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Practice Bass for $200???

#61
In my faculty office I have an Ibanez GSR200, which at the time (2019) was well under $200 but I see new is now $230.

It's the first bass I ever bought since I wasn't sure if the whole "playing bass" thing was going to take. It's a pretty "meh" instrument overall but it works well enough when I'm sneaking in 10 min of practice between meetings. The Yamaha TRBX174 is like $20 more, probably overall slightly better but neither one will exactly knock your socks off.
 
#70
Bighouse said:
So, let’s say you want to keep a full scale 34” practice bass around in your faculty office to twiddle with when you’ve got a few minutes of spare time. As the office isn’t super secure you don’t want to hang your valuable P-bass or Ric 4001 on the wall, but want to find a very playable, full scale bass that, if stolen/broken/loaned/lost, wouldn’t be missed much. What bass for around $200 would you buy???
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check out Harley Benton's. I have a 5er I payed $220.00 for. It was much better than expected. Or, a used Squer.
 
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#71
Look on Amazon and Glarry websites... If you just want a beater, you can get one that is "serviceable" for way less than $200. The only reason to go for that price would be for something with a nice grain.

FWIW Glarry does a decent P and has some Soundgear-esqe options, with very light bodies, if weight is at all a factor.
 
#73
I love this idea, please let us know what you end up with. I work in higher ed myself, but a more administrative/office type job, so I’m not sure keeping an ax in my office would fly. But many times I’ve thought about how much I would enjoy exactly what you describe, a beater I can keep there and not sweat too terribly if it gets boosted.
 
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#74
JimmyO said:
I love this idea, please let us know what you end up with. I work in higher ed myself, but a more administrative/office type job, so I’m not sure keeping an ax in my office would fly. But many times I’ve thought about how much I would enjoy exactly what you describe, a beater I can keep there and not sweat too terribly if it gets boosted.
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I don’t have a lot of free time when at work, but there are times when I’m in a zoom meeting actively listening to the discussions when it’d be nice to just noodle around. Or, during lunch breaks or between classes when I’m not holding office hours. Lots of opportunities to just noodle a bit throughout the day. And, it kind of lets students know that making music is important to me- I’m not just an architecture teacher and department chair…might make me more relatable to students, I think. Goethe said that architecture was “frozen music” and he was right.
 
#75
Bighouse said:
I don’t have a lot of free time when at work, but there are times when I’m in a zoom meeting actively listening to the discussions when it’d be nice to just noodle around. Or, during lunch breaks or between classes when I’m not holding office hours. Lots of opportunities to just noodle a bit throughout the day. And, it kind of lets students know that making music is important to me- I’m not just an architecture teacher and department chair…might make me more relatable to students, I think. Goethe said that architecture was “frozen music” and he was right.
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You just said the magic word… “Department chair”…. That’s how you get to have a bass in your office. :)

But I do love that. I work closely with two department chairs at a medical center, and while neither actually has an instrument in their office, both are big fans of music and are very encouraging of their mentees to be enjoying music, literature, humanities stuff far outside of their academic discipline to make them more well rounded.
 
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#76
JimmyO said:
I love this idea, please let us know what you end up with. I work in higher ed myself, but a more administrative/office type job, so I’m not sure keeping an ax in my office would fly. But many times I’ve thought about how much I would enjoy exactly what you describe, a beater I can keep there and not sweat too terribly if it gets boosted.
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I will update this thread when I do buy that office bass. It’ll happen and I’m not in any hurry, so I’ll be patient and I’m sure something that is meant for me will find its way to me.
 
#80
I got a Squier Bronco on sale for under $200 not long ago. Direct. A short scale might work in the office since it is smaller in size, lightweight and takes up a little less space. It might be easier to play in a small space with a compact amp or headphones. This is a fun bass. And in a cool color -"ultraviolet".

Also I love my Harley Benton PB-50 single coil. A little tweaking of the setup and the right strings and it is great fun. I have even played a few gigs and multiple band practices with it. Including last night band practice. A little heavy but not bad.

Of course you could go the uke-bass route, it's not for everyone but can't beat the size and weight. Lots of choices in that category now. The acoustic versions don't really need an amp if you are by yourself.


It seems there are multiple choices in this price range, including used basses. Happy hunting!
 

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