I love cheap basses!

[ComeHomeShane]

One of the busiest bassists in DFW gigs on a Sterling Sub.

 

[Volker Kirstein]

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I'm considering changing the fret dots to Abalone or Mother of Pearl.
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View attachment 4185370

Instead of dots, there are other options: blue abalone blocks, pearl dice/cards, pearl "strippers"...

An eBay/Amazon search for "inlay stickers" will yield a myriad of options. Inlay stickers don't effect my tone one iota. I like "Creative Cuts" brand.

 

[C Stone]

I'm a Sucker for sub $100 basses grabbed locally. Refin-upgrade-mod plat, whatever it takes to get em goin. My last come-up was an EB-O covered in stickers, no nut and a missing tailpiece...
Couple of hours of elbow grease and a set-up I have a super fun short-scale bass on the cheap!!!

 

[jamro217]

Count me in.

 

[jimmydean]

To be honest even the lowest priced (CHEAP) bass can sound great with the right pickup ,strings and a good amp/cab . The best "cheap" bass out there IMHO is a jazz style bass made by Aamoon . Like most low priced basses , the tuners should be replaced .

 

[lark_z]

I got started playing again with a Yamaha RBX260 that I found leaning against a dumpster. A bit of work, new hardware.......

 

[mongo2]

For cheap basses I'm partial to yard/garage sale finds. My minty early '60s Dano/Silvertone 1444 with case was $25 and my Epiphone EB0 was $50.

 

[Smith357]

I can't justify spending more than 200 on a bass, and I prefer to pay less than 100. If I made a living from it that would be different, but as a hobby player, not so much. I enjoy hunting down good basses through local classifieds and flea markets getting them cheap, fixing them up, the reselling at a small profit to invest in my next score. Actually I believe the hunt is the best part.

 

[Ostie]

There are a couple Squire Jags for sale locally and I'm itching for one, but I am avoiding any unnecessary contact with people as much as possible and not meeting strangers, even for a cheap Jaguar!

In my neck of the woods there are no great deals on Jags anymore. Owners are asking double what they were selling for new a couple years ago. Are they still cheap basses at $360-$385?

 

[vinlander]

Cheap instruments can play above their weight when they get proper adjustment. Too often they are afflicted by poor playability because they don't get the love needed. I use to tinker a lot on cheapo platforms to make them more playable but was also guilty of putting lipstick on a pig sometimes. Nowadays my take on cheap instruments is to buy them cheap and just invest enough money and put more time in adjusting them properly.

 

[ElectricBass72]

I recently purchased a brand new Ibanez Talman for $150 from MF. Adjusted trus rod, intonation and replaced factory strings with Dunlop Super Bright Stainless Steels. The Talman plays and sounds just as good as my basses costing 4 times as much.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

I have a G&L JB2 Tribute. My wife got a screaming deal on it on clearance. The maple fingerboard has a nice grain and the burst finish is really nice. It’s a little heavy, and the neck is a little thick for a jazz neck, but it isn’t bad. I put HipShot UltraLite tuners on to help with staying in tune and a touch of neck dive. It isn’t half bad. I could play it if I had to. I do take it out once in a while as it was a gift. I just prefer to play my Roscoe’s, one of which was also a gift from my wife.

I absolutely love my JB 2 Tribute! It's hard to put down once I start playing it

 

[shufflebass123]

OK, I admit it, I love expensive basses (when I can afford them). People can tout cheap basses all day long. And if you like them, all the power to you. And you're probably living in a golden age of cheap basses. For the money, a Squier or a Sire is an amazing instrument - for the money. People who think Fenders were cheap back in the 60's clearly don't know how to adjust for inflation. Adjusted for inflation, a 1962 Jazz bass is $2K in today's money. No one here would call that a cheap bass. So let's not go there about Fender selling amazing, cheap basses once upon a time. It simply isn't true.

The reality is a Squier plays great. A Sire plays great. That is, until you go to play a challenging part in the bridge position ('Rio' by Duran Duran or 'Come On, Come Over' by Jaco are great examples of this). Then it becomes immediately apparent that you're playing a cheap bass. Those songs are nearly impossible to play in the bridge position on those basses. But they're 1,000 times easier on my Sadowsky NYC or my '65 Jazz. And it isn't even close.

I have a Squier in cases I need to take a bass either on a plane or to a bad part of town. Other than that, cheap basses? You can have 'em. You get what you pay for.

 

[rashrader]

I picked up an Ibanez Talman that plays and sounds well above its cost. It’s easily a B- on the grade scale.

 

[DWBass]

Nothing like an inexpensive bass that can be upgraded to pro quality.

 

[andare]

.
The reality is a Squier plays great. A Sire plays great. That is, until you go to play a challenging part in the bridge position ('Rio' by Duran Duran or 'Come On, Come Over' by Jaco are great examples of this). Then it becomes immediately apparent that you're playing a cheap bass. Those songs are nearly impossible to play in the bridge position on those basses.

What happens exactly?

 

[Snibborwocky]

I honestly gave up on expensive basses after realizing what works for me and makes me happy and comfortable. Yeah it was fun to lust after the boutique companies for decades and even own a few upper price range basses but, I figure if I ever want more from my current lineup of instruments, upgrading parts is the way to go for me. I'm currently completely blown away by my Squier CV 50's Precision for its quality and price and is probably my favorite bass at the moment.

 

[Texsunburst59]

Since I ONLY buy used guitars and basses, CHEAP is always the best way to go.

I'd rather have the best quality instrument for the cheapest price any day.

In fact all my basses are cheap.

$59.95 - '74 Jazz Bass
$400 - '78 Fender P-Bass
$115 - '90 MIJ '57RI P-Bass
$204 - '94 Fender Jazz B Plus
$190 - '92 Hamer Chaparral Bass

 

[Hounddog409]

Ok, I admit it, I like a inexpensive basses. I currently play the latest version of a Sterling ray 4 I got on sale for $269. I got it as a beater, but I have played it at every gig for almost 2 years. Restrung, adjusted the pickup height, and never quit playing it. I have been looking at selling the ray4, & my fender p, and getting a Ray34 and but the ray4 is solid. Anyone else like me?

I just got a Stingray sub new for $269 at GC.

Better in every way than my MIM jazz that I spent $650 on new, plus the money for new pickups, jack, and pots that needed replaced.

Would have been better off if I just bought 3 Stingrays.

I still like my G&L and TBird, but this Stingray is thr best $ I have spent.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Ok, I admit it, I like a inexpensive basses. I currently play the latest version of a Sterling ray 4 I got on sale for $269. I got it as a beater, but I have played it at every gig for almost 2 years. Restrung, adjusted the pickup height, and never quit playing it. I have been looking at selling the ray4, & my fender p, and getting a Ray34 and but the ray4 is solid. Anyone else like me?

‘I like cheap basses too, but tend to like better bases cheap, (Relatively speaking) but I think the value you unearthed is pretty incredible.