lets see it !!!!

 

[bigdaddybass12]

In fact, I like it so much that when I look at other basses similar to it, I just go, "I have one that already does all that, why get another?".

My wife gave me the OK to buy a bass around $500 for fathers day. Just cant do it, already have 3, my main player is a Sterling Ray4. My least expensive one! I actually was looking at a USA made Music Man SUB exact copy of my Sterling. But I felt like I was just paying for a name, not anything better than my Ray4

 

[Mastermold]

OK guys, been a few weeks, someone has gotten a new inexpensive bass!! lets see it !!!!

Not new but recently pulled out of storage, my SX Andromeda is a pretty cool Jazz and at $179 was more than worth it just for the body, a single piece of ash that’s really pretty to boot.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

Not new but recently pulled out of storage, my SX Andromeda is a pretty cool Jazz and at $179 was more than worth it just for the body, a single piece of ash that’s really pretty to boot.

View attachment 5110441

love it !!

 

[Cicis Dad]

OK guys, been a few weeks, someone has gotten a new inexpensive bass!! lets see it !!!!

Put this together from old parts. 51P style neck (make unknown) on an old Bacchus Jazz. Wilkinson tuners and pups, can't remember where the bridge came from. Total cost US$90. Daughter's gigging with this.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

Put this together from old parts. 51P style neck (make unknown) on an old Bacchus Jazz. Wilkinson tuners and pups, can't remember where the bridge came from. Total cost US$90. Daughter's gigging with this.
View attachment 5110495

Looks great !!

 

[MadJack]

The Harley Benton PB-50SB I got last April is set-up; TUSQ XL Nut, Fret dress and polish, Ashtray covers, brass saddles and flat wounds. I have a Bootstrap Palo Alto that just shipped on the way. I'm going to keep this cheap bass more vintage style.

This one is edging out my Donner DPB-510BK as my primary player. My SBMM Ray4 is really close behind them. It can be difficult deciding which one to play, when I just want to noodle around.

I'm thinking of a Fiesta Red PB-50 for a Dusty Hill inspired 50's P Bass mod/build.

 

[Jimmy Stump]

I've always drifted towards more expensive basses, and have been mainly using a Mike Lull Jazz (around $5,000 new) for the last 10 years. A fantastic instrument.

Low and behold, the Sterling by Music Man Ray4 shows up. I've now got two, a stock one, and another with an Aguilar MM pickup. The Aguilar is a notable upgrade, but even the stock one is good. The fit and finish on both is excellent and the necks are some of the best I've ever played. In my many years of playing, this is without a doubt the best bang for your buck out there. I gig with them regularly.

 

[grrg63]

I recently got this Squier Sonic Bronco for less than $200 thanks to a sale. I mainly went for it because I liked the color (Link Removed) and it had a better bridge and tuners than previous Bronco models. I ended up getting a DiMarzio rail pickup put in because while the stock pu sounded fine tonewise, the single coil hum became annoying to deal with.
Anyway, I really love this thing. Its right up my alley ergonomically, very light but not neck divey, really nice satiny neck finish which almost feels like it has rolled edges. Great frets too, nicely finished. So I did have to put about another hundred bucks in it but Im very happy with it.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

I've always drifted towards more expensive basses, and have been mainly using a Mike Lull Jazz (around $5,000 new) for the last 10 years. A fantastic instrument.

Lo and behold, the Sterling by Music Man Ray4 shows up. I've now got two, a stock one, and another with an Aguilar MM pickup. The Aguilar is a notable upgrade, but even the stock one is good. The fit and finish on both is excellent and the necks are some of the best I've ever played. In my many years of playing, this is without a doubt the best bang for your buck out there. I gig with them regularly.

Haaa!! Same here ! Well, maybe not the Mike lull but yes on the Ray4. I play one at most of my gigs leaving my more expensive basses at home. I recently was looking at a USA made MM SUB.. identical to my ray4. I realized I would be paying just for a name.

 

[C Stone]

OK guys, been a few weeks, someone has gotten a new inexpensive bass!! lets see it !!!!

Grabbed this last night on Offerup and funny enough it was about 15 houses down the road, I actually walked there… Spector of some sort 2000’s? Nice shape
I’ll do a NBD later on today, check it out.

 

[Malak the Mad]

OK guys, been a few weeks, someone has gotten a new inexpensive bass!! lets see it !!!!

Let's call this "relatively inexpensive".

When Fender rolled out their reverse-burst "Dark Night" finish for the American Professional II's, I fell madly in love with it. So much so, that I grabbed an open box, discounted Pro II Jazz as an impulse buy. However, given the excellent instruments I already have, ones that cost way less than an MIA Fender, I couldn't justify keeping it. Make no mistake, it was great, but I kept asking myself, "Is it $1300-great?" Ultimately, I returned it...no fuss, no muss.

Earlier this year, while bumming around eBay for interesting parts, I saw an overseas seller had a no-name J-body with a reproduction of that lovely finish for about $200 shipped. As a bonus, it also has pilot holes for the bridge, pickups and strap pins, which will make installation that much easier.

I haven't come to a final decision, but I'll likely pair it up with a proven-fantastic Squier Vintage Modified Jazz neck that used to be on another parts-bass of mine. Between the neck, as well as other parts I've purchased at discounts courtesy of my fellow TB'ers, I'll be able to add this to my pantheon of "No-Guilt Basses" I've assembled in the past.

So, while it won't be as cheap/inexpensive as many others posted to this thread, it'll be way, waaaaaay less expensive than the Fender MIA Pro II that inspired it.

 

[elderdawg]

So I have been looking for a "affordable" Sterling Short Scale Stingray, but prices are way too high for my "cheap bass" budget. I have a Glarry $89 "Bronco looking" bass in my eBay cart. One of the reasons I am attracted to this deal is the gig bag that I would like for the SX short scale jazz bass I have that I was probably going to pay about $20 for, so this equates getting the Glarry "Bronco" for $69. I would like to drop a $28 Guitar Fetish "MM" humbucker, or a Wilkinson Hummer, PU in it.

Is it necessary, or recommended to also change out the pots? And is the Glarry anywhere close to being an acceptable platform for modding?

4 String 30in Short Scale Thin Body GB Electric Bass Guitar | eBay $89

KP - GFS MM Pro Music Man size pickup- MAXIMUM string respo (guitarfetish.com) $28 or
Guitar Pickup 4 Strings electric bass Guitar Pickup | eBay $27

 

[rutabaga bob]

I think I saw on a video review that the bags aren’t particularly padded; more like a fabric sleeve. Can anyone verify?

 

[C Stone]

I think I saw on a video review that the bags aren’t particularly padded; more like a fabric sleeve. Can anyone verify?

Yes, the bags are basically a sleeve (there is no padding) and offer next to ZERO protection other than to keep dust off of them, as far as Glarry basses as mod platforms plenty of people have had great success turning them into gig-able basses (myself included). There is a great club for exactly that purpose and people that are more than happy to answer any questions you may have…
Official Exquisite/Glarry/Burning Fire Bass Club?

 

[C Stone]

@elderdawg here are a couple of my modded Glarry’s, one that I defretted before Glarry was offering a “no fret” p bass and another burly p wearing a blocked and bound VM ‘77 Jazz neck I added, it also got new pots, pickups, cap/wiring. The fretless has the original pickups, wiring, pots and cap and works perfectly fine as is…great mod platforms.