On the hunt for a work horse p bass under £130

[FretsOnFire]

As the title suggests

 

I'm on the hunt for a work horse of a p bass for under £130 for my nephew who's an intermediate player

 

Any suggestions from the good people of basschat?

[Lozz196]

For the budget available I’d look at a Harley Benton from Thomann, their instruments get favourable reviews. 

[TheLowDown]

Don't think he can go wrong with this

https://www.thomann.co.uk/harley_benton_hbp120bk_ebass.htm

[smithy]

IMHO in that price range you can't go wrong with Harley Benton ' s PB-20 Or PB-50 .

 

 

Edit: I was too slow, but you've got your first ratings for HB.

Edited January 4, 2025 by smithy

[Sean]

At a budget of £130, I'd encourage going secondhand as you'll get so much more for your money.

 

Brands I'd consider include Ibanez (TMB, Soundgear), Cort. Anything made in Indonesia (Cortek factory). Loads of others.

[jd56hawk]

I like this HB for £110, not your typical ho-hum P bass in Vintage Burst or whatever, but I'd have to go with the Squier Sonic Precision instead. Came as a big surprise when I tried one out the other day.

Couldn't stop playing it, and I'm not a P bass guy.

[FretsOnFire]

The budget has increased to the £300 point so any recommendations on p basses greatly appreciated 

[PaulThePlug]

Local Facebook Squier P, Kent Armstrong / Tonerider (New Duke P?), AliExpress Scratchplate in a colour of choice, Clean 'n lube of tuners and bridge, DIY basic Set Up...

 

Edited January 5, 2025 by PaulThePlug

[jd56hawk]

39 minutes ago, FretsOnFire said:

The budget has increased to the £300 point so any recommendations on p basses greatly appreciated 

In that case, used Squier 40th Anniversary bass, satin-smooth neck is a joy to play, or the Classic Vibe with the beautiful walnut finish.

 

[Bolo]

Yamaha trb (x) 

Faultless.

[BassAgent]

11 hours ago, FretsOnFire said:

The budget has increased to the £300 point so any recommendations on p basses greatly appreciated 

Absolutely nothing beats a (second hand) Squier for that money. 

[neepheid]

37 minutes ago, BassAgent said:

Absolutely nothing beats a (second hand) Squier for that money. 

 

A second hand Sire P5(R), perhaps?  Doesn't come up as often, but a second hand G&L Tribute LB-100 might just come in to that budget.  Heh, OP, sell you mine if you like.

[Maude]

It depends if you want an actual Precision, or a bass with Precision pickups. The right image is important to wanting to pick it up and play it for a youngster. 

Personally if I had £300 for bass with Precision pickups I'd be getting a used Yamaha BB424x. Fantastic build quality, playability and tone.