No matter if you want to hone a new instrument or simply expand your musical palette with bassy goodness. There is plenty of choice available – from five-string basses with thunderous soundscapes, to Guild Starfire guitars which add some psychedelic funkiness – there are options out there just waiting for you.
1. Squier Sonic Bronco Bass
The Squier Sonic Bronco Bass is ready to propel any musical journey forward at high speed, offering iconic Fender style and inspiring tone for players at every level. Featuring a comfortable “C”-shaped neck profile with narrow 1.5″ nut width for optimal playing comfort as well as a lightweight body, its single coil pickup ensures its unique bass tone can help create your signature bass sound.
Beginners will enjoy this bass guitar, but it is also ideal for anyone wanting to test out bass without spending a lot of money. With simple controls including tone and volume knobs, learning bass guitar can be simple with this short scale model designed with smaller hands or arms in mind.
Budget instruments may sometimes seem risky, but this bass guitar makes an excellent entry-level option for novice players. Attractively priced yet high-quality and easily playable out of the box. Although some setup may be required to achieve optimal playback performance – as is often true across bass guitar models regardless of price tag.
It features a solid agathis body and maple neck for exceptional value, plus it comes equipped with a single coil pickup to deliver rich and full tones. Unfortunately, however, it doesn’t include a strap, which may prove an inconvenience.
2. Ibanez EB-400
This bass guitar is an ideal option for beginner musicians on a budget who don’t want to invest too much. With an excellent sound and user-friendly features like its hardshell case, this model makes learning bass easier.
This guitar features a mahogany body with rosewood fingerboard. The fast and smooth neck makes playing it easy and is within easy reach of its controls; additionally it is short scale bass guitar–making it simpler for beginners to transition between chords with ease.
This guitar features two active pickups that offer an extensive range of tones from muddy to clear. Furthermore, its large sustain allows loud playing without losing its tone – ideal for rock and metal music genres but versatile enough for other genres as well. The EB-400 was specifically designed to meet these criteria; however other genres can use this instrument too!
If you’re on a tight budget but still desire high-quality bass guitar, then Ibanez EB-400 may be just what you need. Produced in China at an economical price tag, but with sound to match. Although its wood may not be of as high-grade quality as some of the other models on this list and might need some work on its fretboard when received; nonetheless it remains an ideal beginner choice.
3. Kala Ukulele Bass
Ukulele basses have recently emerged on the scene since Kala’s introduction of their U-Bass five years ago. After initial laughter subsided, these lightweight bass instruments quickly gained in popularity among those looking for an accessible way to play bass guitar without taking up too much space in their luggage or pocket.
The Kala U-Bass stands out from other ukulele basses by featuring a number of distinguishing features, most notably its use of a metal pickup for acoustic play and ability to plug in an amp for increased volume. It features basic volume and tone controls as well as being powered by a small, easily replaceable battery pack; feedback through its piezo pickup may occur if you crank it too high; otherwise feedback won’t be an issue.
Another key feature is its use of a Graphtech nut, which increases string access and makes playing the fretboard simpler. Unfortunately, this model shares the same back access issue with other budget ukuleles from Kala and requires you to unscrew its cover using screws in order to access its backside.
Kala offers this ukulele bass with standard Road Toad Pahoehoe strings that have a bouncy feel made from polyurethane material. If you prefer traditional bass guitar strings instead, their round-wound U-Bass string set provides better sound and increased adaptability.
4. Yamaha BB-500
This Japanese bass features an ergonomic playing neck and preamp. Equipped with both active and passive pickups, this instrument makes a fantastic bass for blues, R&B and classic rock styles as it delivers both low end punch and mid-punch sound quality. A fantastic addition to anyone’s collection!
The BB series enjoys widespread acceptance among bassists of all genres and backgrounds. You might have seen one playing sold out arenas regularly with one, known for its distinctive contours and midrange snap that set it apart from other basses – making the BB bass an essential tool in bassists’ careers at every stage.
This BB bass offers players of all levels an affordable yet great-sounding option at an excellent value. Its maple body and agathis neck boast natural finishes for enhanced sound quality while its six-bolt miter neck joint enhances stability and vibration transmission efficiency.
It features two Yamaha BB-500 bass pickups which give it an intense and full sound, and is in exceptional condition; having been lightly used. Although some typical wear and ding marks exist, no major damage has occurred and its solid feel makes playing extremely comfortable.
5. Jackson Silverburst 5 String
The Jackson Spectra Bass JS3V is one of those rare guitars that offers incredible tone at an unbeatably affordable price. Crafted for artists, this 35-inch-scale bass delivers on its promise to combine versatile style and immense sound. This instrument features an offset body shape with a large upper horn that distributes weight evenly across the bass to reduce neck dive for hours of comfortable playability; plus its graphite-reinforced bolt-on maple neck offers lightning-fast playability while HiMass bridge delivers solid stability and incredible sustainment!
Though four string basses can suffice for many musical genres, five string basses provide additional tonal possibilities with the addition of an additional string. By expanding their range by an octave, five string bassists can produce thick and deep sounding chords as well as sharp high notes with more tonality options than ever.
Dual passive Jackson medium-output humbucking pickups deliver massive low-end growl, while its HiMass bridge ensures rock-solid stability and amazing sustain. Tone can easily be refined or tweaked using its 2-way toggle switch for coil splitting pickup coils, 3-band EQ (active only), blend control and volume knob (with push/pull selector for bypass or engagement of active circuit). Running off just one 9V battery, this bass is ready to hit any stage and crank up its volume!
6. Squier Fluorescent Pink Bass
For an iconic bass at an unbeatably competitive price, look no further than the Squier Fluorescent Pink Bass guitar. Boasting a solid basswood body and C-shaped neck design, this model boasts vintage sound perfect for beginners while featuring two single coil pickups to provide musicians with a variety of tones.
One of the best features of this bass is that its body is constructed of lightweight agathist wood. This makes it easier for beginner players to play, while providing it with its signature sound that sets it apart from budget basses. Furthermore, the durability provided by its body also benefits newcomers.
Notably, this bass is more economical than its Fender Precision Bass counterpart because it uses pinewood instead of more costly maple wood for construction. While this may not seem significant at first, remember that wood quality can greatly influence how an instrument sounds.
Another notable element of this bass is that its neck is constructed from maple. Maple provides great tones while being strong enough for everyday use; additionally, the maple neck features a rosewood fingerboard which offers musicians an extremely smooth playing surface.