MiltyG565 Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 Pretty much as the title says. I want to hear any affordable and beginner brands that make decent basses. We all know stagg and encore, what are some others? If you have played them, that makes your suggestion all the better! BTW, we are talking the kind of price of bass that a small town music shop might stock. So good, but very affordable. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted February 15, 2013 Author Share Posted February 15, 2013 Just found that the Peavey Millennium range starts around £200... WHAT!? It looks like something i would expect to pay double that for! Any testimonies on how it plays? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 I would say Yamaha . They are widely available and are usually excellent for the money at whatever price point . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bremen Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 um, Squier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted February 15, 2013 Author Share Posted February 15, 2013 [quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1360944484' post='1978821'] I would say Yamaha . They are widely available and are usually excellent for the money at whatever price point . [/quote] Hit and miss i find. My Yamaha guitar is fairly poor considering the praise they get. I think you have to spend a pretty penny with them to get something actually decent. But then, i am a perfectionist. [quote name='bremen' timestamp='1360944534' post='1978824'] um, Squier? [/quote] Yes, i suppose, but aren't the really cheap ones a bit horrible? There are cheap brands out there that do make genuinely good basses for the money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 Shine? I've never played one myself, but I've seen a few very good players with them locally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len_derby Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 I would aggree with Dingus and bremen. I've had cheap Squier and Yamaha basses and been happy with both. But, as with everything, try before you buy if you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 (edited) What would you say your maximimum budget would be Milty ? £200- £300 is what I am guessing . If I was starting out again today I would be nagging my dad for one of these : [url="http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Yamaha-BB424-Bass-Guitar-Tobacco-Brown-Sunburst/D9P"]http://www.gear4musi...wn-Sunburst/D9P[/url] Just a bit more than your budget probably , but not so expensive as to be out of the question . A Squier would be my other choice . Edited February 15, 2013 by Dingus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 Yamaha [i]basses[/i], no question. You could probably pick up an RBX170 in a shop for less than £200. I haven't played one, but my bass tutor plays one in his soul band, I saw him play once and it sounded pretty good to me and he seems to have no desire to get anything else. Take from that what you will. My experience is mostly with BB models, a little more expensive, but still great basses for the money (played a BB614, 300, 350F, 450). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 Add Ibanez to your list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aende Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 I bought a Fleabass for £149 delivered. Nothing wrong with it, plays fine - could do with a pickup upgrade, but no immediate issue. Everything works and it stays in tune just fine. Also, got a Ibanez 5 string GSR200 for £140 secondhand. Not bad for a dual 'buckered active 5 - plays nice, although I am not used to a 5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted February 15, 2013 Author Share Posted February 15, 2013 [quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1360944904' post='1978833'] What would you say your maximimum budget would be Milty ? £200- £300 is what I am guessing . If I was starting out again today I would be nagging my dad for one of these : [url="http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Yamaha-BB424-Bass-Guitar-Tobacco-Brown-Sunburst/D9P"]http://www.gear4musi...wn-Sunburst/D9P[/url] Just a bit more than your budget probably , but not so expensive as to be out of the question . A Squier would be my other choice . [/quote] Just to clarify, i'm not on the market to buy a cheap bass. A friend of mine owns a music shop, which is a pretty small outfit, and he is expanding all the time. He doesn't play bass much i think, and if he's going to stock a couple of basses, i want him to be as well informed as possible. He has a lot of Lag guitars and other cheap but good guitar brands (acoustic) then a lot of Stagg electric guitars. So it's pretty clear that is the sort of area he is aiming for- low price- good quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bremen Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 [quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1360944714' post='1978828'] [quote] squier? [/quote] Yes, i suppose, but aren't the really cheap ones a bit horrible? There are cheap brands out there that do make genuinely good basses for the money! [/quote] Thing with the really cheap ones (Affinity series) is that they're variable. Some are pigs, right enough, but others you wouldn't know weren't expensive Squiers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 (edited) I bought a Squier Bronco a few years ago (i wanted a cheap short scale bass) for £88 new. I know that they've doubled in price since but it's a decent, well made bass. No complaints at all. I agree with the post above. If you get a good one then they are fine. Edited February 15, 2013 by BetaFunk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkHeart Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 A Washburn Taurus can be had for very little money, ive owned 2 Peavey milleniums and they would make a good beginner bass and i would think you could get one for a lot less than £200 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Admiral Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 He could always have his own brand : [url="http://www.chinawholesaleguitars.com/electric-bass-guitars.html"]http://www.chinawhol...ss-guitars.html[/url] There are a few people on ebay doing this and at $67 US a piece (about £42) wholesale, he could knock them out at perhaps £129? Also, this is the first wholesaler I found on Google, and it may be possible to get below the quoted minimum order of 100 pieces, particularly for a standard style, like a sunburst or black P copy I would think. Certainly the ebay guys are buying fewer than 100 at a go I would imagine, as they are clearly 'run from home' businesses, and how would they store 100? They may of course be buying a mixed collection of guitars and basses within that 100. One eBayer sells salmon pink Strats for about £49, so God knows what the wholesale price is. His feedback suggests that the buyers who actually know guitars are ok with what they get - and they are playable, albeit not fantastic guitars, but for £49, they are never going to be! His uninformed punters all seem happy too. Your pal will want better quality than that, but it may be worth exploring. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted February 15, 2013 Author Share Posted February 15, 2013 Great response! Writing these all down. [quote name='DarkHeart' timestamp='1360946258' post='1978865'] A Washburn Taurus can be had for very little money, ive owned 2 Peavey milleniums and they would make a good beginner bass and i would think you could get one for a lot less than £200 [/quote] Good stuff, a contender for the likes of the Ibanez GSRM 200? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted February 15, 2013 Author Share Posted February 15, 2013 [quote name='The Admiral' timestamp='1360946919' post='1978875'] Your pal will want better quality than that, but it may be worth exploring. Just a thought. [/quote] He definitely will. He knows quality, and wouldn't stock something that he personally wouldn't be happy with. I asked because i know you guys would know a lot more about bass (individually and as a collective ) than me, although i'm happy to offer him advice. I know what is good and what isn't when i play, and could see/feel things that are wrong, but i don't have as much experience with different brands as you lot would. I've had an epiphone, and that was an absolute PIG of a bass, i've had 3 OLP's- 2 were alright, but not up to my standard. 1 was head and shoulders above the other 2, and i still have it. It's a korean made one. My first bass was a stagg jazz copy, the neck was so fat and cheap that i'm surprised i even still play, although that could even have been a couple of years old when i bought it 2 years ago. No idea what a new one would be like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackers Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 my first bass was an Eastcoast (rebranded Stagg) P/J. It cost me 60 quid back in 2002 and it was very playable. Sure, the pickups were a little weak, but for a starter bass it was absolutely perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heminder Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 ESP LTD. They sometimes get pigeon-holed as metal basses, but they're very capable and built well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcus bell Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 i like the peavey cirrus basses, you can usually get them for around 250 second hand... or squiers, my old 20th anniversary jazz was the best jazz i have ever played, regret selling it to this day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmachine2112 Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 Vintage pretty ok for the cash.Does what it says on the tin. Wilkinson hardwear and electrics-nuff said I gig mine and through a good amp it sounds pretty good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger2611 Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 The current Bass Collection J's and P's seem to have consistant cracking reviews and it's a name with a quality reputation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumbo Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 Another vote on the Yamaha RBX170. Having previously worked in a guitar shop for quite a few years the RBX170 was the most consistent entry level bass we sold in terms of build quality, plus they generally came out of the factory pretty well setup, which is something I can't say for the other entry level basses we used to sell. I'm not sure how the RBX170 compares price wise to other entry level instruments these days, it used to be the case that the RBX was a little more than some like a Squire, however I generally found that people could see the quality difference between the basses, hence we sold many RBXs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassection Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 Stagg's aren't one that I ever thought I'd see people recommending as "good" basses.. I'd agree with anybody who says Yamaha's and Ibanez's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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