What’s the cheapest bass you’ve been/are amazed with?

[Paddy515]

Kasuga Ric 2003 copy made at the matsumoku factory in 1976. Bought from an estate sale for...……£35!!!!! Happy days. 100% original.

 

[Kyllsa]

A Squier PJ SPecial. Like the above poster, I swapped the pickups, going to an SD SBP 1/STK 2 pairing, and it is just an amazing bass. Seriously, I will be buried with that bass. I paid 200 euros for it and it's the best 200 euros I have ever spent.

 

[moreorless]

Hands down, my ultimate "go to" bass is my Ibanez GSR 200 I bought new for $200.00. It cuts through anything with a great presence, gets down and dirty if needed, as well as sparkles in the high end. Has the "boom" active bass boost that I rarely use, but is good for adding depth to a reggae line (sparingly applied). And the best thing about it is that after a 4 hour gig, my back is grateful for the fact that it weighs next to nothing! I have played hundreds of gigs with it! Love it so much that I bought a second one (In white) but that one doesn't shine as well as my brown sunburst one does.

 

[PartyFretless]

Just curious!

For me, it’s a 6 month used Squier Affinity PJ which I bought strung with flat wounds !

It plays great and sounds better then what I could imagine.

Any other nice finds you feel like sharing?

Hamer Slammer short scale, $150 used (about half what they were new at the time). I swapped out the cheap capacitor and installed a new tone pot. Cheap wood but lots of mass! With proper electronics of course you can shape a wide spectrum of tones from most any bass but I’ve used this now for everything from jazz to metal and have recorded with it a lot. Pickups sound sweet and it plays like butter! The neck plays better than any of the various more expensive basses I currently own and better than other basses I’ve played that cost thousands. That really lets you get creative, a true diamond in the rough! (I’m not sure every example will be as good, it could just be the one I found; as is always said play it before you buy it)

 

[bassbuddy]

Mine is the Danelectro Hodad I bought when MF was blowing them out for $99. I can't remember how long I've had it (15 years maybe?) but I've never even changed the strings on it. Sounds great!

 

[Raised4th]

Greg Bennett FN-1 here.

Was completely surprised how good it played/sounded.

 

[Matt R]

Ibanez GSR200 passive model.

 

[Jason78]

Sire V7. Absolutely amazing bass for the money. The preamp alone is worth it.

 

[joellay]

Just curious!

For me, it’s a 6 month used Squier Affinity PJ which I bought strung with flat wounds !

It plays great and sounds better then what I could imagine.

Any other nice finds you feel like sharing?

I also had an Olympic white squire Affinity PJ.
Amazed what I got for $150. Kind of sad I sold it.

 

[Dave Neal]

My brand new Yamaha BB614 $350.00 cad with the case.. It has been modded with a mahogany pick-guard and sports a Schaller bridge A great bass.

 

[B-Mac]

Jackson Short Scale bass, there were 2 in the store, one played terrible, the other was amazing.

Man, that looks so much like a Dean Custom Zone bass

 

[Dave Neal]

$300.00 cad Fender Jazz 24 deluxe with a case. Needed some work after some dumbo thought using superglue was a good way to tighten up the pots... Now boasts an 18 volt Noll 4xm pre, Bad ass2 Cellulose lackered neck. mahogany veneered back headstock.. all copper foil shielding, rebuffed finish. It's a monster bass.

 

[wheelsup247]

2002 Made In Mexico Sage Green Fender 5 String Jazz Bass. It’s solid on all counts.

 

[Space Ghost]

My Madeira (by Guild) MB200. It's got two small humbuckers on it and I can get any tone I want out of it. Puls it's a short scale at 31" and makes this old arthritic play like a kid again. I have others, but this is 'the one'.

 

[Chris470]

Have to agree with “moreorless” — my Ibanez GSR200 is perfect. Got the right sound. Got it 2 years ago as a gift and love it!!

 

[bassplayer8953]

Peavey Foundation, mid-1980's MIA. Lightweight, slender Jazz style neck (without the bulky Jazz body) plays and sounds great playing just about anything. I paid $200 and traded some junk for a Peavey hsc. Certainly not an image bass, but gets the job done, and no worries about taking it just about anywhere.

 

[Jhenry]

Found this Cort at a pawn shop for $79. Have been playing the crap out of it, I love this thing!

 

[Bob_Ross]

I'm gonna check out that Lakland model for sure, sounds cool.

It's the real deal for sure. I've had one for ~10 years and it holds its own just fine in the quiver, most of the other members of which are well over $2k instruments.

 

[bcouper]

My Ocean TB70, which was marketed by Laguna and actually made or very close copy of a Cort bass. Less than $400 and it's a 24 fret, neck through with rosewood fingerboard, active electronics (I upgraded with Aguilar), dual pickup bass.

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

A Silvertone dolphin head bass my guitarist pulled out of a trashcan! I use it every time we rehearse but I can't get him to part with it. Also a Dano Longhorn reissue at under $300, an Epi Embassy for $250 and a really awesome Fernandes Mockingbird neck-thru with all the original BC Rich-style electronics
Also a great Hofner Club bass for $250. I'm a huge fan of cheap basses!