Vintage Basses For less than 1000$....

[markjazzbassist]

Late 70s early 80s fender
Guild
Univox
Lawsuit basses (just look it up there are a ton of brands)

Check out the site Olivia's vintage. They have a ton of random supro Baldwin univox etc basses for decent prices.

 

[PortlandBass77]

Peavey Fury: $100 - $300
Peavey Foundation: $200 - $300
Peavey T-40 / T-45: $200 - $500
Peavey Patriot: $100 - $200

Any 1980's Matsumko made bass will be quality imo, I got mine for $75.

 

[Yahboy]

Tokai Hardpunchier

 

[Thundar]

Kramer Spector NS-2A

 

[LanEvo]

Some options that may not have been mentioned yet:

Hamer Chaparral or Cruise
Guild Pilot
Yamaha BB2000 or Attitude Limited
Kramer DMZ
Steinberger XP-2 or XQ-2

 

[devnulljp]

Hayman or Shergold are (a) old, (b) unique, (c) in your budget.
Only problem is finding one.

 

[Yaralag]

Yamaha BB1200 is a good one

 

[paulcicero]

80's Japanese Fenders
80's Japanese and Korean Squiers
USA Fender Bullet Bass 1980 -82
Ibanez Roadstars and Musicians
Peavey Patriots ans Furys

 

[AMachine]

I will second the guild pilot. I got one I'm looking to let go for a great price or the right trade if anyone's interested just need a 5 string right now. Super light, great neck and construction and the vintage emgs have clarity for days.

 

[Chad Bennett]

First vintage bass that came to mind under 1k is the Gibson EB-0 I recently saw a late 60s model for $900

 

[Third Stone From the Sun]

Peavey T-40

 

[Ericnordicbee]

Depends on what you are looking for - as Chad said above, you can find late 60's and '70's Gibson EB-0 basses for under $1000 if you look. Not pristine and maybe a headstock repair, but they work just fine.

Also agree with most of the other choices, Fender Japan from the 1980's are great, as are US Peavey basses. Also personally like 1980's Yamaha BB series. With luck you might even find a US Fender bass in that range.

Another group of basses to look for are the custom builders from the 1980's and 1990's. The local Music Go Round has an O'Hagan bass in stock. (He made a guitar or two for Prince at one point.) There are probably basses like that in most larger cities. Builders that tried to make it and didn't. Sometimes real deals can be found. Of course, some of it isn't so good and you can see why the builder failed.

 

[brutalron]

G&l. You can find most for under $1000

 

[jamro217]

Hello and welcome to TB. Check out the TB classifieds. So many choices for you to pick from, you need to decide what features you're looking for. Scale length, set, glued or bolted neck, pick up configuration, etc. Don't forget a handyman's special that may need new pickups. Best of luck to you.

 

[TMARK]

G&L. An L1000 or L2000 from the 80s can be had for $700 - $1000.

 

[Liam Wald]

Some of the finest basses ever made came from the Matsumoku factory in Japan during the 1980's.
My particular favorites were the Aria Pro-II basses from that era.
The Aria Pro-II SB80 was called the poor man's Alembic. Of all the basses that I own, I play this one about 95% of the time. It goes to nearly every gig. The sound is fantastic and it plays better than anything else that I own. They are becoming pretty rare these days but if you can find one you would probably really love it.

 

[Liam Wald]

Nice Aria Jazz Bass...
Vintage Original 1980's Aria Jazz Electric Bass Guitar Sunburst Sounds Great!!

 

[TinIndian]

I saw this 1981 Gibson relic in person at the GC in Towson, MD. Definitely a vintage collectable significantly under a grand. It looks like it could stand a little cleaning and TLC.
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That is an Artist model and the best of that series. Has some condition issues but I think that is a great deal!

If I had any cash left after my bass acquisition binge, I would be all over that!

 

[themarshall]

That is an Artist model and the best of that series. Has some condition issues but I think that is a great deal!

If I had any cash left after my bass acquisition binge, I would be all over that!

Check out how jacked around the bridge spacing is. Looks like it's adjustable, and still a cool bass.

 

[OldPlucker]

Check out how jacked around the bridge spacing is. Looks like it's adjustable, and still a cool bass.

The bad news is it looks worse in person. Much dirtier, smudges and white streaks on the edge that look like someone rubbed against a latex white painted door frame. If it was cheaper, I might have bought it to see how well it would clean up. They just got it in the past month couple weeks; so, they won't budge on the price... for now. The weight reminded me of a Peavey my daughter once owned.