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Used Basses <$400

M

musicandme

Feb 17, 2010
7
0
#1
I've been playing guitar for about 8 years now, and I'm looking to pickup my first bass. I've been playing basslines on my guitar for a while, and well it just doesn't cut it. I play funk/soul/jazz/mellow hip and will be recording direct into my computer initially. I am looking to buy a second hand bass on ebay or craigslist for <$400. Right now I'm leaning towards an MIM Jazz or Precision...what else should I keep my eyes open for in this price range?
 
#3
Hello and welcome to TB! I posted this very same question just a few months ago; our situations are pretty similar.

I'm a 20+ year guitar player but always had a hankering to try my hand at bass. I found this forum (the largest bass community on the net) and have been so happy that I did. TB is a fantastic resource for all your bass needs. Sounds like a commercial, I know. But it's true. :)

Not saying you can't get a good deal on EBay, but I'd scout out the For Sale forum here for a few days. Of course, "safe internet shopping common sense" applies here too. I was leery about buying a used bass sight unseen (pics are great but maybe they're old, you know?) but I bought one from someone with good feedback, and I'm very happy with my purchase. I paid $375 (IIRC) for a bass that sells for $750 new. My bass is in 95% brand new condition. I couldn't be happier. It's a Spector Legend4 Custom, BTW. I like it.

For $400 you should definitely be able to nail a Fender MIM J or P in great shape too. Good luck! :)
 
#7
Go even cheaper and look for a Peavey Fury. The Fury is a made in the U.S. bass and of excellent quality.

Fairly light with a narrow, fast jazz neck. Picked one up a pawn shop for $75 and it is rapidly becoming the bass I pick up first.

There are several other model Peaveys which are said to be undervalued, but of excellent quality. Haven't played any, so can't speak with personal knowledge, but I bought the Fury on the recommendation of other TB'ers. They weren't wrong.
 
#10
Get a Squier Vintage Modified Jazz perfect thing for funk/soul/jazz/mellow hip music it's a real funk machine. Consensus is that quality is just as good as MIM, and less money too. If you get one though be advised it is an extremely 'bright' sounding bass. I like bright sounding basses but I had to put some nickel strings on mine to mellow it just a touch. With stainless I couldn't get any bottom end and pretty much had to crank the bass knob on my amp to like 9.5 and cut the treble way back. Now it sounds sweet.
 
#14
I peruse my local craigslist daily and there are always a few MIM P's and J's, usually around $300 for the P's and $400 for the J's.

And there's ALWAYS a boatload of Ibanez basses...not up to speed on which models but anywhere from $100-$300.

Several Squires are listed daily, but oddly enough I've only seen two SX's in the last six months. And the last one was sold in a few hours. The ad appeared around noon and by the time I got home at 3pm and was going to call, it was already sold.
 

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