Suggestions for Uber cheap but decent bass

[shoulderpet]

Hi all

I am currently down to just one bass and whilst I love the playability of my Hofner Club bass tonally it is no longer a good fit for the kind of stuff I am playing, I am reluctant to move it on as although the truss rod is working I don't think it has all that much (if any) adjustment left on it.

 

Now understandably I am really wanting a new bass, something I can get a brighter more aggressive tone from but me and my wife are planning to move very soon so money is super tight, this means I will need to buy something very inexpensive for now, I quite like the look of the Squier affinity jazz bass but at 240.00 I feel Squier is kind of getting demolished by other brands in terms of price to quality.

 

Which of the uber cheap brands are worth buying?  I see there is Fazley which offers a jazz bass with a roasted maple neck for under 150.00 quid, Gear4music offer the LA Series basses which are another contender, any others I should look out for?  Thanks

 

 

 

 

[ezbass]

Harley Benton. My Mustang-alike PJ was £200 at the time and is even cheaper now.

[Paolo85]

I would reccomend against being attracted to shiny things such as roasted maple necks at that price range.

Most of the sound of your bass, setting strings and external factors aside, comes from the pickups. You want one that sounds good and that's hard to detect in rhe specs. Most of the playability of your bass comes from fretwork (assuming you'll do a good setup). There for supercheap basses it's a bit of a lottery but in general I suspect the more the bass comes recommended the more likely fretwork tend to be acceptable more often than not.

Roasted maple in theory would improve neck stability. Sometimes cheap basses come with superchunky necks, and for these baseball bats stability is not necessarily the problem. The problem is that they also balance with superchunky body and make 5kg+ basses (eg my Harley Benton JB75fl or my Fazley PJ fl).

Among the brands that specialise in supercheap basses, Harley Benton I think is believed to be the best value for money. The jazz basses tend to be great but superheavy. Mine was both superheavy and a neck diver which for me is a no no. They make a few heavy basses, buth other basses they make seem to be normal or in some cases light (eg the cheap P bass with poplar body or even more the actibe B450) and well regarded.

 

[Paolo85]

Btw I don't think Squiers are "demolished" by other brands. The Affinities are very lightweight P and Js, with comfortable neck shapes, my Affinity PJ had a very high output P pickup. It also was fraught with issues but for cheap basses that's always a risk and a seller with a good return policy is a must

[jezzaboy]

The Harley Benton PJ 4 SBK Deluxe is a great bass at £132 delivered. Just a few sharp fret ends but the one I got plays great and the satin black finish is really nice.

[Lw.]

Another Harley Benton vote from me - the kings of cheap gear. Thomann are shifting huge volume so the price is helped by their economies of scale, brands selling less units are having to cut corners in order to compete on price. They can be quite heavy though so spend some of that saving on a nice wide strap. 

[fretmeister]

Used Ibanez Mezzo?

[hooky_lowdown]

Simple, either of these. 

 

 

[neepheid]

At the price point you're talking about, pretty sure Harley Benton is about the best in class.

[3below]

Used Peavey milestone or just look through BC basses for sale.  There are some excellent value basses which may well prevent the need to buy something else later.

[GCYPbass]

I would go for used instead of new. You can find some good models of Yamaha or Ibanez for the price of new entry level basses. 

[jd56hawk]

You might feel that way about Squier Affinity basses, but the current ones are much better than they used to be.

Other than that, these two 40th Anniversary Vintage models are selling for $300 or so, and they really get the job done.

Edited July 26, 2023 by jd56hawk

[kodiakblair]

4 hours ago, jd56hawk said:

Other than that, these two 40th Anniversary Vintage models are selling for $300 or so

Not in the UK , OP could buy 3 Harley Bentons for 40th Anniversary money.

[skidder652003]

on here

 

[skidder652003]

or this, so many great second hand basses on this community

 

 

[skidder652003]

or this? seriously, why buy new?

 

 

[jay bass]

Jand D basses from Dv24/7 are great value , and very playable

i have owned a jazz copy , which i have used for gigs in the past .without any problems.

 

[neepheid]

3 hours ago, skidder652003 said:

or this? seriously, why buy new?

 

 

 

I'll bite - warranty, brand new item, peeling protective film off pickguard, not having someone else's dead skin cells in your bass, also not everyone feels confident navigating the second hand market. Don't get me wrong, I hear you, but you did ask...

[PaulThePlug]

Gumtree / Facebook... bound to be a Squier P (PJ) waiting in the £80 region, or listed at £100 just waiting for a haggle. Otherwise, Ibby SR300 might see one for £150ish with a haggle.

[Lozz196]

Having just acquired a Squier Classic Vibe Mustang Bass I`d def recommend these, can be picked up for around the £300 mark second hand. I`m very impressed with mine.

[Baloney Balderdash]

To get the familiar comfortable short 30" scale length of your Höfner, the Mustang-esque Harley Benton MV-4MSB Gotoh Deluxe Series, hands down (199£/229 Euro) :

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_mv_4msb_gotoh_bk.htm

 

Just astonishing value for the money.

 

 

Or for something even cheaper, but still genuinely great, check out their cheapest P Bass model, the Harley Benton PB-20 SBK Standard Series (111£/129 Euro): 

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_pb_20_sbk_standard_series.htm

 

 

But really you can't go wrong with pretty much any Harley Benton bass.

 

They just seem to be one step ahead pretty much any other similar priced budget brands in terms of quality.

 

Edited July 26, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[jd56hawk]

18 hours ago, kodiakblair said:

Not in the UK , OP could buy 3 Harley Bentons for 40th Anniversary money.

I wouldn’t mind having one of these. Hard to pick a favorite but if I see the TB-70 hanging up somewhere, I'll jump on it.

Edited July 26, 2023 by jd56hawk

[TheGreek]

Secondhand Squier Standards can be found in your budget - you get a PJ configuration in a "classic" style. Can't go wrong.

 

Various Yamahas, Sires, G&Ls and even Bass Collection Nanyos will be available within your price range if you shop around.

[Bolo]

I vote Yamaha at that price point. I don't think they even build bad ones.

[Thump]

+1 for Harley Benton , price to quality comparison they currently cant be beat if you ask me