Battle of the budget basses?

[zonular]

Between the likes of squier and Harley benton etc which budget bass is your go to recommendation for a new player, keeping price as low as possible 

 

I know it's partly luck of the draw / bit of setup is needed here and there, avoiding the 2nd hand market, just looking at something I can order direct.

 

Squier sonic Vs Harley benton pb 20 

 

 

[Rayman]

Personally I’d be looking at a Sire. Absolutely stellar basses at any price. 

[itu]

I'd still choose a used one. The selection is wider, and the bass is stabilized over the time. A new one may be hit-and-miss. 

Edited 15 hours ago by itu

[synthaside]

I would strongly recommend trying to go for a used, slightly higher-end starter bass rather than a brand new Squier Sonic, Markbass, or Harley Benton. Yes, those new starters are so much better than they used to be, but that quality has also trickled up to the lower end of the mid-quality basses.    If you find a good used mid-range bass, especially one that's been a little abused, you could end up with a life-long bass instead of something you'll outgrow. Seriously, look at a used Sire or a Squier Classic Vibe. There's one in the classifieds right now for £250—which is "good Harley Benton" money.
 

I recently had to grab a cheap bass for a wedding gig in Latvia. Flying with my expensive instruments is always risky and a pain, and hey, it was my wedding, I could do what I wanted! So instead of renting one for a week, which would have cost me about 300 Euros, I decided to just buy a bass in that price range.  What followed was a great adventure, I went to every music shop in Riga to try out everything around that price. I'd tell the staff what I was up to, and they often gave me free rein, hooking me up with the same amp i use at home , some even offered to buy the bass back from me at a reduced rate afterwards.
 

I went into it expecting to walk out with a Sire, a Markbass P , ibanez or maybe a used Harley Benton. What I ended up doing was falling completely in love with a fantastic Squier Classic Vibe P-bass.

I took the neck off wrapped it all up in my clothes and paid for checked luggage to bring it home and i'm going to be rehearsing with it  tomorrow, It has no business being as good as it is—  My Stingray is sitting unloved in its case.

 

[crazycloud]

Ibanez SR300, or a GSR200 if money is really tight.

 

I've used both my SR200 and 300 series and they're both great.

[Lozz196]

As a Fender man I’d always look at Squier - even the Affinity range can be amazing once set up properly. 

[HeadlessBassist]

I'd have a look around for one of the 40th Anniversary Squires. They punch well above their weight. Talking used, I'm just in the middle of a deal for a mint condition (never gigged) CAR 2016 MIM Standard Jazz for around £350. They are around, but you have to dig a bit.

 

Sires, as others have said, are always consistent, and now they all have those lovely curved neck edges.

 

If you like Music Man, the new Ray 2 passive Stingray looks a lot of bass for the money and sounds great in the right hands, as well as the last of the JHS Vintage V96's - @Mike Brooks says the 'Reissued' models sound scarily like the real thing.

 

 

 

 

[miles'tone]

3 hours ago, zonular said:

Between the likes of squier and Harley benton etc which budget bass is your go to recommendation for a new player, keeping price as low as possible 

 

I know it's partly luck of the draw / bit of setup is needed here and there, avoiding the 2nd hand market, just looking at something I can order direct.

 

Squier sonic Vs Harley benton pb 20 

 

 

I can help. I bought a HB PB20, was disappointed* by the fit, finish and fretwork so sent it back. 

Bought a Squier Sonic P and apart from smoothing off some fret ends, it's great. Feels much better quality and a step up from the HB.

 

*disappointed because I have a few HB instruments that are great.

 

 

[jezzaboy]

At the price point it can be a bit hit and miss but had a Sonic and it was a decent bass. 

[Franticsmurf]

I have both HB and Sonic basses. From a purely practical point of view they are both very similar in terms of quality, playability etc and I couldn't recommend one over the other. My HB is heavier, both were a similar new price (within £20-£30 as I recall). But when it comes to resale or part exchange, I think the one with the Fender logo will retain a bit more value. 

 

I used to have an Ibanez GSR200 and that was better (IMO) than either the Sonic or the HB. It was lighter than both and I preferred the neck but I sold it during an enforced break in gigging. I have recently ordered a new SR300EB (and while looking I saw a second hand older SR300 for £180 and a new GSR200 for £220 and aused GSR200 for £100). Personally I would go for one of these over the two mentioned by the OP.

 

I've owned a Sire and the quality on that was superb, but the asking price was slightly higher than the Sonic/HB range.  

[neil___lien]

One more vote for Sire!

I used to have a V3 which was flawless. Only moved it because i moved from one country to another. 

Now i have a P7 fretless 

[Dan Dare]

Quality starter instruments are much of a muchness these days. They're all pretty decent. Don't buy new, as others advise. Plenty of instruments out there that have been bought with good intentions and consigned to the cupboard virtually unused when people realise it ain't that simple. As a starter bass will almost inevitably be sold on once the player has got past the beginner stage, so you want something that won't be worth pennies when the time comes to upgrade (unless you have plenty of moolah). A Squier will hold its value better than a HB or similar.

Edited 2 hours ago by Dan Dare