Best budget P bass

[SteveXFR]

I'm wanting a P bass for a new project. I'll be tuning it down to A, not sure how it'll go so I don't want to spend too much and I'll be buying used.

What would be a good used, budget P bass? Would it be a Squier or a really scruffy mex Fender or something like a Yamaha or even a Peavey?

 

[Lozz196]

I’d look at a Vintage if possible. If you like maple fretboards the Tony Butler Sig, if not just the regular ones. They do sometimes come up used on the bay, but new will  still be cheaper than a used Mex Fender.
 

The Tony Butler Sig which I had was incredibly good quality, played well & sounded great. I thought I’d need to upgrade the pickup to get it sounding near to my US Precision with CS62s but didn’t need to at all.

[Paolo85]

I have a Squier Affinity PJ. I did not really like the pickups, which I have replaced with some cheap but great sounding Wilkinsons. The neck is really comfortable and the poplar body is really lightweight - although to the point that the bass is a bit neck heavy.

I must say I have had two and both had problems in terms of limited truss rod range, which is not good esecially if you plan to tune down. I assume however that these are QC failures, I have been unlucky and that's not the norm.

Overall, I believe it is a good bass for the money and a good modification platform.

As for comparing with other basses, I can only tell you that I tried a Yamaha BB234, which would have cost ~£100 more, and I did not like how it sounded really. Any time I try a bass in a shop however I wonder if it is an amp thing..

[Jonesy]

What's your budget for the budget P? 

 

A Squier will be easier to pick up, the Vintage Modified range is pretty decent and a step up from the Affinity series, but not as spenny as the Classic Vibes.

 

How about a G&L SB2 Tribute? You could probably get one for 250-300 used, but they're not so common. The MFD pups are pretty hot, you get a chunky bridge, they're light as a feather and they balance really well too.

 

The LB100 is a bit more of a trad P bass and can be had for the same sort of money too.

 

Or, if you're looking chirpy cheap then Harley Benton is worth a go.

Edited August 25, 2022 by Jonesy

[Maude]

A few that I see come up on facebook quite often that I've had/still got, that punch way above their usual two figure price tags are Aria STB Series, SX and 90s Encores (just Encore on the headstock). 

Usually around the £50-£75 mark. A Tonerider pickup is £25 and turns any of these into a vintage sounding traditional Precision. 

[Paolo85]

7 hours ago, Maude said:

A Tonerider pickup is £25 and turns any of these into a vintage sounding traditional Precision. 

I have not tried the Tonerider P (I have a Tonerider J bridge thought) but I agree that changing pickups on a cheap P is a no brainer. I personally would focus more on buying a bass with a good neck, weigh and balance than worry about stock pickups. If soldering is an issue a solderless loom from @KiOgon can solve the problem, and also likely improve on the stock tone control.

[Lozz196]

9 hours ago, Maude said:

A Tonerider pickup is £25 and turns any of these into a vintage sounding traditional Precision. 

 

2 hours ago, Paolo85 said:

I have not tried the Tonerider P (I have a Tonerider J bridge thought) but I agree that changing pickups on a cheap P is a no brainer. I personally would focus more on buying a bass with a good neck, weigh and balance than worry about stock pickups. If soldering is an issue a solderless loom from @KiOgon can solve the problem, and also likely improve on the stock tone control.

 

Tonerider P is a great pickup, sounds very much like the Fender CS62s I have in my US Fenders, putting one in my backup bass this weekend - via a KiOgon loom as my soldering skills are non-existent. Two great recommendations there chaps.

[Paul S]

To increase your options, if it doesn't have to be Precision shaped, although still sounding like a precision, it is worth considering a Hondo II Professional H1015 - the double cutaway job.  Necks are brilliant, sometimes they have DiMarzio pickups.  Bridges are generally crap 3 point jobs.  Weigh a ton but that might not be an issue for you.  Sometimes they can be picked up for peanuts. 

 

Also a Westone Thunder, although prices for these have rocketed recently.  The 1A, particularly, sounds huge.

 

If you were really lucky an early Peavey Fury might come along.  They can be usually picked up for very little and are a quality USA built bass. 'The best precision bass Fender didn't make' I have seen written.  V. slim neck, aggressive pickup with a superb tone.

[tegs07]

I would agree that the tonerider P pickup is one of the best budget pickups out there. I got a used one off fleabay for £20ish and wasn’t expecting much but ended up genuinely impressed.

On another thread somewhere is a link to an online shop offering brand new Squire CV P basses for under £290.

After a decent setup these are decent instruments. I’ve heard mixed reports about QC but of the ones I have played they are as good as any Mex Fender.

Edited August 26, 2022 by tegs07

[la bam]

The new SX basses are phenomenal for the money (around £220).

 

The vintage ones are great too for the same money.

 

Recently, I've seen a few new encores that look identical to the vintages, even down to the logo font, for around £100 used.

[Jonesy]

Just to throw another bass in the hat.........the Revelation RPB65 is about 200 new and less than half that 2nd hand as their resale value isn't so great

[Muzz]

My (bought secondhand) BB414 is pretty damn close to a P, and the build quality is excellent, which is something I'd consider when tuning down verrrrrry low...

[Maude]

3 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

 

 

Tonerider P is a great pickup, sounds very much like the Fender CS62s I have in my US Fenders, putting one in my backup bass this weekend - via a KiOgon loom as my soldering skills are non-existent. Two great recommendations there chaps.

It was your posts that turned me onto the Tonerider Lozz. 

You know your Precisions and if you thought it was close to the customshop 62 then that was good enough reason to try one, especially at the price they are. 

I put it in a £50 Encore I picked up, did some serious fretwork and a set up and put some old chromes on it. 

When I play it I genuinely wonder why I've bothered with expensive gear. It sounds, and feels fantastic. 

 

 

[RandomBass]

Another vote for Vintage here - the V4 is the one, or alternatively their even less expensive Encore range as above.

Ive had both normal V4 and the Tony Butler one with a maple fretboard - both were great instruments in terms of quality and sound.

[RandomBass]

4 hours ago, la bam said:

The new SX basses are phenomenal for the money (around £220).

 

The vintage ones are great too for the same money.

 

Recently, I've seen a few new encores that look identical to the vintages, even down to the logo font, for around £100 used.

Yeah these too, completely forgot about SX.  I had one of these 2nd hand about 10 years ago, not the same standard as Vintage back then - could be different now.

[miles'tone]

I'm a fan of the Revelation RPB65. Amazing that they're so cheap to buy (if you can find one in stock at the moment). I used to have the Pino red fretless which I wish I'd kept. They have Entwistle neodymium pickups which are full range sounding with plenty of oomph. 

You'd probably make people involuntarily urinate playing one tuned to low A.

Edited August 28, 2022 by miles'tone

[MichaelDean]

The Revelation range is great. I've got an RPJ77 that I picked up for £60 and it's great stock. I've changed the bridge for a Fender highmass one and put a black pickguard on it to make it "mine" though. 

[NancyJohnson]

Secondhand or Harley Benton.  Update what you don't like but don't expect any great return when you decide to sell it on.

 

 

[SteveXFR]

Ive been looking local and there's a few Vintage V4's selling for peanuts. Even adding in a tonerider pickup it's still dirt cheap. 

Squier P basses seem to be similar price as well, generally well under £200

[ern500evo]

There’s a very tidy looking Vintage Tony Butler on FB marketplace for £200, it’s in Dawlish. 

[Maude]

16 hours ago, ern500evo said:

There’s a very tidy looking Vintage Tony Butler on FB marketplace for £200, it’s in Dawlish. 

I've heard very good things about the Vintage Tony Butler, and it's a looker too. 

[Munurmunuh]

A whole back I was trying to look into the Tony Butler sig and got the impression that the style of the neck profile changed abruptly at some point. I was definitely confused enough to forget about looking for one. If there had been any to hand I could have checked out, I would have, but them were lockdown days