HELP a guitarist in need of a sub-600$ bass guitar!

[Musicman112]

Hello!

I'm planning to get an electric bass to use in home recording and teaching my wife to play a little. I have played bass quite a lot but I'm generally a guitar nerd and not so familiar with what brands makes the best-bang-for-the-buck-basses. I'm thinking up to 600 dollars maximum and I'm grateful for tips, both new and used. Also, if you got a suggestion for a good amp, I would make me most pleased!

Thanks!

 

[ldizzle]

A mim jazz or P bass will get you a long way. $300/400 used?

The ibanez with barts are supposedly great for the money as well and light.

Musicman made a SUB series which would get you in the stingrayish tones below your budget.

I bought my German warwick active 5er for $600 locally totally beat up and missing a tuning machine. But I think this was a 1 off grab. Insanely toneful bass.

Amp at home... I personally just use a BDDI into my interface and save the neighbors.

Good luck!

 

[olejason]

It is impossible to say without knowing what kind of music you want to play, what kind of tones you want, etc. It is kind of like asking "what guitar should I buy?"... there is generally more to it than that For home recording an amp is not necessary unless you just want one.

 

[Member 995]

Squier Vintage Modified, G&L Tribute, or Musicman SUB is where I would start my search.

 

[cardinal]

These are all good suggestions. IME a German Warwick will blow away everything in that price range. Particularly an ash-bodied Corvette should generally do well in just about any genre.

 

[IGuitUpIGuitDown]

My Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass V was $329.00 a few months ago. They've gone up since then. Outstanding value for what I received in an Indonesian solid maple bass. I wish I had a bass this good years ago, I would've been writing more original music.
Look into Fender Rumble amps, too. 3rd generation, I believe.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/JBassVNat

 

[Patch]

These basses look like a great bang-for-the-buck: http://www.sire-usa.com/product-category/bass/

 

[Musicman112]

It is impossible to say without knowing what kind of music you want to play, what kind of tones you want, etc. It is kind of like asking "what guitar should I buy?"... there is generally more to it than that For home recording an amp is not necessary unless you just want one.

Yes, of course I'm thinking as allround as possible, 4 string and no need for active pickups. I would be playing mostly pop, jazz and maybe fusion with it. So somewhere in this area...

 

[Musicman112]

Has anyone got any experience with Woodo basses?

 

[sears]

How about a modded G&L from the other thread? It's a little over your budget

 

[lostpoet2]

My Squier classic vibe precision bass gets a ton of playing time at my house.

I would also highly recommend the entire G&L Tribute series of basses.

 

[CharlyG]

I got a Tbird, Longhorn, and Traveler. They were all under $400. look to the left.... That whole setup, including the Rumble V3 115 combo, is right around $1000.

The Longhorn and the T-bird(not the one in the pic, I sold the 5 string) are used.... The Rumble and the Traveler are new.

I forgot to change my avatar for the T-bird IV... have to take a pic this weekend.

 

[duaneflowers]

I picked up a used Epiphone Les Paul Deluxe for pretty much the same reasons... and since I'm pretty much a Les Paul guy for guitar, I acclimated pretty quickly. I guess it all depends on what floats your boat though.

 

[Blanket Jackson]

These basses look like a great bang-for-the-buck: http://www.sire-usa.com/product-category/bass/

There is a whole "club" of Sire owners on TalkBass - seems like a really good quality/cost value

 

[202dy]

With a six hundred dollar budget for guitar alone it will be difficult to make a mistake. Most bass guitars will do all of the things you want. It will mainly come down to ergonomics.

• How does the neck feel in her hand?
• Is the weight acceptable on a strap?
• Is the balance such that she can reach first position with ease.

In addition:

• Used is always the best bang for the buck.
• A good carcass can always have electronics upgrades performed. A bad carcass isn't worth upgrading.
• Budget and equal amount for the an amp.

Lastly, for most people, looks and finish are important. Buy something she likes.

Go ye forth and shop!

 

[IGuitUpIGuitDown]

My Squier V bass is 10 lbs. Incredibly heavy, but sounds great. I bought a padded leather Levy's wide strap. Some basses NEED one.

I didn't buy used, and Sweetwater did an outstanding set-up which you don't always get when buying used. It's all about the price you can find and the quality of the actual instrument. I bought mine blind, I only picked out the actual bass from their Guitar Gallery. That made a big difference, picking out the same bass I would receive.

 

[CharlyG]

The Longhorn is light and cool looking if you can find a good deal...and surprisingly has a nice tonal variety. It can approach a Rick tone with rounds...I am using Pressurewounds which hits all my tonal sweet spots!

 

[ColonelForbin]

• A good carcass can always have electronics upgrades performed. A bad carcass isn't worth upgrading.

This ^ !!! If the bass plays and feels well; good weight, good frets, good neck - cosmetic blemishes aside - the electronics can always be upgraded, and the options there are plentiful.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/GL/L-2000-Electric-Bass-Guitar-111940085.gc

G&Ls are very versatile.

http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/TributeSeries/basses/L-2000_new/index.asp

This particular model can be active or passive & also has a treble boost mode position.

It also has a switch for running the pickup coils in parallel or series.
In parallel they sound more like single coils.

The MFD pickups are probably the hottest passive bass pickups in the business.

 

[sears]

Take your time, read the Talkbass classifieds. I almost bought a modded, well-played 96 American Deluxe Precision for around that much. I didn't, because I really wanted a more vintage style P.