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Unexpected results from a $30 bass

F

flomaster

Apr 6, 2022
28
102
#1
I recently bought a used bass guitar from Good Will for 30 bucks. Since I bought it from their site, I didn't get to see or try it before it arrived in the mail, so I was expecting the worst -- what can you really get for 30 bucks, right? But I wanted a spare hanging on the wall that I can keep tuned down so I don't have to tune (and re-tune) my other basses. Not really interested in modifying my other bases to do that easily, either.

Well, it came in the mail. It's one of those cheapies you used to be able to buy for a beginner or something...no frills. Lyon by Washburn P bass.

Well, it arrived, and after a short inspection it needed the following:
--a good cleaning
--strings
--neck/bridge adjustment (general setup)
--knobs
--shielding for the electronics (apparently didn't come with any)

It was pretty noisy when plugged into my Yamaha amp, and the setup was so bad that there was no wonder why someone donated it.

Anyway, a little bit of work got this thing in playing condition, and to my surprise this thing actually sounds pretty damned good. And is super-easy to play, to boot. I wouldn't toss my Sterling for it, but it's no slouch, either.

Turns out that one doesn't need to spend a lot of cash to get a decent bass guitar. For those of you who want a cheap bass and have a few hours to spare, cheap ones are out there and are to be had.
 
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#6
Who's "Lyon" now....
Lyon_1.JPG
Lyon_2.JPG
Lyon_3.JPG



Still waiting on knobs...

I don't know much about these, but I can tell you the easy things that the company "cheaped out" on, and it's on basic setup and shielding inside the bass itself. Nothing that can't be remedied with a little patience. Turns out that after a good setup and some shielding, this bass is actually quite impressive. It's super light, and after a good setup is super easy to play.

At the moment it has Ernie Ball Super Slinky's in .45 to .100 because that's what I had on hand. But I have a pretty firm left hand, so the next set are likely going to be .55 to .110's.
 
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#9
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#10
I've got a Jay Turser P Bass that really slays. It feels really similar to the EBMM I have, which is a bummer considering how much the EBMM cost. I've actually got a bunch of cheap basses and it's wild how good they can feel with a little attention paid to them by means of a proper set up. It's why I scoff at multi-thousand dollar boutique FSO's. I couldn't imagine paying $3k for something with two knobs and a P Bass pickup.
 
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#11
flomaster said:
At the moment it has Ernie Ball Super Slinky's in .45 to .100 because that's what I had on hand. But I have a pretty firm left hand, so the next set are likely going to be .55 to .110's.
Click to expand...
These basses have rather thin necks. Please make sure the neck can handle the tension of the heavier strings. I would hate to see your $30 find reduce to $0 from a snapped truss rod, as I did once.
 
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#12
Wow, for $30, it's well worth taking a chance. Looks like it paid off for you! I agree, there are "cheapo" basses out there that are surprisingly well made, even if they skimp in a couple of fixable areas. Several years ago, I bought an SX short scale bass on the cheap from Goodwill. I gigged it many times and lots of folks gave positive comments on how great it sounded. When they saw that "bird's beak" headstock and the SX logo, they would ask what mods were done. None- bone stock. It was entertaining to see how they reacted, lol.
 
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#14
iiipopes said:
These basses have rather thin necks. Please make sure the neck can handle the tension of the heavier strings. I would hate to see your $30 find reduce to $0 from a snapped truss rod, as I did once.
Click to expand...

Ditto.

I have a salvage bass in process right now with an unknown P Body and a Lyon neck but the truss rod is stripped. Trying to find a J-neck to exchange on it.

Still, what a fun story to bring a neglected instrument back to life.

.
 
#17
iiipopes said:
These basses have rather thin necks. Please make sure the neck can handle the tension of the heavier strings. I would hate to see your $30 find reduce to $0 from a snapped truss rod, as I did once.
Click to expand...
That's a good point, and something I didn't even think about. I'll have to measure the deflection with the heavier strings to see if it's worth the risk. If it's too great, I'll just stick with the "Reuglar Slinky's".

Might be OK, though. My ESP has flat-wounds on it, which take higher tension. The neck on that one is long and skinny, but took to the flant-wounds well.
 
#18
flomaster said:
That's a good point, and something I didn't even think about. I'll have to measure the deflection with the heavier strings to see if it's worth the risk. If it's too great, I'll just stick with the "Regular Slinky's".

Might be OK, though. My ESP has flat-wounds on it, which take higher tension. The neck on that one is long and skinny, but took to the flant-wounds well.
Click to expand...
It's not just rounds v flats. Some flats sets due to their construction have less tension than a typical 45-105 rounds set. Others have more. But I can tell you that a 55-110 set, whatever the construction, will have significantly more tension and could warp the neck or snap the truss rod.
 
#19
flomaster said:
Turns out that one doesn't need to spend a lot of cash to get a decent bass guitar. For those of you who want a cheap bass and have a few hours to spare, cheap ones are out there and are to be had.
Click to expand...

There most definitely are. Here's my story from just over a year ago. I've since covered the emblem with a sticker and the bass and amp have become quite useful. It's the set up I can bring and leave in the car when going someplace where I just might be able to play bass with a bunch of acoustic guitars. https://www.talkbass.com/threads/nbd.1598768/#post-27286643
 

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