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sub £200 recommendations


christofloffer
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i am looking at a new bass. i sold a pile of stuff and i have around £200 to spend as it stands right now. i know its still very budget but i can progress into better basses later on. for now i just want to get a better one than i have right now, which was under £100 for bass+amp+leads, and i think the neck is twisted.
things i would like ideally are precision and jazz pickups so i can get a variety of sounds to play around with. a dual purpose bridge would be good (through body and through bridge string positions, dont know a specific name for that type) again to keep options open. i also want a 34" scale one, that is what i have now and it feels comfortable to play so i would like to keep that length. i am not gigging so i dont need anything flashy. it also has to be of a shape that will sit on my lap as i cant play standing up or with a strap due to nervei am just looking at new ones for the time being. i know it wont be the most astounding quality but it shouldnt be too vital for a while provided that its not horrific. i am mostly playing funk/soul/jazz type stuff but i am still exploring the many approaches and havent really settled too far yet. i am mainly just trying to narrow down the options to help myself a bit.

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A myriad of options under £200... perfectly feisable to get a decent quality bass for less than that :)

Have you had a look at the thomann website? I'd sugest having a look through there for something that takes your fancy, some of the no-name ebay brands can be a bit of a gamble.

Of course you could get even more for your money if you were prepared to go for something used.

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I know you said you're only looking at new, but a good used bass would be best bang for your buck. For example, there's a lot of love for certain Peavey basses on this forum and some of the USA-built models are astoundingly affordable and are very good indeed, apparently.

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As said above, there are some very good second hand Basses around for that money. If you really want a new one, then this should be something that might tick all the boxes?

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_squier_affinity_p_bass_pj_bk.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_squier_affinity_p_bass_pj_bk.htm[/url]

I have an Affinity P and it is a very good Bass.

Jas

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Personally? I'd wait and check the marketplace on here. You say you can get "a better bass later" but for £200, you could get yourself something now to last quite some time. Ibanez, Squier, Yamaha.... There's a few that do the P/J confit that turn up here often enough and at bargain prices.

I WOULDN'T go for a Stagg, at least try before you buy and try an expensive bass too to get a feel for what to expect and compare models to.

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You should definitely be looking at used basses as well as new.

At that price it's the equivalent of adding another £100-£150 to your budget in terms of what you can get for your money.

In terms of brands, Squier seems to get nothing but love these days, Yamaha is good call & the lower end of the Ibanez range seems to have a pretty good reputation at the moment.

You should go to a shop or two with largish selections,play as many basses as you can to get a feel for what sort of set up and features you like best (including the more expensive instruments) then have a look to see if there is something similar within your budget.

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Sorted here......(its nowt to do with me btw)

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/274047-yamaha-bb424x-black-l220/page__fromsearch__1"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/274047-yamaha-bb424x-black-l220/page__fromsearch__1[/url]

I had one of these and it was my main gigging bass for a year. Slightly chunky neck for my taste but an awesome sounding and well built bass.I spent a lot of time trying to find a jazz or precision and ended up with the Yamaha which was streets ahead imho.

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If you want to buy new: A few options here over and above the Ibanez GSR200 which is a good bass for the money:

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/esp-ltd-b-50-blk-black/2026 - a tad over your budget by £8

http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Peavey-Milestone-Bass-Guitar-Vintage-Burst/WU4

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/bass_guitars_detail.asp?stock=13102110282527

personally I would go down the pre-owned route. However, If I had to chose I would go for the LTD at £208.

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[quote name='Mudpup' timestamp='1449494456' post='2923968']
Sorted here......(its nowt to do with me btw)

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/274047-yamaha-bb424x-black-l220/page__fromsearch__1"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/274047-yamaha-bb424x-black-l220/page__fromsearch__1[/url]

I had one of these and it was my main gigging bass for a year. Slightly chunky neck for my taste but an awesome sounding and well built bass.I spent a lot of time trying to find a jazz or precision and ended up with the Yamaha which was streets ahead imho.
[/quote]

You have some great tips here, but I would definitely recommend getting a good used bass. The one Mudpup suggests here looks really good.

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If you spot anything SX or a [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Yamaha BB414, give them a try. If you're lucky you might spot a Danelectro, which I can't praise enough. Even better, try hold on a few weeks to add on another £80 to pick up any Squier Vintage Modified. Head into a guitar shop and try out a few different shapes to make sure that you don't end up with something you don't like again.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Once you know what you're after then you should definitely keep an eye on the Marketplace here! I know new and shiny is great, but getting a brilliant deal is even better ;)[/font][/color]

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Another new bass suggestion - Ibanez Talman TMB-100 can be had new from Thomann for a smidge over £150. Only got the ivory finish left though. I have a mint green one and I think it's really good for the money and feels familiar but looks just that little bit different to what's out there.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/ibanez_tmb100_iv_talman_bass.htm

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[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1449505241' post='2924150']
When I see questions like this, I wonder what the sensibility is of spending £100 on a bass (e.g. a Harley Benton '75 Jazz or J&B Brothers Jazz, maybe Aria bass etc. and then spending £100 on a really good setup including full fret dress. Would that give something more playable than a new £200 bass?
[/quote]

I have bought two Jack and Danny Jazz basses. Both were around £100-110. They look great, they play great and they sound great. As long as you can do a basic set-up yourself (intonation and string heights) then you can have a very playable, giggable (and recordable!) bass for the price of a set of pickups.

Highly recommended. http://www.dv247.com/guitars/jack-and-danny-yc-jb-4-string-bass-guitar-3-tone-sunburst--200786

That said, a second-hand Yamaha would be a very wise buy too. Or Ibanez, some great value well-made basses in their ranges too.

So much choice for so little cash! :)

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[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1449505895' post='2924155']
I have bought two Jack and Danny Jazz basses. Both were around £100-110. They look great, they play great and they sound great. As long as you can do a basic set-up yourself (intonation and string heights) then you can have a very playable, giggable (and recordable!) bass for the price of a set of pickups.

Highly recommended. [url="http://www.dv247.com/guitars/jack-and-danny-yc-jb-4-string-bass-guitar-3-tone-sunburst--200786"]http://www.dv247.com...unburst--200786[/url]
[/quote]

How well do you think that the Jack and Danny basses would play after a full professional fret dress, new professionally cut nut, and full setup? Compared to say a USA Fender?

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[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1449505895' post='2924155']
I have bought two Jack and Danny Jazz basses. Both were around £100-110. They look great, they play great and they sound great. As long as you can do a basic set-up yourself (intonation and string heights) then you can have a very playable, giggable (and recordable!) bass for the price of a set of pickups.

<snip>

That said, a second-hand Yamaha would be a very wise buy too. Or Ibanez, some great value well-made basses in their ranges too.[/quote]

I've got one of each of the above, an upgraded J&D jazz (£150) and a Yamaha BB424X (~£200). The BB is the nicest imo, but was more money than the J&D. I'm still in the 'beginner' camp, and both basses are way better than me.

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[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1449484562' post='2923836']
Find a Yamaha BB414 and buy it. They tend to be around £150 or so second hand.

P and J pups, outstanding build quality and finishing for the money, and sound great.
[/quote]

This would be where I`d look, given the requirements.

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[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1449507310' post='2924169']
How well do you think that the Jack and Danny basses would play after a full professional fret dress, new professionally cut nut, and full setup? Compared to say a USA Fender?
[/quote]

Speaking from the Harley Benton perspective, I think they would compare favourably. I have played some very unremarkable modern American Fenders, and that was going in with the attitude of "Fender are the best; there is no other bass for me". I mean, they were fine, but just totally middle of the road; considering the price, this was unacceptable for me.

I've gone the other way now, having realised that I can't justify spending big bucks on multiple basses. GAS dictates I of course need multiple basses, so I buy cheaply and selectively. I recently bought a Harley Benton 75 jazz, and the quality of the neck finish (particularly the binding) was [i]miles [/i]ahead of the Schecter I had played not so long ago. It's so good in fact, that I can't bring myself to defret it, despite buying it for just that purpose.

I've also jammed a Harley Benton shorty P through an Ashdown stack with a Les Paul through a Marshall stack, and a Hamer through an Engl valve; sonically it stood up just fine.

Are the Harley Benton instruments perfect? No. But you get a hell of a lot of bass for not much money, and little extra spend on top makes them even better.

Can't comment on the Yamahas suggested, but I've played several Yamaha 6 strings and have been impressed.

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I would throw a Westone Thunder 1A into the ring. If my back weren't so fragile, anyway :) Great value, if rather heavy, instruments that sound immense. £200 would get you one in good nick and some change, too.

If you had just £50 more there is a bitsa Fender Hot Rod for sale in the classifieds here that is exceptionally nice. Then again, for £220 there is a Yamaha 214.

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