Reddit mentions: The best bass guitars

Squier basses are a good place for most beginners to start. I'm not a fan, personally, but it's a good starter bass for its price-point. However, for 13-year-old girl, you might consider a 30" scale. Some beginner friendly options

• Squier Bronco
  
• Flea Bass Junior
  
• Gretch Junior
  
• Stagg Junior
  
• Any epiphone that is 30" (there are some cool ones that are cheaper copies of more expensive gibson basses. Look at the EB-0, for example)
  
  I have never played Flea Bass stuff, it's pretty new. I'm told it's like a cheap musicman. I actually kind of like the gretch stuff, and don't know anything about stagg.
  
  What I like about the epiphone basses, for your needs, is that they are not miniature versions of 34" basses, but are off-brand versions of basses that are always 30". Gibson bass guitars are shorter scale, and epiphone is gibson's discount brand. Because of that, these basses seem to play better than their other short-scale cousins, because they are not the "kid" version of a grown-up bass, just a grown-up bass that happens to be shorter.

I have this one and I'm super happy with it. It's great for cleans but it's even better for rock since the pickup is super sharp and punchy. Plus it looks great. :)

Here is what I use - The action was super high (still is a bit) but a couple of 1/4 turns on the truss rod solved that problem. Works fine. I also bought a Yamaha for the kid because this is heavy, it has better electronics but it also has jumbo frets which results in a lot of clanking noises if you're not gentle with it. It also didn't come with an amp or anything.

I also use this to split to the amp When playing bass I turn the in-game instrument down and listen to the amp. The game will give you credit for a lot of "clunkers" and sloppy play. Guitar seems to come out of the stereo speakers my PS4 is hooked up to fine, but it really helps to split to the amp with the bass. It also helps to preserve the real-tone game cable as I never really touch it, it stays plugged into the pedal.

The Schecter Stiletto Studio 6 is my current bass, and I love it more than any other bass I've ever owned. It's perfect for your price range, and it's a very versatile instrument. Gorgeous looking, and an amazing sound. They also make them in black if you don't like the honey satin look. Personally, I prefer the first one.


If you're not feeling quite ready to move up to six strings yet, you can also try the 5 string model, which is also available in the black finish.


The EMG pickups have a great range of different sounds, and the neck-thru design gives these basses a godly sustain. The neck on the 6 string is very slim, which makes it very easy to reach all of the strings. They do have large frets, so if you're a short-scale sort of person you'll have to deal with a bit of an adjustment phase, but it's nothing that a halfway decent bass player can't handle in a week or so with some practice.


The action on my six string was perfect right out of the box (I prefer it a bit on the low side). You can find these cheaper if you look around long enough, I got mine on Ebay for about $400 brand new.


Ninja edit: If you're a slap player (I am), these basses also have great string spacing. It's a tad close for slap if you're not accustomed to being careful, but once you give it a bit of time to adjust, you'll have no problems at all.

The Dean EAB Acoustic-Electric Bass is the nicest one I've found for the money. It's $150 new, has electronics and a nice pickup, 24 frets, sounds great, and stays in tune. I recommend getting at least a gig bag for it (another $30-40 or so), but it's a fantastic deal either way.

If you don't want the Dean, I am sure there are other instrument options within your range, just be sure to play it and/or read reviews FIRST!

A quick search yielded these:
http://www.amazon.com/Fender-Medium-Aerodyne-Bllack-Electric/dp/B0016K2VMI

http://www.warwick.de/en/Warwick---Products--Instruments--Made-in-China--Rockbass--Corvette--Corvette-Basic-act.-medium-scale--4-string--Pictures.html

Kind of pricy, but I like both MIJ Fenders and Warwicks. The Fender is even a medium scale J/J, and the Warwick will tend to lean towards sounding more modern. Note that I spent very little effort in this search, so you may even find better options =). Good luck!

If you're only starting out on bass and haven't played before, you'd be better off getting into a lower price range model, like an Ibanez GSR200 or one of its many equivalents, a Silvertone, a Fender, or a Dean, just as some examples.

I also recommend a lower priced model to start because of your concerns about blistering. Unless you're dedicating 4 or more hours a day every day of the week to practicing and playing, it's unlikely you'll encounter blistering at all, let alone need a mid-range priced model to start playing on.

A stretch of several hours with no prior experience might give you blisters, but playing and practicing in moderation will result in your fingers building calluses more gradually, without blisters.

Whatever you choose to do, best of luck!

I think you'd definitely want to play a five string to see if you like it. With a standard five, you are essentially getting five lower notes (B - D#). Advantages are: those lower notes for heavier styles and easier access to notes in certain patterns. Coming from guitar, you may find that a five string has some disadvantages: the bottom string is a big gauge (often 0.130+), the neck can be pretty wide, scale length is often 35 inches, and it will be somewhat heavier than the equivalent four-string. And price is usually higher.

If your random noodling is Alex Webster basslines, then you definitely want one. For everything else, you'll need to decide whether you want/need those extra notes. Of course, you could string the bass higher, too.

Or there is the Fender/Squier Bass VI. Short scale (30"), six-string, tuned like a guitar, around $450.

[This] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029NYEQC/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8) is my first bass and I love her. Plus, I've gotten really great feedback from polished musicians so I would highly recommend it

I highly recommend getting this

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001L8PJEC/ref=s9_simh_gw_d0_g267_i5?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=mobile-1&pf_rd_r=95DT74TX1B2QSSB8Z64M&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2068141862&pf_rd_i=mobile

If you don't want a J bass for whatever reason (they sound better imo), there are similar sets around for similar prices. I feel like this one is a pretty decent deal, though. My dad bought me this bundle when I started playing bass.

Good news! You’re looking for a Squier Classic Vibe 60s Precision Bass in Sonic Blue. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001FC400S/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

I think it’s discontinued, keep an eye open online. They’re very good basses, I hope you snag one.

The Mustang PJ bass as alot of good reviews and is near your price: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=fender+mustang+pj+bass

Premier Guitar Review

I've had a Mustang Mikey Way Signature bass for several years and I like it. I got a blem for $225 (can't find the blemish, though). I'm not a big MCR fan, but it had good reviews and I wanted a short scale. I'd like to try the PJ, but I don't play enough to justify it.

Looks like a BB2024X.

If you want one that looks just as cool for a lot less money, Amazon has the BB424X on sale for $499. Better hurry, though ;-)

I recently finished my Saga Fretless Bass which was a very fun project to work on. I ended up basically spending up to $200 on it because spray paints are expensive as well as new bass strings.

The most difficult part was the spray painting to be honest because I had never done such a big spray painting job before and I screwed it up a couple of times.

I think I would have gotten a better bass if I had bought one for the same price, but I enjoyed the experience. If you want, I can send you my journal that I kept for the project as part of an assignment for one of my classes.

Thank you.

My question then becomes:
Should I go with the Vintage Modified Precision which I can strangely only find on Amazon.

Or opt for the versatility of the Precision PJ? For an extra $20 does it make sense to get the extra set of pickups? Are the Precision pickups equivalent on both of them?

Like I said, I'd only use it for recording - indie pop type music.

Thanks again.

Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass V, Crimson Red Transparent https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DWVBC56/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_0rd4wb28MM4F3

I own this and love it. Learned how to set it up and had to file the frets on the sides of the fretboard (they were cutting my fingers) but since I've finished, it's been glorious.

Oops, I linked the 5-string. I own the 4-string.

well do you know how to tell the difference between an active and passive bass guitar just by looking at it because I dont want to buy a bass for something I didnt want , you know what I mean?

and are these two active or not (sorry to be a pain lol)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WVETEV4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3M2O3U6L5DL0B&psc=1#HLCXComparisonWidget_feature_div

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DV88I/ref=psdc_11971331_t1_B00WVETEV4?th=1

The bass I want to get next is the prettiest I have seen. Its not super pricey but still awsome.

Schecter Stiletto Custom-5 Electric Bass (5 String, Natural Satin) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002E1I8W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_IPBBCb285X0KR

Any of these three is good bet for that kind of cash...
Ibanez GWB 35...
Sterling RAY35BK ...
Yamaha BB425X...Dont discredit it cause its the cheapest, its still an intense instrument...!

A jack is a $5 part that is easy to fix.

And no, in the 30 years I've been playing bass I've never heard of Sawtooth as a bass brand. I would avoid it simply because there are other, more well known brands that make inexpensive models.

If $200 is your budget, I'd go for one of these…

https://www.amazon.com/Ibanez-GSR200BWNF-4-String-Bass-Guitar/dp/B00HV0DL30/

https://www.amazon.com/Ibanez-Talman-TMB100-Electric-Guitar/dp/B00SMYE9E4/

https://www.amazon.com/Peavey-MILESTONEIVORY-Milestone-Guitar-Ivory/dp/B00HG164MO/

https://www.amazon.com/Dean-E1PJ-VN-Vintage-Natural/dp/B06WWMSQKD/

unfortunately not, is this bass any good for the price?

Well, I have owned one for a few years, but what do I know?

https://www.amazon.com/Fender-Medium-Aerodyne-Bllack-Electric/dp/B0016K2VMI

This one.

It's a decent, entry-level acoustic bass.