Sub $150 New Basses Poll / Super Cheap Junk

[Chuck King]

I voted for the Dean Zone based on the cheapos I've actually played. I've actually had three low-end Deans in recent memory (Metalman V, Custom Zone, EAB) and they've all had really nice necks on them. I used to gig the Custom Zone, like at this St. Patrick's Day gig a few years ago:

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(I like the juxtaposition of the dirt-cheap Dean with the very expensive Rickenbacker 330 and original 70s Jazzmaster my compatriots brought out for that show.)

I've had a couple SX basses; they were okay (one needed fret leveling) but I preferred the Deans. As some other people have mentioned, Yamaha has an excellent track record for quality at all levels, but I've never played the model listed.

 

[lowfunk99]

I just bought 2 ISIN basses.
The first one is made out of paulownia and has surprisingly good fit and finish. The neck is a bit bulkier then I am used to but plays ok. It has a nice no gloss finish.
The second one just came in yesterday and is made out of basswood. This one did have a broken tuner on it. I will say this one is a bit rougher. This one has a bit more mids due to the wood.
Why did I buy them? Well, I just wanted a pbass to put some flats on and I did not want to spend a lot of money. I got the first one and really liked it. I decided to keep one with rounds and put flats on the second.

 

[gln1955]

I voted Yamaha. I have an old Yamaha, bottom of the barrel RB something or other fretless. It's the OKest cheapo bass I've played.

 

[kodiakblair]

I went "other". Couple of year back I'd heard folks talking about the huge German retailer Thomann,saw a
really sweet looking 50s type P-bass for £70. Pre Brexit vote that would have been $98

Bought and got a shock at how good it was. Started an NBD thread here and heard from others equally impressed.
including a fella in Kenya who was trying to get one. By the time I bought another to put a mudbucker in,just for
the look, my good brother in Kenya @subdude67 had finally got his Previous owner had fitted a Duncan to his so
he got the stock Wilkinson from mine. His A/B found if you want a weaker pickup with the same tonal range go spend
$50 on the Duncan

Hey brother if you read this you must have cost SD a small fortune cause nobody who's listened to your sound clips
bought the Duncan afterwards

Harley Benton PB-50 $140 delivered to your door,30 days return (they pay return shipping for faults and for up to 14 days if you just change your mind) and 3 year warranty. Sure gets my vote.

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[Eilif]

I went "other"...

...Harley Benton PB-50 $140 delivered to your door,30 days return (they pay return shipping for faults and for up to 14 days if you just change your mind) and 3 year warranty. Sure gets my vote.

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That looks quite nice. Looks like shipping to the USA might (I just checked their info, didn't open a cart) only be 30 euros, which isn't a bad deal at all. However, that pushes it well over $150, and if I was looking for a new $150-200 cheapie in the USA, I'd still probably go for an Ibanez TB100.

 

[kodiakblair]

@Eilif

The $140 I quoted was including the shipping to the USA.

 

[Eilif]

@Eilif

The $140 I quoted was including the shipping to the USA.

Ooh, that's quite tempting now. That's about as cheap as you'd pay for a Rondo instrument!

 

[subdude67]

including a fella in Kenya who was trying to get one. By the time I bought another to put a mudbucker in,just for
the look, my good brother in Kenya @subdude67 had finally got his Previous owner had fitted a Duncan to his so
he got the stock Wilkinson from mine. His A/B found if you want a weaker pickup with the same tonal range go spend
$50 on the Duncan

Hey brother if you read this you must have cost SD a small fortune cause nobody who's listened to your sound clips
bought the Duncan afterwards

Thanks brother, That made me laugh! I hope SD can forgive me
And I totally agree with the HB basses from Thomann, they are awesome instruments at an incredibly low price!

 

[Eric Perry]

I'd go Yamaha or SX, with the final nod going to the Yamaha. As many others have stated, Yamaha's quality from high-end to low-end is consistently superb for the price point.

I think SXs are also fine basses for the coin. Certainly underrated.

 

[Stinsok]

This fits the criteria. 149.99 shipped. It's gigable.

 

[duke of earl]

I have a $100 3/4 Yamaha acoustic guitar just for leaving the the car and letting the dog chew on. It isn't bad, but it isn't a very good. It goes out of tune easily, the intonation is off, and the sound is weak. The fretboard is really good, though. I guess it is what it is.

The worst thing you can do to any instrument cheap or expensive is leave it a vehicle with varying temperatures that can soar to to well over 120 degrees or drop below freezing not a good idea to leave in a car maybe that why it won't stay in tune .Take care of your axes brothers and sisters.✌

 

[duke of earl]

I know this topic is a year old but these instrumens are still available from rondo music I got one of those SX ursa 3 pj bass for $105 + shipping it's a bargain all the praises on u tube are ture these puppys are sweet good finish feel and sound . The frets needed a little light sanding truss rod a minor adjustment set up was a tad off but otherwise no problem , I dropped in some alnico pups I had laying around because ceramics are not for me . get this bass.

 

[Robroy]

I know this topic is a year old but these instrumens are still available from rondo music I got one of those SX ursa 3 pj bass for $105 + shipping it's a bargain all the praises on u tube are ture these puppys are sweet good finish feel and sound . The frets needed a little light sanding truss rod a minor adjustment set up was a tad off but otherwise no problem , I dropped in some alnico pups I had laying around because ceramics are not for me . get this bass.

I still have the metalic blue one I got with amp and bag. I sold the amp for around $20 or $30 (I forget the exact amount) so it made it even cheaper.

The finish and playability is fantastic. It's one of the reasons I don't bother with expensive basses any more. No point.

 

[duke of earl]

I still have the metalic blue one I got with amp and bag. I sold the amp for around $20 or $30 (I forget the exact amount) so it made it even cheaper.

The finish and playability is fantastic. It's one of the reasons I don't bother with expensive basses any more. No point.

 

[duke of earl]

Amen to that.

 

[grrg63]

Ive been gigging my SX Ursa J and lovin it. The fret ends did need to be filed when I got it though, which also needed to be done to another SX I bought years ago, so I think it may be a common occurrence.

 

[Robroy]

Ive been gigging my SX Ursa J and lovin it. The fret ends did need to be filed when I got it though, which also needed to be done to another SX I bought years ago, so I think it may be a common occurrence.

I've played a couple of Fender Jazz MIA basses that had the same issue. That is probably one reason I like the SX stuff so much. It's not perfect, but neither are the more expensive basses. And truth be told, those are such simple things to fix and sometimes not relevant.

One of my SX's has the nicest fret end finish of any of the basses I've ever played. It's fun to just run my hand down the side of the neck sometimes.

 

[Eilif]

Ive been gigging my SX Ursa J and lovin it. The fret ends did need to be filed when I got it though, which also needed to be done to another SX I bought years ago, so I think it may be a common occurrence.

I've been watching SX for a long time now and have owned 4. It is a fairly common experience for SX basses to require filing of the fret ends and sometimes leveling. SX instruments are still a great bargain and Rondomusic has very good customer service, but I encourage potential buyers to figure in the cost of post-purchase fretwork into the price of an SX.

It's also why I suggest buyers who don't want to do their own work or mess with taking it to a tech consider purchasing something they can buy in-store such as the Ibanez TMB 100. I may have laid this all out previously in this thread but the 199 dollar TMB100 is a fantastic instrument and not only can you try before you buy, you have the benefit of Ibanez QC which is unquestionably better than SX.