I need a cheap under $200 bass guitar for home recording my gothic rock / alt rock demos

Hello everyone!

I'm basically a lead guitar player for over 10 years and my influences range from bands like Toto, Steely Dan, all the way to the gothic rock bands like Sisters of Mercy, Type O Negative, HIM....

After many failed bands due to lack of seriousness from other members I've decided to take things into my own hands and record all the instruments myself. I've held a bass guitar a few times in my hands and I felt like I really loved playing it. I also have some sense for bass lines because I've listened to lots of disco and acid jazz so by now bass lines kinda write themselves in my head, I just can't perform them since I have no bass.

Well, since I'm pretty much tired of writing the bass lines in software and not being able to program certain things like slides (at least I don't know how to) etc... I'd like to get myself a cheap bass guitar to at least perform the bass ideas myself.

So the genre I'm doing is basically gothic rock with some alternative rock and pop elements + some metal moments. Pretty melancholic stuff. I need a bass guitar that would sound decent enough for a demo with possibility of some fuzz, chorus, flanger and such effects on.

I've already checked a few videos and I prefer Precision bass sound over Jazz bass sound. Jazz bass is too bright for my taste. From this point on, the other bass brands I know nothing about come into question. I'd really love it if recommended bass guitar actually stayed in tune and was properly set up already (are any low end basses set up at all?). There's nothing I hate more than constantly tuning the poorly set up instrument.

Also please be very specific with model names because I don't know much about basses at all so I could get confused and ask extra questions just to get bass names right.

Would appreciate any suggestions!

 

I forgot to mention I'm from Europe so where I live there's only a small music store in vicinity. The only basses I can test there in that price range are Ibanez GSR 200 and Yamaha TRBX174.

I am however absolutely open to buying second hand over the internet.

 

I've red many comparisons of these 2 basses online and most people pick Ibanez over that particular Yamaha model but I have no idea why. Why do you personally find that certain Yamaha better?

Another thing, would Squire Vintage Modified Precision Bass PJ be a good choice for gothic rock? Some people say it's a damn good bass for that price. Might be worth saving a bit more if it's really worth it.

 

Hey, whole Europe is my marketplace with internet really! Just wondering, what Peavey models are you talking about particularly? I want to check a few samples of course.

Thanks for the input, what bass guitar is that?

 

I appreciate your tips, just wondering what makes you put one instrument over another. Have you managed to test those models yourself? Do you think that the SRX's tone would be more appropriate for the music I'm recording? I'm just a bit skeptical when I don't get an explanation of why something is better than the other. Hopefully you understand my skepticism!

Thanks, @jd56hawk will check it out.

 

Great response. I'm trying to find the SRX 300 in any of the European stores using geizhals.eu (which is a price comparison service for Europe) but apparently that particular model is not sold actively anymore. It appears that SRX 350 is now the lowest model you can find in stores and it goes upwards from there (although there is SR 300 but that is not the same series is it?).

I'm totally down for waiting a bit with purchase if it actually brings me a much better bass for not much price difference.

I checked this bass out a bit on YT, although I have to say it has a pretty good tone for goth I'm a bit skeptical about build quality, people apparently like the Ibanez GSR 200 more in that price range, mostly because of a much better build quality. I don't care much about looks, tone and build quality is where it's at.